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The drive from Blenheim to Kaikoura which starts through rolling fields and vineyards soon gives way to the rugged Pacific Coast. The area around Kaikoura is famous for its wildlife. The abundance of wild life becomes apparent as you journey … Continue reading
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On the drive between Blenheim and Kaikoura you pass the Ohau Stream. During autumn and the winter months it becomes the playground for young Fur Seal pups. The stream runs through New Zealand native bush to the sea and the … Continue reading
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Over the last few days I have had the chance to travel down the east coast of the South Island from Picton to Christchurch. Along the way I called into Blenheim in the heart of the Marlborough wine region and … Continue reading
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My nephew’s girlfriend and her sister are planning a trip to Tuscany in September. We have been asked for some advice on where to stay and what to do in and around Tuscany. It sounds as if the girls are … Continue reading
One thing we are struggling with at present is our distance from Tuscany. The whole reason for this blog was to let friends and family know about our time in Italy which is now over – for this year at least. As our stories are no longer about Italy should we change the name of the blog? Should we broaden the name to cover, well, our travels in general? Should we continue the blog at all?
Everytime we have thought about this it has made our collective heads hurt.
But, after much thinking we have arrived at a decision. Although we are back home in New Zealand, our hearts remain in Italy, in the sun, enjoying “la dolce far niente”.
We are still, and will always be, kiwis in Toscana.
After the initial shock of moving back to New Zealand there are some things to look forward to that relate to being home. One of these was the chance to ‘unbox’ my cars.
For those of you who don’t know, I like old Porsches and have accumulated a few over the years. On Wednesday I went to the rented garage where two have spent the last year to check on them. Good news! They were both there (a relief) and seemed in good condition (a bonus). In the next week I’ll get a friendly mechanic around and we’ll start them up.
For a petrolhead like me this is bliss.
A few days ago the girls completed their quarantine in Levin and were released with a clean bill of health. We are currently staying with friends and the girls have settled in quickly.
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Life in Levin has been pretty good. I wasn’t looking forward to our enforced stay in the town but the longer we stayed the more we discovered and the more we liked this little town. There is a huge amount … Continue reading
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I’ve never been to Waitarere Beach. I’ve driven past the road leading to the beach many times and have always meant to visit but never found the time. Our week in Levin meant we had time. The beach is a … Continue reading
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It’s amazing how long ten days is. The law change of January 1 meant that the quarantine for dogs coming to New Zealand went from nothing to ten days. Ten days, that’s nothing we thought. But now we are here … Continue reading
After the best part of 11 months living la dolce vita, the Mowday family are moving on. That meant a tough decision between opportunities that have come up to spend another summer in Italy or a return to New Zealand. And, ultimately, the decision was made by the health of our girl Daisy.
At 15 years old and with her heart condition, we felt she only had one big trip left in her and after some soul searching we felt that trip should be home.
That’s meant fixing flights for Jean and I (the easy part) and booking the girls in for a return journey and a battery of tests and treatments to ensure they aren’t carrying anything nasty back into New Zealand.
We also had to find someone to freight back the bits and pieces we have collected on our travels including Jean’s famous Italian vacuum cleaner.
The big question-mark over any planning was Daisy’s health and her ability to make the trip. That came down to a health check a day or two before we flew. If the vet decided she wasn’t well enough to fly, we were staying in the UK. Like the trooper she is, Daisy passed the health check and the girls departed on the same flight as us from London via Los Angeles to Auckland.
Thankfully they arrived in New Zealand none the worse for wear after their 36 hour flight and are now in quarantine in Levin. For my non New Zealand readers that’s a small rural town about a one hour drive north of our home city of Wellington. We’ve moved into a nearby motel so we can make sure Daisy gets her twice daily medication and to be able to spend some time with the girls as we countdown to freedom in 10 days time.
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This afternoon we took the dogs for a walk in the country. For dogs as small as ours that means a quick circuit around the park at the end of the road. They both loved it. We loved it when … Continue reading
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We spent Tuesday in London. We’ve been there a few times over the last two months for various reasons but the reason for this trip was simple – act like tourists. For us that meant a visit to Harrods and … Continue reading
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As expected, we awoke to a white world. Although the snow covering was less than a week ago it was still enough to keep the kiwi contingent in Bromham happy.
It’s Thursday evening and it has started snowing again. Already there is an inch of snow on the ground. If this keeps up overnight who knows what we’ll wake up too. Pictures in the morning.
Toscanakiwi 