Going to the movies

Today is day 12 of our adventure to New Zealand and it has been nothing short of spectactular.  If we’re not sleeping it seems as if we’re on the go.  I say this but we have had a little time to consume some books {me one, Joan, more than 10) but other than that Dan and Annie’s kids have keep us very busy.   We like it lot like this and anticipate this will continue.  Having missed the last two years of their lives has been difficult and we have a lot of catching up to do.  

 

As I mentioned Dan and Annie have lent us one of their cars and it has come in very handy.   Of course driving is a full time attention grabber since we drive on the left side of the road but we’re getting better and better each day.  Joan has been a big help keeping me from a bone head move.   However I got a major insult today from her when she mentioned that I drive like an old man.   I quickly retorted “no problem, I’ll pull over right here and you can take over the driving”.    In a nanosecond she said “no thanks”.   I should be OK for a while.

 

Yesterday Joan, Phoebe and I went to the local theater and saw the new “Top Gun” movie.  We all enjoyed it very much but the real highlight was the funky theater itself.   Totally sold out so Joan I sat in the front row with Phoebe right behind us.  There is no symmetry to the seats.  An eclectic conglomeration of seats here and there.   Held maybe 100 patrons.   Very cool.   The owners came up with a great idea to produce more revenue.  They have an intermission in the middle of the movie, something you wouldn’t see in the US.   When you buy your ticket going in you order what you want as a snack half way thru.  Here is the amazing part: at least 90% ordered a snack, snacks that cost at least $4 each.   Most of us would have gone without if they didn’t have the intermission.   Great business sense.  One last curious item: at the intermission the owner of the theater has some historical tidbits in a short speech. Turns out Tom Cruise himself attended the theater once while filming close by!!

 

Near by you will see some pictures of “That tree in Wanaka” growing in the lake.   Supposedly the most photographed tree ever.  A Willow.  We certainly took our share.  Apparently it is extremely shallow around the tree but it is very impressive to see it standing there by itself.   Dan told us that the lake was down a bit last summer and the tree was actually on dry land.   We walked along the shore for about a mile and it was beautiful in every direction although gloomy and a little rainy.

 

We woke up this morning to dark clouds and then the most full beautiful rainbow we have ever seen. Extremely bright.  Looking a bit closer we discovered a second full rainbow right behind it albiet a lot lighter.  You can seem them in the posted photo.  It seems that every scene down here is stunning.

 

That’s it for now, more coming later.