HK: Catch-up with Friends..(Same Day)

After the fascinating Dim Sum experience we had arranged to meet up with an old colleague David, at the Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank building.


The 179m tall glass and aluminum HSBC building was designed by Sir Norman Foster and despite the high number of skyscrapers, it still stands today as the most expensive building in HK.


After the initial catch-up, David took us to the Man Mo Temple, which seems to be a place to burn incense sticks and translate old Chinese fortune poems, and is the oldest temple in HK island.
Both Grigoria and David had their fortunes translated which apparently weren't so good so I decided that 3 bad fortunes in a row would be a bit too much to handle.


From the temple we strolled around the city with David pointing out various areas, buildings and interesting things about HK. It was great to get beneath the 'tourist' surface with a local, seeing things which the usual visitor probably wouldn't notice.

After a good few hours of walking around was time for some typical HK food and David treated us with just that. The restaurant was rather bright but still good fun and extremely good value, the evening ended with meeting another friend and some slow drinks in the night life area....

All and all a great time in HK with friends and certainly worth the stop over.

HK: Exploring Day.....

As you'd expect after 12 hours sleep we were up at the crack of dawn.

After a filling breakfast our plan set and we were heading off down Nathan Road (Kowloon), past the famous Peninsula Hotel to the 'Star Ferry' terminal which would take us across Victoria Harbor to HK Island.

Once across and off the boat we landed on one of HK's many elevated pedestrian walkways. Slightly confusing at first but when we stumbled upon Jardine House it all made sense and Grigoria found just where to spend our HK dollars!

After Jardine House we focused on getting to the 'Peak' as we knew it would be the best spot to take in the views of HK. As a bonus, on our way to the tram we stumbled upon the wonderful St John’s Cathedral.

The 'Peak' tram takes 10 minutes to ascend Victoria Peak (which is the highest point in HK) to a tourist viewing platform at 552m.

Although the anvil shaped building opened up an amazing panoramic view of HK I wasn't too keen to stand at the edge....not surprising really!

Once we'd taken in enough HK (fresh) air it was time to taste the delights of the uniquely Cantonese meal of Dim Sum. Grigoria had a place in mind - City Hall Maxim's Palace so off we went.

Maxim's Palace is rated as one of the best 'live' Dim Sum restaurants with all the clatter & clutter of a large busy city establishment.

Clearly we should have done some research before entering - 'A fish out of water' comes to mind but still we had great fun trying to workout what the food was on offer and how to eat it...

Hong Kong Stopover...

When planning this trip we knew we wanted to stop somewhere on the way back and decided since I've been to Singapore a few times now we would stopover in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is not just a city with great night life, amazing skyscraper architecture, fun markets and 'dim sum' but also a former London colleague of Blair's lives there so we knew we'd have a great guide to show us around - bonus!

Despite this only being half of the total return journey leg back to London it still felt long enough and we were surprised at how rather jet lagged we were, so much so that we slept through our first nights dinner meal - OPPS!

Oh well we still have another day to enjoy the tastes of Hong Kong...

Boxing Day

As a child our family had a tradition of going away for the day on Boxing Day, sometimes it was to the beach, river or Wellington to catch up with family.

This year I thought it would be nice to visit the coastal / beach town of Riverside Beach, especially to let run around on the sand with my niece & nephew Cameron & Roslyn.


Unfortunately for everyone the weather had different ideas and it rather limited what we could do in between the thunder storms!
Nevertheless we had fun drawing / writing messages on the sand (that is until the tide came in) and taking in some of that rather 'fresh' coastal air...


After a lunch near the golf course it was time to avoid another shower and head back down to the beach, next we knew a passing Labrador dog started playing with the kids.......1 hour later and we decided it was time to head home, well there home.

So a day not quite as I'd planned but still a fresh blast of coastal sand does wanders for the system...

Christmas Day..

Our 'kiwi' Christmas had finally arrived and I was so excited!!

