Last Wednesday we shifted (aka moved) out of our housesitting accommodation and into The White House. Sadly, it's not quite as exciting as it sounds. It's a guesthouse on the grounds of Steve's workplace, and they were kind enough to let us stay there for the week before we're able to move into our new place.
It is meeting our needs for the week, but we are really looking forward to being in our own place and staying in one place for awhile. We counted up all the places we have stayed over the past year and this next house will be our 10th place! So if you've felt confused about where we've been living at any given time, you have a good excuse!
I've been fighting an unrelenting cold the last few weeks, but this past weekend was my first full weekend off and we wanted to make the most of it. We drove to Cape Palliser, which is about 2.5 hours away, near the southern coast but across the Rimutaka mountain range. The road over the Rimutakas is notoriously twisty and long; locals get frustrated with people who don’t brave the turns at high speeds, so we pull over as much as possible to let them pass by. They always say ‘thank you’ with a little ‘honk-honk’.
The weekend was quite low-key and relaxed. We stayed at a campsite near the Pinnacles, which are some impressive rock/gravel formations along a riverbed.
On Saturday morning we explored the clay and gravel riverbed and marveled at the remnants of shells embedded in the rocks.
We then drove on to see Cape Palliser, where a lighthouse is perched on a cliff and a seal colony lives on the rocks below. The seals were lazily sleeping along the roadside and as much as I would love to sit and watch them, they stink like a mixture of skunk and rotten seafood and it's tough to linger near them!
We reached the lighthouse by climbing 227 wooden steps and enjoyed our chips and chocolate snack while taking in the beautiful views.
On the way back to the Pinnacles, we stopped at a beach to watch the waves crashing...
explored the rocky shores...
paid tribute to the local Tucka stand...
and found a flat spot to make our own coffee.
By the time we got back to the Pinnacles, it was still early afternoon and we hiked along the riverbed to the base of the Pinnacles. It was definitely worth the 1.5 hour walk - the formations were very impressive up close and the weather was beautiful.
We watched a lovely sunset by the seaside that evening, and on Sunday we explored the country roads and towns. A few of the seaside towns are very small and mostly cater to people wanting to go surf fishing. There is also a large lake - Lake Wairarapa - but it is surrounded by farms and the waters are drinking/wading grounds for livestock.
Martinborough is the largest town in the area and well-known for wineries and classy cafes. It has lots of cute old buildings restored to be overpriced antique stores or cafes.
We will be moving into our new house on Saturday, and will try to post some pictures of it... but keep in mind that we will have no furnishings for it yet! We are counting down the weeks until we leave for Canada, and are very excited to spend 2 weeks in Ontario and then 2 weeks in BC.
It is meeting our needs for the week, but we are really looking forward to being in our own place and staying in one place for awhile. We counted up all the places we have stayed over the past year and this next house will be our 10th place! So if you've felt confused about where we've been living at any given time, you have a good excuse!
I've been fighting an unrelenting cold the last few weeks, but this past weekend was my first full weekend off and we wanted to make the most of it. We drove to Cape Palliser, which is about 2.5 hours away, near the southern coast but across the Rimutaka mountain range. The road over the Rimutakas is notoriously twisty and long; locals get frustrated with people who don’t brave the turns at high speeds, so we pull over as much as possible to let them pass by. They always say ‘thank you’ with a little ‘honk-honk’.
The weekend was quite low-key and relaxed. We stayed at a campsite near the Pinnacles, which are some impressive rock/gravel formations along a riverbed.
On Saturday morning we explored the clay and gravel riverbed and marveled at the remnants of shells embedded in the rocks.
We then drove on to see Cape Palliser, where a lighthouse is perched on a cliff and a seal colony lives on the rocks below. The seals were lazily sleeping along the roadside and as much as I would love to sit and watch them, they stink like a mixture of skunk and rotten seafood and it's tough to linger near them!
We reached the lighthouse by climbing 227 wooden steps and enjoyed our chips and chocolate snack while taking in the beautiful views.
On the way back to the Pinnacles, we stopped at a beach to watch the waves crashing...
explored the rocky shores...
paid tribute to the local Tucka stand...
and found a flat spot to make our own coffee.
By the time we got back to the Pinnacles, it was still early afternoon and we hiked along the riverbed to the base of the Pinnacles. It was definitely worth the 1.5 hour walk - the formations were very impressive up close and the weather was beautiful.
We watched a lovely sunset by the seaside that evening, and on Sunday we explored the country roads and towns. A few of the seaside towns are very small and mostly cater to people wanting to go surf fishing. There is also a large lake - Lake Wairarapa - but it is surrounded by farms and the waters are drinking/wading grounds for livestock.
Martinborough is the largest town in the area and well-known for wineries and classy cafes. It has lots of cute old buildings restored to be overpriced antique stores or cafes.
We will be moving into our new house on Saturday, and will try to post some pictures of it... but keep in mind that we will have no furnishings for it yet! We are counting down the weeks until we leave for Canada, and are very excited to spend 2 weeks in Ontario and then 2 weeks in BC.
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