Labour Day

Monday was Labour Day in New Zealand.  Most everything was closed, including the Area Office.  However,  Hamilton New Zealand Temple was open.   So we got up bright and early and rode down to Hamilton with another couple, Brent and Debbie Buckner.  Brent is the Director for Temporal Affairs in the Pacific Area.  We left here about 6 AM and arrived in time to do an 8:30 AM session.  It was nice to attend the temple as a patron.  We worked every Friday in the Draper Temple prior to our mission call, but attending as a patron was a nice change.  We now have a greater appreciation for all that temple workers do.

After our session we went across the street to the visitors center to meet neighbors of my brother and sister-in-law.  They had the day off, but we visited with them on the phone.  We changed at the visitors center into more casual clothes, so we could go hiking.  When we left, we noticed workers on the temple grounds putting up Christmas lights.

Debbie and Brent with Susan

In front of the Christus

Preparing to put up the lights 

The pile of white by the yellow bin is lights 

Her hair will tell you how windy it was

We got into the car and headed west to the town of Raglan.  We had direcions and a description from other missionaries which read:  "A typical west coast hippie/surfer beach town that is worth visiting - on the way you will see a sign for a waterfall; it is about 15 minutes drive from the main road."  We saw the sign "Bridal View Falls" and decided "why not"?  Did we mention that it was raining?  We arrived and made the 10 minute trek to the top of the waterfall.  It was a beautiful sight, but the signs beckoned us - 250 stairs down to the mid-way point and another 250 and to the base of the waterfall.  We treked to the bottom and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly even if it was raining.  Of course, what goes down, must come back up.  Susan felt it in her quads the next day.

This is half way down

Plague at the bottom

View from the bottom 

Brent, Debbie, Gary and Susan

After we hiked back to the top, we drove the rest of the way to Raglan.  We ate lunch at a quaint little place called "The Shack". It didn't look like much, but the food was great.  When we entered there was a surf board hanging above the counter.  We finished our lunch and drove to look at the beach - they have black sand beaches, but it was raining enough that we decided that we will have to return another day.  The fame of Raglan is that it is the place where "Endless Summer" was filmed. The story begins and ends here as the star in the movie follows the surf around the world.  Starting and ending in Raglan.

It took us a bit longer, twice as long to get home - everyone returning from their Labour Day Weekend.  It seems no matter where you go - things are much the same.