THREE COCKS, WALES.

Three Cocks, Wales

In memory of Marty. We will remember you often, especially when good food and red wine are around. You are, and always will be, missed enormously by us both.

We got a lovely invite from my cousin Katrina (Treen) and her husband to go up to Wales to where his parents live for the Easter long weekend. So on Good Friday we caught a couple of trains to Reading and were met by Katrina at the station and drove to their house. They are both amazing cooks and she started a lamb curry when we got there and she and Olivia cracked the first of what would be three bottles of bubbly whilst she threw the ingredients together.
Martin was at work and so the three of us enjoyed a few drinks and waited for diner to cook. The smell in the kitchen was divine and little did we know that this was a sign of things to come for the rest of the weekend. When Martin finally got home we ate and it was well worth the wait. The curry was incredible and went down a treat. He had to work in the morning and we picked him up after lunch and headed off for the valleys of Wales. There had been really intermittent weather that week in England and it continued on our drive too. For a while there it was snowing really hard which was really exciting and we all hoped that there would be heaps of snow when we got to Wales too. We arrived at Martin’s parents place that afternoon and sat down for some home made cheese sticks and Treen's big bottle of Champagne! Martin had warned us that his mother spoils them whenever they go there and he was so right. She had cooked up a huge roast leg of ham and chicken with all the trimmings with probably the best cauliflower cheese either of us had ever had. To cap things off she had also made an enormous trifle that was also delectable.After the amazing dinner we played a game called ‘Deal or No Deal’. Martin’s family got the game on another holiday but nobody could be bothered to figure out how to play it so we persevered and finally sussed it out. We had a great night to say the least. On Easter Sunday Martin’s father took us for a drive up into the surrounding hills and countryside. It was so stark and beautiful and Martin and Olivia took their fair share of photos whilst the rest of us stayed put in the car. When we got back to the house Martin, Treen, Olivia and I went to the pub across the road for a quick pint before we all left for Easter lunch at a favourite local restaurant of theirs called ‘The Griffin’. We had no idea of how much of a treat we were in for. The food was amazing and the wine list extensive. When we had finished eating Martin’s parents went home and left us at the pub. Treen had bought us an Easter egg each that you decorated yourself. So we asked the other people that were waiting for a table and the waiting staff to judge whose egg they thought was decorated the best. We put a 10-minute limit on the decoration time and set to it. It was so much fun and the results were hilarious. We finally called it quits and caught a local cab back to the house and started another session of ‘Deal or No Deal’. After a ‘few’ nightcaps we finally headed off to bed for a well earned sleep.
The next morning we had a huge breakfast and then hit the road for the journey home. The first stop were the ruins of an ancient Priory. It was bitterly cold there but was well worth it as it was such an incredible setting and beautiful. From there Martin and Treen were keen to take us to this little village they had been to years before for some extra special bangers and mash but when we got there the kitchen was closed and there was no food at all. We tried pickled eggs but they weren’t anything special. So we continued on and were all getting really hungry by now when we came across a famous local restaurant called ‘The Bell at Skinfrith’. Treen suggested that we try in there and Martin insisted that there was no way on Easter Monday that you could just rock on up and get a table at this of all places. He was sure that we would need a booking. So she went in and minutes later came out with a triumphant smile on her face and said, “I told you so. We have to wait a few minutes for a table for four!” It was well worth the wait also. The food was once again sublime and the red wine that went with it superb. Our final meal capped off an incredible weekend of gastronomic wonders, great company and beautiful landscapes. It was almost a relief to get on the train at Reading and head for home to rest after all that feasting.

