The Queen's Birthday

Nope - it isn't the title of the sequel to The Emperor's New Clothes...this weekend is the Queen's Birthday and here in New Zealand we are all given the day off to celebrate it. Go figure UK!?

It also happens to be the last Bank Holiday for quite a long time so this weekend we are heading off into the Wairarapa to stay with one of my work colleagues in Martinborough http://www.martinborough.com/

Martinborough is wine country so hopefully we will get to sample a few...or 10.

There is a severe weather warning for Sunday with snow predicted at low levels, so the trip back over the Rimutaka Hills could be interesting. Watch this space - no doubt we will have photos after the weekend if there is anything interesting to report! http://www.virtualoceania.net/newzealand/photos/mountains/rimutakas/nz0259.shtml

I must apologise for the temporary breakdown in communications on the blog...it's winter here now, well and truly, with high winds, grey skies, cold wet very heavy noisy rain (tin roofs) so there isn't lot to talk about. We are managing to stay warm in the house having finally worked out how to work the heat pump. A combination of heat pump and ceiling fan works very well and the new oil heater that we purchased a few weeks ago from Bunnings (you think 'The Depot' is big!) has done the trick of keeping the chill away downstairs.

The last 2 weekends have actually been rather exciting. We had visitors! 2 weekends ago, Di came and visited from Auckland. Some of you reading this will know Di from Hampshire Scouting - well, she is now Di Morris, married to Bob and they live about an hour south of Auckland airport where Bob works. Di wanted to visit the Monet exhibition that was taking place at Te Papa so came to stay. Unfortunately even Monet isn't worth a 4 hour queue on a Saturday afternoon so that plan was scuppered. Instead we ate, drank and took Max swimming - not in that order of course! It was lovely to have a friend to stay in the house at last...and to have someone new to cook for...

Last weekend we had new UK arrivals over for Saturday night dinner. Paul and Karen are good friends of Kate's best friend Michelle (hope you are keeping up) who we have met in passing at parties in the past. Paul works for IBM in Wellington and has been here for just over a month and Karen and Storm (the dog) arrived here last weekend. They are living in Upper Hutt so popped over for a good chat about how lovely it is to be in New Zealand - even if it is winter.

Our other exciting news is that Mum & Dad Calvert have confirmed the dates of their first visit and they will be here in the height of summer to celebrate Christmas with us. Much discussion is already taking place in planning the 5 weeks they will be with us, including possible RV hire on South Island for a week. Mum & Dad Knight are also in the midst of planning their trip (Premium Economy don't you know!) and we should have their dates soon too! Exciting!

It does however mean that there is a New Year vacancy, so if any of you fancy escaping the UK winter and heading south to enjoy a New Zealand summer and a New Year BBQ - let us know. We can meet you at Wellington airport on the 28th December quite easily as we'll be dropping my folks off! Book early to avoid disappointment...

Max continues to make us gasp at his use of the English language. Every day new words are used and we are now having longer and longer sentences. He is particularly animated when chatting on Skype to his cousin Chloe. He wakes up and starts talking and only stops when he is asleep - totally unlike his mother who is as quiet as a mouse, as she can no longer get a word in edgewise. Now there's a turn up for the books!

It's still all work for me. I'm very busy but loving every minute of it. My role continues to change on a daily basis and I have basically been told to continue ferreting around finding new business here and there. I think I am currently thought of as a Strategic Technical Account Manager but we'll have to see what next week brings.

Kate is still job hunting. She has several irons in the fire and we are hopeful that something will turn up soon. It's the end of the financial year here next month and that is certainly impacting peoples desire to hire new people. We're both quite confident that over the next 2-3 weeks Kate will have 3 interviews and one of them will come off. In the meantime, Kate has registered with a private Nursing provider; Geneva Health and will be doing work as it comes off on an ad hoc basis - including a few night shifts which will allow for some XBox time! Marvellous. The other clear advantage is that there is once again a nurses uniform hanging up in the house (that one was for you Tim!) In the meantime Kate is getting involved with the local ladies in planning events for the playgroup and has even been recruited onto the committee. More XBox time!

I'll leave you for now with some photos of Max and will update once the weekend is over. Love to you all and we hope to hear from you soon. Don't forget that you can skype us. Just look for kiwicalverts.

Max wearing Grandma Knight's knitted hat and fingerless gloves

Max in his Grandma Calvert Thomas the Tank Engine outfit

Grandad has a hat just like this!

