Well how are you all...

1st things 1st
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DONNA!!!!
Have a fabulous day bliss.

I cant believe the issues computers can throw at you!!! Grrrr. I couldn't create my slide show on my usual place - it would not load my photos properly!! So I googled (gotta love Google) and found a new place. It doesn't have the fancy slide frames etc - but at least it WORKS!!!
I also found RockYou.com - so cool - I now have my name on a star! I shall bookmark them so I can play around at my leisure later.

Anyway - I do have a tendency to waffle just a tad huh? Those pictures are just a fraction of the photos I took while we were doing a driving tour of the West Coast of the South Island. I took over 400 - god bless my digital camera and my 1GB memory card! Most I plan to scrap, but most will probably just go in a "normal" album.
I absolutely loved getting away with my family. We spent hours and hours in the car but the kids were fabulous. Only a few sibling issues got dealt with - the occasional "Mum, she keeps making funny noises" or "Mum, he has his foot on my side" More often than not it was giggles and chatter we heard. Plus we let them time waste with the portable DVD player - understanding parents we are - we appreciate that for a kid - see one tree - see them all - LOL. Josef is now hooked on the Eragon series.
Our trip in a nutshell:
Thursday - drive up to Wanaka. We visited the Toy and Transport Museum - that is awesome - huge hangers full of cars, planes, fire engines, trucks, and of course thousands and thousands of TOYS!! Then we checked into the holiday camp, very nice cabin. At night we went to look at the Earth from Above photo exhibition that is along the waterfront. This is so very thought provoking, the photos are stunning but its the social commentary under them that makes you feel so lucky to live here and so guilty of a thousand little wasteful behaviours.
Friday - We went to Puzzling World. The entire place is just mind boggling. I loved the room where everything is on a lean - its so disorientating!
Then we hoped in the car for the drive up to Franz Josef. We stopped at places like Haast for the whole tourist bit. Lunch was with the natives (sandflies) at Ship Creek. What a gorgeous little bay. If it wasn't for the sandflies - I'd live there!! Then onwards to Fox Glacier where we were able to walk in quite close to the glacier. We heard a huge chunk fall off - it was quite a scary sound, it was a bummer we weren't close enough to see it happen - but the sound was cool! Leo and Josef had so much fun climbing over a huge ice chunk that was in the 'safe' part of the track. Leo broke of a big piece of the ice and we put it in the chilly bin - it lasted till Westport!
The cabin we stayed in at Franz Josef was cool - the kids liked it because we had a TV!
Saturday - We took a quick walk up to the Franz Josef Glacier. Unfortunately we couldnt get to close to it. But Josef loved the name of it - lol - its not often he finds anything with his name!
We stopped at Ross for lunch after a toilet stop revealed a gorgeously restored heritage area!
Then it was a straight shot through to Westport, stopping at Hokitika for a looksie. The camping ground at Westport had the neatest mini-golf - so we just had to play. Jess and I cant play for peanuts - but we sure had fun. Leo and Josef were quite competitive.
Sunday - Cape Foulwind walk - it was such a lovely day we didn't get to see why it got its name, but it was still spectacular to look at the waves crashing on those rocks!
Seal Colony - aww - all those baby seals were just to cute, they put on a wee show playing and falling off the rocks.
Punakaiki - or Pancake Rocks, these were the initial reason for the trip - I seen photos of them years ago - and Leo was always promising to take me up to see them - one day!
They were so totally worth the trip. It gives you a tremendous appreciation of the earths power when you see the rock formations like that.
Little Earth - its a cool wee place where they have made a model town the exact replica of the 1930's town Waiutu. Waiutu was a booming goldfields town that was deserted after the mine collapsed. Its so fabulous though to see the labour of love that has gone into recreating it.
Then into Greymouth to check into the camping ground. We had a wee wander up the beach - which was right across a lane from our cabin - the waves were so loud! Then we had a yummy spa - Leo is now convinced a spa pool would be just perfect in the conservatory!
Monday - 5 hours spent wandering around Shantytown, doing the walks and having lunch. They have a neat activity for the kids - a goldminer has lost 10 bags of gold through the town and the kids had to find each one and list which building it was found in - when they found all 10 they got a free ice cream! I loved this place, its so neat.
Back to Greymouth for a few short walks and a looksie through the town.
Tuesday - Over Lewis Pass to Hanmer Springs for lunch then on to Rangiora to my sister for the night. We are planning to book a holiday home at Hanmer for Christmas.
Wednesday- Out to the beach past Amberley for a walk and a bit of beachcombing with my sister and her family. Then into Christchurch to stay with Miriam.
Thursday - Shop till you drop - well not quite but after such a laid back week the city seemed overwhelming! Had a fleeting hug with Hannah - Miriam's little sister who is doing so well for herself - she is currently touring. I have her CD and its definitely worth a listen.
This evening I got to meet Tanya, Louise and Michele from the Scrapbook Essentials forums. This was a buzz - its so great to have the opportunity to meet people who you chat to online or you send things to - LOL! Louise your bags are ready to be mailed - I haven't forgotten!
Friday - The long, long , long drive home! And it was good to come home.

At thats the whole trip in a very condensed version - LOL - I can make it shorter - 2 words - EXCELLENT HOLIDAY!
Thank you Gaye and Richard and Miriam and Jeff for letting us invade your space - it was to short but at least we got to see you and that was fabulous.

As I was walking a ribbon of highway
I saw above me an endless skyway
I saw below me a golden valley
This land was made for you and me

I've roamed and rambled and I've followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me

The sun comes shining as I was strolling
The wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The fog was lifting a voice come chanting
This land was made for you and me

Woody Guthrie