Reunion

The start of 2009 has been quite eventful because for the first time ever one of my old Belgian friends visited New Zealand! That's right, apart from my mother in 2005, no other family members or friends have made the trek to NZ since my move here. Not that I can really blame them, as most people I know back home are either building a house, having children or climbing the career ladder, which means they have no time or money (or both!) to venture down under. But my dear friend Liesbeth is a bit of a wanderer like me and has lived in Korea & Japan for the last 5 years, allowing us to meet up at a semi-regular basis :-). During every meeting Vaughan has indoctrinated her & her husband Piet with wonderful facts about New Zealand, including tales of giant mussels, world-class surfing and mind-blowing scenery. No wonder they couldn't wait to hop on a plane in Tokyo to get here ;-)! In the spirit of Japanese generosity they overwhelmed us with lovely gifts on their arrival (see picture above), and in return we took them to some of our favourite spots in New Plymouth, Taranaki and Wellington. Please indulge me while I comment on some of the photos Piet took during our 4 days together:

Liesbeth & me going skywards on New Plymouth's coastal walkway. I guess I got a bit excited...

Posing on the NP waterfront before having al fresco fish 'n chips.

Liesbeth & Piet are real food lovers so on Sunday we took them to Okurukuru, a great vineyard/restaurant on the coast. The seafood platter was a hit!

Piet's wide angle lens made our legs look like supermodel length (not that I'm complaning!) A stroll along Oakura beach Bbq on Sunday night at Opunake Beach Camp, where we said goodbye to Vaughan's family. No visit to NZ is complete without a walk on Vaughan's beloved Mount Taranaki, and because of the recent rain the goblin-like forest looked even more lush than usual.

When we arrived in Wellington we were all famished & headed straight to Leuven, where we indulged in Kriek + chocolate (see photo), giant green-lip mussels and Belgian fries in a cone. Taking silly photos under trees is directly influenced by living in Japan (no offence!).

During my guided tour of Wellington on Tuesday the wind blew so ferociously it was at times hard to keep standing. As a windsurfer, Piet loved every minute of it, but I certainly enjoyed sitting down along Oriental Parade for a chat :-). Wellingtonians are renowned coffee addicts so what better place to go at the end of a full day than Fidels, an iconic cafe on Cuba Street (famous for visits from the 'Lord of the Rings' actors during filming here)?