Family, Flora and Fauna

Arrived in Mosgiel, 15 km outside of Dunedin, on Friday, Feb. 17th around 4:30. My lovely 84 year old aunt Lydia welcomed us with open arms. We have been very comfortable in her home in a retirement village, and fed very well! “Will we be meeting your family?” Geoff asked. Yes, Saturday night we were scheduled to go to my cousin’s for dinner, with all the family members: cousin Bruce and Nicki and their kids, Maddie and Will; cousin Joce (Jocelyn) and her partner, Ian; cousin Cath, her husband Karl and kids, Ben and Grace; and cousin Bob, the oldest. What fun! The noise was incredible—couldn’t hear a thing in the first 5 minutes as everyone talked at once! Bruce and Nicki have a beautiful home that they designed and built themselves. Maddie was out at a movie but we met her later.

Their son Will treated us to a small concert of tunes (Ed. note: He played Pink Floyd – FABULOUSLY) on his various guitars. Quite a talent, he is!

Sunday, Bruce, Nicki and Will picked us up to take us out in their boat on in the Dunedin harbour. It was fantastic, seeing the city from the water and getting up close to the harbour seals, shags (a type of cormorant), and, unbelievably, albatrosses. We were lucky enough to see one of the later in full flight.

They have a 3 metre wing span and are wonderful to see, floating on the wind. Later, we stopped at a pub for a few drinks (Will had a Fluffy: steamed milk with marshmallows) and talked until Bruce noted the whitecaps and said we had to move on. Terrific ride in the boat for the last bit of the journey. Arrived back at Auntie’s to discover that she had invited Cath and Karl for happy hour; Bruce and Nicki stayed and another wonderful evening had by all.

Geoff and I had a full day today: checked out the local golf course and set up a time for tomorrow; drove to the Otago Peninsula and saw the sites we were interested in—the albatross colony and Lanarch Castle; went downtown Dunedin to check out shoes, camera lenses, and Merino wool products; and checked out arrangements for the Tanaeri Gorge railway for later in the week. Came home with a cricket ball for Will (Geoff hit his out of the neighborhood on Saturday!) and nothing else. Happy Hour awaiting. Lydia took the lamb roast out of the oven and put the veggies in. Can’t wait! (Ed. note – check out that all star cricket form!)