Earthquake prone

 

There are a few buildings here on the West Coast that are earthquake prone and in order to be safe, they need to have alot of strengthening done to them. This one in a main street in town from what I've heard use to be a restaurant and over the 4 years that we have lived here, it has been empty with warning signs on the front door. Last week I noticed that there were renovations being made to it, so hopefully it will be reopened eventually as another business.

Linking up with Weekend Reflections, The Weekend Roundup and Mosaic Monday.

More war signs

 

I had to make a dentist appointment for a friend of my daughter's recently as she is turning 18 this year and thankfully dentistry is free for children who are aged under 18. On my way out I saw someone had glued some more anti-war posters to the side of the wall of the next building. It seems that fighting is constantly happening in our world isn't it? I think it's about time people learned to live and work together.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday and Tom's Signs.

Hugs

 

I'm not much of a huggy person, I don't like people I don't know trying to hug me but a hug from someone I do know can be a nice thing to receive.  It's good to see a happy moment playing out in public.

We've had a very productive weekend here. A lot of places around the country have had cold wet weather but we've had some nice hot days and got quite a few things done on our days off such as a trip to the local tip to get rid of the unwanted broken stuff we found in the cupboards and garage. In the end it cost us $64 NZD which is expensive but everything probably added up. It's nice to have a clear driveway now.

Linking up with Tuesday Treasures, Happy Tuesdays and Wordless Wednesday.

Dinner

 

Down this stretch of one of the main streets in Hokitika it's full of restaurants and cafes. Some of them I've tried and the rest I haven't.....yet. 

I don't know if any of you have seen the news stories this week of New Zealand weather. At Mount Maunganui they had a major slip from Mauao (the iconic mountain) which ended up destroying some of the campground there and quite a few people are still missing. The North Island has had quite a bad Summer so far.

Linking up with Weekend Reflections, The Weekend Roundup and Mosaic Monday.

I love Taupo

 

If you live in New Zealand you will know this icon in Taupo that's on the waterfront. This town is one of my favourite places to visit in the central north island. This was taken about 5 years ago but the first time we visited here we were travelling to Ruapehu to see snow and when we stopped and got out of the car the temperature was 0 degrees at 7am so we all had frost and cold air coming out our mouths. Not something we are use to...

New Zealand has had some awful Summer weather this week. Much of the North Island got struck with major flooding and rain. We have had some here in the South Island but nothing major so far.

One of my good friends has started a blog, she has just moved from the North Island to the South Island so go visit her and say hi - Northlander Hits Otago.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday and Tom's Signs.

Supermarkets

 

There are maybe 4 main supermarket chains here in New Zealand:

• Pak n Save
• New World
• Woolworths 
• Fresh Choice.

The photo was taken at the first named at Silverdale in Auckland in part of their produce section, the rest of the supermarket is huge. Once upon a time when I was growing up in the 1970s and 80s this town was like a blip in the middle of the country with only a few factory shops and a Vet office. These days it is a bustling connection in between Auckland and the Hibiscus Coast. I LOVE Pak n Save but on the West Coast we don't have one, the prices are cheaper than anywhere else. Let's face it, probably all of us are trying to save money on groceries.

Last night we booked our flights and accommodation for our trip to Auckland in June as I am having a family reunion which my sister is organizing. I'm looking forward to getting back here.

Linking up with Tuesday Treasures, Happy Tuesdays and Wordless Wednesday.

Car

 

So far this year we have had the most rotten Summer. Last year we had a drought and most days we got up to 32 degrees celsius. This year we and most of the country have had rain and overcast skies. 

On one warm sunny day B and I took my daughter's dog Bug down to the local Grey River for a paddle in the water.

This photo shows her in the back of the car with her head out the window, as she loves to do.

Linking up with Weekend Reflections, The Weekend Roundup and Mosaic Monday.