2009 Journey

2010 Journey

Bob and Margaret Kellett

A new year begins, Margie's diary reads: try harder, do more, learn more, love more, forgive more, keep the body moving......go for it!

6 - 11 January 10

With our New Year's resolution firmly in mind we drive to National Park to tackle the famous Tongariro Alpine Crossing (advertised as The World's Best One Day Walk) a rather strenuous 19.4 km hike across National Park, traversing the saddle between Mts Tongariro and Ngarahoe. In good weather this walk offers magnificent views of the Central Plateau. Next morning its raining, a shuttle bus drops us off at the start of the track and we set off in the company of many other happy trampers. Soon, climbing steeply in high winds and almost nil visibility, we reach the saddle. Part of "The Lord Of The Rings" was filmed in this harsh, eerie volcanic landscape where we're in swirling clouds. Carefully we pick our way around the rim of Red Crater, the track's high point, in unrelenting, screaming wind. On the long descent, suddenly the weather clears and, hey presto, the promised views... to Lake Taupo in the distance, exhilarating! Now in beautiful sunshine we finish the 8 hour walk (36,000 steps on Margie's pedometer) and rest up back at Tongariro Crossing Lodge. Bob says he'd love to do the walk again - when they get an escalator!

Start Point for Alpine Crossing Margie on the Devil's Staircase

The treacherous rim of Red Crater Looking Back at Mt Tongariro

Next, to sunny Whakatane for our Spanish niece Evelyn's 21st party. Some of the guests have prepared artistic presentations for a concert. Evie's cousin Imogen, an accomplished soprano who hails from London, thrills the gathering with "summertime...and the livin' is easy" (As a schoolgirl, Imogen once sang in the Duomo in Florence!). However, the highlight is Evelyn's lively flamenco dancing. Blessed with natural talent plus the influence of her mother [the famous Charo de Luna] it is little wonder Evie enchants and delights us. Ah yes, you can take the girl out of Spain, but you cannot take Spain out of the girl!

Cherrie Proudly Presents her Daughter A Ukelele Tribute To Evelyn

Evelyn Dances the Flamenco

20 - 28 February 10

A golf weekend at Mt Maunganui with a group of old NZ Army comrades, then to Whakatane where we enjoy a pleasant interlude with our friends, Kate and Russ, at their kiwifruit orchard.

Fiona, Stuart and children are visiting from Edinburgh, whilst Fi's brother, Warwick, and his wife Eileen, have moved back from Boston, so we are delighted to have them all together for a day at The Pines.

Lunch With Kate and Russ An Amalgam of Kiwis, Scots and an American

4 - 16 March 10

We cross The Ditch and mind the three boys whilst their parents fly back to Auckland on business. The heavens open, a totally awesome hailstorm hits Melbourne causing extensive damage to property and services. Chadstone Mall is evacuated as tennis ball-sized hailstones shatter the glass roof. Much excitement but no damage at the Boyds. Louise and Stephen return and we all drive off on a camping weekend at Port Fairy on south coast of Victoria.

Boyd Family at Port Fairy Sunset Walk

26 - 31 March 10

Ethan and Fergus, fly unaccompanied across the Tasman to stay with us in Auckland. They visit their great great uncle Keith Niederer, who tells them a little about his experiences as a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm during WW2 when he flew Grumman Avenger Torpedo Bombers off the aircraft carrier, HMS Victorious. We visit Auckland War Memorial Museum where the volcano section is a hit, then climb an extinct volcano, Rangitoto Is. Also lots of tennis, scrabble and monopoly. All too soon it's adios....but not goodbye!

They Meet Some Cousins We Play Monopoly Almost Every Day

Set to Climb Summit of Rangitoto Island At The Summit

28 May -2 June 10

Since mid January Bob has been occupied fulltime on a building renovation programme for a commercial property in which we have an interest. These works are now complete, so we are off to the USA to continue our travels in Playtime, our Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome. Two days in Kansas City (at Worlds of Fun RV Park) getting both the motorhome and Jeep serviced, the cupboards restocked.....we are ready, thrilled to be back in the saddle.

