SO, three rainy days later we are back from our trip to Gisborne to meet Olivia. Yes, it rained for every minute we visited the city on the east coast, but it was still an amazing trip.
We took a bus from Hamilton, so it took about 6 hours to get there. But the bus ride was really fantastic. We got to see some of the most amazing New Zealand sights. The mountains and hills plus the coast were absolutely beautiful. For the last hour and a half we had to go through the Waioeka Gorge, and it was a little scary because the road was so twisty. But to look up from the bottom of that gorge at the mountains on all sides of you was a pretty amazing thing.
Jacqui took us all around city, so we got to see the best parts of Gisborne. The coast line was just amazing. We went to Makarori and Wainui beaches. Jacqui also made us all the New Zealand staples when it comes to food and drink. We had Pavlova, a delicious dessert named after Ana Pavlova the ballerina, custard squares, the best fish and chips in the world, Maori bread, Ginger nuts which are cookies with African tea, chips and onion dip, and Gisborne-made wine and champagne. She was quite a host!
And of course, we got to meet Olivia! She is so very sweet and beautiful! She just fit right in with the three of us. It was really a great experience to tour her town with her and her mom. We got to see all her baby pictures and pictures of her growing up. She got to talk to Dad on our last night there. I know she really wants to meet him, and we are all sad he didn't make it this way with us. But she said her and her mom are coming to America in 2012, so that will be great! We all want to get to know her better and be a part of her life.
So, overall we had a really really nice time in Gisborne. We are back in Hamilton now preparing to go to Tonga in 2 days. YES, that's two days until warmth and beaches and Dad! I will post pictures of Gisborne and Olivia as soon as I have a free moment.
Lots of love to everyone!
-Maria
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