Hahei - Part 1

This summer the weather has been truly amazing - we actually feel like we are getting a summer which isn't always the case!! Our week in Hahei with the Reed girls was so much fun and refreshing. 

Katie and Anna actually slept outside on this chair the first night!

Ellie working on dinner with Katie's help - Meggie is there to entertain.

I tried to get a close up of Katie teaching Ellie how to turn the sausages but she jumped out of the frame and Meggie jumped in!

Girls on dishes - why isn't it like this at home? They washed up after every meal :).

We went to a beautiful secluded beach near Hahei called Cathedral Cove. We walked all the way from Hahei on a lovely path so it was very refreshing to arrive and jump in the water. The beach is stunning - and all the more so because you can't drive to it, you have to walk. We stayed all day soaking up the rays, swimming, reading, building sand mermaids and snoozing. It was perfect.

Walking to Cathedral Cove.

View of Hahei beach as we took off on our walk.

Gaining altitude.

The colors along the way were amazing.

Looking at Hahei beach.

Time for a snack before continuing.

We're here!

Josie

Katie and Anna

Anna, Meggie, Katie, Josie, Katie and Ellie

Girls swimming out to jump off the rock - I did it too, very fun!

Katie, Meggie, Josie and Anna taking the plunge.

I love seeing the Pohutukawa trees along the shore - they are the ones with the red blossoms and are called "New Zealand's Christmas Tree" because they start to bloom around Christmas and only last a short while.

Ellie the mermaid with artists Katie and Meggie.

Josie and Katie the mermaids with artist Anna.

After the long walk back to Hahei we went to the local, delicious, ice-cream shop and had ice cream. This is what they call a "Double" scoop!

Anna and Katie.

Anna, Katie and Josie.

Me and Nicky - we traveled well together!! 

Meggie.

Katie.

Exhausted after a full day.

Waiheke Part Two

On our last full day in Waiheke we had lunch in a beautiful vineyard on the island, Passage Rock, known for their award-winning pizzas as well as their award-winning wine. 

After lunch the oldest three girls and I thought it would be fun to go on a giant zip line - unfortunately Ellie was too small so she and Dugs stayed back and waited for us to finish. It was actually a series of three zip lines, all the same distance, but each one getting steeper and therefore faster.

The whole experience was lots of fun - and we met some American actors who were on holiday and they gave Josie some tips on what to do if she really wants to get into acting when she gets older. My favorite was that she should read a lot! I didn't recognize either of them but the girl (I've forgotten her name) was in "The Lincoln Lawyer" which I did see, and the guy, Scott something, has been on "Castle" which we also have seen on tv. All the girls were pretty excited to meet them and they were very kind and encouraging.

After the final zip we walked back, about a kilometer, to get back to where we started and the guides told us all about the native trees and plants and a bit of the history of the island. All four of us really enjoyed it and would highly recommend the experience if you visit Waiheke.

Ellie entertaining herself while she waits.

We left the island the next morning and Dugald flew to Wellington while the girls and I drove up north to the Coromandel. More pictures to follow!

Waiheke - Part One

Well our summer holiday didn't start quite as we expected, but even so we had a wonderful time away! We had planned to leave on Sunday or Monday to drive up to Auckland and then catch the ferry Monday afternoon to Waiheke Island where we had rented a bach for a week. Unfortunately, on Saturday I managed to hit a giant pothole on the side of the road which caused something in the car to begin to rattle rather annoyingly. Being as this is New Zealand and they tend to emphasize having a good work/life balance, there were no car repair places open on the Sunday. Also, this being summer, a lot of places - including our normal garage - weren't even open on Monday. All that meant we had to change our plans a bit - the girls and I flew to Auckland on the Monday (Jetstar, $49 each, score), and Dugald stayed behind and waited for the car to be fixed. In my defense, I would like to state for the record that it was a marital miscommunication that caused the said "accident" in the first place. I was driving on a two-lane road out to our friend's place and there was another car coming in the opposite direction. As I always do, I veered a little more to the outside of the road. Dugald noticed the giant pothole and said "Watch out" at which point I, thinking he thought I was too close to the center line, moved over even further and drove right into it. Oops.

After arriving in Auckland and catching a cab to the ferry terminal the girls and I arrived in Waiheke with our backpacks (the cheap fare meant no check-in luggage) and grabbed a taxi to the supermarket. Our bach was in Rocky Bay which is a more secluded part of the island - great if you have a car, less so if you don't. However, the girls were complete sports about the whole thing and played quite contentedly in the house, down at the rocky (thus the name) beach, and at the playground nearby. By Wednesday, when Dugald and the car arrived midday, we were ready to explore the rest of the island! As it turns out there is quite a lot to do and see - we drove around checking out the various beaches and plotting our next day's activities before retiring to a lovely restaurant on the beach for dinner. We also got to visit Dugald's cousin Bobs and her husband Eugene for morning tea the next day. They have a lovely summer home on the island and we enjoyed our visit with them immensely. 

The name of our rental was "Castaways".

The view from the balcony.

Again the view, it was stunning.

The girls testing the water when we arrived at Rocky Bay.

They really enjoyed swinging on the tree swing but the water below was stagnant and rather gross so they did their best to not fall off.

We spent a lot of time playing games at this table.

And in their rooms.

Venturing out for a proper swim at Rocky Bay.

Daddy arrived!! On our first visit to Onetangi beach - just checking it out.

My two favorite youngest children.

Ellie lost her front tooth on holiday.

Our day at Onetangi beach was perfect. Katie buried herself in the sand then asked Ellie to jump on her to see if she could feel it.

Daddy helping Ellie catch a wave.

She loved it and headed straight back out to do it on her own. 

We only had one board so Katie did a lot of body surfing.

Josie and Daddy practiced cricket on the sand.

While these three rested from all the fun.

Dinner self-portrait.

Meggie was cold.

Dugald and Bobs having a chat.

The girls on the deck at Bobs and Eugene's.

Eugene was explaining something about one of the pieces of art to the girls.