Back to the Mainland

 After 4 months in Taranaki it was finally time to hit the road again. We were excited to be heading back towards the South Island again and broke up the drive between Inglewood and Nelson over 4 days starting with travelling to Whanganui. We enjoyed stopping in to Tawhiti Museum again to see the Traders and Whalers exhibition that we didn’t have time to see last time, had a morning to explore some parks in Whanganui and then had some very wild weather on our travels to Wellington. It was a relief to arrive in Wellington where we were hosted by a church with MMM connections, kindly organised last minute by my brother-in-laws parents who attended there.

 

Some of the displays after the boat ride at the trader's and whaler exhibition

The long journey south

The pirate ship at Kowhai park was a highlight even in the rain!

Figuring out where we have been so far this year and where we are headed

We got to enjoy one day exploring Wellington and catching up with some family. We loved getting to see my niece Freya and hear about her upcoming adventures and we also got to see Heidi one of Hudson’s closest cousins from Dunedin who was visiting grandparents. There was a Lego expo on in Wellington which the kids all thoroughly enjoyed and they spent hours in Te Papa with the interactive exhibits while Chris found the local disc golf course. 

Hudson with his lego creation from the exhibit and Thea with one of the amazing lego displays

Catching up with my niece Freya

Our ferry crossing day started with some drama- the church carpark we were parked in started to fill up with cars and we found out there was a meeting that was meant to go all morning- but we had to leave! It was a very quick pack up, cordoning off, directing cars to other places and some serious manoeuvring by Chris to get the caravan out and on the way to the ferry. We were so relieved to be at the ferry but the drama didn’t end there- after waiting in line it was our turn to go onto the ferry and the ute refused to turn on- the battery was dead! Fortunately another passenger happened to have a quick charge battery readily available and after a few minutes of stress the truck was on and we were able to get onto the ferry. What a relief! Chris thought he could have been an angel as he just jump started with a little pack and was gone before he could thank him. We were very glad to be arrive at my Aunty and Uncles place outside of Nelson that evening, to park up and to know we wouldn’t have to travel again for a couple of weeks!

Picton in sight

The stunning evening view from our Nelson park up spot

Due to the delays at the previous job we were coming to the Nelson job late, but volunteers had already been working away for a week and a half before we arrived. The job was originally going to be to build a small music studio for Grant Norseworthy, who is involved in Christian music ministry (he organised and coordinated the NZ version of ‘ The blessing’ during COVID), but due to delays we instead came to assist builders on a project on his house. There was painting to be done on the outside, underfloor insulation to be installed and gib board to be put up. While there we were able to attend the small Lutherian church in Upper Moetere that the Norseworthy family attends and Chris and some of the volunteers were also able to give a morning to help them out with installing some beams for a kitchen renovation the church was doing.  We really enjoyed our time with the beautiful Nelson weather (hello shorts and t-shirts), our accomodation with my aunty and uncle on their orchard near the job and the opportunity to catch up with lots of family. For Chris, coming into a project under another builder was a nice break from normally being the go-to guy for decisions and planning.

Part of the MMM team working at the Norseworthy project

 

The MMM team and volunteers from the Upper Moutere Lutheran church working to get some beams up in their kitchen renovation

Some of the highlights of our time in Nelson were meeting our new niece (although by then she was 7 months old!), getting to catch up with Chris’ parents and sister, a beach day at Kaiteriteri and getting to see some of my family including our great stay on the orchard. 

Petting eels at Jester's cafe in Tasman and Hudson and Abbey meeting their new cousin

The girls enjoying the water at Kaiteriteri

The 2 weeks flew by and before we knew it we were on the road making our way south again. For us this journey was an exciting one. The next job in Greymouth didn’t start for a week, so we were dropping the van and caravan in Greymouth before travelling further down the Mainland to go to Clyde, a favourite holiday destination for us, usually due to some of our favourite people being there too. And this time was no exception, over the 5 days we were there we got to see my sister and her family (including another new niece who is now 4 months old), my parents and a niece from Dunedin and some good friends. There was plenty of time for catch ups, bike rides, board games and we felt well and truly recharged by the end of our stay. After 7 hours of driving back to Greymouth, padded out with a few stops on the way, it was back to the job for Greymouth Baptist church.

Manuherikia river fun near Alexandra

Fun with cousins on the Clyde river playground

A visit to great Nana in Cromwell

Hudson at Thunder falls in the Haast Pass

 Greymouth Baptist Church have one main project for us over the three and a half weeks we are here-  to build storage cupboards and a pantry in the church building, and a bonus job- to paint and repair  as much of the outside of the church manse where the pastor and his family live. 

We have enjoying living back on site with other volunteers, having the Moore family with their kids as well as getting to know some of the other South Island MMM volunteers. With the skills of another builder and there has already been a great visual change with the bulk of the cupboards being built. The manse, being a very old building, will have a lot of prep to be done, with rotten/borer filled boards to be replaced before the paint can go on!

Framing for the new cupboards going up

Linings and wiring being completed

The week that we have been here so far have been really enjoyable. We are enjoying the company of another family and the insight they can bring as locals to the area. The work has been progressing well and we have also enjoyed getting to know the pastor and his family here. We have also had the opportunity to do a little bit of exploring- going fishing at lake Brunner (we saw some trout but unfortunately they didn’t bite!), biking some of the west coast trail and collecting pounamu (greenstone) on the wild west coast beaches.

Fishing at Lake Brunner

There is plenty of driftwood on West Coast beaches to create huts

Part of the Bike trail the runs down the coast from Greymouth

One of the church members put on an interactive magic show for our families

Praise points:

• That we have been able to have some good times of refreshment and catching up with family and friends over the last month
• Praise the Lord for the volunteers who have driven all the way to Greymouth to help

Prayer points:

• For a great completion stage of the work at Greymouth, and more South Islander's to come and volunteer at projects
• Please pray that as we head into the final months and jobs with MMM that we will continue to be blessing and encouragement to the project recipients and volunteers alike.