Snack time outside Te Papa

Max's first kebab at 'Abrakebabra' on Manners Street, Wellington

Mountain biker


Extreme mountain biker


Eating the plane shaped scones Max has just made with Mum

Max and Zach lunchtime antics

Michelle took this hilarious video of Max and Zach last week.
We're still not quite sure what was so funny!

Earthquake!

The Common Operational Picture (COP) view built on ArcGIS Server using the Flex API

Today I had my first experience of a New Zealand earthquake. As you can see from the screenshot (this is the Common Operational Picture web viewer that our Technical Solutions Group guru has put together using the ArcGIS Server API for Flex) the data feed from the Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS) website updated soon after the event and shows the magnitude 3.6 earthquake 10km east of Wellington at 10.39 am today.

I have to admit that I didn't really feel anything; but the windows in the office shook, so it was heard more than it was felt.

No aftershock just yet...we can but wait.

I have now cleared the rubbish from under my desk so that I have clear access to a safe space in readiness for the next one!

The latest Calvert family photo

A friendly passer by on Waikanae beach a few weeks ago offered to take a photo of us.
This was the result!

Max's new bike...

Max and Oakley

Here's an amusing insight into the relationship between Max and Oakley!

Max's 2nd Birthday - camping in Napier

The Easter weekend also happened to be our little man's 2nd Birthday. Can you believe that? Max has been with us, enriching our lives (!) for 2 full years. Where has the time gone??
Thinking back over the last 24 months it has been a roller coaster and a half. Looks something like this;

Knock extension down (54 Churchill Crescent), Max born, home is a building site, Scout Centenary celebrations, camping on Brownsea, Max first night under canvas, home is still a building site, new extension finished (6 months), kitchen in, baby cries, baby eats, baby sleeps, baby uses a million nappies, Max to nursey, Kate back to work, work gets busy, trips abroad, Holidays to Oban, Egypt and Portugal, NZ opportunity arrives, interview, successful, pack house up, live in empty house, leave a very happy work place, travel half way around the world, start work, find home, stuff arrives, Max is 2...

Phew! Let's hope that the next 2 years provides as much excitement...

So, taking advantage of the double bank holiday we decided to head to the East coast and Napier for a camping weekend with Di and Bob who live in Auckland. Kate & Di go a long way back to Hampshire Scouts and expeditions with HSX. When we planned to move to NZ we didn't know that Di was already here so it was a nice surprise when her and Bob met us when we first arrived.

Anyway, Bob and Di have friends who live in Te Awanga, just south of Napier, so we agreed to head over there for a camping weekend; 1 night is Steve & Ella's garden and 2 nights just north of Napier at Bay View.

On Friday morning we loaded up the Scoobie with camping gear and headed onto State Highway 1...along with everyone else! 6.5km into the trip we stopped and over the next 90 minutes we travelled 36 km until the single lane "danger road" up the coast which has 20km of no overtaking finished. I also managed to collect my first ever speeding ticket; overtaking to cars insisting on doing 85kmph in the 100kmph limit (max. speed on any NZ road) once I got to one of the few passing lanes available. A very friendly officer of the law was waiting at the top of the passing lane who zapped me doing 117kmph post-overtake. Apparently I was taking too long to drop my speed back down to 100kmh. Nice...NOT! That's my first ticket EVER. Thank you Mr. NZ Cop Guy...

Anyway, we finally got underway and after a stop for lunch we arrived in Te Awanga at 4pm. Phew!

We set up camp in the garden and then headed into Napier to make use of the hot pools at Ocean Spa - they heat sea water to a variety of temperatures in a number of pools and you sit in the open air chilling out. Max had a brilliant time bobbing about, getting wet, being thrown between Kate & I. He is becoming very confident in the water which is great to see.

After drying off we all went for dinner in town so got home warm and full and crashed and burned.

Saturday 11th April was of course Max's 2nd Birthday. He woke after an OK night sleeping in our Mountain Hardware 3-person (politically correct!) tent.


For a small chap he managed to take up a lot of space!

After getting dressed to much 'Happy Birthday to you' Max couldn't decide if this was going to be a good day or not...


Grumpy Max...

Happy Max!

We headed out into the morning Napier sunshine to cook breakfast. Part of our preparations for the weekend was to re-stock some of the camping kit that we hadn't brought with us, including a gas bottle. Kate had been out and bought a cylinder and new regulator. When I packed the gas bottle I thought it was a little light but in the haze of Friday morning didn't think too much about that. On Saturday morning I wish I had done as the gas bottle was empty!

In NZ you buy your gas bottle and fill it with LPG at pretty much any petrol station.

