Greetings from our Chairman....

Auckland, New Zealand

24 Dec 2009

Dear All,

We had a long but comfortable flight from Bombay to Auckland via Singapore. It is very far away and seems like a different world.

The people are nice and friendly. The weather was quite cold and rainy when we got here but is now warm and comfortable most of the time. It also does not rain much now.

The flowers are in bloom and there are many migratory birds all over the place. Here at Alok’s place we hear birds all day long. It is very quiet and peaceful.

Surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman sea there are many beaches close to the house,lots of greenery and plenty of open spaces.

We visited a sacred forest with many Kauri trees ,one of which is 2000 years old.

In a short time we have visited a number of places and will be going to the South Island in mid Jan for 10 days, travelling in a camper van. This is going to be quite an experience. Looking forward to it.

Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand ,said to be the 5^th largest city in the world by area. For a population of 1.4 million people ,it is very spread out and the distances are large. To drive 400 km in a day is not considered a lot at all. Last weekend we visited a Maori sacred forest and some lakes.

Museum , Botanical garden , Parks , Mt Victoria , One Tree Hill , Mission Bay are a few among the many places we have seen in Auckland.

Today we are going to see the Sky Tower ( the highest man made structure in the Southern Hemisphere ) ,Mt Eden which is a volcano right in the middle of the city. And also go to see some very beautifully lit streets for the festive season.

Will send another update after returning from the South Island.

Warm Regards and Best Wishes for the New Year.

Rajni & Sujata