After Thursday's progress, we were motivated to complete the task of clearing out Noeline's apartment, so were there by 9:30 on Friday morning. Made a trip to Shelwyn's with the dining table, which she will store in the short term for Tricia, and another trip to Margaret's with items still to be sorted or to be given to particular people.
By noon, the apartment was empty, apart from a few specific items to be collected by people in town, cleaned and we were off to Petone for a well-deserved coffee, and lots of mutual praise for a job well done.
Marlene and Margaret went for a bush walk in the afternoon, while Tricia napped and I caught up on some work that I had been neglecting over the past few days.
We had dinner at a restaurant called Soi, on the waterfront in Wellington Harbour, to celebrate Shelwyn's 65th birthday. In addition to us 4, Shelwyn and her husband Colin, our cousins Maureen and Denzil Duncan (who visited us in Vancouver in October) were also there. The food was wonderful, and we had a very pleasant 4 hours laughing and talking about our collective childhood memories.
One thing that I have noticed about New Zealand restaurants is that when you reserve a table for dinner they assume that you will occupy it for the evening, unlike Canadian restaurants who will try and get you in and out as quickly as possible to make room for other people. So it was much more relaxed.
On the surface, $40 per person for main course and dessert may seem a little high, but sales tax is included in the menu prices, a tip is not expected, and with a 20% advantage from the exchange rate, it would be the equivalent of paying $26 (plus tip and tax) in Canadian dollars. So good value, considering the location, the quality of the food, and the fact that you can enjoy a relaxing meal.
Siskel and Ebert would give it "two thumbs up".
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