CAMPING AT WENDERHOLM

We just had a stunning weekend away camping at Wenderholm, which is about 35 mins north of Auckland. We went with friends who have boys the same age, and had a ball! The weather was absolutely beautiful, clear blue skies and hot. Spent the first day on the beach and Connor had a fantastic time with his friend Oscar, using his boogie board to catch some (rather little) waves and just hanging out in the water.















Byron enjoyed jumping the waves















Connor and Oscar, waiting to jump the next 'wave' (it was nearly flat!)















We built a huge fort with a channel for the sea to come up, but unfortunately were rather out in our calculations of where the tide would come in, and it ended up being a big lemon! The boys all enjoyed it though, as did plenty of other children on the beach the next day.




















The second day we went for a bush walk up along the coast. The scenery was fantastic and the boys did really well and walked the whole way. Connor can walk for miles and miles, but we were really impressed with Byron, who managed all the steep climbs, hundreds of steps and slippery gravel without fading. The view was amazing, I had forgotten what incredibly beautiful scenery we have on our doorstep, just over half an hour from home! It felt like being in the Bay of Islands. Can't wait to go back! We are absolutely loving our tent, so thanks to all the family who contributed to our Christmas present, and can't believe how lucky we've been with the weather for all our camping expeditions so far!

A DAY ON THE BOAT!

On Sunday we had an absolutely fantastic day out on the water with Debs and Dave on their boat. The weather was beautiful and we all enjoyed ourselves so much, the boys have been playing various different water themed games ever since.

Bruce and Byron enjoying the ride (with Connor behind them, up front next to Captain Dave).















The main purpose of the trip was to catch something for dinner. Although we caught lots of snapper, they were all undersized and had to be thrown back to grow bigger for another day.















Proud Connor with Uncle Dave and a fish he caught, before returning it to the sea















The boys were fascinated by the enormous starfish one of them managed to hook. Thankfully he was unharmed and enjoyed a leisurely float back to the bottom.















One of our favourite parts of the day was going for a 'float' off the back of the boat where we anchored for lunch. If was great jumping off in life jackets and just floating around! Connor was beside himself with excitement, he really loved it.

PAUANUI JAN 2010

We spent a lovely week at Pat and Bob (Bruce's folks') caravan in Pauanui, on the Coromandel Peninsula. The weather was so kind to us, it was beautiful the whole week until the day we left, which was so lucky! Pauanui is perfect for the boys as it has a surf beach and a calm, tidal estuary to play in. Here are some snaps:

We built a 'boat' for the boys, who had a great time running away from the waves and watching it being destroyed when the tide came in.



































The boys loved Bob's canoe, and Connor became very proficient at paddling it. At first he needed a bit of help from Bruce...















... but was soon paddling his little brother around with ease! The estuary is great because even at high tide it is only about a metre deep for miles out, so we could walk along behind the boys while they were playing in the canoe.















We took a day trip to a place called 'Waiau Water Works', which is near Coromandel Town (about an hour twenty from Pauanui). It is a park with lots of different interactive water features for the children (and adults!), plus a fantastic playground. Well worth the drive, we all had a great time.

One of Connor's favourite parts of the playground was the old gas tanks used as 'skittles', that you swing a giant barrel at to try and knock them over. If you aim correctly you're rewarded with lots of banging and crashing as the things go toppling over. Bruce and I got some good exercise standing them back up again each time!















Another favourite was the 'water cannons', three cannons that had a pump action handle at the side and a shield in front, so you could 'fire' at your opponents. Below the boys are enjoying giving Bruce a good soaking.















When Connor first got onto a cannon, there were two older boys giving him a good soaking, so I couldn't resist running over to try and give him a hand. It was such a hot day that it was a relief to cool down!















The boys weren't quite up to the flying fox speeding through the bush, but Bruce and I had a great time on it. It was really fast, and had a couple of nifty breaking devices at the end to slow you down quickly. The start went literally through the trees, felt like Tarzan it was great!




















Also couldn't resist the giant hamster wheel















Just as much fun for the adults as kids, Pat and Bob on the up and down and turning see saw.















The boys tried out the new fishing rods Debs and Dave gave them for the first time, and Connor was very proud of his first catch! I did the 'bonking' very reluctantly, but after throwing several back, Connor insisted we keep one. It's still in the freezer, apparently there is a bird lady somewhere around who has some sick penguins, so Connor is convinced that we are going to donate his fish to help them get better!


































We chose the perfect night for fish and chips on the beach. This was down on the estuary, which is a couple of minute's walk, just out the back of the campsite.