Arohanui Livi and Tama xx

PRAHA / PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

Praha – Prague, Czech Republic

In December 2007 we met a woman named Petra from Prague at a Christmas Party in London. She was on her way to New Zealand for a 3-month trip and we told her to get in touch with my family in Wellington. She did and ended up staying with them for 5 days. She then went up to Te Kaha in the Bay of Plenty to stay with more of my relations there and since then had emailed us endlessly about coming to visit her. So we did. She met us at the airport and drove us back through the city to her office. She gave us a cell phone to use whilst there and we agreed to meet up later on that evening when she would take us to meet her friends for dinner. Olivia and I caught the local underground (metro) into the centre of Prague and started exploring. Petra called us and we met up and then walked through the city. It was so stunning and the camera virtually didn’t stop snapping. We ended up at a restaurant called ‘U Vejvodu’ which was nothing short of amazing. Most of the women at our table were drinking a local dark beer, which is apparently good for the breasts so Olivia decided that she had better have one of those too. I settled for a pilsner and the massive glasses they came in had me smiling from ear to ear. For dinner Petra recommended that Olivia have a Czech lamb dish and I have the ribs. She was right on the money. They were scrumptous. When we had finished we went for a walk through Prague and when we got to the Town square were absolutely blown away by everything. It was so stunning all lit up at night and you could see why Walt Disney had based his famous castle on the one here as it was truly magical. We then met up with our friends from London Greg and Ana and went to an Aussie bar for a quiet drink. After organising that we meet up the next day whilst sightseeing, we all went home for bed.
We caught the bus and tram into town the next morning to check out some of the sights. We decided to start back at the Town Square so that we could see it in the daylight. The Church of Our Lady Before Tyn dominates one side of the Old Town Square. It's a powerful looking Gothic church with a baroque interior. The Old Town Hall Tower & Astronomical Clock are opposite the church and are also fabulous, it's such a beautiful square - fairytale like!After endless wandering around the little lanes we ended up back at the Town Square and decided that it was beer o’clock and sat down at one of the pubs for a rest. Greg and Ana met us there and we told them about ‘U Vejvodu’ and said that we would love to take them there for lunch. So after a bit more exploring we arrived back at ‘U Vejvodu’ for what was another incredible meal. Ana had ghoulash, Olivia had a yummy anti-pasto and soup, Greg had the ribs and I got a kilo knuckle of pork. When our meat arrived Greg and I got out our cameras and took some video clips of them and the girls just rolled their eyes at us. After lunch we caught the tram up to check out Prague Castle and the monastery that sit atop the hill overlooking the city. An undercover tram guard asked us if we had tickets and Ana and Greg handed theirs over. They had bought tickets that were valid for 24 hours and according to the guard they were expired by some 35 minutes or so. He then demanded 70 Crowns each as a fine. They had no choice but to pay this. Luckily for us we had valid tickets so we escaped that penalty. The castle was amazing especially the monastery and the view from up there was awesome. We had a big walk around up there before walking down the big hill back in to town.That night we met up with Petra and she took us to another restaurant where we met some more of her friends. After another delightful meal we all went nextdoor to a nightclub for a night of dancing. Not long after a Sri Lankan workmate of Petra’s called Vajira arrived with his friend Tomas. He took us up to the bar and got us some shots of some local drink and it seemed like every time we turned around he would be saying time for another one aye? Needless to say we had a great night that night and he said that he would love to catch up with us again before we went back to London.

The next day was another day filled with sightseeing. We spent a large part of the day around Charles Bridge on the river. It's a very romantic sight and was nice to stroll across although it is of course vert touristy with lots of people selling art etc. We had some nice wines at a bar overlooking the bridge. There are also great views of the castle from the riverside.

Cheb & Františkovy Lázně, Czech Republic

Petra had taken a couple of days off work so she could take us to her hometown to meet her parents and stay with her Mum. So the next day we got in her mates car and headed off with her cousin for Cheb. We were about two thirds of the way there when we heard this almighty bang and felt the car lurch. She stopped driving and I looked out my window and saw that the wheel had come off the hub and was grinding against the undercarriage. We were so lucky that we had been driving slowly up an incline and that nothing more serious happened. She called her father and he got a local mechanic to come out to take a look. I changed the tire and put on the space saver spare and her parents came out to meet us on the road. We got into her Dad’s car and she drove the other car to her Mum’s place in Cheb. Her Mum had cooked some local specialties for dinner and as you can imagine it was outstanding.The area where she lives is famous in the Czech Republic for spas and treatment centres. Unfortunately we were unable to get booked in for the whole spa treatment that day but the massage was so good. In former days Europe’s royalty would visit Frantiskovy Lazne and stay at one of the spas to utilise the healing properties of the natural spring water of the area. The architecture there is incredible and there are buildings that have been operating as spas for centuries. We all went for a walk in F.L and Olivia was told to rub the stomach of a statue of a little boy as it’s supposed to bring good luck with future pregnancies. We also got to try some of the spring water from one of the many fountains and to be honest they were really salty and quite foul. We finally stopped at a hotel that Petra’s father used to manage when she was a child and had hot chocolate there. Petra’s mother disappeared and came back with some three packets of these special wafers that are particular to that area as a present for us that was a pleasant surprise for us both.When we got back to her Mum’s house Petra suggested that we go to a local pub near to her house where we would meet one of her childhood friends. It was called the ‘Royal Taps’ and it was a really cool bar. Basically you sat at a table that has its own taps. Each of you gets a glass and then you fill your glass as you drink it. At the end of the night or when you have finished they tally up how much you have had and then you pay that bill. The cool thing is though that there is a big screen with all the table numbers listed on it. Each time that you fill up another glass that volume is added to your table. When you fill a virtual glass on the screen an animated man comes walks across the screen and then puts a tally mark next to your table name. If your tally becomes higher than the table above you move up the ranking. (paste video clip here) We had so much fun at this bar as you can imagine. After that we sat up in the lounge talking and I played on the guitar that was in the lounge. Petra’s mother got out a special bottle of vodka that he brought from Russia and had been saving for a special occasion and we had a few shots of this and all the while she was making an apple strudel from scratch. The smell of fresh baking filled her flat and we couldn’t wait to try some the next morning.After breakfast the next day we went to the hotel that Petra’s father managed for a massage. It was fabulous! Then we drove back to Prague and on the way stopped at the Krusovice brewery for a quick look and toilet stop.

