Fun on the farm

In our jetlagged excitement to get the scenic train ride story to you, we missed two great photos. Here is Roger with the train engine and the Kapiti ice cream we enjoyed on board.

In the late afternoon on Saturday the train arrived in Palmerston North. John Cleese has referred to 'Palmy' as 'the suicide capital of New Zealand' because of its uninspiring urban architecture and layout. We didn't have a chance to form our own opinion on this, however, since we were immediately whisked 45min away to Craigend - Trish and Andrews' farm (Dora's aunt and uncle). 

A Palmy street

Craigend is a favoured hangout of the Coventry family, which is unsurprising given the warm welcome provided by the hosts and the lovely views over breakfast (across the rose garden out to the rolling green hills of the farm and beyond to Ruapehu on a clear day). Highlights from our weekend included:

Enjoying tea and muffins at Craigend

- Cycling up and down the Wanganui River: Dora and I had a chance to flex our mountain biking muscles, in preparation for the acquisition of a new hobby in Wellington. Despite almost being blown into several hedges by strong winds I managed to get slightly sunburnt, which I've been assured is a foretaste of New Zealand's contradictory weather. 

- Experiencing some farming: Dora expertly helped Andrew round up some sheep, whilst I was introduced to quad biking following a short safety briefing. I then received an anatomy lesson from Andrew as he de-boned a lamb shoulder. This went on the BBQ to slow cook, with sprigs of rosemary and chopped tomatoes to make a delicious smokey roast.

- Enjoying the flora and fauna: I found out that tomatoes from Trish's vegetable garden actually taste quite nice (overturning 25 years of 'I don't like tomatoes' dogma), whilst Dora found out that pointing out an attractive-looking hare hopping towards the veggie garden was the quickest way of shortening its lifespan, as Andrew grabbed a gun and strolled off in pursuit.

All in all, we had a great time. So thanks Trish and Andrew!

Home-grown artichoke flower centrepiece at Craigend

On Monday Dora played chauffeur for the final leg of our journey down to Wellington in our new nippy car, to be greeted with a delicious chicken and olive tagine at Uncle Douglas'. We'll cover our first impressions of Wellington in the next post, once we've recovered from walking up all these hills...

Roger (and Dora)