Kiwitea - blink and you'll miss it

Kiwitea is a tiny rural settlement between Cheltenham and Kimbolton, blink and you will miss it!! Named after a light coloured Kiwi, it boasts a primary school, a playcentre and a village hall. We went up for a pre Christmas visit to see daughter Nicky and her family who live the good life in the country on their small farm.

Grand-daughter Megan was cutting the grass county style on their ride on lawn mower. This looked like it was more fun than work.

Robert cooked up steak and hamburgers on the barbecue. It was such a lovely day that we ate our lunch outside. The Manawatu region is known for it's windy weather, but Sunday was just glorious without a breath of wind at all. Nicky had made a lovely pavlova for dessert, smothered with whipped cream and topped with fresh blueberries and blackberries. The origin of the first pavlova, or pav for short, has been hotly debated for many years between New Zealand and Australia, with both countries claiming that they made the very first one. It was created in honour of the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, who toured both countries in 1926. Whatever the origin, it is now considered a classic New Zealand and Australian dessert.

Megan, Robin, Robert and Nicky

After lunch we checked out the farm animals. The family are keen horse riders and compete in various events and competitions. Robert runs a few sheep for the table and sent the sheepdog Tui out to round them up so we could see the lambs. He is also fattening up three bobby calves. Three dogs and two cats complete the livestock tally.

Tui, worn out after rounding up the sheep