2014 Journey

2015 Journey

Bob and Margaret Kellett

New Horizons Beckon

1 Jan 2015

The Boyds drive off to Auckland where they will spend several days working on some investment properties they have there.

2-3 Jan 2015

We enjoy a visit by old friends from Auckland, Bob and Chantal.

The Haworths Visit Redwoods at Hamurana

Whakatane Cafe With Shirley Farewelling Louise and Stephen

4 Jan 2015

Drive to Auckland to farewell Louise and Stephen who are returning to Melbourne, plus we collect our Landrover we had loaned them during their holiday here. We are delighted that Ethan, Fergus and Varick are returning to Rotorua with us to stay for another 10 days.

We enjoy visits with them to the Rotorua Museum, Library, the famous Fairy Springs tourist attraction and, of course, the ever-popular Luge! They also do a great job helping weed the garden. One day we take them to the Rotorua Races, we have a small share in a racehorse which is having her second race. There is much excitement all around when she comes fourth.

Alfresco Lunch on the Deck Fergus's 12th Birthday Cake

Preparing for the Australian Open! At the Races

Enjoying Mount Maunganui Beach

15 Jan 2015

Take the boys to Auckland for their flight back home.

31 Jan -4 Feb

Paul and Sandy visit from Adelaide. We have a lovely time doing the same things we did with the grandchildren, cycling, kayaking, the Luge, plus boogie boarding in the sea at Mt Maunganui.

Paul and Sandy visit Rotorua Museum Paul's Morning Constitutional

Margie's Bike Gets Fixed Planking at the Lake!

26 Feb 2015

Last year we made the decision that, although we absolutely love our motorhoming travels through USA and Canada, it was now time to seek new horizons. For some days we had been communicating with a serious enquirer, and today we received confirmation they wanted to purchase the whole rig, subject of course to a satisfactory pre-purchase inspection.

The new buyers had no previous motorhoming experience, so it was agreed we would provide two days of training and familiarisation at the handover, which will be in mid April at Temecula, near Los Angeles.

7 - 15 Apr 2015

Fly to Australia to firstly spend some time with the Boyds in Melbourne, then drive of to Adelaide to visit the Turnbull clan for a catch up before we head off to USA/Europe for several months.

20 Apr 2015

Depart Auckland for San Francisco, then fly down to LAX. Uplift Playtime and Jeep from storage and drive out to Temecula to prepare the vehicles for the handover. Spend a constructive two days showing the new owners the ropes. All goes extremely well, and it is with more than a touch of sadness we watch them drive off in the rig that gave us so much pleasure.

Payment Received for Playtime The New Owner Drives Out The Gate

Well, we sold it because we had determined it was now time for new horizons, and these were now beckoning.

After the handover we fly on to Europe where, among other things, we will ride the Danube Cycle Path from Passau, Germany, across Austria and part of Slovakia, ending up in Budapest, Hungary. This is a 630 km trip and will take ten days of cycling, so our early morning rides into Rotorua [21 km round trip] provides good preparation for this adventure.

Fly directly to Franfurt, Germany, where we activate our Eurail Pass and get a high speed train to Zurich, Switzerland. Margie has a cousin who now is a Swiss citizen and lives, with his family, in a small town called Zug, not far from Zurich. He and his wife are most hospitable, and we enjoy the two days we spend with them and their boys before heading back into Germany to start our cycle ride down the Danube.

Margie and Alan in Zug, Switzerland Swiss Homework

2 - 17 Apr 2015

Uplift our bikes from Donau Touristic [the company who rents us the bikes, books our hotels, and transports our baggage each day to the next hotel] and are quite impressed with their quality and suitability. The Danube Cycle Path runs right past our hotel in Passau, Germany, so we are quickly in the saddle and on our way.

Margie Started Training Early Training Complete

Ready to Roll Leaving Passau

Some 33,000 people ride this route each year, but as it is only the first week of the season we see other riders only occasionally. The Path mainly runs alongside the Danube, so the going is mainly flat, rolling through large forests, open farmlands, and small rural villages every 20 km or so, which provide great coffee stops.

