New York Update

Hi everyone
No snow yet, but it's promised (50% chance) for Monday. Liz and I went to another show the night before last, called Rock of Ages. It's based on rock music from the early 1980's. We had seats 3 rows from the front. The music was played by a live band. Yesterday we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We took a couple of buses to get there. Hard to say that you've ever "seen" the Met with several million exhibits. About a dozen or so rooms just with Egyptian artifacts, and another dozen with grand master paintings. Every major theme seemed to cover about an acre! We wandered around for about 4 hours before flagging.

We strolled back through Central Park and window shopped back to Michelle's flat. It was another sunny, cold day. Last night we joined Michelle and her friend Liz to go to the Christmas show put on by the Radio City Rockettes, the annual Radio city Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. This was an "extravaganza" - the nativity scene had real live sheep, 2 camels and a donkey! The hall is huge and seats about 3000.

We have been to the Natural History Museum also. It has some great exhibits, particularly the bits on the origin of man and dinosaurs. However I thought most of it was a bit dated. Just the job for Peter Jackson and Weta workshops to do a makeover and zazz it up!

Michelle had a party at her place last night and invited 25 or so - which didn't finish till well after midnight. Caught up with all her friends. Didn't get to bed till after 2am. And this morning got up at at 10.47am! Great to be able to sleep in.

22nd December

Another sunny day in New York City.
We caught the bus uptown along 8th Avenue(just around the corner) at 9.45 to the Lincoln Centre. There we went to see "The Magic Flute" at the Metropolitan Opera. It was a great performance, sung in English. Very well staged. Then we walked down to Broadway and continued back along the edge of Central Park. We were going to go to the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) but it is closed on Tuesdays. So we walked down 5th Avenue, looking at all the famous stores. Only window-shopping!

Visited St. Patrick's Cathedral. We got to the Rockefeller Centre and saw the ice skaters there. Went up the "Rock" - to the 69th floor - in time to see the sun setting over behind the Hudson River. We then walked the very short distance to Michelle's apartment and had dinner. Now waiting to go out to a musical, Rock of Ages. This time we won't need hats & gloves as it is literally across the street!

It has been reasonably warm here, 0 degrees. Usually it is much colder. The forecast is for fine weather through until Sunday, so probably will not have a white Christmas :( Oh well. At least is it easy to get around. There are plenty of people in town, especially around Times Square & on 5th Avenue.

NEW YORK!!

We left Wellington and arrived in Auckland on time, with a quick dash between terminals between rain showers. Had a good flight to LA, but the plane from there to New York was 3 hours late. So we finally arrived in NY just after midnight local time. Michelle was there to greet us, and we got a taxi back to her place. By the time we went to bed it was 3am.
Michelle has a lovely apartment in 47th Street, on the 19th floo,r just along from Times Square, a very nice view out back over TS and to the Hudson River out the other side. It is very spacious for NY, and all decorated for Christmas.
On Sunday we were up at 9am to catch a subway train to Harlem, to go to the First Corinthians Baptist Church service. It began at 10am, and finished about 1pm. A very invigorating service. Some energetic attendees, who were inspired by the Spirit.
We met Michelle's friend Rita & her husband Bobby, and went to lunch at a Soul Food restaurant after the service with them. Then John & I walked through Central Park. Ice skaters on the rink, chestnuts for sale, all very wintry outside. Then we walked down to Michelle's apartment, and we relaxed for the evening.

This morning we arose about 9am and after breakfast went through Times Square to get the subway through to Brooklyn. From Brooklyn we walked back to Manhatten over the Brooklyn Bridge. It was sunny, though cold. Once back in Manhatten we spent the rest of the day walking around lower Manhatten - the site of the World Trade Centre, Wall Street, to the American Indian Museum....past lots of well-known buildings.Everything all decorated for Christmas - strings of lights on all the trees and decorations everywhere. Very pretty in the dark. Only a quick stop for a coffee and for lunch.. We walked through China Town and Little Italy, past the shops on Broadway, and through SoHo. Finally we caught the bus heading back to Times Square, stopping of at Macy's on the way.
After dinner John and I went to the musical Memphis - it was a 3 minute walk to 44th Street, so convenient! The musical was very good, the story of a white DJ who played "black" music on the radio in the 1950s.

So it is now 10.15 and time for bed. We have another full day planned for tomorrow, starting with The Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera at 11am.

