Doings from Downunder

Hi to all again,
Well, Christmas has been and gone for another year. We spent Christmas Day with Perry's girlfriend's family at Red Beach just north of Auckland and had a very enjoyable day. Then Jean's old friend Sara had come to NZ from Murwullimbah in northern NSW where she lives with her son Ricardo. It was good to catch up as the last time we had seen them was Christmas 2011 when we travelled down there from Bundaberg. Sara stayed with us in Milford at New Year and we stayed up until 0300 on New Year's Day reminiscing. Later we saw them again when we caught the ferry from Devonport to Auckland and met at a restaurant on Wynyard Wharf. There was also an opportunity for Perry to meet Sara again after many years when Sara lived for a few months with Jean and Perry ironically just around the corner from where we are now - 30 something years ago. Very sad to have to say goodbye again because it will probably be some time before we see them again. Still, they may visit us sometime soon in SE Asia.
We have found a great osteopath in Takapuna on Auckland's North Shore and have both been having treatment - Jean for her hips and Jim for knees. We have concluded that with all the rolling we did for two and a half months travelling from Cairns to Darwin had knocked us around more than we realised and Jean had been despairing of ever coming right, but she is now almost back as she was. Combined with the sinus operation in Malaysia, she will be fighting fit. Watch out "Tintin"!!!
Also on the medical front, Jim has had all the usual tests for his Diabetes Type II and happily they have all come back normal or better than normal. Cholesterol, blood pressure, an eye retina test and sugar levels are all fine. And the knees are improving too. Must keep up the exercises though - something Jim is not good at! The only "bad" thing is that, while he lost 10 kgs. coming through Indonesia, 90% of it is back on with all the good NZ food. Still, that will change once we are back in the tropics.
We have been again back in Whangarei staying with Hamish and Sara. We were invited to dinner on board "Sina" during our visit with Noel and Litara and our friends Richard and Pauline. "Sina" is a Kauri timber built 53' yawl (Mudie design) built by Noel who is a master wooden boat shipwright. She is a masterpiece and Noel and Litara circumnavigated on her some years ago during which they rounded Cape Horn for the 2nd. time. Noel also did much of the refit work on "Tiare Taporo III" in 2008/09. Litara comes from Samoa and is a Matai (Chief) of her village there. We all have to defer to her chiefly status!!
We travelled up to Whangarei via the Kai Iwi Lakes which are on the west coast more or less at the same latitude as Whangarei. We left Perry, Tracie and Carter there with Tracie's family to camp there for a week with Perry's fearsome skiboat - powered by a 350 V8 Chev. Then we took one of their cars for our visit to Whangarei. Then, after a week in Whangarei during which time we caught up some more with people we hadn't seen for some time we went back to Kai Iwi (about 90 mins drive from Whangarei) to be with them for the day and to help with dismantling the camp. Jean did a circuit round the bay on the "Shark" behind the speedboat which she said was an experience!! Camping these days is just like taking the kitchen sink on your back and so the dismantling takes some time. Not to mention cramming it all into 2 4WD's plus Peapod - oops sorry - that should be Carter who has much more in the form of accoutrements than his small size would suggest. Still that's always the way - the smaller the personage the more paraphernalia seems to be necessary!!
We arrived back in Auckland last night (Sat.) and spent today sleeping in, having brunch at a local cafe within walking distance, and cleaning the cars out of all the Kai Iwi sand that had been transported back to Auckland!! Perry left tonight for Europe to further check out his potential new job - we will see him back in 10 days or so.
Jean continues to enjoy her grandson, Carter who is now almost sitting up and very alert. He appears to have enjoyed his camping holiday and is in fine form. Jim's youngest daughter Charlotte and Jon came up from Christchurch with their two girls, Lucia and Elsie. We spent a very pleasant day with them on St. Heliers Bay Beach near where they were staying in Charlotte's cousin's house. A few days later they called in to see us in Milford on their way back from a picnic day at Wenderholme, just north of Auckland. Haven't seen the other grandson again yet. Callum is no doubt leaping ahead just like his contemporary, Carter and we will be catching up in the next day or so. And to top it all off, there are two 70th. birthday parties coming up in quick succession. From now until we leave on Feb. 11th. the time is just going to disappear. More later.......
Lotsaluv from us
Jim and Jean, Auckland, New Zealand
www.tiaretaporo3.blogspot.com
P.S. Hopefully there will be some photos at last on the blogsite in the next day or so.

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