Good Luck Liam...

Liam, Just wanted to say we will be thinking of you this Friday when you travel to Iraq, we are both very proud of you. Your uncle G says if it moves..part its head from its shoulders and ask questions later!

Visit to the Longest Place Name in the World!

After camping at Porangahau Beach we travelled about 5k to the longest place name in the world...when we got there, there we're stunning views and a sign post...literally! It's amazing, you travel around New Zealand and rarely see another car and whilst we we're here taking photo's another 3 cars pulled up to do the same!

To fit the photo's on the blog we have to minimise and so the sign post is not clear...so here goes...

The place is called: Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu. ( If you click on the photo it will show the name larger!)

Camping at Porangahau

Just arrived...trying to master the new tent!

10 minutes later!

Tree's and the beach surrounded where we camped.

We went for a walk to the beach in the evening before dinner

Helen preparing dinner

G'day mate!

Around the stove in the evening

Mozzie protection...not a good look...hat and socks tucked into bottoms!!

Body board...AKA...draining board

Bird watching and Breakfast

Helen and Jon

Cooking brekky

"Excuse me...can you get my quad bike out of the mud, it's stuck!" Graham helping the local kids.

This weekend we bought a tent and a couple of sleeping bags and on te spare of the moment ended up going camping with Helen and Jon...thank goodness they had most of the kit as they spent a year camping around Australia a couple of years ago! We headed South to Porangahau Beach as it is known for its sandy beaches, as opposed to the volcanic beaches mainly seen throught the Bay. It took about one hour and forty minutes to get there....but it was worth the trip!

We camped in a free camping area about 50 yards from the beach, it was beautiful...according to Helen and Jon it had really good facilities...A TOILET and RUNNING WATER!! He he..that was all we needed! We didn't get there until about 7.30pm, so we got the tents up quick, had a walk on the beach, had dinner and spent the night chatting.

The weather was very rainy in the night...and we are pleased to say our bargain tent kept us dry! This morning the sun was shining, we had breakfast....beans, tomoatoes, mushrooms and scrambled egg and headed for a long walk....we only got about an hour around the walk as we planned to go up the hills around the beach...but the tide was beating us so we turned around...we then packed all of our stuff up and headed to the 'place with the longest name in the world!'

Cont...

Today, whilst making the bed...I discovered underneath the covers...but attached, this:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biosystematics/invertebrates/spiders/images/WhiteTail_NZ.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biosystematics/invertebrates/spiders/white_tail.asp&h=329&w=300&sz=13&hl=en&start=9&um=1&tbnid=1qVOYnorH138sM:&tbnh=119&tbnw=109&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpictures%2Bof%2Bnz%2Bspiders%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%3DGGLR,GGLR:2006-03,GGLR:en%26sa%3DN

Thats it.....we're going to struggle to sleep...ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Will I ever sleep in NZ again????

A & E Part 2- Hastings Hospital-19th Jan 08

Injuries finally took their toll on poorly fox....

The weather has been cloudy today...need I say more!! Flax Specs!

Flax Crafty things!

Angel Fish!

Hi all,

We've been back to the A & E department again today with Grahams shoulder ( see kayaking). He has been in a lot of pain all week, struggling with work and not sleeping. So today we spent three and a half hours in A & E. He has had it x rayed and had an examination with a doctor who said the likelihood is that he has damaged the muscles around his shoulder blade and weakened them, thus causing the pain. She has signed Graham off work for at least a week, and he is to rest and keep it in a sling...she has also prescribed an abundance of pain killers to try and get on top of the pain. She has also referred Graham for physio, we are covered by ACC ( payments we make out of wages each week), so we can find a private physio and the costs will be covered. Graham has also been given notes and been referred to a GP, with the recommendation he is sent to see an orthopaedic specialist for further investigation.

Got home and he was shattered and so had a kip!!

I thought i'd be creative and started making things out of flax leaves I got out of the garden...

Will keep you all posted...at the minute its just rest, pain killers and no work.

Kayaking in the Sea...the re match!!

Fishing before mishap!

You can see the top of our house at the top of the picture...

Graham teaching Jon a thing or two about birds!!!!

King fish Jon caught...also known as Dinner!

Hi, on Sunday last weekend we went to the neighbours house and asked if we could borrow her kayak...after trying to fit it in our car...( no laughing please!)...we decided to just cross the road and go ocean kayaking. Graham was up for it and I was slightly more reserved as Napier is known for its rip tides...

So we got settled on the beach and then sorted the kayak out, Graham had been sat in it for approximately 2 minutes when a huge wave came, flipped the kayak and Graham came somersaulting towards the shore...I kid you not!!! He was in agony...his shoulder had popped out!!!!!!!!! Thankfully it is now back in, but he has been in quite a lot of pain this week with it and is dosed up on pain killers all the time...so it was: Sea Kayaking:1...The Hollands: 0. I took a picture of the event ...not realising Graham had been injured!

Late afternoon we went to Helen and Jon's house and had dinner, Jon had been out on a fishing boat and caught a very large King Fish...we had it on the BBQ!

Ngā mihi nui me te aroha nui i tō rā whanau Hannah and Nat-17th January 2008

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you two,
Happy Birthday to you!!

Hi to Hannah and Nat, Hope you both have a great birthday...Hannah I hope you are enjoying Burma, see you in June and Nat...get that house sold and we will see you over here!!

Speak soon

Jade and Graham xxx

Body Boarding and a trip to A & E!!!!!!!!

Brilliant photo!!

This afternoon when we returned home we decided to go over to the beach. Spent the afternoon fishing, reading and body boarding having a great time. Suddenly a massive wave came over Graham, the board flipped up and hit him in the Jaw...he was in quite a bit of pain and had a mouthful of blood and his jaw 'didn't feel right'...couldn't close his mouth properly or swallow properly....so, off to A & E we went!

Arrived at Hastings Hospital at 5.15, checked in, filled in a few forms and sat in the waiting room. Within 5 minutes we we're called to see the nurse, 10 minutes later Graham was in X ray and an hour later he was in with the doctor. They have said they think he dislocated the jaw and it must have popped back in straight away, its quite swollen and they have said he will be in discomfort with it for the next week or so....

Typical brits, we went prepared with a book and an mp3 for the waiting room, and we we're out in one hour and a half!

Back home and stocked up on pain killers!

These are the 'before' shots.

Centennial Gardens, Napier

Graham is there somewhere!!

On the way back from shopping we popped to the Centennial Gardens established in 1974...what a fantastic place, so calming and beautiful. there are areas for picnics or short walks. The garden areas are really well looked after and the waterfall was stunning.