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Kaikoura

This Month

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I am not getting anything put on here, so I’ll share what Esther wrote about the past three weeks.  She has lots of pictures to share, and this will bring you up-to-date!  Maybe in a month or two I’ll have more time to write!

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Dear Friends,

We’ve been very busy lately, but I thought you all would probably appreciate a quick update! ☺ So here goes…

Grandpa’s (Dad’s parents) arrived on Saturday, the 23rd of February. They brought along with them my cousin, David (David’s father is Dad’s brother). I had found out ahead of time (like at least three weeks before) that he was coming, and in the last week Seth and Simon (the next two children after me) had found out he was coming, but all the younger ones were totally in the dark—they had NO idea that David was coming! So it was a really nice surprise for all of them.

On Sunday, we all went to church together, then in the afternoon went up to a church friend’s farm. He owns about a thousand acres of very hilly land (they’re the foothills to the K——- mountains; the farm is so rugged that he hasn’t even set foot on some of the land!), where he raises sheep and cattle. He gave us a demonstration of sheep dogs working sheep, and also sheared a sheep so we could see how that process works. It was all very interesting! I’ve seen sheep dogs working sheep before, but only two (out of our 12-person group!) of us had ever seen a sheep sheared before. So that was a very special afternoon…

To read the rest, go here and enjoy her pictures!

Sheep Shearing

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We’ve just enjoyed a three-week visit with my in-laws and a nephew from America.  I’ll try to share some of the highlights of our activities while they were here.

Their first Sunday, we took them to the aquarium in Kaikoura, then up to the overlook on the water tank on top of the Peninsula.  After that, we all went up the Blue Duck Valley to visit friends there.  The highlight was when we were given a demonstration of sheep dogs working, and sheep shearing.  Of our group, only our nephew and I had ever seen a sheep sheared.

Sorting sheep in the the wool shed.

Our friend with his dogs.

The view from the top of the water tank–Kaikoura on the right.

Long Hike!

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Sunday after church, we decided to take a hike before going home.  We drove south from Kaikoura, along the coast, on our normal route home, but stopped where the highway goes away from the coast into the hills, at Oaro.  After parking the van beside the beach, we took off walking.  Someone had told us about a cliff where there are a lot of fossils, and the boys wanted to find some.  We walked along a trail through lupines in full bloom, first, then crossed the Oaro River. We never got our feet wet!  The river goes through gravel, under a bank several feet high. Then, we walked along the access road between the railroad and the beach.

This boy likes to do what everyone else is not doing–in this case, everyone else was on the road–but not him! The most surprising discovery we made appeared to be a train wreck, from 75-100 years ago.  There was a string of railway carriages pushed over the bank to just above the high-tide line of the beach, and even a steam engine!  We found out a couple of days later that old railway cars used to be pushed over the edge to help stabilize the bank.
The next excitement came when we got to a section of beach where there is a retaining wall for a good ways, and the water comes right up to the base of it.  Most of us walked along the roadway on top, but two adventuresome boys decided to walk along the ledge at the bottom of the retaining wall. Well and good–except it went a lot farther than we ever imagined, and got narrower and narrower!  They had to keep moving to different levels to keep going.  There was no way to get them up over the top–they had to go on or go back!  They made it eventually–but I think this mom probably has a few more gray hairs!
Another boy got down on the ledge after he got to the end of it, and went back to help keep the 3-year-old going, and safe. Brotherly love! While he waited for the boys to come to the end of the ledges, Daddy found a place to sit out of the wind and let baby play with rocks.
The next section was lovely sand that reminded me of Lake Michigan beaches, except that it was dark instead of bright yellow.  So warm to the feet!  After that section, the shore turned rocky again, so we walked on the road again, between tall stands of fennel.

This boy was pretending to hide from the train (long before it showed up!)

Baby rode most of the time on Daddy’s shoulders.We knew the passenger train should be coming through soon, so we were watching out for it.

