Just like Maui used to make

Unless you have a very nice friend or family member with a very large car, the best way to see Shine falls (Hawke's Bay's best waterfall) via the Boundary Stream Track would be to have half of your party start on one side and the other half on the other. Each group would walk in opposite directions, pass each other somewhere in the middle, and then drive the other group's car home. Did that make any sense?

Perhaps that would not be the best way, as one of the groups would be walking downstream (downhill) and the other would be walking uphill for 4 hours. So we went with a more complicated plan: Two cars drove to the finish, everybody crammed into our car, and we drove 15 km (over gravel roads) to the start. Here's a photo of one of the times we had to stop due to car sick passengers. There are 8 people scattered around the car.


Here's a little bit of Boundary Stream (taken while crossing):


Mi amigo Jason thinking about crossing the stream (and about to splash me):


Why yes, that is a giant boulder that nearly crushed the "Beware of Giant Boulders" sign.


A little bit of paradise (you have no idea how difficult it was to get this close after a few days of heavy rain)


Photographing water moving that quickly is challenging as 1)the heavy canopy of trees allows very little light through and 2) the falls are spraying a heavy mist on everything within view.


Like many reserves, this one is surrounded by farmland...or more correctly, sheepland. Get in line, you sheep.


In other news, here's my very Kiwi emergency repair of an old pipe in our garden.


In still other news, here's my brand new (to me) kayak:

With a Model A out front, and a 20s/30s band in the back, it was quite a party.



Nico and I didn't look too ridiculous as a few other people also dressed up.


Either the turnout was surprisingly good, or Kiwis drink a whole lot. (It is not evident from the picture, but that is a very big box.)


And to answer your question, the most white russians I have ever made at a time while wearing a top hat is: 10

We are officially unpacked.

Alternative title: And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.



In other news, I made a new friend in the garden. She has promised not to eat my brain.

The Big Laskowski

At our new address, we received invitations to open house events at two competing bowling clubs. [In case you didn't click that link, bowling in NZ is what one in the US might call "lawn bowling"...whereas what one in the US would call bowling would be called "ten pin" here.]

We were planning on attending the (closer) event at the Port Ahuriri Bowling Club, but as we walked down the 200 stairs to get there, it was evident that the members of the Port Ahuriri Bowling Club do not know how to throw an open house.


And so we opted for the Bluff Hill Bowling Club open house. Here's Nicole and our bowling coach, Rod. (Notice there are actually people in attendance.)


A little walk around downtown Napier turned up this gem: The Centennial Gardens.

Sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun

Our new house sits on just about a quarter acre of land (AKA the Kiwi Dream). Fortunately for me, much of that land is taken up by the house and the driveway(s). Still, the backyard is bigger than anything I have ever had to manage, and as the previous owners apparently stopped caring for the place after they accepted our offer, I was left with a fair amount of work to do. I do not suppose that I will ever look forward to gardening; and after working on it for an hour or two everyday this week, I'm only half done...

The unpacking started with the important things.

Alternate title: Why yes, that is a wine cellar

How to avoid packing

One of the best things about Hawke's Bay: winery restaurants. Napa Valley has a few, but they are mostly too expensive to eat at; or at least they were when we lived there. Hawke's Bay has dozens. Unfortunately, they have become a little more posh in recent years, but none are particularly outrageous...unless you get carried away on the wine.

Friday night, we bicycled to Clearview Estates for their very first "Affordable Friday". Nothing over $20 on the menu, wine at less than their normal retail price (which is even cheaper than the normal restaurant price), and Rooster's beer on tap. Here's a picture of me near the guitarist, who kept asking if we had any requests. "The lady would like to hear Paul Simon," said I. "I'm only playing Leonard Cohen tonight," replied the guitarist.


Yesterday was opening day at the sailing club.



I'm racing on Big Bird again this year. Ian, Mathew, and Alan pictured here. Alan claims I took this same photo last year, and wanted to know if he had more gray hair this year. To the left of Mathew's head is the old hospital. Our house is just down the street; sadly it cannot be seen from the water.


In case you were interested, here's a better shot of the hospital.


And here's a boat that we appear to be ahead of...

You can learn a lot about New Zealand by reading this article (about Hawaii) from our local paper:


Say hello to happy hours in Hawaii

Update to that last post (an update which will truly only be of interest to me).

Alternative Title: You can find anything on the internet...even if it requires the use of a wayback machine.


Tim Quirk: "I just bought a house. It's really nice. It's in Oakland, California, and the original owner was Huey Newton, who founded the Black Panthers. So, it's like, I don't feel like I'm selling out 'cause I'm like, 'hey man, a revolutionary lived here.' Anyway, um, somehow that's related to this next song but I can't figure out a pithy short way of explaining it. Go on [Jay], make fun of me, you've got your 'Tim you're a dick' face on."

Jay Blumenfield: "It's just, I mean, we've been doing this for a long time, and I've given you shit about your stage banter before and we argue about it and that's no secret 'cause we're like Howard Stern - it's all in public - ok, that's fine. But that was the worst piece of stage information I've ever heard . I would just like to say."

TQ: "You're just jealous because I have a house with a hot tub and you don't."

JB: "That is true."

Jay continued on to change the second line to "There is no space for what you need to know (or in Tim's house), on the forms that I must fill out."

Marathon #7

Alternative Title: I just bought a house...[There's more to the quote about it being Huey Newton's house, but I can't really remember how that goes, so we'll go with title #1.]

I pulled a muscle in my calf a couple of weeks ago; as I had already paid for the Hawke's Bay Marathon, I decided to run it anyway. I was in pain for the entire race, but still managed a pretty respectable 3:53. I had 3:45 in my sight, but the water stations were spaced too far apart, and I ended up quite dehydrated toward the end. I've said it before: this was my last marathon.


In other news, our offer for the most beautiful house in the world was accepted today. [Buying a house in NZ is a bit strange; it is currently under contract to another party who must sell their home first...said purchasers now have 3 days to remove the contingency if they still want to buy this house; they have indicated that they cannot do this, so I feel pretty comfortable calling the home ours.] This is the third home we have attempted to buy, and definitely my favourite of the three. [Nicole seems a little iffy on whether she liked #2 better...] It was one of the first homes we looked at after moving here...back in March or April, and I've been comparing all others to it. To those of you who have contributed to a Lasko NZ Time Share: Sorry, there is no ocean view. However, there is a pretty fancy guest unit complete with a kitchenette. Also, it's less than a 15 minute walk (downhill) to town, sailing, and the beach.

Here are a few pictures if you're bored: