The next stepping stone

It's been an up and down week full of surprises and uncertainties.

I'd not heard anything from the business manager since her answer to my email last week. I was starting to worry that maybe I was jumping the gun in assuming.

One week away on a roadtrip

We are leaving tomorrow morning (Monday 20 March) very early to start our roadtrip round the southern end of North Island.

We are driving the Forgotten World Highway to New Plymouth and from there...who knows.

Holidays, allergies and detoxing

We're going to spend the weekend in Auckland again.

Our daughter is arriving from Sydney to spend two weeks with us. We'll take her sightseeing, visit family and then come back to Hamilton on Sunday evening.

Gorgeous mountainous beauty

After spending Sunday with my in-laws, my mum and I drove up to Swellendam where she and my stepdad live.

Kiama, Australia 2013/2014

Kiama - "Kiama /kaɪˈæmə/ is a township 120 kilometres south of Sydney in the Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia in the Municipality of Kiama. At the 2006 census, Kiama had a population of 12,286 people.^[1] One of the main tourist attractions is the Kiama Blowhole. The seaside town features several popular surfing beaches, caravan parks and numerous alfresco cafes and restaurants. Its proximity to the south of Sydney makes it an attractive destination for a large number of day trippers.^[2]"

Whilst we spent Christmas in Gerringong - we did some sightseeing and Christmas shopping in Kiama.

Solfatara (Naples), Italy Summer 2001

Solfatara - "Solfatara is a shallow volcanic crater at Pozzuoli, near Naples, part of the Campi Flegrei volcanic area. It is a dormant volcano, which still emits jets of steam with sulfurous fumes. 

Firenze, Italy (summer holiday 2001)

Firenze - "Florence is famous for its history: a centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of the time,^[3] it is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has been called "the Athens of the Middle Ages".^[4] A turbulent political history includes periods of rule by the powerful Medici family, and numerous religious and republican revolutions.^[5] From 1865–71 the city was the capital of the recently established Kingdom of Italy."

Continuing on our epic holiday through Italy.

Vatican City, Summer 2001

Vatican City - "officially Vatican City State (Italian: Stato della Città del Vaticano;^{[note 4]} pronounced [ˈstaːto della t͡ʃitˈta (d)del vatiˈkaːno]), a walled enclave within the city of Rome, with an area of approximately 44 hectares (110 acres), and a population of 842,^[1] is the smallest internationally recognized independent state in the world by both area and population."

Meeting up Montepulciano, Italy (summer holiday 2001)

Montepulciano - "Montepulciano is a medieval and Renaissance hill town and comune in the Italian province of Siena in southern Tuscany. It sits high on a 605-metre (1,985 ft) limestone ridge, 13 kilometres (8 mi) east of Pienza, 70 kilometres (43 mi) southeast of Siena, 124 kilometres (77 mi) southeast of Florence, and 186 kilometres (116 mi) north of Rome by car.
Montepulciano is a major producer of food and drink. Renowned for its pork, cheese, "pici" pasta, lentils, and honey, it is known world-wide for its wine. Connoisseurs consider its Vino Nobile, which should not be confused with varietal wine merely made from the Montepulciano grape, among Italy's best."

We stopped here to meet up with my brother, his wife and our good friends (the same friends who currently live in Sydney), who also happened to be travelling around Tuscany, Italy at the same time. Of course we sampled the local wine...

Siena, Italy summer holidays 2001

Siena - "a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site.^[2] It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008.^[3] Siena is famous for its cuisine, art, museums, medieval cityscape and the Palio, a horse race held twice a year."

We arrived just before the race, so the city was getting ready for it, flags of the racers taking part fluttering everywhere. We did not stay long - walked around, had lunch, then left.

It was here in the square, a few year later, that Andrea Bocelli held a free concert. Friends of our asked us to go with them to watch, but unfortunately we weren't able to. I would love to have seen him.

Lake Lugano, Italy Summer 2001

 

Lake Lugano - "Lake Lugano (Italian: Lago di Lugano or Ceresio, from Ceresius lacus) is a glacial lake which is situated on the border between south-east Switzerland and Italy. The lake, named after the city of Lugano, is situated between Lake Como and Lago Maggiore. It was cited for the first time by Gregory of Tours with the name Ceresio in 590 AD,^[1] a name which is said to have derived from the Latin word cerasus, meaning cherry, and refers to the abundance of cherry trees which at one time adorned the shores of the lake.^[2] The lake appears in documents in 804 under the name Laco Luanasco.^"

Venice, Italy summer holidays 2001

Venice - "... is a city in northeastern Italy sited on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges. It is located in the marshy Venetian Lagoon which stretches along the shoreline, between the mouths of the Po and the Piave Rivers. Venice is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. The city in its entirety is listed as a World Heritage Site, along with its lagoon. The name is derived from the ancient Veneti people who inhabited the region by the 10th century BC."