Back in Prague...


Petra had taken an extra day off work so we could go and see her friend Jana at her place and we went over there for what was supposed to be afternoon tea (or so we thought). When we got to their place we met Jana's partner Radim who plays basketball for one of the local Men's teams and must be at least 6 ft 10. He was seated when we came into their kitchen and we he stood up to greet us he just seemed to keep going up and up! He was massive! We also had the pleasure of meeting their daughter and Olivia absolutely loved that! Radim had gone out to buy some local cake treats and Jana brought out this massive box of all these incredible cakes and pastries for us to try. Talk about decadent. To go with it she offered us a coffee and then a shot of a local plum brandy called slivovice which her grandmother had made. It was delcious. We then had some port and decided to have a couple more as you do. Then they asked us if would like to go swimming at a local pool which had slides and saunas so we all packed into their car and off we went. It was great fun! We met Radim sister there and had a very relaxing swim and sauna and of course played on the slides. Radim's sister then asked to come around to her house for dinner and once there she cooked us a stunning dinner typical Czech style. YUM! The next day Olivia and I arranged to meet Vajira in town by the riverside overlooking the famous Charles bridge.

We then spent the afternoon walking around Prague and went up to the top of a park that bordered the town from which there was a commanding view of the whole of Prague.
After a good look around there we walked back down and Vajira asked us if we would like to go out for dinner together and took us to this gorgeous little restaurant on the river that specialised in fish & seafood. Our meals were so tasty as was the local wine the Vajira chose. At the end he insisted that it was his treat and refused to let us pay some of the bill saying that it was his pleasure to meet us and to take us out. He's such a lovely guy and we hope we can return the hospitality when he comes to see NZ one day. The next day we went sightseeing in the Jewish quarter and saw some amazing old architecture and again took lots of photos. We stopped at a really nice little pizzeria and had a delicious lunch before continuing on our self guided tour of this awesome city.
For dinner that night we ended up back at … yup you guessed it ‘U Vejvodu.’ As sad as it sounds the fact that we went to the same place three times in 1 week gives you a good idea of how great the food was there! We usually try different places everytime!Before going to the airport we went into Prague on the final day and did the tours that we mentioned earlier. It was really sad to see how badly the Jewish people had been treated, not only in the World Wars but also over history. Their cemetery had many layers to it as it had been filled and then reused again and again as the city wouldn’t allow Jewish people to be buried elsewhere. We went back through the main square one last time and once to have a last look at the stunning buildings. We then had one last meal of Czech food and met Petra briefly to say our farewells.When that was all said and done we collected our bags from her flat and caught the bus to the airport for our flight back to Stansted. We will never forget our trip to Prague, Cheb Františkovy Lázně nor our wonderful, generous host Petra and her lovely family. It was so nice to have a local to show us the places to go that us tourists would usually not find. We hope that we can show some of those places to Petra in New Zealand one day.

Lots of love

Livi and Tama xx

BRIGHTON, ENGLAND.

Brighton, England

After trying to get it organised we finally went out to stay with our friends Andrea and Kris in Brighton. Andrea and Olivia went to University together and she and Kris had come into London on another occasion for a hangi so now it was our turn. (Kris works for Disney as an animator in Brighton, so when they first moved to the UK it made sense to be near work).Andrea met us at the train station and Brighton had turned on an amazing day for us. After going to their flat and dropping off our stuff the four of us walked the short distance from their place down to the Brighton Promenade. It was so refreshing to be able to smell the sea air and hear seagulls crying overhead after having lived in London for so long. Man talk about make you homesick! Eventually we came to the world famous Brighton Pier. Surrounded by pebble beaches (not too appealing to be honest) the pier had all that you would expect. Lots of sideshow attractions and rides and of course lollies and takeaways galore. Andrea and Kris bought us some of the local specialty called Brighton rock (candy) and then we all had some chips before continuing on down the promenade to check out the stalls and find a bar as it was almost beer o'clock. The sun was shining and it was a gorgeous afternoon and they took us to one of the local favourite spots where we watched some really good live music whilst having a couple of beers. It was almost like being back on Oriental Parade. After a few beers we decided to go for a walk through Brighton and check out some of the other sites. We eventually found a little Italian place to get dinner and after a lovely meal and a couple of wines we headed back through town to check out the waterfront lit up at night. One thing that Olivia and I weren't prepared for was the number of stag and hens nights being celebrated in Brighton. We lost count of the groups we saw in various costumes and states of inebriation. We had planned a night out at our friend Olly's nightclub Audio that night but once we got back to Andrea and Kris's place and a couple of nightcaps later and no one really wanted to go anywhere.