Memorial Day, May 30th, our friends John and Susan kindly invite us to the colourful Kansas City concert in the park by Union Station. Many thousands attend, enjoying picnics and inspiring music from the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra honouring the troops and veterans of past wars.

An absorbing afternoon at the Museum and Library of Harry S. Truman at Independence, MO.

From almost out of nowhere, and with limited political experience, Truman becomes President when FDR dies. His Presidency is one of the hardest and most far reaching. One of his first major and agonising decisions is to drop the atomic bomb on Japan, which thereby brings an immediate end to WW2. After the end of WW2 he assumes responsibility for the rebuilding of both Europe and Japan, plus addresses the severe post-war recession in the USA.

The Cold War begins, then the Korean War, wherein he takes the courageous step of sacking General McArthur, the immensely popular WW2 hero who is then commander of the UN forces in Korea (but who is starting to overreach his position). Truman is the President who kept on his desk a small plaque stating, "The Buck Stops Here", a novel concept for most politicians!

3 - 18 June 10

We're now pointing towards Ottawa on the great conveyer belt of life, bowling along highways and byways with something new around every corner and never a dull scene to be seen!

An en route stop at Elkhart, Indiana, where lives a substantial Amish community. On each side of the road an extra unsealed lane has been provided for the black-painted horse-drawn buggies and carriages the Amish use for transport. From the road we see Amish farmers at hay baling using an engine-powered hay baling machine towed behind a team of Clydesdales.

The Amish are a branch of the Anabaptists, a Protestant group traced back to the year 1525 in Zurich, Switzerland. Amish Acres, a showpiece village, demonstrates how the Amish successfully maintain a simple way of life, surrounded as they are by the pressures of modern life. They are the only group in the US who are exempt from social security tax as they have convinced the Govt that their own community will totally care for every elderly Amish, and thus not become a cost to the taxpayer. All interesting to observe, but not a way of life we would choose.

Amish Farmers Making Hay Power Gives Way to Horse at This Intersection

On the road again. Finally, at Thousand Islands, we clear customs and enter Canada. It feels great to rein in at Recreationlands RV Park on our usual site near the Ottawa River. With our Sattelite Dish deployed and locked-on to No. 83W, somewhere in the southern sky, our 'internet cafe' is now ready for business!

We have a truly brilliant fortnight in Ottawa with the Welburns. Anna's soccer team is performing well in the local competition, and we go to several of her games and admire her skill and enthusiasm. Isabel still loves her horse riding activity and is progressing well.

The delightfully expressive Georgia enjoys dancing and keeps up with all the family activities. Toby [aged 4] writes intriguing 'books'. He is not yet a schoolboy, however he has taught himself to write [phonetically] and Grandma Margie is delighted with "Gramu Murgy's Cooc Book". It won't make MasterChef, but here is his recipe for pizza;

1. Get eny cind uv bred.

2. Poot sum tomayto sos on it.

3. Poot sum chys on it.

4. Poot it in the uvin.

Our Ottawa trips, apart from family, include time with friends Suzanne and Peter who provide for us another window on this Capital City. At the Ottawa Art Gallery, an impressive glass edifice, are works by the Group of Seven (Canadian artists) which illustrate vastly different landscapes to what we have in NZ. Peter and Bob play golf, and we're treated to wonderful home cooked French Canadian cuisine. Suzanne and Peter are planning a tour of NZ in October with their last few days to be spent with us in Auckland.

The Welburn Family Walking Along The Riverbank in Ottawa

Isabel Ready to Ride Toby Shows Us His Bold Artwork

Anna Loves Her Soccer Bob and Tor

19 - 21 June 10

Time for westward ho the wagon. The pangs of departure from loved ones weigh heavily upon us. However, we are soon revelling in emerald green and sapphire blue scenery as we follow the Ottawa River upstream to North Bay. Here we join about 24 other RVs taking advantage of free overnight boondocking on the Walmart carpark, while a sudden and mighty thunderstorm clears the air.

