Christmas Day/Boxing Day

We had a fantastic Christmas/Boxing day this year.  The weather was lovely and the company was great too.

We were up early in the morning.  Sam, swore on Xmas Eve, that he would be up before everyone else....yeah right! We ended up waking him.  Callie didn't know what to do or where to look.  Santa had brought Sam a huge bag of presents and Callie had a nice pile too.  While Sam started to open his, watched intently, by Callie,  she soon realised that there may be something in it for her. She offered to help Sam a few times, but realised in the end, it was better to wait and while he wasn't watching, help herself to his presents.

Sam was thoroughly enjoying opening his present, then he decided, with the help of Daddy, to help Callie open hers.  She wasn't too sure but, once she got her new "mobile phone" unwrapped, then everything else just got left....apart from the chocolate snowman!!!

We ended up having a lovely feast, with the Millard Family. Gammon, prawns, burgers, sausages, salad, potatoes and topped-off with a tasty meringue filled with lemon curd and whipped cream.....lovely.

On Boxing Day, we packed a picnic and headed off down to Omokoroa Beach. I am sure I have told you all before, but this is a lovely little cove, which is so safe for the kids.  The have a beach, play ground, field and jetty (should they want to catch fish). I am really looking forward to Callie growing up here.

It was a beautiful day and we were joined by the Millard family and also Klaire and Elorraine.  They boys had fun digging in the sand and even Callie and Scott joined in.  Callie is slowly getting used to the vast amount of water and I am sure she will be in there soon, splashing around and having fun.  I even ventured into the water for my first swim of the summer.  Cold on entry, but once you get past that certain "take your breath away" spot, then you are fine.  It makes you realised how lucky we are to have such a beautiful place to swim.

The day was finished off with a friendly game of mini Foosball.  Team Sam v team Scott v team Callie.  The boys thought they would be ok, with Callie watching on the sidelines, but once she saw that little white  ball, nothing was going to stop her from getting it.  Sam was gutted that it was always his players being sabotaged, that didn't seem to bother Scott though.  Below is a picture of her trying to get the ball.  I am not sure, but she must think looking away makes her look innocent....mmmmmmmm I don't think so.... xxxxx



Wellington January 2011

Well we finally took the plunge and visited the capital of New Zealand.  We were going to go in April, but decided that the weather would be nicer in the summer months.  Wellington is known for its WIND.... The weather did not let us down, we had one morning, which was  a little cloudy, but apart from that it was beautiful.

We booked ourselves a plush hotel, 5 stars, with all the trimmings, and it was fantastic.  The hotel room had a separate bedroom, so putting the kids to sleep was so much better, as we could stay up longer. Mind you after all the walking/swimming we were doing, we were ready for bed by 9:00, all this keep fit tires you out!!

After arriving at the hotel and unpacking, we grabbed a map, from reception, and headed off to the Cable Cars.  This is were you realise how hilly Wellington is. After a short ride to the top of the Botanical Gardens, we hopped off and went to the look out point. What an amazing view.

You could choose a walking route around the gardens.  We opted to head for the kids play ground, so Sam could let off some steam. The gardens, even though we only seen a small selection, were beautiful. If we ever go back, I would like to see the rest.  After Sam had a little play, we headed back to the Cable Cars.

The next day we headed off to Te Papa.  This is Wellingtons famous museum.  It is brilliant. They have some fantastic areas where the kids can be "hands on". Six floors of discovery and something for everyone.  We even took some time out to look at the Art Gallery section.  Even Sam was blown away by the paintings.  He couldn't believe that they could get hands and fingers so perfect.  There was one painting, that looked like a photograph.  You could have just stood there and looked at it for hours, it was amazing. A definite must-do for anyone visiting Wellington.

We also managed to fit in a day at Wellington Zoo.  It's only small, but they have still managed to fit in a lot of things.  They are also making a huge amount of additional/new habitats for the animals and it will look brilliant when its done.  One of their main attractions is the "Vet-cam", you can watch the vet operating on animals, and ask questions too.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it.  They had a great selection of animals. But, our favourites were the Sun Bear, Lion and Giraffes.

After the Zoo trip had finished, we headed back to the hotel, were we all got changed and headed down to the hotel pool.  We swam everyday, and the boys fitted in two sessions a day.  It was a lovely pool, not too big, but there was a spa, sauna and gym.  We made use of everything but the gym, we left that for the crazy people!!

Before we caught the plane, on our last day, we headed out to Miramar.  This is where the Weta workshop is located and Peter Jackson's many warehouses.  Its not a very big place and it is amazing that some BIG movie sets were designed here.  The Weta Cave, where we visited, is a small shop dedicated to some of the projects that Weta have done.  They have lots of displays and even a mini cinema, where you can watch a "behind the scenes" movie.  All in all a good place to visit.  Some ugly looking people there though..

