WANAKA DREAMING

Today Ma, Pa and BB went for a tiki tour over to Wanaka. The growth, in the three years since we were last there is astonishing. As is the quality of new housing around the skirt of the lake.

As mum put it, after driving past a vast loop of stunning homes, it was like going into a lolly shop, not being able to buy any and knowing you were going home to a jam sandwich.

However, in an effort by the councils to get things to "blend" the limited palate of colours people can use to create their homes means that there is a blandness about some streets. Sort of high end ticky tacky big boxes without the colour. After a while you yearn for something that breaks through the beige. But the architechture is breathtaking.

Wanaka is and will remain one of the most beautiful spots in the South Island and all credit to those who have worked hard enough to afford the lakeside lifestyle.

We rounded out the day with a lovely lunch at a place calle the Trout.

We initially went looking for a Irish pub called Slainte. But it has gone. About 5 years ago we spend a great night revelling in tales of daring do with Peter Bush, Tim Donoghue the Wanaka Fishermen and our son. They are men who have lived huge lives and love talking about it. So it was sad not to be able to visit the location of the Night of True Tall Tales as we called it.

So on the advice of a bottlestore owner we wandered to to the waterfront bar and restaurant the Trout, which we discovered was a Monteiths establishment.

Ma and I had blue cod in beer batter, served with salad and chips. It was as good a meal of that type I have ever had. The juice oozed out of the big flake of the cod, the chips crisp and the salad fresh. Dad had the steak sammy and declared it equally superb.

There are huge numbers of for sale signs up around the Lakes districts and they include a large smattering of vineyards. Today, the land was lush after a good spring.

We meandered our way back to Alexandra on the " backroad, via Luggate and across the bridge to the east side of the mighty Clutha.

It is always hard to leave the south, especially the family, but this trip has been a chance to recharge the batteries of the soul.

And we will need all that recharging when we will go back to toiling in the backroom of a large government department, far enough down the food chain to know you cant really make much of a difference.

So on the dark days when we drown in reports and are deafened by the drone of bureacracy , we will quietly dream of icing sugar mountain tops, pompom pink blossom trees, damn fine food, the good times with family, and a land rich with promise.