Our plan is to head for western Montana, but that is a week's journey away and we have to return early to NZ in order to get to granddaughter Amy's wedding at the start of September. A quick change of plan is agreed, at Sault St Marie we head south across the massive bridge into the USA. Then another enormous bridge, the Mackinac, which stretches 8 kms (5 miles) across the strait between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. A short drive to Petoskey and we've arrived at the 'French Riviera'!

Boondocking at North Bay, Ontario Lake Michigan Welcomes Us

22 Jun-1 Aug 10

This five week period is a time of discovery in the beautiful NW of Michigan, enjoying some of the most pleasant resort towns we have experienced so far in our journeys 'from sea to shining sea'.

The region has an excellent network of cycle paths [mainly converted from disused railway tracks], and an ideal time for us to purchase bikes and learn the pleasures of pedalling modern 21 speeds which we find to be vastly better than those ancient bikes of our schooldays.

First Trip on New Bikes Bikes Hitched Up and Ready To Travel

Hearthside Grove RV Resort at Petoskey is magnificent and although we gulp a little at their charges, we stay for two weeks. Riding our new bikes, we visit lovely villages up and down the lake shore. Bob plays golf on some very scenic courses, and meets a few interesting characters into the bargain. Margie sews a set of eight placemats, a wedding gift for Amy and Joel.

Playtime at Hearthside Grove Our Pleasant View of the RV Resort

Clubhouse at Hearthside Resort A Lakeside House at Harbour Springs

Fourth of July, Independence Day, Stars'n'Stripes are flying at everyone's RV site, so up goes our own NZ flag. We jump on our bikes and pedal about 14 kms over to the picturesque small town of Harbor Springs and join the throngs lining the streets for the parade. A very colourful and patriotic spectacle.

Independence Day at Harbor Springs Young Americans Celebrate Fourth of July

The Parade Approaches Dressed For The Occasion

After a while it's like, uh oh, our attention span.... and it's hasta la vista Petoskey as we shoot through to Traverse City where we find another great RV resort. A further series of bike trails, plus visits to wineries, cherry orchards, Sleeping Bear National Park, and more fabulous golf courses.

However, despite life being good here the oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico dominates the news. This is day 79 and still the well, deep down on the ocean floor, isn't plugged despite many efforts being made by BP. It is distressing watching on TV the effects on creatures great and small, with the black oil slicks ruining the ecology in the Gulf.

Sleeping Bear National Park provides a fascinating diorama describing the creation of the Great Lakes when a massive ice shelf retreated at the end of the last Ice Age about 10,000 years ago. It also tells a touching Indian legend about a mother bear and her two cubs trying to escape a forest fire in Wisconsin. They jump into the water and swim east across Lake Michigan. Mother bear, being stronger, is soon well ahead. She comes ashore, rests awhile, then frantically begins searching the horizon for her little cubs. Sadly, they do not make it. Instead they turn into the two small islands just off shore, whilst the sand dune where mother waited is now called Sleeping Bear Point.

At Sleeping Bear National Park A Massive Sand Dune in the Park

Despite worrying about those cubs, we must continue moving south, our next stop being South Haven. Here is a 50 km (33.5 mile) bike path, the Kal-Haven Trail, which connects South Haven and Kalamazoo [Margie has fond memories of the Kalamazoo accounting system she operated in our business before we computerised]. Biking along the trail we delight in forests (where deer leap out in front of us!), luxuriant cornfields, blueberry crops and dairy farms - in glorious weather. Suddenly we come upon a laughing 'cow' hoist up on a pole looking like a idiot; its coffee time at a rural dairy.

In the Jeep we drive to picturesque Saugatuck, a small town north of South Haven. The beautiful boat harbour, quaint shops, galleries and restaurants entice us. A pleasant afternoon spent in this historic, green treed town where the ubiquitous American flag hangs from every porch and shopfront.