The weather didn't start with a cracker but that didn't dampen my spirits, Dad had got up early and set out a volley ball court, rope side lines and chalk score board.

Once Mum and Grigoria were up then we sat down for a quick breakfast before Paul, Liza and the kids arrived with their Santa surprises!

Cameron came running in with a small electric stock car set, Roslyn had a new talk & eating doll called Sally....’toys these days’.

So we sat down with Dad (Grandad) handing out the gifts to everyone, the surprised faces was fantastic for Grigoria & I.

After all the presents had been opened it was time for the Gray family Christmas lunch.....colds meats, salads, good home cooking and time with everyone was we'd been waiting for.

As the day progressed so did the volley ball games, the style was some what interesting, the rivalry and tension grew, it was all in good fun.

With more family members arriving late in the day it was good to see so many cousins, Aunt's and uncles.....al and a great Christmas day.

Jamie's Christmas Party...

Grigoria & I may have missed our respective work Christmas parties but we certainly weren’t going to miss Jamie’s ‘play group’ Christmas party, especially as we’d heard that Santa would be making an appearance…

The weather was hardly summery but that didn’t dampen the spirits of 15 (under 4’s) and their mothers, with a blow-up bouncy castle, mini trampoline, tunnels and sweets it was always going to be a top affair.

By mid morning the little ones were getting peckish so we all (including myself) sat down at the kids table and munched away on some Christmas sweets and juice.

Not long later and the big moment had arrived…..that of the arrival of Santa! How he knew when and where to come, somehow his reindeer delivered him just at the right time and weren’t all the kids pleased…

Jamie was (surprisingly) scared of Santa but luckily his mother carried his up to collect his gift, for which they proceeded to unwrap, which drew the party to an end…all and all a great party with some toddlers…

Jamie Time…..

An early morning get up, not solely because of Jamie but also because ‘Uncle Blair’ thought he was doing a good deed and opened Jamie’s bedroom door, little did I know that really Janine & Paul weren’t ready to get up yet…..opps! J

Anyway……both Jamie and I were hungry for breakfast so it was time to sit up at the table (big chair), bib’s on and we were ready…

After breakfast Jamie started with stacking boxes, knocking them down, Uncle Blair re-stacking, knocking them down…the game went on and on, until it was time to play mini-golf with his plastic clubs (both inside and outside the house!)

The day developed along these lines, only interrupted by lunch, Jamie’s nap and an early evening dinner at their local sports bar.

Sister Time…..

Sister time….. as my sister won’t be with us all for Christmas we decided to spend three days with her, Paul & Jamie before they all headed down south to Christchurch for Christmas with Paul’s family.

So we left Eastbourne after a hearty breakfast and arrived at their house in Stokes Valley around midday. It was great to spend time with them all and run around after Jamie.

Unfortunately Janine’s grand activity plans could not be put into practice as the weather had turned for the worse….so after an early dinner / Jamie bath, teeth cleaned and some bedtime stories later it was time for a good rest…

Back to Wellington…

After a few relaxing days in / around the sounds, it was time to head back across the strait to Wellington. Although Grigoria is not much of a fan of the water, the sailing was relative smooth and within 3 ½ hours we were back standing on the wharf in the capital.

A quick ‘east-by-west’ cross-harbour ferry crossing and we arrived late afternoon on the east side of the harbour – Eastbourne to stay / catch up with my Uncle Eddie & Aunty Penny for one night.

It was a nice surprise to also catch up with one of my cousins and his young family, some stories & fantastic food later and it was time to bring a great day to an end.

Lazy Day, Fishing & Spa….

After the wineries yesterday, today we wanted a relaxing and resting day around the B&B accommodation, the water and just taking it easy.

Again we awoke to a cracking day looking out across the sounds, the sun deck located breakfast was certainly a tough choice, watching the birds fluttering between plants, trees, flowers and soaking up the sun.