Anyway, that's my post on Wellington.  A fab city, with lots to see and do.  I also think its much better than Auckland.....but that's just my opinion...... xxx



Xmas Parade Mount Maunganui

We headed off to Mount Maunganui today, with the Millard family, to watch  the Xmas Parade . It's the first time we have been to see the parade, as every year, we end up doing the "duck race", but we decided to give that a miss this year .

It was a beautiful day, the sky was blue and the sun was shining, the sea was very inviting, but we had a date with Santa and not the surf board! 

When we arrived, we parked next to the beach. We then headed off down the boardwalk  for our morning coffee.  The kids ran along the sand playing ball and having a good time. 

After we had our caffeine fix we headed off to the Farmers Market. No, this is not somewhere you can buy farmers, but a place full of lovely fresh produce and tasty treats. All the stuff is either, homegrown or homemade. So you know there isnt any "nasty stuff" in it. We picked up a HUGE punnet of strawberries and some home made Hot Chilli sauce mmmmmmm.

We headed back to the beach and got the picnic blankets out.  Under the shade of the Pohutukawa tree, we had some early lunch. Callie was fast asleep in her pram and the kids were playing in the sand.  Once we were all full to the brim, we headed back to the parade area.

It was jam packed with people waiting for the parade, all lined up along Maunganui Road.  It reminded me of Disney World, but not on the same scale, found myself singing the Mickey Mouse song.. hehe.

The parade was great, lots of different floats and cars, motorbikes, suped up ride on mowers and even a motorised toilet! People put a lot of effort into decorating their floats, they are all given a number and you can vote for which is your favourite one.  The winner gets over $3000 in prize money, so its all taken very seriously.

Callie liked the bagpipes and the Chinese dragons, she got a bit of a shock when the fire engine put on its siren, but she soon got over it. Sam got his hand shook, by the "Cement Rider", he mush have been so hot in that suit.

The Salsa group were great, they were dressed up as a deck of cards, and we all had a jig to the music. And even Santa made an appearance, which is always a great hit with the kids!

They put on lots of entertainment after the parade.  They had a Zumba Display, which got me shaking my bits and having a little jig...think I'm addicted (Sam disowned me)!  The boys sat and watched a juggler, playing with fire, there was a kid beatboxing, who was amazing, I tried it and again Sam was not impressed. 

On the way back to the car we stopped off at the reserve so the kids could go play in the playground, then we headed back to the car and back home.  Callie was shattered. We managed to get her in the bath before she fell fast asleep.  But I must admit, no matter what mood she is in, she always manages to smile......! xxx











Days Out

DAY ONE

MOUNT MAUNGANUI 

So, when Scott works the weekend, he then gets Monday and Tuesday off.  We decided to make the most of the beautiful summer weather and head out.

On Monday we ended up going to Mount Maunganui.  We haven't been there for ages and love going back for a visit.  It changes every time we head to the Mount, more businesses and shops and there are always loads of tourists, especially when the cruise ships are docked. We walked round the base of the Mount, which usually takes about 40 minutes, in total.  It's a great walk and you feel like you are in paradise.  We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place.

After we had a walk round the base track, we headed off to the local ice cream shop,called the Chateaux. You can usually smell the place before you get to it.  They make their own Waffle Cones and they are amazing.  Ice cream in hand, we headed off to Pilot Bay. The quieter side of the Mount, the other side is the large beach, with BIG waves. 

Scott, took Callie for her first paddle in the sea.  She wasn't sure about it at first, and kept on lifting her feet up as high as she could.  But, with a little patience, on Scott's, behalf, she finally stood up properly.

 DAY TWO

KATIKATI BIRD GARDENS 



So, today, we headed out to Katikati Bird Gardens.  Callie is absolutely crazy about birds, if there is more that one at a time, she usually cant speak, because she is soooo excited!.

Katikati, is basically on our doorstep, only took about 15mins to get to the Bird Gardens.  We weren't sure about what to expect, because we hadn't been before, but, we had been told that we would see quite a few birds there.

When we arrived, there wasn't anyone else there, but there was, a big huge peacock,  who came out to meet us in the car park.  Callie was in total shock!

Once we got into the reception area, Callie was greeted by some type of LOUD parrot. When it squawked, it sounded like a telephone....Callie was not impressed! In fact she started crying, lots. After the initial scare, we paid our entrance fee, bought a bag of bird feed and set off.  Callie soon forgot her nasty beginning, when we were greeted by a flock of birds, from ducks, to doves, to peacocks to geese....she didn't know where to look, or what to say.

We went for a fabulous walk through some beautiful gardens, some of which had lovey ponds filled with fish.  The scenery was amazing and the array of birds was fantastic.  Callie had a fantastic time looking at all the birds, I have never seen her stuck for words, but for once she was speechless.

At the end of the walk, we ended up back at the beginning, with all our little feathered friends waiting for us (or was is it our food?).. Mr Peacock was in full display and making sure everyone heard him.  The birds took a fancy to Scott and Callie was, once again, left gobsmacked! A great day out and I am sure we will be back again..soon! xx