We awoke to a delicious home cooked breakfast with all the trimmings which set us up nicely for another day of sightseeing. On the way to town we hit the coffee shop across the road from Andrea and Kris's flat to kick start our day.We walked along the waterfront again and checked out the Sunday market at the beach. Olivia and I bought us some flash new hats for our upcoming summer trip and then we were off to find the pub for some lunch! It is such a cool town with alley ways and little lanes all over the place, full of quaint shops, pubs and restaurants and we found one basked in the sun and even had some incredible buskers playing jazz right next to our table. After a hearty meal we walked around a bit more and came across a huge street parade making its way through the town centre. We parked up and watched what seemed an almost endless stream of costumed dancers and street entertainers. There were even marching bands and floats and was a neat surprise to come across so unexpectedly. After that Olivia and I went to check out the Royal Pavillion. It's a rather eclectic piece of architecture for England to say the least. From the outside it looks like something straight out of India or Middle Eastern Asia.Once you get inside the trend continues. The carvings, sculptures and fittings made this the once Royal getaway one of the most envied and famous buildings of its time. Many a noble and foreign dignitary was hosted here and it truly was magnificent.

When we have finished our look around, Andrea and Kris met us and took us back through "The Lanes" to another part of Brighton that reminded me of upper Cuba Mall and Cuba St. After looking unsuccessfully in every shoe shop for some new jandals we ended up going to the Gourmet Burger Kitchen or GBK for short for dinner. Originally started by three young Kiwi guys with the aide of a Burger Wisconsin franchise book GBK can now be found all over the UK. The best thing about it is that you can buy Steinlager and Mac Gold and everything about the decor and menu has a real Kiwi flavour to it (excuse the pun). I had a Kiwi burger which was amazing, complete with beetroot,egg, pineapple and cheese. It was so delicious and with a cold Steinie was the perfect way to end an awesome weekend.

Completely stuffed and feeling the effects of a long, fun filled weekend we walked back to Andrea and Kris's apartment and collected our things and gave out heartfelt thanks and goodbyes before catching the bus back to the train station and the long journey home to Romford.

BACH, AUSTRIA.

Bach, Austria

We received an invitation from the Steens to go and join them at their holiday home in Austria for the mid-term school holidays and we jumped at the chance. They have some close family friends that live in Broadstairs, Kent nicknamed ‘Mr and Mrs Rock’ who offered to take us with them as they were driving there for a holiday too. The plan was that we get the train out to their place and stay with them the night before our trip and then we would get up and catch the 6am ferry from Dover over to France. There was an incident at Romford train station that evening but we eventually made it and were welcomed with open arms, a scrumptious roast chicken dinner and glass of New Zealand wine. They were the most generous people and made us feel right at home straight away. We were all up bright and early the next morning and ‘Mr Rock’ packed up his chilly bins with meals he had prepared and frozen for the holiday and we stored many bottles of wine in the roof rack with our gear and were off to the ferry. Once through customs we parked the car on our assigned deck and went upstairs and had breakfast with ‘tea’ in a rather posh restaurant. It truly hit the spot and prepared us well for the long drive ahead. When we reached Calais the temperature was a balmy 3 degrees celsius and as we continued across Europe it continued to drop. We made a few coffees and toilet stops along the way and felt the air getting colder almost by the km.

Many hours later as night fell we crossed into Austria and the cars thermometer told us that it was -4 degrees and falling still. There was more and more snow visible and as we got deeper into the Lechtal valley it covered the ground and trees. When we finally got to the Steen’s house it was completely dark and it was -12 degrees – OUCH! Olivia had told me how beautiful it was there but being so dark I could only make out the outlines of the house etc and was very much looking forward to the next morning. The house hadn’t been heated properly that winter yet and it was like a fridge and we wore our poly-props, beanies, hoodies and winter socks to bed to keep us warm.

The next morning after a hearty breakfast and getting our ski gears on I went outside to see Bach in all its winter glory. It was literally one of those postcard moments with snow everywhere and a bright blue-sky overhead.