Unfortunately for Grigoria I couldn’t sit still and decided to take up an offer to go net (trawler) fishing on the sounds. Several hours later and 21 flounder! We headed for a relaxing spa before heading into Picton for own FISH & chips…

Wineries, Food & Chocolate…

Today we decided to venture into the heart of Marlborough and what it is internationally known for….WINE!

Although the wineries are relatively young (internationally), it was still a pleasure tasting some of the known and lesser known drops of the region. We started with HighField http://www.highfield.co.nz/ which had a fantastic tower to allow breath taking views up the valley.

After a light lunch (with wine) we headed towards Blenheim but beforehand we couldn’t miss the well crafted Wither Hills winery http://www.witherhills.co.nz/_home.html which housed their barrels in close view to their underground dinning hall.

Onward and inward, towards Blenheim for Grigoria to change her palette from wine to hot chocolate and a late afternoon cake before an wanderful evening meal back at the B&B...

Birds, Bees, Butterflies & Trees…

As we awoke to the sound of birds in the tree canopies and a spectacular view across the ‘Pelorus Sound’ we decided to take on a small challenge and attempt a short part of the ‘Queen Charlotte Sound Track’ walk.

The ‘Queen Charlotte Sound Track’ is widely known as one of the most beautiful tracks in the Marlborough Sounds and probably only second to the ‘Milford Track’ in the deep South Island.
During the initial planning for this trip, I wanted to do the whole track (all four days walk of it) but I knew Grigoria would be less keen so instead today we only walked around 4km in beautiful scenery and wild New Zealand bush.

As the sun shone, the birds were singing over our heads and Grigoria even got to see a silver fern lying in the bush! After a good return walk along the ridge line back to the car it was time for lunch, so we drove to the Te Mahia bay for a lovely platter by the waves.

Next stop was Havelock to stock up on ingredients for a bush BBQ looking out across the sounds. Cooking outdoors in such a beautiful place was a fantastic experience and one we both enjoyed preparing a great well deserved meal.

The Malborough Sounds

Today our holiday within a holiday began. Our first mode of transport was the train, from Woodside to Wellington. The train mainly caters for the Wairarapa commuters into the capital every day, therefore the latest service we could catch was the 7:30am! In terms of comfort and design it was by far one of the best trains we’ve been on for a while and the views were to die for!

Our next destination was the Wellington ferry terminal where we boarded the Interislander to the South Island. Fortunately the weather was good, a bit windy at times, so we enjoyed a smooth sailing across the Cook Strait.

Once at Picton we picked up a car, our final mode of transport, and drove around the Queen Charlotte Drive to our “Sounds of Silence” B&B accommodation. From our very first few minutes on the road the views were magnificent and we knew we arrived at a magical place.

Naturally, for our first meal we had to sample the local delicacy, green lip mussels. I say “we” but this was mainly Grigoria’s territory and the “Mussel Pot” in Havelock proved to be pretty close to heaven for Grigoria (I had to be content with a very nice veggie lasagna and some funny looks from the local mussel aficionados!). Dessert was however an area where both Grigoria and I could enjoy together and our mud cake was the best way to end a pretty full day.

Wairarapa Chores

Following her great success with the family tractor last year, today Grigoria graduated to the lawnmower! She can now reverse as well as go forwards and to top it all she can also engage the blades! While Grigoria was getting worryingly close to the flower beds I mowed the paddocks on the orchard tractor.

A good morning’s work over, it was time for some lunch at the ‘Main Street Deli’. In the afternoon we visited the refurbished town hall, now very different to where I used to have gym classes as a child but to Grigoria’s amusement I am still known here as a ‘young Gray’.

Our next destination was Masterton, a town 25km from Greytown where my brother Paul and his family live. We had a look at the bikes he makes himself as well as the ones he imports and they were fantastic (Grape Valley Choppers)! A quick hello to Roslyn, Cameron and Lisa who were on their way to the pool and then we were off home to fish and chips and some more sleep!