Back in February Madeline was very excited...
She packed her bag...
...and set off.
She couldn't quite believe her eyes when she got to the airport...
'Are we really going up in this?
She asked for her photo to be taken by some orchids.
She was pleased to see there would be entertainment on board.
Arriving in Auckland there was a nice welcome.
The first morning in New Zealand dawned bright and sunny and she headed out into the garden
The following day she discovered some wildlife.
Or rather cicada casings
She bravely held one on her hand knowing that there was nothing in it anymore.
The colour of it fascinated her.
She was also fascinated by the colours of the live cicadas that would have emerged from such casings.
plus the sounds they made. A mixture of clicking and chirping which sounds much like loud tinnitus!
A little later she went for a stroll around the garden admiring the flowers.
It really was a beautiful day.
Another day she also enjoyed the garden, this time wearing her blue dress as it was just like the colour of the sky.
On the weekend all of them headed down to the North Shore to meet up with the knitting group.
Peggy Sue and Henry seemed surprised to meet this outgoing young man!
He held out his hand to Peggy Sue to introduce himself...although she was a little unsure at first.
Soon though she shook hands and others came to say hello as well.
A very good afternoon was had and it was a shame we couldn't meet up the other Saturdays we were there.
Early in March Hitty Madge got a delightful surprise in the post.
This wonderful cardigan was knitted by our dear friend Jesse, Angelo's Papa. Angelo and his friends have a wonderful blog which can be found
here.
Hitty Madge declared it her most favourite cardigan, said it matched the greens of the bush perfectly and that she was 'never going to take it off'. I think she will at some stage, but she still has it on so far. She also thought it matched her dress beautifully as well.
A couple of weeks into March we headed up North to go and visit our friend in Whangarei.
We travelled up Highway 16 and stopped at one a favourite lookout point.
The views are gorgeous and look over the Kaipara Harbour.
Madeline enjoyed the view very much.
Our next comfort spot was in Waipu. The river looked a little muddy this time due to the torrential rain we had had a few days prior.
The sky was a gorgeous blue though and it was a super day.
Madeline was happy to take a walk around.
It wasn't long before we arrived in Whangarei and enjoyed a stroll round our friend's property.
She had quite a pumpkin harvest.
I don't think you will be able to push this one Madeline!
I bet these taste delicious!
Her garden is beautiful.
The land is a wonderful mix of paddocks,
native tree and....
a stream/river.
Madeline enjoyed sitting beside the river listening to it and seeing if she could spot any eels.
The rest of our time up North was documented on Henry's two blog posts which can be seen here:
Towards the end of March we went to Shelly Beach.
Madeline sat on the beach which was indeed Shelly and contemplated going swimming....
...until she saw this sign!
She contented herself with watching the birds instead.