Daf and I went up the road so that I could hire a snowboard and then we all went up to the local lift for our first day skiing of the trip. This was about 10 minutes drive away and the snow was in amazing condition considering there hadn’t been any new snow for almost 3 and half months. I was so excited as I hadn’t been snowboarding for 5 years and couldn’t wait to get up there. Olivia had only even been skiing twice and was very apprehensive about being able to get the hang of it at all. The best thing was that Martin, Anna and Mikey Steen and Daf all ski instructors and she ended up having one on one lessons throughout our stay there. We left Anna and her star pupil on the learner’s slopes. The rest of us headed up the lift, which took you about 300 metres vertical and hit the snow. I got the rust out at the top of the hill with a couple of silly falls but after that was tearing down the hill, it was so much fun. I went and checked on Liv after a couple of runs and she had made great progress that morning. We all stopped for a ‘drinks’ break, which was a Weiss beer, gluvein (mulled wine), jaegar tea or the favourite or ‘Hot Chocolate mit (with) Rum’ and then got back to the skiing. A couple of hours later we all met up again at the bottom for another break for lunch and more beer, gluvein, jaegar tea and hot chocolate mit rum. We could tell that we were going to like this kind of skiing.
That night we had more aperitifs and nibbles before an amazing meal (which would prove to be the case every night) of jacket potatoes that Olivia helped cook and more New Zealand wines. Charlotte also made a point (which she did every night) of getting people to come upstairs to the loft and play some table tennis in the freezing cold before the first of our nightly games of ‘TP’ or Trivial Pursuit.Day two saw more of the same. Up early, good breakfast and then up to the local lift again. Mikey and Martin joined us as they had been ski touring in the back country the day before and Liv then had the pleasure of two instructors with Martin and Anna sharing the honours so that one or the other could ski. It was decided after the first drinks break as called by Charlotte after an hour or so skiing, that we should have lunch at the restaurant at the top of the mountain. So at lunch time we picked Olivia up and rode up the chair. We had an amazing meal overlooking the valley floor and finished off with a sampling of Daf’s local desert called ‘germ keneurdel’ which was pretty much a jam filled bun (a lot like a chinese steam bun) covered in custard and sesame seeds and Charlotte’s apple strudel - YUM! Then it was back to more skiing and ski lessons and we wrapped what was an amazing day off with some après ski aperitifs at the bar by the car park in the setting sun. Martin introduced us to a local game where you try to hammer a nail into a log of wood using the blade end of a hammer. The winner was the one who drove his nail completely into the wood first. Whoever lost shouted the others a round of schnapps. Martin, the barman and I played and I won the first round much to the surprise of the barman. He got us some schnapps and asked for a re-match that I won again. I liked that game!Once we had finished our drinks Olivia, Mikey, Daf and I got into Martins car and prepared to drive home. All of a sudden there was a horrendous noise and the car lurched to a halt. We jumped out to find that the bumper of the car had been pretty much ripped off by the snow bank and was only hanging on by a couple of screws. Daf was horrified but Mikey assured him that it would be ok. He rang Martin with the news and we left the bumper at the side of the road and drove back to the house amidst many strange looks. Poor Daf didn’t get to live that down at all as everyone took any chance that they could to give him a bit of cheek about it at every opportunity. Dinner was a special treat as Anna cooked as local and Austrian speciality called ‘schpetzle’ which is sort of like macaroni but better.
Daf had to go back to London the next day so after we had finished breakfast we bid our farewells and then Anna, Charlotte, Mrs Rock and I caught the bus to the big ski field at the end of the valley called Warth. (Martin, Olivia and Mr Rock were driving there.) In New Zealand terms it was huge. There were so many chair lifts that it made me giddy. There were even two six-seater chairs that had heated seats. Awesome! Each chair had its own bubble that you could pull down if the weather got to bad to keep the elements at bay. We had a few runs before we met up with the rest of our crew for the first ‘drinks break’ of the day and we saw Olivia skiing on the slope and I got a great clip of her on video!
She had been skiing with Martin on the learners slope and then graduated onto the bottom of a blue run. After some more great skiing we all met up to have a picnic that Martin had prepared and carried up the mountain in a daypack. It was so surreal to be sitting on the side of a mountain in the sunshine complete with bread, cheese, pickles, speck (smoked ham), sausages, and sparkling wine! Talk about classy. The skiing was even better after that and of course another drinks break that afternoon. On our last run Martin asked that Mr Rock and Olivia pick us up part way down the mountain as he was going to take me on down a back way that would meet up with the road so that we could find some fresh snow. It was such a great run and true to his word we found lots of pockets of untouched snow that capped off an amazing day, or so I thought. After we were picked up Martin asked Mr Rock if he would mind driving us up to a village that overlooked the road back to Bach. There was a place he had wanted to ski on all his life that he had never seen anyone skiing on that he wished to do. So Mr Rock and Olivia dropped us off and Martin and I skied off down a virgin slope. The snow was amazing and so was skiing in an area with just one other person. When we reached the bottom I thanked Martin for sharing that experience with me and it will remain one of my fondest skiing memories.
That night we were treated to more New Zealand wines and an amazing casserole that Mr Rock had brought with him. Now that man can cook. Martin packed another amazing picnic for the next day and took Olivia under his wing that morning so that Anna could go skiing with the rest of us. As per usual after some amazing runs Charlotte said we MUST stop for a drinks break and who were we to argue. Charlotte, Anna and the Rocks took me to some other parts of the mountain that I had yet to see which were awesome and then we all met up at the pre-ordained spot for lunch. Of course it was delicious and Martin even went so far as having champagne with real glasses this time. After lunch Olivia went skiing with the Rocks and Charlotte whilst I went off with Martin and Anna for some fun. We organised for another pick up from down the mountain and we took Anna down the run we had done the day before. It was just as good with some fresh stuff still around.
The following day it was just the Rocks, Olivia and I that went to Warth as Anna decided to stay home to do some study and Martin and Charlotte had gone to visit Mikey who had gone back to St Anton to work. Mr and Mrs Rock were so awesome that day as they took turns Skiing with Olivia and showed endless patience as they helped her around the mountain. She even managed her first blue run and part of a red run that day which was quite an achievement considering she was on the learners slopes only a few days earlier. We stopped for lunch at one of the restaurants on the mountain and sat out in the sun on some deck chairs whilst sipping on a cold beer and hot chocolate mit rum (again!). We had some great skiing for the rest of the day and Olivia made some excellent progress no thanks to the Rocks and all their help that day too.
On the way back to the Steens we got zapped by a speed camera (stink) and Mrs Rock was most annoyed as she was the one driving that day and had been warning Mr Rock all that week about speeding – ironic aye. That night we all chipped in and made wiener schnitzel which was a lot of fun and well worth the effort once we were done (accompanied of course with NZ Wine etc).
The next day we had a day off skiing as the weather wasn’t all the flash and so Martin took us on a hike instead. It was a really beautiful and scenic walk that ended at a mountainside inn, which overlooked the valley and the Steen’s house. We had lunch there and then walked back down to the village where Martin met us in the car and took us back to the house. That afternoon we all went to the local bowling alley and played the local version of ten pin bowling with skittles and little wooden balls. It was very old fashioned and we had a great time even though we had no idea how it was scored or who won in the end.
Martin’s brother Ed and his wife arrived that evening to stay and he certainly added character to the mix.
Our final day’s skiing was eventful to say the least. We had all agreed to meet up for another of Martin’s famous picnics later on that afternoon and set off on our various ways. Olivia, the Rocks and I were skiing on a run that she liked and we all agreed to meet at the top so we could start heading over to find the Steens. However in the process Olivia got lost and as we waited and waited for her at the bottom of the chairlift there was still no sign of her. So Mr Rock and I decided that we should go and look for her around the mountain, but alas to no avail. She was nowhere to be found. Unbeknownst to us she had managed to ski all the way down the mountain along a run she had never done and then did her own search for us as well. She covered almost the whole mountain whilst looking for everyone and she did it all by herself – pretty amazing aye! After the rest of us had lunch we finally saw her pretty much at the end of the day on our way up the mountain as she skied under our chair. Mr Rock and I called out and then we all waited for her at the top. She was so relieved to see us and understandably a bit shook up by the whole ordeal and we left her there to eat her picnic whilst we got in a few more runs. We all made it down the hill in one piece (eventually) and had an après ski drink at the bar at the bottom to cap off a memorable week.We had a really delicious home made chicken soup that Ed had been fussing over along with dinner that night and the last of the New Zealand wine and a couple of beers. The final game of TP was a tight contest with the boys winning (YAY!) before heading off to bed.After an early breakfast we said our thanks and goodbyes and set off with the Rocks on our return journey back to their place in Kent. We had a great drive back to Calais and on the ferry home Olivia and I got them a little thank you present for all that they had done for us and helping make this holiday so special.
The next day Mr Rock dropped us at the train station and we caught our return train back to Romford and of course back to reality.