Here comes the train!The children stood on a small hill to wave at the passengers, and when it had passed we started back for the van. By now, the sun had gone behind the hills and it was getting cold.  The children all armed themselves (against ??) with dried-out fennel stalks and we marched. Daddy got to the van first, with baby, and I straggled in last with the 3-year-old.  We all agreed it had been a wonderful experience, even though we never did figure out which cliff had the fossils.

Baptism

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Our second son (third child) was baptized this past Sunday!  What a joyous occasion.  We went to a creek several miles north of Kaikoura for it, where there was a pool nearly under the railway bridge.

We arrived before several of the other car-loads of people, so enjoyed the sunny day beside the creek. The boy who was to be baptized acted true to his nature, and played in the cold water while we waited.Meanwhile, our oldest boy discovered a “cave” up under the train bridge, and his daddy helped him climb up into it.

We teased him about living under a bridge now!Suddenly, we heard a whistle–a freight train was going through!

Finally, everyone arrived and one of the brothers shared the passage from the book of Acts about Paul’s baptism.

Then, Gayle had the privilege of baptizing his son.

Just as we finished praying, another train whistle sounded in the distance–the passenger train was coming through!

A constant backdrop to the service was the surf, easily visible on the other side of the highway bridge.

Classic Cars

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We had some different entertainment on our way to church this morning.  There was a classic car show in Kaikoura yesterday, and the cars were on their way home this morning.  We probably saw around a hundred of them–didn’t think to count till we were nearly there!  This post is mainly for my brothers who like old cars–we were thinking of you as we enjoyed the “parade”.

A few of the cars were not being driven!

We also saw a couple of railroad track-fixing-machines–made us think of our friend back in Michigan who used to build them!  These were built in Australia, though, it looked like.

We also saw this picture of spring.

This Past Week or Two in Pictures

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I keep thinking about things to blog about, but real life keeps getting in the way.  So, here are a bunch of pictures to give you a glimpse into the past couple of weeks.

Now that he can get around we have to be more diligent about cleaning up ashes!

Last Tuesday we had the biggest hail I have ever seen. When it hit a boogie board in front of the house it bounced up 3 meters (10 feet)!

After the storm passed, the cows finally made it to the trees for shelter–and when the sun hit them a cloud of steam went up!

Hail on the trampoline.

Almost crawling!Gayle and the boys built the framework for raised beds on Saturday.

On Sunday we stopped to explore some rock pools along the coast.

Starfish Sea anemone

Shags

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After our hike around the Kaikoura Peninsula Sunday, when we were waiting for Gayle to bring the van back around to pick us up, the children who were with me, and I, were quite amused by the sounds of the shags going to bed in the tree above us.  A shag is a large bird that lives along the coast; I think they eat fish.  They sleep in trees, and when each one comes in for the night they apparently have to discuss the day!  The sounds they make are so funny that I tried to capture them in this video so you can enjoy it, too.

Kaikoura Peninsula

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We had an adventure Sunday!  It was such a lovely day that after leaving church at 2:00 we went to the Kaikoura Peninsula to walk on the rocks.  Gayle has been wanting to walk around the Peninsula again, but we weren’t sure what the tides were.  When we got there, however, it became apparent that the tide was going out, so we took off from the north side of the Peninsula, and walked around to South Bay at sea level.  It’s quite a long, strenuous walk, but beautiful!  We made it to the other end around 5:00.  Gayle went ahead of us the last little ways and then he and two of the boys hurried up the cliff to the trail on top and across to where we had left the van, then came back to get us.

Seagull at the north end, before we started out hiking.

Here we go! Just starting around the first point.

The tide was still high enough we had to be fairly close to the cliffs, and the seaweed on the rocks that were in shadow was extremely slick. We had to search for dry places to walk on. Lots of energy at the beginning!

Simon climbed halfway up that high cliff! He climbed several hills on the way, and at the end ran back across the top of the Peninsula to catch up to his dad, who was on the way back for our van. Incredible energy, there.

