Hopefully everyone's getting over the shock now, but yes, indeed it's true - I finally proposed to Sarah-Jaye on the weekend (and yes, she gladly accepted and didn't run for the hills!).
We were staying up in Kaikoura for the weekend (180km north of Christchurch), up in a treehouse at Hapuku Lodge. By far the most luxurious and amazing place we've ever stayed in (better than stuck-up 5* hotels in Paris). Out of the front we were looking towards the Seaward Kaikoura mountains, out the back was the olive groves and the sea. Spa bath looking out to see, along with a shower with zero privacy - there I was standing naked looking out over the olive groves. Genius.
So we drove up there on Friday night and went for dinner in the lodge on arrival. Kaikoura means "eat crayfish" in Maori, so I was straight in on that. Bottle of Terravin Sauv Blanc was a perfect match. Over the last week or so we've had a huge Comet passing over NZ, Comet McNaught - went outside to see this at sunset. Amazing how big that is and so far away - something like 140 million miles away! How does that work?
Up the next morning for an excellent continental breakfast (best croissants I've had in ages 
) then drove down to Kaikoura Airport to catch our whale-watching flight. Now I thought I was in a small plane down to Queenstown last week, but this one wins - ony 4 seats this time. Nobody else down there so a private trip for us 2! Very lucky with the weather as it just cleared before take-off. Got out to sea about 15 mins or so and there it was - an 18 metre sperm whale - the 3rd largest mammal in the world! Flew round and round it watching it while taking in loads of oxygen before flipping his tail up and diving back down to hunt for giant squid. Apparently they can stay down there for up to 45 minutes at a time!
Weather closed in again once we got back, so back to the treehouse and some DVDs. Little did SJ know what I had going through my mind! Went off to the car to try to call her dad, doing the old asking for permission thing, but no joy there - only got the answer phone. Well the moment was there so I went for it. Sarah didn't actually believe me first of all (has anyone ever taken a Sloth seriously?!), but it soon sunk in and she accepted!! 
. The ring was something I had prepared earlier, Blue Peter-style - we'll be trying to get one this weekend. As if by magic the clouds cleared and the sun came out, so we went off for a walk down to the beach to watch the surfers - this break's called "meat-works" and is supposed to be one of the best in NZ. Sarah's dad called back so I asked for permission after the event - all good there.
Got fish and chips (fush n' chups) from town, brought them back, got the fire cranked up in the room and watched the sunset over the mountains. All accompanied by the bottle of Ashbrook Chardonnay 2004 I'd been saving for such a special moment. What a beauty it was. Wish we'd bought more of that now!
Up the next morning early to go swimming with the dusky dolphins with Dolphin Encounter. Maisy and I did this when we were travelling 10 years ago (where has all that time gone?!) - remember it being very cold and singing Spice Girls to them. Got kitted out with our wet suits and snorkelling gear then onto the boat for a 30 minute trip out to search for them. I don't remember how many there were when we did this before, but this time there were so many it was amazing! Think the pod had around 150. The dusky dolphins are reputed to be amongst the most acrobatic of the
dolphin species, and their spectacular leaps, jumps, side slaps and
back flips, bring shouts of joy to most that go out to witness their
wild and free behaviour. One of the most spectacular leaps performed by
the duskies is its trademark somersault and the duskies will often
repeat these acrobatic leaps time and again. They're completely wild, not trained or attracted to the boats by any artificial means - just very curious creatures.
So anyway, once we got into a good spot, time for everyone to slip into the water. Straight away they swim over to you to check you out, often in groups of 3 or 4. Singing or making weird noises attracts them more, so time for a bit of Kylie, Spice Girls, S-Club! Seems the cheesier the better. Little did I know that while I'm swimming round in circles making all this noise, most of the other swimmers are on the surface pissing themselves laughing at the Sloth! So amazing in there, I'm a bit lost for words to describe it all really. Sarah-Jaye was loving all this and really got into it on the 2nd swim - watched her swimming round and round in circles with 3 or 4 dolphins at a time. Sadly we couldn't stay in there all day, so back on the boat for some photos before heading back to shore. If you ever get the chance to go to NZ - definitely make sure Kaikoura is on your list!
Every weekend away needs a round of mini-golf but unfortunately the 2 courses in Kaikoura are 1) *** and 2) Closed. Settled for another great lunch in Hislops Organic Cafe - highly recommended! So I think that was pretty much it for that weekend. Couldn't have been better!