Luckily Di & Bob had a spare so our bacon was cooked on a good old camping gaz stove. Oh the memories of Scout camps flooded back...

I'm sure that this goes on here...


Oh this is very civilised!

There's even a hole for my cup!

Di: "look at my lovely bacon!"

After breakfast we broke camp and headed off to the Bay View Snapper campsite just north of Napier. How impressed were we!? The campsite was very well laid out and the pitch we were given had some good shade with plenty of room. We were a stones throw from the Pacific ocean too which was amazing. We heard breaking waves all night - it was actually quite therapeutic.

After getting set up we got the Birthday cake out! Kate had made chocolate cake on Thursday during the day as Max was out and I turned it into 'James the Red Engine' (there wasn't blue food colouring so Thomas was out of the question) on Thursday evening. The wheels were mint cream chocolate covered biscuits which went down very well indeed.

Happy Birthday Max!

Blow the candles out - make a wish!

James - left hand view

James - right hand view

Of course there was lots of driving about done over the course of the weekend. We did however have 2 very willing passengers. Oakley thought it was great - the boot was full so he got to travel on the back seat. We never had any issues getting him in the car!

I like this! Can it become the norm please?

Max on the other hand wants to be up front rather than in the back.

He already seems to know what all of the buttons are for; a full systems check and diagnostics have to be run before you drive off in order to reset everything that he has fiddled with! It took me over 10 minutes to find the switch he had flicked which was keeping the parking lights on. In the end I spotted a switch on the top of the steering wheel - the parking lights! It's probably a bad thing that the driving age is so low here as Max will certainly be on the roads as soon as he can.

I love the car!

The beach over the dune; 60 seconds from our camp pitch, was amazing. Rather than sand it was made up of black pebbles. Being on the East coast, when you look out to sea you are looking towards the west coast of South America.

Bay View beach looking North

Bay View beach looking South - towards Napier

Shiny black pebbles - you'd pay a fortune for a tonne of these for your garden in the UK!

Despite the breakers being rather large, Max insisted on paddling - he loves getting his feet wet in the sea. Oakley tried to have a swim but after a couple of full dunkings he decided that retreat when his ball was swept back on the wave rather than diving through the surf was the best idea. Only one tennis ball was lost this way so that wasn't too bad.

Next stop, Chile, South America

Posh dog, posh beach, posh sea

These pebbles feel great!

On the Sunday we hooked up with Di, Bob, Steve and Ella and headed off to Ocean Beach, a little further south of Napier. On the way they took us to see the local waterfall.

Oakley thought he was in heaven! He managed to get a fresh water swim in with his new friend Jack.

The waterfall; where the water falls

Oakley and Jack

Ocean Beach was amazing; golden sands for miles and miles. The sea breaks nicely all along the coast so was great for a spot of beginner surfing or boogie boarding. Fortunately the winds were really light, but that did prevent the kite flying - given up as a bad job after a couple of attempts. Not even enough breeze to get a 6' Flexifoil in the air.

We had a picnic and did some swimming. Max took the chance to have another paddle in another part of the Pacific Ocean! The weather was glorious and despite that, the beach was empty - that's New Zealand for you!

Ocean Beach - looking North

Ocean Beach looking South - holiday baches for rent make up for the lack of camping

Ocean Beach; Napier

On the way home we stopped off at a local winery as they were having an open day with a bit of music. Unfortunately we had to leave after a glass of wine as Max was shattered and we had to get back to feed him and prevent the hunger gremlin from appearing! Later that evening we headed back to Ocean Spa for another evening soak. Quite a brilliant day.

On Monday we broke camp and headed home along State Highway 2, slightly further to travel but it avoided the traffic lights on SH1 which caused so much grief on Friday morning. We left the site at 11am - ahead of the other Bank Holiday traffic - with 2 very tired boys in the back!

The fallout of a very busy Birthday weekend!

It was an excellent weekend and great to head a bit further away from home. It felt as if the exploration of our new home had begun. Can't wait for the next opportunity to head out again.

Thanks for reading - this Saturday is Anzac Day and on Sunday we are helping with the Mana Marina clear-up; I will be under the water and Kate & Max will be at the beach. Next update after that.

We hope you are all well and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Love from us all. x

It's mid-April already!

It's mid-April already and it has been a busy 3 weeks for us all. Much has been going on and I have fallen behind with the blog so here we are with an update at last.

A few weeks ago I headed out into the garden to mow the lawn as it was becoming a bit out of hand. The slope is a challenge, but the petrol mower that the owners left was more than a match for the lengthening green stuff!



Kate took the opportunity to take a few photos of the garden here at 6 Ensign Lane...


