Fun with the Joe Family in Wellington!

Michelle and Craig’s thoughts:

One of the many highlights of our trip in the North Island was when we stayed with Christine’s family just outside of Wellington. Martin (dad), Joy (mom) and Raylene (sister) were wonderful host and hostesses. They live in this beautiful blue and white house on the cliff with the most spectacular views of the Tasman Sea. It reminded us of being on an island in Greece. We really loved all the full length windows along the one side of the house. We could sit anywhere and enjoy the breathtaking scenery. On a clear day, you could see the South Island and the sunsets are gorgeous!!

Martin is hilarious and entertaining especially when he’s with Donald, his friend and boat partner. We laughed so much with him. He acts like a grizzly bear, but he’s really a sweet man. Joy is so gentle and kind, and she has wonderful stories about her family. Raylene is so nice and easy-going. She is also a fellow traveler and was very informative of the places we were going to. We definitely picked her brain.

Martin loves his boat, Rampage, and fishing. If he had his way, he would be fishing every day. Obviously, our first day we went deep sea fishing. Along for the trip was his son and Christine’s brother, Andrew and his friend Jason, and Martin’s friends, Tony and Donald. Donald did most of the driving, but Martin was the one who decided where we fished. Martin was also teaching Donald how to spot places to fish. They have this monitor that tells them how deep the water is. Certain depths are good for fishing, depending on what your catching. That’s it for our knowledge.

Once Martin hollered that the men could start fishing, within minutes, Craig, Jason and Tony caught groupers. I was tired just watching them try to reel in the heavy fish from the deep water. It was long and agonizing. They all wore this belt with this holder that allowed them to place the end of their rod inside. It helped them balance and stabilize the rod while they struggled with the fish. Craig caught the biggest grouper. It weighed 33 lbs!! We were so happy and excited! Way to go!!

The men also caught these beautiful looking red snappers. We were definitely eating fish that night. The following day we went crabbing with Raylene, Andrew and his kids, Amanda and Ryan. Thanks Andrew for taking us out on your boat!!! Crabbing consists of a net attached to a buoy and bait (fish scraps). After about ten minutes of dropping the net, Raylene and Craig would pull it up and the crabs would be caught in the net. The kids helped distribute the crabs and threw the tiny ones or the crabs that had eggs (for conservation). It was so much fun! Afterwards, Joy, Pauline (Andrew’s wife), Amanda and I cleaned and prepared the crabs for cooking. I would like to thank Amanda for teaching me how to use the knife to snap the shell off the squirmy crab’s back and snap it in half. A great teacher! That night we ate fish, crabs and lamb shanks- we definitely had a great feast! The Joe family really know how to cook! Fabulous meals every day!

Martin and Donald were kind enough to show us around Wellington. Great views of Wellington’s waterfront from on top of the mountain.

We would like to thank Christine for providing us the opportunity to stay with her family. We would like to thank the amazing Joe family for letting us hang with them and feeding us scrumptious meals!! We had a fabulous time and we were very sad when we had to leave. We’ve already warned Christine that after this blog entry that there may be an influx of Sunnybrookites wishing to stay with her family when they visit New Zealand!! If that happens, we wouldn’t be surprised if Martin started charging for the services!! Ha! Ha! Just kidding!! Oh yes, if you go, bring a can of Tim Horton’s coffee!!!

Love,
Michelle and Craig