Admiring a Local Beauty The Rider's Helmet

Shopping in Saugatuck Lunch Stop on the Bike Path

Yes, in summer, the west coast of Michigan is very attractive, a great family area with wonderful swimming beaches and activities. And many friendly people. We certainly hope to return someday!

2-7 Aug 10

Our route back to Kansas City is through Davenport, Iowa, and here we spend a sunny day riding our bikes alongside ole man Mississippi River, which just keeps rollin' along! All in good time our vehicles are stored at SubTropolis, John drives us to Kansas City Airport, and we're off to Los Angeles. From LAX, we're soon winging our way back to Auckland, enjoying the food, the movies and good service of Air New Zealand.

Playtime Travels 2004 - 2010 Through Alaska, Canada, and Lower 48 States

17 -26 Aug 10

Great excitement, the Welburn family arrive from Ottawa. The kids are even taller! Anna has her 11th birthday. Visits to Auckland Zoo, Kelly Tarlton's, walking over Mt Eden to the park, action! We all drive to the Bay of Plenty, meet other family members. Apart from an excellent evening at the Morrells, entertainment in Rotorua includes the farming presentation at the Agradome, the scenic downhill Luge, and funniest of all, the Zorb, where kids (both large and small) take turns careening down a steep hill whilst sloshing around in water inside a large ball. "Don't ever let me do that again" bursts out Toby!

Ready to Ride The Rotorua Luge Tor and Louise Catch Up With Cousins

Toby Learns To Milk A Cow Georgia and Anna Feed The Lambs

Back to Auckland - just in time to greet Louise and Varick (5), over from Melbourne to join the family group for four days.

Enjoying the View from Mt Eden Our Beautiful Daughters

27 Aug - 9 Sep 10

We all meet up in Melbourne. The Boyds, Welburns and ourselves take off in a three-car convoy on a four day road trip to Adelaide, where the Turnbulls are busy with preparations for Amy's wedding on 4 Sep 10.

Louise has put together a brilliant itinerary for us. Our first stop is the Cape Otway Fly, a fascinating treetop walkway which is an interestingly engineered structure high above the forest floor. Then the rugged scenery of the Great Ocean Road, including Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge. Two nights at Port Fairy (Skye Cottages), where a highlight is walking through the Tower Hill wildlife reserve at dusk. Closeup encounters with kangaroos and emus coming out to feed is a blast for young and old alike.

Otway Fly Treetop Walk Site of "Loch Ard" Shipwreck, 1878

Ethan at the Twelve Apostles Georgia and Her Mother

Skippy Greets us at Wildlife Reserve Two Emus Come to Meet Us

Beach Fun at Port Fairy Relaxing with Chess and Crayons

The convoy moves on. Mt Gambier, the Botanical Gardens, Blue Lake, lunch. Then Penola, the town where Paul was born in 1966. The next two nights we are in the famous Coonawarra wine region, and stay in the stately Padthaway Estate which, like most of their neighbours, has converted from being a sheep station to a vineyard. We spend a whole day at the fascinating Naracoorte Caves and Fossil Centre, a World Heritage site.

At Mt Gambier Botanical Gardens Ready to Enter the Naracoorte Caves

Padthaway Estate Homestead Dinner at Padthaway

Finally, Adelaide, in time to help celebrate Joel's 18th birthday. The Turnbulls have everything firmly in order for the wedding. Sandy has been organising matters like a military operation, and all is ready.

