Author Archives: davecman

Quiz Night at The Brew in Thames, New Zealand

Last night I joined Andrew for the weekly Quiz Night at a local pub called The Brew Cafe & Restaurant Bar.  Andrew and four of his work mates gather every Thursday night, along with another seven or eight other teams, … Continue reading

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The Birds are Returning Home

With Autumn comes a reduction in the amount of green plants, at least in most parts of the world.  Here, however, things never seem to get more than just slightly less green, or a lighter shade of green.  But it … Continue reading

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Passion Vine Hopper – Dave’s Question and Photos Published on whatsthatbug.com

This past summer, one of our greatest challenges (we’ve had many!) were a small insect that flew like a moth.  They were EVERYWHERE, on nearly every plant in our yard.  I spent an hour or so trying to find photos … Continue reading

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New Zealand Planning Institute 2012 Annual Conference Field Trip

Andrew had a choice between eight field trips to attend during the last day of the New Zealand Planning Institute’s Annual Conference in Blenheim.  He chose the “Southern Explorer” option, which took him to four places of development or proposed development. … Continue reading

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Our House Sitters Are Having a Great Time, Too.

Our housesitters, Mike and Emily, are having a wonderful time enjoying our home and gardens, as well as their time with our dog, Tazmin.  It sounds like they are taking Tazmin for long walks at the beach at the end … Continue reading

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Blenheim, New Zealand

Andrew receives his conference pass and materials We arrived in Blenheim yesterday at noon, and our first stop was for Andrew to pick up his registration at the Blenheim Conference Centre for the New Zealand Planning Institute Annual Conference.  He’ll be attending … Continue reading

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Kaikoura, New Zealand

After checking into the Dolphin Lodge Backpackers Hostel in Kaikoura, we headed to the point to see if we could spot any seals.  We did.  Dozens of them.  From one spot in our two hour walk, we counted 52 seals, … Continue reading

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Day Two at Hanmer Springs, New Zealand

Our first stop for our second day in Hanmer Springs was the Queen Mary Hospital, an historic reserve in Hanmer Springs.  We read in the paper this afternoon that the buildings of Queen Mary Hospital, long lain empty, are soon … Continue reading

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Horseback Riding at Hanmer Springs, New Zealand

  Andrew and Katie Andrew had been wanting for several weeks prior to our trip here to South Island to be able to go horse riding, but I was fearful the hour or more of straddling a horse and trying to … Continue reading

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Hanmer Springs, Southern Alps, New Zealand

The drive from Arthur’s Pass to Hanmer Springs was pretty much uneventful.  During long drives like that, we usually listen to one of our Audible stories.  This helps the time to pass, as well as being interesting.  We often stop … Continue reading

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