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2012 Journey Bob and Margaret Kellett "Change Is The Only Constant" A new year begins. This may be a year of changes for us - time for something new and exciting. Possibly a new project awaits us! 1 Jan 2012 The Boyd family have joined us in a holiday rental home at Ohiwa Harbour, near Whakatane. The rain hoses down each day but we're not dampened, there is plenty to do including scrabble and crosswords, and swimming in the surf.
Fiona, Stewart and their children are visiting from Scotland, it is great to see the cousins and second cousins enjoying a get-together back in the old home town.
3 Jan 2012 Louise and Stephen return to Melbourne whilst their boys remain for another 10 days with us at The Pines. The rain continues, so visits to MOTAT, Auckland Art Gallery, and IMAX to see "Puss in Boots", are fascinating, but the highlight is Indoor Go Carts at Silverdale.
Our lovely niece, Kerry, with her husband Brian and twins Cory and Dean are visiting from Dunedin, so the boys meet more whanau. We invite Great Uncle Keith over to celebrate his 90th birthday. He is a treasured WW2 Vet. We get him to tell us a little about when he flew off HMS Victorious whilst in the Fleet Air Arm.
30 Jan 2012 After several months of negotiations we finally reach agreement to purchase a lakeside property at Mokoia Road, Rotorua. Settlement and possession is set for 1 Jun 2012. The house needs extensive works and upgrading, so we now can start firming up on the renovation plans we had been drafting, plus begin the process of selling our apartment. Life is suddenly changing, a new project is ahead of us. Excitement!
11-23 Feb 2012 A lovely visit by our granddaughter Kelly and her fiance Bradley (from Adelaide). Bradley is a brilliant pianist and thrills us with his renditions of Bach and Mozart. Some happy days exploring Auckland, including a trip to Rangitoto Island. Also, to Rotorua where we show them our 'next home'. They thoroughly enjoy the Gondola and Luge facility. Then on to Whakatane to meet family.
Bob's old friend, Robert - a classmate from Australian Army OCS (Class of '64) visits. A trip to Rotorua includes the Te Wairoa Buried Village (destroyed by the 1886 eruption of Mt Tarawera), and the newly-opened Railcruiser Scenic Tourer which is a unique experience through pristine countryside.
7 Mar 2012 Margie's brother Warwick is on a quick visit from London and we enjoy a stimulating and happy interlude with him. 11-17 Apr 2012 A week in Melbourne with the Boyd family. Whilst there we are delighted to complete, by fax, a sale agreement on our apartment at The Pines. We're really on the move now!
30 Apr-22 May 2012 With our sale at The Pines, and the purchase of a new home in Rotorua, we have a lot on our plate. Nevertheless our Tiffin motorhome needs some specialist repairs and has been booked into the Tiffin Repair Facility in Red Bay, Alabama. We therefore make a three week visit to the USA to get the repairs completed and have the motorhome ready for next year. At Kansas City, Missouri, we take Playtime and the Jeep out of the SubTropolis storage facility and spend several days getting everything shipshape before setting off towards Alabama. On the way, we spend three nights at 'America's Best Campground' (ABC) in Branson, Missouri. The weather is 'hot as heck', but enjoyable.
En route to Red Bay, Alabama Crossing The Mississippi
Our new Thule Bike Rack is good and strong on the back of the Jeep, and the new Blue Ox tow hitch (that tows the Jeep) is doing an oxen's job! On Tuesday 8th May, from Branson we drive to Red Bay, touching through five states (Missouri, Arkansas,Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama). The vast Ozark Mountains and forests of Arkansas are a particularly glorious sight in brilliant weather. There is a warm welcome at the Tiffin Repair Facility RV Park. Whilst awaiting the call to the service bay, Margie works non-stop on her 'sailboat' quilt she is making for a young friend. Finally, our repair job is 'all on' and the Tiffin workers do a great job fixing the problem with our large slide-out. They then go on to fix a number of additional minor problems they have identified. Margie introduces Code Cracker (produced by NZer Simon Shuker) to some of the ladies in the customer lounge. They love it, as it makes a pleasant change from the world famous Sudoku puzzles (developed by another NZer, Brian Gould). Satisfied that Playtime is all fixed and ready for 2013, we gallop back to Kansas City and put the vehicles back into storage. We fly off to Ottawa to spend three happy days with the Welburns before returning to New Zealand.
28-30 May 2012 The packers clear our furniture from The Pines, we walk through the empty rooms and reminisce on the ten enjoyable years we have lived in this beautiful apartment. The keys are handed over to the new owner, then on a glorious autumn day, we drive south to our new horizons. Let the renovations begin!
The renovations will take some four months to complete, so we move into a flat in Rotorua city we have rented for the period. Fortunately we have an excellent builder as prime contractor and a good bunch of sub-contractors. Therefore almost everything goes according to plan, except for the budget of course!
10-20 Sep 2012 Paul and Sandy, with eldest daughter, Amy, and her son Riley (our great grandson) have come over from Adelaide and we're just delighted to have the support of loving family. They check out the renovations, then enjoy some of the many activities that go towards making Rotorua the premium tourist destination in New Zealand. A walk through the magnificent Californian Redwoods at Hamurana Springs is another highlight.
29 Sep to 6 Oct 2012 Louise, Stephen and boys arrive from Melbourne during school holidays. The boys are thrilled with this wonderful new location for future holidays with Grandma and Grandad! 10 Oct 2012 The Conroy truck arrives with our household effects and we move in to 41 Mokoia Road, which we have christened "Lake House". We feel a great sense of achievement that all our decisions have come to fruition and we can now relax somewhat.
A housewarming party on 28 Oct also serves as a celebration of our 45th wedding anniversary, plus Bob's 70th birthday! We have just so much to be grateful for.
2 Dec 2012 A total of 32 of us gather for a Niederer Family reunion, and what a splendid day it is. Cousins come from near and far, some of whom have not seen each since childhood. We remember our parents, grandparents and great grandparents, and enjoy reciting Grandad Otto's favourite grace, "May we thrive like bees in a hive, and never sting each other"! 24-31 Dec 2012 The Boyd family join us for Christmas and we're delighted to host them at our lakeside paradise! We kayak and swim, play tennis, enjoy the stream, and climb trees. Friends and relations visit, and we have a great night at Princess Gate Hotel where John Rowles entertains, and he is still a great singer! Margie, Louise and boys drive to the mountains with the intention of walking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. However, since the eruption on August 12th, some parts of the Crossing remain closed. They proceed instead on a stimulating tramp up to the Taranaki Falls and half way to Tama Lakes. A thoroughly enjoyable excursion in a blue sky panorama. The Boyds spend a fabulous morning with Rotorua Canopy Tours who take them zip-lining through glorious native bush.
Meanwhile, the Turnbull and Welburn families send their Christmas wishes from Adelaide and Ottawa.
We are so grateful that 2012 has been a happy and eventful year, and the changes have all been positive! Best wishes to all. |
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