Coromandel and the East Cape

In late September 2010 John and Liz went on a quick tour around the Coromandel Penninsula and the east Cape following a business trip to Auckland. The weather was windy and sometimes wet. This was the reverse of a trip we'd done together in 1982 shortly after we were married.



We started in Auckland and went out via Clevedon and Kawakawa Bay to Miranda, then on across the Hauraki Plains to Thames. Had a lat morning coffee in Clevedon and lunch in Thames. Then on to Coromandel Township and late afternoon coffee there. Arrived at base camp 5.00pm in Kuatuna on the eastern side of the penninsula. We stayed at Kaepallis Band B. Beautiful views over the sea from a ridge top location.



We had dinner at the golf club at Matarangi. Surprisingly good food and wine!

Day 2 was a leisurley start and then bay hopping down the eastern side of the Coromandel to Tauranga.



Otama and Opito Bay, Whitianga, Cooks Beach, Hahei, Tairua, Opoutere (Liz bought an original Giuty painting from the artists gallery), Whangamata and then straight through to Mt Maunganui for our second night.



Stayed at the pavillion Hotel at the Mount and dined at a seafood restaurant downstairs.

Saturday was a drive through to Whakatane for breakfast at about 11am and then on via Opotiki toward the Cape. A slow meander via Te Kaha, Hicks Bay, Te Araroa, Tikitiki, Tokomaru Bay and Tolaga Bay - finishing at Gisborne. A 9 hour drive through some nice and not so nice country. The road is much more windy than we recall. The norther coats was lovely, but there were numerous slips on the road. From Whangaroa Bay on it's basically a drive through farmland.



Stayed in a waterfront apartment in Gisborne and dined atanother seafood restaurant.
Sunday was a head for home day, stopping for 20 minutes in Wairoa for coffee and an hour in Napier to see Hamish Jamieson and Arti, friens of ours. There was a major road diversion just north of Napier, where we were diverted out into the countryside....The weather was very windy coming down through the Wairarapa.

All in all a great wee jaunt.

Brisbane May 2010

In May John and Liz went to Brisbane for a few days. John was attending the Australian Petroleum industry conference. We spent the time staying first at the Treasury Hotel, and then with friends Davor and Vesna. On the Sunday we hired bikes in the botanic gardens and went for a 30 kilomter ride up the river trail.

We all went south to Mount Tamborine for lunch on the Saturday. Beautiful views over the Gold Coast from the top, walks on the tree top walk and lunch at a local cafe. The weather played it's part and an enjoyable break was had by all.

Ben Pfahlert's Wedding

The whole Pfahlert clan gathered in Oxford, Canterbury, on 6 March to celebrate John's nephew Ben marriage to Tammy Shaskey. John's twin brother Patrick and his wife Hannah and son Oliver came over from Shanghai.

It was the first time in over 10 years that older the five Pfahlert grandchildren were all together at the same time, and a few years since John, Patrick and Mark Pfahlert and their parents got together.

Lots of other relatives and friends from both sides also in attendance. The wedding was in the St John of God Chapel in Halswell, then we went to the Shaskey's home for afternoon tea, before going on to to the Old Flaxmill outside Oxford for the "do".

Great weather and fine dining at Cafe 51 in Oxford, and also brunch at Jo Seager's restaurant. Both a surprise when one was expecting steak and chips....

Liz , John and children all stayed at the West Oxford Hotel. It was clean and tidy and quite reasonably priced.

Visit to Jerusalem February 2010

On the weekend of 20 February Liz and John organised a family gathering in Jerusalem, up the Whanganui River, to celebrate John's aunty's 93rd birthday. Sr Anna Maria Shortall is a Sister in the Home of Compassion and has lived in the community at Jerusalem for nearly 20 years.

Sr Anna Maria's sisters, Jane (Hokitika), Shelia (Napier) and Mary Jo (Blenheim) were all there. Also in attendance were Denis Pfahlert, Sue and Stuart Longly and their grandson, Linda Wealleans and friends of John and Liz's, Therese and Richard McTague of Lower Hutt.

It was a stunning weekend in terms of weather. We all stayed in the old convent. There was plenty of good food, company and swapping stories of days gone by.

Some of the Shortall clan from Feilding also visited for the day - Perry and Margaret Shortall, and Tom Shortall, and another whose name I've forgotten......

On the Saturday morning John & Liz walked "to the orchard" with Richard & Therese. It was a long walk uphill for about 1 & 1/2 hours uphill on a gravel road, and 3/4 hour back down, only to find that the orchard was about 500 metres from the convent!