Building progress - part 5

Northeast side

 Southwest side

It starts to look like an actual house. The walls are wrapped in "building paper" - sort of a breathable plastic membrane.

Roof tiles - sheet of metal

Holiday on Rarotonga - Cook Islands

After 2 years in New Zealand it was time for a quick holiday abroad. We spent last week on a pacific island called Rarotonga, the biggest of the 15 Cook Islands. It's only a convenient 5h direct flight from Christchurch.

George enjoyed snorkeling and I walked miles on the beach with my eyes fixed to the ground scanning for rocks, coral and shells. Unfortunately I couldn't take any of my findings back with me due to the strict custom regulations of New Zealand, so I had to take pictures. I'm sure my dad wishes there were some similar strict regulations in the Swiss mountains as he must remember all the kilos of stones I used to gather when I was little but than he had to carry them downhill for me.

One day, we hired some bikes to explore the island. There is one main road along the coast and it's only 32km until you're back at your starting point, that gives you an idea how small the island is. As it is all flat along the coast, this is the perfect way of sightseeing and getting some exercise.

We also joined two organized tours: The first one was sort of a safari with Landrovers taking us inland and up the mountains, very informative with a BBQ on the beach at the end. The other one was on a Glass Bottom Boat (so even I could see some of the beautiful fish) with plenty of time for snorkeling, again a BBQ lunch on the beach and a very funny demonstration about what you need to know about coconuts.
We hired kayaks twice to explore the lagoon. It's very relaxing to float above the coral reef and look for Nemo and his friends.

Weekend at Lake Brunner

This weekend we joined our friends Cathy and David on a trip to Lake Brunner where we stayed in a bach (Kiwi holiday home). We got a real taste of the Kiwi lifestyle: driving over a snowy Arthur's Pass in a proper 4wheel drive and cruising the lake on a boat.

Beautiful Lake Brunner with stunning mountain views

This coal train was abandoned and left to the elements in the bushes.

Some pieces can be found right on to the beach.

The boat...

The 4wheel-drive...

This is a Weka (or woodhen). It's a fligthless bird  and endemic to New Zealand. Weka are sturdy brown birds, about the size of a chicken.

This cheeky Kea was heading behind our back to the car park where he intended to shred some rubber, preferably windshield wipers.

Building material

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Building progress - part 4

The entrance is visible now








The full length of the roof will cover the veranda

The spouting is is already placed

Location of the pillars to support the extended roof








I do like jigsaw puzzles - but this one is definitely for the advanced player