Ferry across Danube to First Night's Stop A Well-earned Refreshment

Lunch Stop Typical Danube View

Coffee at Trailside In Town Square at Linz

A Gasthof Overnight Stop Another Way of Touring the Danube

On the fifth day we roll into Vienna where we stay for two nights to soak up the style of that classy city.

300km - Halfway Point Great Shopping in Vienna

Departing Vienna we head for Bratislavia, Slovakia. At the border were the desolate remnants of barbed wire-surrounded border control points, plus massive concrete bunkers near the approaches to the city, all sombre reminders of the dismal contribution Communism inflicted on this part of the world.

A Communist Legacy Freedom brings New Developments

The Cycle Path on to Budapest is no longer as well maintained and signposted as it had been in Germany and Austria, nevertheless the scenery, villages and friendly waves as we ride through continue to impress us. We arrive in beautiful Budapest [our first visit here] and spend several days winding down and also enjoying strolling through their magnificent, upmarket shopping precinct in the city centre.

At Destination, Budapest Their Grand Keleti Railway Station

Eurail back to Frankfurt where Margie grooms up with manicure and pedicure, then it's time to move on to London to attend our niece's wedding.

20 May 2015

We fly to London and book into The Harrington, Kensington. Prior to the wedding we are able to spend a day at the amazing Chelsea Flower Show.

Our niece Imogen is marrying a New Zealander she met whilst teaching in NZ, accordingly a large contingent of Kiwis have arrived to help celebrate the big occasion. Margie's sister Desrae and her husband David have arranged for the wedding and reception to be held at Christ's Chapel, Dulwich, a beautiful, historic place that provides a perfect setting for the happy event.

The Wedding Party Bride and Groom, With Her Proud Parents

The Reception Was Fun Margie Presents Her Wedding Gift

After the wedding we enjoy a fascinating visit to Apsley House, the home of the Duke of Wellington. Britain is currently celebrating the bi-centenary of the Iron Duke's famous victory over Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. The Duke afterwards remarked that the battle was "a close run thing", however he always failed to acknowledge the crucial pivotal role played by Prince General von Blucher and his Prussian army in that battle. [It is understood that Blucher was an ancestor of Bob's on the maternal side].

Desrae and David take us for dinner at the famour Rules Restaurant, reputedly the oldest restaurant in London. Both the food and the service was fautless, contributing to a most enjoyable evening.

Margie's brother Warwick hosts us at the Hilton Hotel, Parklane, where we enjoy a convivial lunch and astonishing panoramic views across London, but we are concerned that Warwick does not look his normal self.

27 May- 9 June 2015

Fly to Venice for a 14 day cruise on the Celebrity Constellation through the Adriatic, finishing in Rome. Port visits include Koper, Slovenia; Ravenna, Italy; Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik, Croatia; Catania, Sicily; then Naples and Rome, Italy.

Beautiful Montenegro At Malta

At each destination we are treated to unbelievably amazing scenes and fascinating tours, making the whole cruise a really great experience. During an "At Sea" day the ship's captain gave an impressive presentation covering the two years he spent in a massive German shipyard overseeing the construction of two new cruise ships for Celebrity Line. Each ship cost US $1 billion to build, and we were hugely struck with both the scale and the detail required to complete such a mammoth task.

9- 18 June 2015

Fly back to London where we visit the Natural History Museum, the Imperial War Museum, plus take day trips out to Bletchley Park [where they cracked the top German and Japanese codes during WW2], and also Sheffield Park, a lovely large country garden in Sussex.

Bletchley Park HQ Desrae and David Take Us For A Ride

A Pleasant Stroll Through Sheffield Park

19- 30 June 2015

Fly [via Los Angeles] to Ottawa and enjoy a great time staying with the Welburns. They are all doing very well, plus the renovations are progressing nicely.

Dinner With The Welburns Their New House, With Room For Us

Margie especially loves the opportunity to spend some mother/daughter time with our brilliant, lovely Victoria. Our grandson Joel in Adelaide announces his engagement to Meg.