Joel Turnbull Turns 18 Amy and Tor Help Him Celebrate

Dressed for the Wedding With Grandma and Grandad

Sandy and Paul Greet Wedding Guests Kelly is a Bridesmaid

The big day arrives, Amy and Joel's wedding is a warm, family affair at the Hampstead Gardens Church of Christ. However, during the day a massive storm hits Adelaide, wreaking havoc in the city. There are widespread power outages, the cause of a stunning disappointment when the resort hotel is unable to produce the planned wedding reception and dinner. Fortunately all is not lost as, swallowing their disappointment, Paul and Sandy rally the wedding party and guests. "We'll return to the Church Hall, we'll make the most of things". Soon trestle tables are set up with various takeaway food and drink; music and strobe lighting add to the atmosphere and we are able to celebrate the wedding with speeches and toasts accordingly. Family and friends enjoy a truly memorable celebration of Amy and Joel's wedding, albeit not in the style they had planned.

Amy and Joel, her Mum and Dad, and Us Amy with Her Three Grandmothers

The Happy Couple ! Paul Offers Words of Advice

Fond farewells, the Welburns return to Canada, the Boyds to Melbourne, and we to Auckland. Meanwhile, Paul and Sandy get all monies refunded by Lakes Resort for the cancellation of the wedding reception, and the offer of a free party to be held at a date to suit all.

On the day of the wedding, the 4th September, back in NZ an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale stikes the city of Christchurch, causing billions of dollars worth of damage, massively disrupting people's lives, and livelihoods. Miraculously no lives are lost but the ongoing stress of the clean-up continues.

21 -25 Sep 10

A South Sea Island celebration of Margie's birthday seems like a good idea, so off we go. Our Fiji resort is lovely, very relaxing, every day brings more relaxing, in fact its a nightmare of relaxation! However, Bob manages to punish the golf course, and there are some enjoyable walks in the blazing sun.

The Birthday Girl in Fiji Working Hard At Relaxing!

6 - 9 Oct 10

Sue and Peter are now with us after their tour of NZ. They're great company, we share similar interests and views, and we enjoy showing them our fair city. Auckland War Memorial Museum, West Auckland wineries, Pah Homestead. Bob and Peter play golf whilst the ladies check out the shops. All too soon we bid them au revoir, and they're airborne towards Canada.

15 -24 Oct 10

Back in Adelaide the owner of Lakes Resort is generously hosting, gratis, a cocktail party (they have also installed a back-up power generator!). Accordingly, it's back to Australia. This time the evening goes off without a hitch, everyone is happy, Lakes' reputation is restored. A DVD which Sandy has skilfully put together, reminds us of the wedding day. Bob's birthday on 23rd and over the mobile 'phone comes a violin rendition of 'happy birthday to you', from Fergus!

6-7 Nov 10

Cherrie comes to Auckland and the weekend is filled with stimulating conversation and activities including a visit to Calico Christmas where we revel in the gloriously colourful quilts on display.

Cherrie and Margie at Calico Christmas Quilt Show

20 Nov 10

The Pike River Coal Mine explosion in Greymouth. Twenty nine men trapped inside......there are subsequent explosions as days go by, all hope is lost, the men are mourned at a mass funeral by their loved ones, and by our Prime Minister, John Key. A huge tragedy for New Zealand.

6 -12 Dec 10

Melbourne again, to a musical soiree in the school hall..."my name is Fergus, and I'm going to play, Happy Go Lucky". They say that practice makes perfect, and Ferg's violin solo shows he has put in considerable effort. Well done Fergus, keep up the good work!

Arriving for The Soiree Fergus Plays His Solo

A Watch for Varick's 6th Birthday Early Christmas Dinner at the Boyds

Louise cooks a beautiful dinner to celebrate Varick's 6th birthday, plus an early Christmas celebration for us all. The Boyd family overwhelm us with generous hospitality, and we're looking forward to Ethan, Fergus and Varick spending time with us at The Pines in January 2011.

25 Dec 10

From us in Auckland, Merry Christmas wishes skim across oceans and continents to reach our children and grandchildren in Ottawa, Adelaide and Melbourne, also to family and friends around the globe. Sincere thanks to Jennie and Paul for their kind hospitality on Christmas Day.

And so ends another year of memorable journeys, unforgettable destinations, wonderful family times and valuable friendships.