Across The Ditch, NZ Ahoy!

Greetings, gentle readers! Helen and Mike are off on another grand adventure, this time returning to New Zealand and to the bosum of Mike's family for Christmas. So to speak, anyway. It's going to be a great 2 weeks!

Here's the current plan:

13/12/08: Arrive Auckland, staying with Julie & Duncan. Dinner with M's friend Aden & family.
14/12/08: Brunch & catch-up with move of M's buddies from his NZ TV & London days. Drive to Glenbrook, train-geek it up for a while at the Glenbrook Vintage Railway. Drive to Coromandel.
15/12/08: Explore Coromandel peninsula.
16/12/08: Ditto.
17/12/08: Explore some more, depart Coromandel. Check out Pauanui, Whangamata, Waihi & Paeroa - expect to see photos of me with the large L&P bottle (choice, bro!). Train Geek Adventure #2 at the Goldfields Vintage Railway. Stay somewhere local.
18/12/08: Continure road trip. Catch up with my knitting bud NZ Pixie in Tauranga. Check out the Big Kiwifruit, have some Blokart fun, drive to Whakatane.
20/12/08: White Island day. Travel on to Opotiki.
21/12/08: More driving, towards Hick's Bay.
22/12/08: Check out the East Cape Lighthouse, travel to Gisborne via Ruatoria Bay, Te Puia Hot Springs & Whangara.
23/12/08: Drive to Napier, staying with Joy & Vic.
24/12 - 27/12/08: Enjoy Christmas time in Napier with Mike's family, including a day trip to visit Briley.
27/12/08: Fly to Wellington, hopefully catch up with Multispork (another knitting buddy).
28/12/08: More Wellington stuff.
29/12/08: Fly home to Sydney.
30/12/08: Road-trip to Canberra, see Helen's family.
31/12/08: Road-trip to Pambula to see John & Amanda. NYE at their restaurant.
01/01/09: Chill in Pambula.
02/01/09: Road-trip back to Sydney, possibly going the long way around.
05/01/09: Back to work, gah!

I'm practising my NZ pronunciations, but I'm pretty bad! The accent always seems to be in a place other that what I think. This week is still really busy with Christmas stuff to organise, birthdays to celebrate, friends to catch up with, and fun to be had.