The FIFA Womens World Soccer has started. and we go to the nearby Landsdowne Stadium and watch USA play China [1-0 to USA]. It was wonderful to watch.

1- 7 July 2015

Fly to Los Angeles then drive out to Temecula where we revisit our kit from our motorhome that had been placed in storage. The cost of shipping our kit to anywhere is horrendous, therefore it goes to the dumpster, permitting us to hire a smaller storage room for the gear that remains.

Watch a very patriotic and happy Independence Day Parade in the Old Town area of Temecula. If only New Zealand's National Day could be celebrated in a similar manner!

Happy Fourth of July At Temecula,CA

Arrive home at Mokoia Road on 7 July to cold weather, but we are pleased to see how well the garden looks despite our long absence.

12 August 2015

Paul calls from Adelaide with the exciting news that Amy has given birth to Dakota Grace Evitts, thus we now have a great granddaughter in addition to our two great grandsons. We are all thankful that both mother and daughter are well.

5 September 2015

We receive the distressing news that Margie's brother Warwick has died in a London hospital. His cancer had been diagnosed six weeks earlier, but unfortunately was too widespread. Youngest sister Desrae takes charge of the funeral arrangements in London. None of Warwick's NZ-based siblings are able to attend his funeral, but the photos and details Desrae sends afterwards are greatly appreciated.

17 Sep- 3 Oct 2015

In Melbourne with the Boyds. Ethan is playing in a week long national Lacrosse competition, so each day we drive across Melbourne to watch him play. We were all extremely pleased and proud as Ethan's team won all of their games, including the Grand Final.

The Boyds At Home Ethan [No 8] In Action

4- 12 Dec 2015

Ethan and Fergus's school holidays start early, so they come across for a short visit. Of course they enjoy tennis, kayaking and cycling, but we are especially grateful for the big effort they put in in helping to get the gardens ready for the upcoming gathering of our family at Mokoia Road this Christmas.

19 Dec 2015

The Welburn family arrive from Ottawa at 5.30 am, then the Boyds land from Melbourne at 1.45 pm. We are utterly delighted to hear the sound of fun and laughter once again fill our home with the children and grandchildren here.

Dining Alfresco The Playground on Our Doorstep!

20 Dec 2015

Bob receives a shattering phone call! His best friend [since they met as fellow officer cadets at Portsea, Australia in 1963] has just found his cancer has rapidly spread, and has been told he will not see Christmas. Sadly he dies on 22 Dec 2015.

Christmas/New Year 2015

The family enjoys the various "resort" activities around our home and in Rotorua, culminating in a fabulous alfresco Christmas lunch on the sundeck.

On Boxing Day the Turnbull clan arrive from Adelaide and fill up a large holiday house they have rented in Rotorua. Our whole family now comprises 24 members, and Margie and Bob get much joy from the happy interaction amongst all of them.

Togetherness Isabel's Birthday Celebration

Margie and Bob, Christmas Day Bradley Entertains All The Family

Margie's 70th Remembered With Poems and a Great Power Point Show

Almost all family members take off one morning at 4.30 am to walk the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. At 19.4 kms this is an arduous but very scenic mountain hike that crosses between Mt Tongariro and Mt Ngaruhoe [Mt Doom in "The Lord of The Rings"]. There was no way Margie was going to be left out so she accompanied them and was pleased to be able to keep up with these entusiastic hikers! Everyone was elated with the success of this excursion.

Ready and Eager To Go!

Mutual Support Looking For Frodo

Still Going Strong

Lords of All They Survey The Hobbits Stop For A Breather

2 Jan 2016

Our family Christmas/New Year reunion at The Lake House, Mokoia Road has been a magnificent success, but today the Turnbulls return to Adelaide, the Welburns to Ottawa, and the Boyds to Melbourne. And once again all is quiet on the home front!

But new adventures await us, all we have to do is dream them up and make them happen.

Life is for the living, let's get going!