Oakley enjoying the fresh air


Wild Rosemary


The fishpond

A plant - and don't ask - I have no idea!

Our Lime tree with its single Lime! Looking for the Tequila tree now...

The view up to our deck

We have also tried to make sure that we get out on a Friday evening to the local shorefront at Mana which is just 5 minutes down the road from the house to give Oakley a swim. This is becoming more difficult now that the clocks have gone back an hour, but when we do manage to get there is really is fantastic. There is a good sand bar which means that Max can paddle quite safely whilst Oakley heads out a bit further. As you can see, Max is getting very good at throwing the ball for Oakley...


Me and my dawg


On the rampage


Kick the ball Max

Thank you!


"I like it here" shouts Oakley!

Kate has also been out and about with Max introducing him to various people and making some friends of her own at the same time. Here is a day in the life of Max (over a few days...spot the pre and post haircut photos!)

7.00am - wake up, but a bit like my Father getting out of bed is sometimes a struggle. It's good to have a doze and enjoy a lie-in...


Get that camera out of my face

After a bit of breakfast it's time to get on with the hard job of playing. First up I had better go and inspect my property portfolio. Amazing that International Movers are able to just ship your house across to the other side of the world!

Morning hair


Who needs to use the door!?


When the window is this much fun!


The FTSE 100 is still falling


Good job I moved my property here to New Zealand Mum...

I also need to call a few people to make arrangements for my social gatherings for the rest of the day.


Yep...yep...uh huh...OK, see you later

I had better include Oakley in the conversation too - just to get a well rounded point of view on what's good to do today; park, swim, sleep, walk, sniff, etc. So many options!


Oakley suggests that the Mana shorefront would be a good bet

Mum is taking me to 'Kindy Gym' this morning to burn off some energy. It's a short trip in the car into Porirua so hopefully I will get to go through the garage. The automatic garage door is just sooooo cool!

Kindy Gym gives me the chance to meet up with some of my new pals. Mum seems to have a good time chatting to the ladies too - I think she has even been out into town with them for an evening out leaving Dad in charge at home!?


OK - if I can just squeeze this guy out here...


...then I can do some REAL bouncing!


Check it out ladies...

I'm also a dab hand at negotiating the slide

And despite my size can Slam Dunk with the best of them...


Oy! Bring my ball back!

Does this look cool? Not really sure that it does?

Actually the chicks love a guy with a cold nose and whiskers...at least Oakley thinks so...


A much needed drink after all that dashing about


Followed by a leisurely drive in my car...

After all that exercise it was time to head home and chill in front of the TV. My current favorites are Postman Pat; well, I like Jess that cat, but don't tell Oakley. I'm also in to Tractor Tom and Tractor Ted. The Nightgarden is so yesterday.

Telly addict!

In an act of complete randomness I decided to see what it was like to wear Mr. Potato Head's glasses...
Well I thought it was a good idea. Mum has hers on all day and they look pretty good.

I thought glasses were supposed to make things look clearer??

So this is an Oakley eye view...

After my post-lunch snooze (does that sound old already??) it's time to head out for the next adventure. Mum & I have been visiting Michelle and Zack. When Mum and Dad are at work I get to go and hang out with Zack and his house and play with his toys. He's the same age as me so he's good fun to play with. He has lots of different toys that we can play with too. He has managed to buy his own property too. Not sure that I agree with his choice of colours, but there you go - each to their own!


Hey - do you know about the not using the door thing? Check this out...

Then off to the park with Mum where I get to do some serious climbing.

I'm into free climbing at the moment; no harness, no rope, that unbridled feeling of freedom, the fear factor - for Mum anyway. I'm currently hoaning my skills on an E3. It's called 'The Hole' - I think I am getting there...

I learnt this move from Zak Bonney!


Getting the 'mantle' right is difficult with short legs...

The southern face has this tricky bit...I just need to get my foot up here...

A quick run in the park and a snack to keep my energy levels up and my day is beginning to wind up. Boy it's been a busy one!


Quack quack...

Mum - are you sure it's OK to dig in here?

Look at what I am eating!

Me and a tree

In the boot with my dog...

Given that it is so sunny here in New Zealand I finally managed to persuade Dad that I needed to look a little more like him when we are out and about on the town.

All a bit Miami Vice...

So that is my typical day...pretty full on but it keeps me out of mischief at home!

Dad says that the next blog post will have pictures from my 2nd Birthday when we went camping on the East coast at Napier. It was great fun, so look out for that post soon.

Thanks for reading and see you soon!