Lots of love
Olivia and Tama x

CARDIFF, WALES

Cardiff, Wales - Coupe Du Monde 2007 - Rugby World Cup 2007

We got off the train some 45 minutes of or so later in Cardiff and there were All Black and French jerseys everywhere. The atmosphere was already electric as everyone was anticipating the biggest game of the World Cup so far.
Olivia's Aunty and Uncle we in town for the game as well and she spent a bit of time on the phone trying to suss out where to meet up. They had come all the way from NZ!
As we had arrived very early in the morning we had plenty of time to look around so we went and got a coffee and met so many Kiwis all primed for the game. After finally locating them we went and met Olivia's Aunty Trish and Uncle Les. We went to the infamous 'Angel Pub' where All Black Keith Murdoch punched over a security guard and became the first All Black every sent home from a tour for a couple of pre-match beers. It was really great to see them both and to share in the ocassion and moment and whilst we were there my Dad rang and I met him out side the pub with our bags so that he could take them back to his hotel for us.
From there we went and met our mates and my cousin Charmaine and Ty in another pub in Cardiff where we watched the Aussies go down to Perry and his England team. Jared and I started chanting 'Four more years George!' as a poke at George Gregan for his comments in the last World Cup. The rest of the pub that was pretty much All Black supporters joined in and we were all hyped and ready for the Quarter Final against our arch World Cup nemesis France. It was here that one of the funniest (but tragic) things happened. I was taking a photo of Olivia and the others when a kiwi guy asked me if I wanted him to take one for us. So I said yes. While he was trying to usher us all into a group he dropped our camera into his full pint glass of beer. It hit the bottom of his glass with a plonk and I didnt know whether to get angry or laugh! Trevor and Jared cracked up laughing as good mates would and I grabbed the camera and ran to the bathroom to see what I could salvage. I put the camera under the hand drier but alas to no avail it was stuffed. Luckily the memory stick was in tact but that meant no more photos from our camera- which sucked as I was so looking forward to going to the Millenium Stadium as I had heard so much about it. This was the last photo our camera took!:So we made our way to the stadium later on that evening and mingled with the masses walking through the streets to the stadium. There were French and All Black jerseys everywhere. I was quietly apprehensive about the game as the French had always seemed to play well against us in the World Cup and little did I know that this would come back to haunt us again soon! The stadium was amazing and the atmosphere inside electric.