Some of the easiest walking on the whole trip.Some of the first seals we saw up-close that day–but not the last!

The game of “Pass the Baby” was popular with the one being passed–until one big brother fell down with him. Then, he wanted Mom.

See the boys most of the way up?

More seals, and a shag grooming. At the base of the cliff ahead of us is where we first came very close to seals–like, on the trail! Seals can be quite dangerous; if they bite you can get a very bad infection. Don’t go between a seal and the water, and don’t threaten them! Signs are posted saying to stay 10 meters (30 feet) from seals.Our protector going ahead to scout for seals.

Here we come, skirting as far around the seals as possible. Simon, behind me, very thoughtfully waited there for me, keeping a lookout while I watched my footing, then brought up the rear.

I had to stop to feed the baby, and while they were waiting, Gayle and some of the boys climbed up through a cave and came out on top, where they could watch us coming up!

We all ended up going through a branch of the cave to get to the other side, because the only other path had a big seal on it!

More seals–all over the path! We were very cautious.

At last! We have rounded the end of the Peninsula and can see the mountains again. Our destination is across the bay.

This fascinating layer of rocks, shells, and bones ran along the cliff for quite a long ways.

Simon found this whale’s vertebrae sticking out! He brought it home.

Seth found this fence post washed up, and carried it a LONG way along the beach. He fell down four times while carrying it across slick places, but persevered. He really wanted it!

South Bay–the end of our hike.

Google Earth map of the Kaikoura Peninsula

This Past Week

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It’s not real easy to write when most computer time involves multi-tasking (which being interpreted means feeding the baby!).  I’ll just put in a few pictures from this past week.

Baby thinks life is rough!  He even frowns in his sleep!

For Dead Boring last week, we met in a gym and the children played while the moms talked.  The group is so large now that we’ve had to split in two, but still want to all see each other occasionally.  Four times a year we plan to meet this way, and just have a social day without sharing writings like we normally do.  The children played hockey.

These are two of my boys, James and Simon.

The child farthest left and the one third from right are mine.

Baby studies things–mostly to figure out how they’ll taste!

Haircuts last night!  This was the pile after I cut six heads of hair!

Bedtime story!  We’re reading Horse of a Different Color, by Ralph Moody, right now.  Baby was asleep with his mouth clamped tightly shut.

On our way home from church today, we stopped for half an hour at the beach, where the Kowhai River empties into the sea just south of Kaikoura.  The waves were very high today.  I love those cliffs in the distance, just south of Oaro.

Brotherly love–the bank at the edge of the parking area, going down to the river’s edge, was steep, with these large rocks.  I like this one so well I put it on my desktop screen!

This is the boy who reads the best, enjoying Naya Nuki by Ken Thomasma for the fourth time.

Big sis was playing with her new tripod, and caught this picture.  Glad that leg was up to hide everything else!

Holiday Trip Day 1

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We took a week’s holiday, touring the top of the South Island.  We left early Sunday morning, after loading the van and a borrowed trailer with everything we thought we might need for a week’s camping.

It was a beautiful, sunny day, and the Waiau River was especially pretty.

After church, we set out to go north.  The first stop was to pick up oil for the van.  The oil has to be put in under the passenger seat!

Next, we stopped at Ohau Falls, because the baby seals are spending their days there again.

The sea is always beautiful across the highway from the falls, too.

This little guy found a hollow under a rock into which he could stick his feet to watch the sea in comfort!

After we left the falls, we were going through places we had never seen before.  This long railroad bridge was impressive!

Hills a little ways south of Blenheim.

We turned off on the south side of Lake Grasmere to find the campground we had selected for the night.

Setting up camp for the first time!  This was a DOC (Department of Conservation) campground.  They provided flush toilets and water (boil before drinking), but that was all. We had a propane camp stove to cook on, so Mom and I worked on that while the rest set up tents and figured out how to blow up air mattresses.  We were maybe 200 feet from the sea, which was quite loud here.  Lovely sound to go to sleep to!