Day 1 to 25: Wedding bells, fine wines and great times in NZ

An early start to the NZ summer saw us step straight into hot sun-filled days. We enjoyed spending time with family and friends and made the most of the weather with plenty of golf, a good dose of BBQs and lots of relaxing outdoors. Highlights of our time in NZ include:

• Nathan and Bridget's wedding (Nathan being my brother). This was a fantastic day and it was great to be involved, with Michael's photography skills called on, and my sister and I delivering Bible readings as part of the ceremony. With brilliant weather and the company of family and good friends, we thoroughly enjoyed the celebrations, and were pleased to see Nathan and Bridget had an excellent day.
• Wine tasting in Napier We sampled outstanding wines and enjoyed the picturesque surrounds of the Hawkes Bay. Craggy Range winery was top of our list, as Michael had been talking about the outstanding wine and food since a business trip to the region 5 years ago. The wine and stunning food from the winery restaurant more than lived up to my expectations!
• Great times with family and friends - meeting our newest niece Bella and spending time with little Eva-Ellice who is now 2 and 5/6th, as she is pleased to tell anyone who asks her age, a BBQ with friends in Hamilton, kindly hosted by David and Raewyn, a most enjoyable gathering at Mission Bay with lots of Auckland friends to celebrate Michael's birthday and plenty of lunches, dinners and fish n chips on the beach with good friends

All in all we had a fantastic time with excellent people and enjoyed being back in the NZ lifestyle. Thailand is our next stop for beachside relaxation in Phuket and Ko Phi Phi, city bustle in Bangkok, and lots of tasty, spicy food.