If you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes ......

Someone said to me that in New Zealand, you get 4 seasons in one day. And another said, "If you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes and it will change."

That has certainly been the case in the 6 weeks we've been here. It is summer, and summer is meant to be a lower rain season - most of the rain falls in winter. But this summer is the wettest in about 15 years.

We arrived to a few days of big winds - blowing all the remaining blossoms off the cherry trees and blowing down branches. And since then, we've seen more rain than we have seen sunshine. There have been some stunning sunny days - like Christmas Eve which was cool but bright. And then there have been days that started out pouring and morphed into sun, and others which started off sunny and morphed into rain. And then there are the days where we have moved the washing in and out all day - under the shelter on the deck, out into the sun, back under the shelter.

We've had nights that were cold enough to sleep with a duvet and others when we have thrown off the sheets because it is sticky. Last weekend, we had torrential rain on out trip from Taupo to Napier. Ray drove though heavy rain with gusting winds on windy roads - I was so glad it wasn't me driving. Even with a rain jacket, I was soaked in the short dash between the car and the Info site. But the next morning, the clouds cleared, it ended up being bright and sunny and we had a wonderful evening watching the sunset.

We have realised that you can't wait for the weather to clear to do the things we want to do - we might do nothing! So we do the things we've planned and hope for a showery instead of a rainy day. Thank goodness for a good rain jacket - the one I bought last time we were in New Zealand - to go on the boat in Milford Sound. We don't bother with umbrellas - because there is so often wind with the rain.

The best thing about the New Zealand weather is reading on facebook how hot it was in Maritzburg. I saw Jess's car thermomenter yesterday - 47 degrees! It hasn't got much more than 25 here, although it is quite humid at times. But nothing like Maritzburg's humidity!

When the sky is blue, it is beautiful - a paler blue than the African sky, which is usually a much deeper blue - because there is more water vapour in the sky in this narrow, water surrounded island. But even in the rain, it is good to be here.