Earthshine

James and I checked out of our Airbnb and then collected Jamie from the airport at 10. After dropping him at home we had breakfast at the Island Bay Beach House (of course!) There were huge waves sweeping into the bay; banks of turquoise water swelling up and then sloping down, crashing against the rocks. Spectacular. We took an Uber with Jamie and Kerry from Burwah Street to the airport and caught the 13.35 plane to Fiji. When boarding was announced the Air Fiji asked us if we were ready to fly to paradise! We had amazing views of Island Bay as we climbed up into the air, we could see the waves clearly. It took about three hours to fly from Wellington to Fiji, and after going through arrivals and biological security we got to the hotel at about 5.30 p.m. The Hilton is a long hotel with lots of different white painted villas and buildings. Our rooms are next to each other and they are lovely; facing on to the long, sandy beach. We went for a stroll along to the adult pool where we all had a swim before dinner. We saw a mynah bird sitting on the grass near us, and another one on the roof of a building. The air and the water were so warm, it was idyllic, and the sky was blue and pink and orange as the sun set. Dinner was excellent and we had a good chat before retiring to bed somewhat exhausted after our journey. The moon was a thin crescent, lit at the bottom rather than the side with its “horns” pointing upward. I could see the rest of the moon as a pale glow; this is called Earthshine.

Wellingtonians

We had a lovely Wellington day today. It has worked well spending a fortnight in this friendly and vibrant city, getting to know the area quite well. James and I had breakfast in our favourite Island Bay Beach House Café, sitting outside looking at the sea and the snow capped mountains of the South Island. We had a pleasant day walking around Wellington harbour area and meeting Kerry, Kevin and Jenny for coffee at Beach Babylon. In the afternoon we did some packing; one suitcase for Fiji and one to be left at Jamie and Kerry’s house in Wellington. After a very tasty dinner at Burwah Street made by Kerry we headed back to the Airbnb for a cup of tea and I phoned Jennifer for a nice chat and then we watched an episode of Vikings. I was sorry to hear on the news that Janey Godley has died today back in Scotland at the age of only 63. She kept us all going during the lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 with her hilarious voiceovers of Nicola Sturgeon’s daily Covid updates. 

A Swim at Freyburg Pool

This morning Jamie and Kerry were at work and James felt full of the cold, so James had a walk to Lyall Bay and back and then a rest at the Airbnb. I drove into town and met Jenny and Kevin at the Freyburg swimming pool on the harbour front. Kevin went to the gym and Jenny and I went for a swim. It’s a long pool at 33 metres and very bright and airy, and I enjoyed my swim very much. Jenny and I then popped up to the hot tubs from where we had a great view over the sea, but they were so hot that I had to keep dipping in briefly and then sitting up on the edge! I had a coffee with Jenny and Kevin sitting outside at the wee café beside the beach, it was a lovely location. 
Then off I set on an errand. Jamie needed to leave work at lunch time and get his car to a Panel Beaters in Upper Hutt and then to Wellington Airport by 2 p.m. to catch a flight to Christchurch. So I drove about forty minutes to Upper Hutt and met Jamie there, he dropped off his car and we drove back to Wellington and to the airport. We got there ten minutes before check-in closed and Jamie got his plane! 
Later we had pizzas at Burwah Street with Kerry, Kevin, Jenny and the two dogs Luna and Whisky. Whisky is fascinated by Luna! Another lovely evening.