Our Apologies

From where we left off...

We are still living on the farm. Poor old guy can't get rid of us. We made ourselves comfortable in our loft, practically moved in, and are pretending to be proper kiwi farmers. We wake up, drink tea and have toast or eggs. We work till 1045ish, have more tea, then continue working till lunch, where we have another cup. Our work is more of the same, some painting,cleaning, move this, do that, pick this, plant that. blahblah. We spend our afternoons relaxing, taking advantage of the wineries. Some of the workers even recognize us. Dinners have been amazing, fresh veggies, fresh lamb, lots of pumpkin and potatoes. During the week, I spend some time at the dojo. DAD, we were taught the arm bar and triangle backwards (both from closed guard). I have learned a new technique, it will blow you away. During the time I am gone,Adair winds down and gets her first free seconds away from everything/body. No big deal, she just relaxes with a glass of wine out in the country with beautiful views all around her...don't be jealous.

Things we have kept busy with..
Day as a winemaker. Clearview vineyards, Hawkes Bay. We spent the morning with the owner and two winemakers learning about the business and process. We picked our own chardonnay grapes, pressed them in an old school press. We compared this juice with the same grape picked the day before. We learned about BRIX tests, along with how to use refractors and other instruments to test sugar levels. After, we enjoyed an amazing lunch with everybody. The meal was amazing, I had eggplant, Adair fish, and they provided the wine. We were the youngest by at least twenty years. OH well.
Backpack. We hiked from Ocean Beach north towards Cape Kidnappers. We followed the beach and having to chase the tides, made our way up to an old whaling station. IT was heaps of fun and we didn't see a soul while we were out. Adair did amazing for her first backpack.
Easter. Nothing.
Things to come...
We are staying here until the 18th, then headed on a roadie. We plan to head north to Pahia, Bay of Islands. That was the first place we explored outside of Auckland. We think it's appropriate to have our final destination the same as our first. We come back to Ken's farm on the 26th, in time for ADAIR'S BIRTHDAY > I love this time of year, for a solid month plus some, I can tell everyone I am dating an older woman...how sexy. We come back to the farm for only a week or so, then we are off for good.
This trip has been shorter than we anticipated. It went by so fast, we return in a months time. CRAZY. Good thing our visas are good for a year if we have any last minute change of heart.
Miss everyone.
Happy Birthday Hilary.
Congrats KIMI, hope everything went perfect.
If anyone gets the chance, we highly recommend the movies BOY and THIS WAY OF LIFE