TIME TO HEAD HOME

 

We are heading home today.  It has been an awesome break away, something we both needed after a long campaign selling and buying houses.  

It's been good to just get away and forget about it all.

ABOVE: The view from our motel room.  We have stayed here before.  It's not the 'flashest, newest' motel around, but I utterly refuse to spend over $200 a night to sleep in a room and have a shower!   It does well enough of us.

ABOVE:  The fabrics I found yesterday.  I think you can see a trend in the colours.  😂😅😊

They are so lovely.  I can't wait to use them.

Need to get home now. 

ABOVE:  I found a piece of driftwood for the 'collection' on the beach right in front of our motel last night.   

I think that will do for driftwood and rocks now.  😂😊

We will be leaving around 8 - 8.30.  It is a 300 km trip from here to Hamilton, via Taupo.  So a fairly long trip.  We might drop in on my Aunt and Uncle in Kinloch ... if they are home.

12 noon,  safely at Taupo.

ABOVE:  An easy lunch by the lake. 

3.10 pm, and we are about to leave Taupo.  The one and only problem we have encountered this trip has been .... finding places that sell DIET COKE!

We ran out today, and it's taken us a while to find anywhere that sells it, let alone already chilled.  

ABOVE: Saved from dehydration!  They had it at the BP Petrol station at Wairakei.  Now we can head off on our final stretch home.

It is now 6.34 pm, and we have been home about an hour.  Enough time to unpack, get the washing on and then get on here to do an update.

ABOVE: The countryside between Napier and Taupo is gorgeous.  LOTS of mountainous ranges, forestry and farms.  

Quite a few stops and starts with roadworks too.

 

ABOVE: The drain covers in Taupo are rather stunning.

We had a nice lunch down by the lakefront, before going to Kinloch to visit my Aunt and Uncle.

ABOVE: The lakefront at Kinloch, so nice.  

From Taupo to Putaruru there were two really BIG diversions due to roadworks on State Highway 1... which added time and distance to our trip.

On the Napier to Taupo road, there's a waterfall that we stopped at back in 2022.  Today we stopped there again, and I took a couple of photos.   It wasn't until I saw the photos from 2022 that I realised that I was wearing the EXACT SAME TOP today!  lol

ABOVE:  Stew's comparison photos.... I'm so relieved I got him to chop that damn hair off!  He's looking rather dashing now I must say, some weight loss and that Santa Clause beard.  Nice.  😊

ABOVE:  Me in the same top.... the first photo is not a good one!  

There was a lot less water going over the falls today, but it was still pretty.

ABOVE: The very first thing I noticed when we arrived home, a lovely Welcome Home card from Lacy.

She did an awesome job house/dog sitting... THANK YOU SO MUCH LACY.

You can do it again some day.  😊

Coco is in 7th Heaven, back on Stew's lap.  She sniffed us all over when we arrived home, and seems to be happy we are back.

We've had a very calm, relaxing evening, just watching the telly with our feet up.  So nice to be home again.