Jan and Dave

Jan met us at the door with a bottle of wine and some snacks. Dave joined us and we chatted for a long while. They are such an interesting couple. Jan is the "Pioneer Woman" of New Zealand. Not only does she run a wonderful B&B, she is also a great cook and has cooking schools at her lodge with notable chefs. She prepared our dinner and then breakfast the next day. We totally loved this couple.

Dave is quite the gentleman rancher. Progressive in his thinking, he is returning the land to it's native state. First sheep and now dairy cows are a source of income. He treated us to a tour of his ranch. The cows were curious and marvelous.

Hiwinui Country Estate

One of the highlights of this trip was a stay at Dave and Jan Stewarts B&B. This couple is amazing. Jan's breakfast and dinners were delish and their hospitality second to none. We loved their place and had we known, would have stayed on.

We had a chance to walk the place and what fun was that. Sheep and ducks all waiting for mom and pop to bring on the goods. It is New Zealand at it's finest.

Paraparaumu--Easy for You to Say!

This was our first golf outing and for me it would prove to be the toughest. NZ courses are different than here. There was no driving range to speak of. We took a long drive out back and hit balls off of mats into a net. You had no idea how far you were hitting or even if you were accurate. At least we warmed up our golf muscles.

It was so windy that sometimes I felt like my drive landed behind the tee. Not really but sure seemed so. The locals knew to keep the ball low. It was men's day and I am pretty certain I was the only female at the course. Our hosts, Richard and Brian, were nice and friendly. Rick overwhelmed them with his game but they were underwhelmed by mine.

After lunch, we headed north east toward a town called Palmerston North. Rick is awesome about stopping along the way for me to snap photos. I love wind turbines andI share some with you here.