I do

This will be my last entry for weekends away - the next trip will be our ‘on the road for good?’ adventure….but more about that later. This trip wasn’t in the motorhome but I thought it deserved a mention. We were off to a wedding which I was officiating and Tony came to keep me coming.

We flew down to Dunedin ( via Wellington) since Air New Zealand doesn’t think Tauranga deserves a direct flight. It seemed to take all day but the flights were good. Our lunch was very unexciting at Wellington airport which was disappointing- I cannot stomach cold chips. We were surprised how far away from the CBD Dunedin airport is. A good 30 minute drive in the shuttle which I was very glad I booked. Our hotel was brilliant - very central and a bed each. Just a heads up. If there are two double beds in a room, take the one furthest from the bathroom. It will be firmer- just saying 😉. Of course we didn’t work that out till the last night.

We decided to try Filipino for dinner since the bride had recommended it and she should know. The food was simply divine. A nice 15 minute walk and Futomaki provided excellent service and too much food to fit in dessert.

Friday we thought we’d go for an early morning walk and find the sea but it turns out I truly am directionally challenged and the sea didn’t really want to be found before deciding I really should buy a more feminine watch to wear at the wedding so headed for the shops. At 10.30 we met up with Myca’s parents who were delightful and headed to the rehearsal. This was at Glenfalloch Gardens and went well. After this the whole wedding entourage and Tony and I went to lunch. This was at the top of a hill and had an amazing view. Back to the Victoria Hotel for a snooze then another walk eventually heading to a burger place near the Octagon. It was quite late but we were surprised how quiet it was for a university town then remembered that this is January!

Saturday morning we headed to the local markets by the railway station and tasted a few cherries but couldn’t really justify buying anything so walked along the edge of town admiring all the beautiful buildings, back past the Octagon and towards the university finally heading back to the hotel after a nice stop at a cafe. There was a bus 2 minutes from the hotel where the entourage were collected at 2.30pm and dropped back at 11.00pm. The wedding went well although the sound system failed but after checking everyone could hear I managed to project my voice and get these two lovely people married. They had a gelato van making ice cream while the photographer did her thing and there were plenty of friendly people to chat to before we headed inside for dinner. Such yummy food and a lovely atmosphere and I got to sit with the parents and grandparents which felt like a real honour.

We were collected at 8.30am by the shuttle on Sunday and home in Tauranga via Christchurch by 2.30. What a weekend!Read more