Christmas in March

Last weekend, on March 1, we had Christmas morning over breakfast here in Portland, courtesy of Mom & Dad LeMay.

These were shipped, once we had an address to send them to, since we didn't make it back to NH for Christmas this year.  And since "Christmas" happened so recently, I guess I can't be held too accountable for wrapping up the last of our NZ trip just now, a good 2+ months after we returned. Plus, finally writing this will enable me to get on with my life and share current musings, and don't we all want that?

So, where were we?  A couple days before Christmas, we hopped a flight (JetStar!) to Auckland, back up on the north island.  We were met at the airport by our friend Frank, with whom Jason worked in both New York & London.  He and his Kiwi wife Tanya moved to Auckland from London last fall, in advance of the birth of their son Finlay - the best baby ever. Seriously. 8 weeks old and the kid sleeps 10 hours a night.

We spent a few days, including Christmas, with Frank & Tans. They took us out on the ferry to Waiheke Island, where we visited Stonyridge winery for a tasting and a delectable lunch, and followed that up with drinks & oysters on a balcony bar overlooking the bay. December in the Southern Hemisphere is a good thing.

We're on a boat.

We spent Christmas Day lounging around, having a "potluck" brunch, watching classic films like Anchorman and Christmas Vacation, opening a few gifties, and drinking bubbly. Through the power of Skype, I was able to chat with the family back in NH - Mom & Dad, Greg & Kaity, and Grammie - at the tail end of their Christmas Eve festivities, which helped make Christmas feel a bit more complete.

The guys working on brunch

Our hosts and the lovely brunch spread

Best Hats Ever

Making somewhat flawed but still tasty paella for dinner

On Boxing Day, we picked up our final rental car of the trip and hit the road to Hawke's Bay, about 4 hours drive. There, we had our first AirBnB experience, staying in the spare room of a couple who have redefined the meaning of active retirement. We spent a day and a half touring the wine region of Hawke's Bay, known more for its Cabernets than Pinot Noirs. The region stood in contrast to Marlborough's homestead-style cellar doors, with many large, modern facilities with large tasting bars and high-end restaurants attached.

Lunchtime sips at Ngatarawa

The gateway city to the Hawke's Bay region is Napier, a town decimated in 1931 by an earthquake and subsequent fires that altered the coastline dramatically and required residents to either relocate or rebuild. Many chose to rebuild, and did so in the contemporary style of Art Deco. We took an interesting walking tour of the town, noted as one of the worlds 2 best examples of concentrated Art Deco design (along with South Beach, FL).

We spent our last day/night in New Zealand in true W-W-Willey style. After driving back to Auckland, checking in to our off-airport hotel and returning our car, we walked from the airport to have dinner at a restaurant off-airport.

And beer, of course.

Cheers!

Following this, we needed to return to our hotel. Now, rather than acting like "normal" people (what is the fun in that) and calling a cab, we decided to walk back to the airport and get the hotel's free shuttle service. Good plan!  Except about 5 minutes into our mile-long walk ...

We are not amused

... downpour! By that point, though, we were committed. We waited out the worst of it, then went splashing through the puddles (me in sandals and Jason without his raincoat) back to the terminal, shaking our heads and knowing that the "normal" way does not provide these sorts of silly moments.  In the end, we made it back to our hotel, dried out, and caught a looonnng flight back to LA early the next morning.