The rest they say is history and I must be honest and say that we both shed a tear when the final whistle went. It was such a disappointment although the French fans were so gracious in victory and kept telling us to keep our heads up and not to look sad! Easy for them to say they hadn't just fell over the last hurdle in yet another World Cup.

We went into Cardiff with Martin, Katrina and Aunty Fay after a couple of sad quiets at the stadium and sat at a table surrounded by other desolate Kiwis all very quiet and shocked. Then we walked back to Dad's hotel and crawled into bed with the full impact of what had just happened not quite a realisation.

The next morning the restaurant was like a morgue of distraught New Zealanders all absolutely depressed. I had breakfast with Olivia's Aunty and Uncle and she joined us a bit later. I felt really sorry for Dad and his workmates as they had bus loads of clients that they had to keep happy even though some of them had literally just arrived for the that game and the semis and final.

Dad drove us back to London on his way to Dover and Calais (AGAIN) and we caught the tube to Trev's and had yet another post World Cup failure analysis. At least we didn't lose to England.

BRISTOL, ENGLAND

Bristol, England

Olivia was really excited about going to Bristol as she had spent some time growing up there when she was a child. Her Dad was training to be a doctor at Bristol Hospital and she had made friends with Anna Steen at school and they became best friends. They had kep in touch over the years and when we got to the Steen's place the two of them had a wonderful reunion. It was so great to see where she had lived and to finally meet Anna and her younger brother Mikey too. We had a great time that evening with the Steens and it felt awesome to be in a family home once again.The next day Olivia and I went for a walk into Bristol town to have a look around. It's a really beautiful city and the University is a stunning piece of architecture. There are buildings along the waterfront that are kind of similar to Wellington and made for a really picturesque setting.The next night Olivia cooked everyone her Chicken curry which went down a treat! After dinner Anna and her partner Daffyd (Welsh for David) took us to a local pub down the road for a quiet beer. This gave us a real good opportunity to get to know him and of course for me to get to know them both better.Charlotte is a teacher at a local private school and she thought that it might be a good idea for me to go with her one day to see how British School Children operated. I had a fun day there with the PE teachers going with them to their lessons and seeing what I might be in store for when I started work in a couple of months time. Whilst I was at school, Olivia went for a walk with Mickey on the Downs which is a big grass area very near to their house.

Later that afternoon Martin came home and had a surprise for me. He took me in his car to show me the games of 'Racquets' and 'Real Tennis' that he plays. This was an awesome experience to see where the modern day games of squash and lawn tennis came from. That night Mikey insisted on taking us to his fabvourite cider house where we could try some 'real good cider'. Man it was strong but really delicious.

The next day Martin invited Olivia and I to come and watch him in action in the local courts as he is a barrister. After taking us to lunch we went into the courtroom to see him in action. His case ended up being suspended to a further date so we spent the rest of the afternoon watching a case about a local teacher that was on trial for molesting some of his former students. It was very interesting to say the least.

We went from the courtroom and met Anna and Daf' at a local micro-brewery called Zero Degrees. The beer there was great and we enjoyed a lovely evening chatting before going back to the Steens place where we had something else to drink and dinner. We decided then to go outside and go in their hot tub. It was so relaxing and was beautiful sitting under the cold winter night sky in the hot steaming water.

The next day we went to meet up with my Dad at a local hotel. He was over here working for a tour company that had clients from all over New Zealand that had come over to the UK for the Rugby World Cup. One of those clients suitcase had been put on the wrong bus at Heathrow airport and had ended up in Bristol. Dad had driven from Cardiff in Wales where the All Blacks would be playing France this weekend to come and pick up her suitcase and while he was waiting for the coach to arrive with it we went to a nice local pub for lunch. Dad brought a really nice bottle of New Zealand wine which went down really well with the bangers and mash that I had. Liv had a delicious Caesar salad. It was really good to see him and catch up on everyting that he had been up to over the last few weeks. He said that we could stay in his hotel room when we went to Cardiff that weekend and as we bade him farewell he gave Olivia a t- shirt that Mum had brought for her and my big puffy Kathmandu jacket that he had brought with him from home.

