A short return to New Zealand

Well on the 8th May, a bombshell hit us, with the news of the sudden passing of my Dad.  With some extraordinary help from our helpx hosts Matt and Eleanor, and our travel agent in NZ we were able to get started on our homeward journey just ten hours later.  We left from Polgardi in Hungary and headed north into Austria where we left from Vienna. One car, four trains, three flights and about 29 hours later we arrived in Auckland to be met by our friend Alan who took us by car back to Taupo.  Family gathered from all over the world; Rarotonga, London, Germany, Hungary and Australia.  It was a very sad time but he did not suffer and was in no pain, and we are thankful for that.

 Dad

A special dad is hard to find,
You dad I'm keeping in my mind,
I wished you could have stayed forever,
But I will never forget you, oh not ever.

A special smile, a special face, a special someone I can't replace,
I love you and I always will,
You filled a space that no one will ever replace.

Almost eight weeks later we said goodbye to our family and friends again and headed back to Europe to continue our trip.  First stop Czech Republic, Prague.

Hungary - Polgardi

Polgardi is a smallish village with not many people speaking english, except for our english hosts.  Eleanor and Matt's house was a 200 year old cob house that they had started to renovate.  It was single level.  The yard was huge with a small area of grape vines and  lots of lawn, and out the back was maybe 3 hectares all together.  Our jobs were to have a general tidy up, plant the vegetable garden and for Murray to build a gate so access to the vegetable garden was easier.  we had many fun trips to the local wood yards and handyman stores trying to get the supplies - always with difficulty as nobody seemed to speak or understand english! haha very interesting times, using our hands to explain things.  We had lots of enjoyable evenings together over a glass or two and were lucky enough to visit Lake Balaton,  Eleanor and I had been to pick up the vegetable plants from her local hungarian friend and we had managed to get the wood for the gates and had started getting started on these projects when we had to leave.

Waiting for Eleanor and Matt to pick up us from Szekesfeherva train station.

Chicken broth with raw egg soup

Sitting by Lake Balaton

Lake Balaton - water was a little cloudy today

Town square with many bronze statues, these ladies think its going to rain!

Ellie the flying dog

Quick as lightening

Enjoying an ale and a local Pilinka at the local drinking hole

Gorgeous thatched roof house at Tihany village

From Tihany lookout - over Lake Balaton towards the east

Fresh Paprika anyone

Eleanor, Matt and Ellie taking a break

Mean looking woodfire oven

Pizza oven

Kiwi roast and Pavlova with friends

Peone roses galore - growing like weeds

Outback Hungarian railway station

Its rapeseed again!

Unusual trees with leafy balls in the branches

Thank you Eleanor, Matt and Ellie - Hungary - you are a lovely country.