Saturday we drove north along the coast to the town of Waiwera. Here we visited the Waiwera Thermal Resort (similiar to Lava Hot Springs). It was great to swim, soak and relax. After several blissful hours we drove back to our flat (apartment). We, or should we say Gary, is driving on the left and learning all the tricks to adjust to this new country that we will call home for the next 18 months.
 |
| Tempatures shown are 118.4/104 in Fahrenheit |
 |
| Sit back, relax and all the tension just goes away. |
 |
| This was Susan's favorite spot. Water was hot, but not 48c hot. |
 |
| Lava Pool, the small one, was just a bit too warm. |
On the way home we were able to stop at a few places along the way to take pictures. Yes you read that right! Gary stopped and let Susan take pictures. We have decided that we may never get this way again, and we need to enjoy ourselves while we are here. This location is near the town of Orwea.
 |
| Looks more like a vacation than a mission. |
 |
| They call this kite sailing here. |
Sunday we attended church at the Takapuna chapel. We had the opportunity to meet President and Sister Balli (Auckland Mission President). The church meetings were wonderful. We understood nearly every word. Sometimes the accent is pretty strong and they might have different expressions, but it is the same language.
At home today would have been Fast Sunday, but since we are17 hours ahead of Mountain Daylight Time (we went off New Zealand Daylight Savings Sunday morning) we will not be able to view General Conference until the following week. As we walked to church we noted that it was 6 PM at home and the General Women's Meeting would be starting. That conference session will be televised next Saturday (October 4th) and General Conference sessions the following weekend (October 10th and 11th). Are you totally confused? So are we. We hope to view conference online before Oct 10 as even now we are beginning to see quotes from the Women's Meeting.
After church on Sunday we were invited to have dinner with a family from church. It was delightful as we were able to carry on a conversation and enjoy the hectic lives of their teenagers. It really reminded us of home when the family comes over for dinner.
Monday morning marks the completion of our first week in New Zealand.
No comments:
Post a Comment