Saturday morning arrived and we said goodbye (for now!) to The Steens, got our supporters gear on and caught the train to Cardiff....

LONDON part 2. Dad/Ken's award ceremony.

Dad's award ceremony London, England

When we got back to London we collected our stuff from Puna and Shane's place and made our way across town to a hotel right near the famous cricket ground 'The Oval.' My parents were coming to London as my father was going to be awarded an 'Honorary Fellowship' to the Royal College of Gynecology and Obstetrics. We settled into our room and Tama went to the local shops to see where we might all go to dinner when Mum and Dad arrived. I was so excited when we got the call from the front desk that they were in reception and it was amazing to see them both as the last time we saw them was in Hong Kong three months ago. We went to a lovely French restaurant about ten minutes walk away and had a gorgeous meal and lots of catching up talks.After breakfast at the hotel, we all went into central London for a look around the shops. First stop was Oxford St and we had a coffee before hitting the clothing outlets. Dad wanted to go to Jaeger which is one of his favourite shops and ended up getting a suit and a couple of shirts and ties. He also bought Mum a beautiful top there. After looking around a bit more we went to Knightsbridge and Harrods where we were going to have lunch. Talk about spoilt! We had wood-fired pizza for lunch and it was incredible. After a lovely glass of wine for Mum and I and a beer for Tama and Dad we left Harrods with full stomachs and caught the underground to Piccadilly Circus. After getting the compulsory tourist shots we walked to Trafalgar Square and went to have look at the amazing collections in the National Gallery.That night we were treated to a very special treat indeed. Dad had booked us in for dinner at a 5 star Spanish restaurant. It was quite the experience. The wine and food was incredible and the service impeccable. We had some lovely starters which were accompanied by freshly baked rolls.
Mum and I had traditional paella for two as our mains and then when the dish came out there was easily enough to feed at least 4 people. It was enormous. Tama had a steak meal that he polished off and so Mum and I told him to have some of our main as there was no way that we were going to finish it. It was a truly memorable dining experience and one that we won't forget.The next morning was the big day of Dad's award ceremony at the Royal College. With another scrumptious breakfast out of the way we went back to rooms to get dressed. This was especially good as I finally got to see Tama wearing the lovely new suit, shirt and tie that we bought in Vietnam. When we were all ready we walked to the College about 10 minutes away. The ceremony was full of pomp as the Royal College is very much a British Academic Elite arena. Dad was one of 6 recepients of an Honorary Fellowship which recognised their contributions and achievements to the fields of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Dad was given the honour of speaking on behalf of the recepients and did an outstanding job of course.
The final act of the proceedings was to appoint the new chair of the College. When this was all done there was an after function of finger foods and drinks. We all toasted Dad's success with glasses of champagne and I was so very proud of him.

From there we caught a black cab into London and went to Selfridges for yet another treat! Dad took us to 'The Wonder Bar' which is a wine bar in the store that sits above the most amazing wine store I think that I have ever seen. At 'The Wonder Bar' you put credit onto a swipe card and then chose from the extensive wine list the wine that you want to taste. Once you have made your selection you make a note of the number code of the wine and then find it on the wine dispensing machines that line the walls of the bar. There are trays of stunning crystal wine glasses everywhere and you take one and then insert your card into the machine. Then the prices of each size of sample of wine come up and chose the one you want and press the button. The machine then fills your glass to that amount and debits the correct amount of money. It was so much fun. We also had some beautiful rare tuna and other nibbles. That night Mum and Dad went to the black tie dinner event at the College and Tama and I went and saw some friends for a drink and a bite to eat.

The next day we had planned to meet up with some dear family friends of ours, The Steens from Bristol. We had met them when Dad was in training at Bristol Hospital and I was going to school with their eldest daughter Anna. She and I became best of friends and by coincidence their house was merly a stones throw away from ours. Our parents struck up a friendship that has lasted to this day. Mum and Dad went into London to meet them for brunch while Tama and I stayed in our room so he could watch the next All Blacks game against Romania. We had tickets to this game but we decided to give them up so we could come to London for the presentation instead. After the game finished with another resounding win to the All Blacks we met up with Mum, Dad and Charlotte and Martin Steen at Westminster where we boarded a ferry for a cruise down the Thames to Greenwich. It was such a great view of London and we saw lots of the major tourist sights along the way.
It was so good to see them both and after the cruise we all went to Knightsbridge for coffee and scones and yet another look around Harrods. That night we went to Angel for dinner with their daughters Anna & Laura and had some really lovely Turkish food.

After breakfast in the morning Mum and Dad got ready for their return trip back to New Zealand.
Martin and Charlotte came to pick us up and we said our sad farewells and headed off to Bristol to spend some time with them.