Northland and Hokianga

Tui on the flax plant outside the kitchen window

Me and the dogs!

Kohukohu General Store - it had everything in there!

Me and Louisa with the dogs on the Hokianga ferry

Cape Reinga pohutakawa tree where the souls depart for Hawaiiki

That white sand beach again

The meeting of the Tasman Sea and south Pacific

Looking south

The signpost Cape Reinga

Cape Reinga lighthouse

Our earlier trip up north to a bach near Hokianga harbour was going great, until the car decided to blow an ignition coil near Cape Reinga, frightening me as I had visions of huge repair bills as we were so remote. This cut short some of our planned schedule, but it was still a brilliant break. The bach was quirky - made from mud bricks and used a lot of bamboo in it's construction - hardly surprising as there were large amounts growing on the land nearby. Hokianga and it's environs were nice, but going north from there let us find some stunning, white sand beaches, almost like talcum powder or cornflour, squeaking under your feet as you walked on it.

Cape Reinga was nice, where the Pacific meets the Tasman sea, plus the lighthouse and sign post. It is a significant place in Maori culture as well, as it is believed to be the place the souls of the departed leave on their final journey to Hawaiiki. It was also stinking hot, with the sun melting the tar on the roads.

Although the journey back was a nightmare, it was an enjoyable trip, even though our son couldn't be with us due to work commitments.

Rere water slide and falls

We travelled down to Gisborne, the first city in the world to see the new day, on New Zealand's east coast.

We set off, going via Rotorua and the gorge south from Opotiki. We had heard about the Rere rock slide, a long almost flat rock, natural water-slide, so we took a detour off the main SH2 gorge road and followed unsealed roads for a long way. It was bouncy and dusty, stinking hot as well, so it was a relief when we got to the falls.

A quick change and it was down to the slide, boogie board in hand. Of course, I had to be the first to go on, not by choice, but because Kieran and Louisa didn't have the nerve to try without silly old dad going first!

So, I slipped and slid my way across the rocks in the cold water and watched how it was done. Then I got on the board and away I went. It was fast, a bit scary at first, but a great ride, straight in to a very cold and deep pool of water at the base.

I also provide my mother-in-law with the biggest laugh she has had in years after I slipped showing my son how to start off. I came down really hard on my elbow and it is still hurting today, 6 days later. She laughed so much her sunglasses steamed up! And of course, she caught it all on video much to my chagrin...

After a while riding we set off 2km down the road to the waterfalls for a photo stop. I'm sure you will agree with me that they are beautiful, and we would all heartily recommend anyone to go off the beaten track to visit this lovely area.

I've not been very good lately have I.....??!!!!

I got a shock when I saw the last blog, from October!

Anyway, I have been a tad busy with work and Xmas etc. So will add a couple of updates of my adventures over the Xmas and summer break - even though summer has been a bit late this year - probably why I haven't had too much to blog about!

Labour Day weekend

We went across to Ruapuke motor camp last weekend - 0ur first time camping at this time of year. Apart from one day that was a bit damp, the rest of the weekend was ok weatherwise.
We all needed the break and had a good relaxing time next to the stream.
Walks on the beach, a trip in to Raglan where we harvested some fresh cockles, all the usual stuff we enjoy so much. We never got round to doing any fishing which is a shame, but we have the summer ahead of us.....

Ngaruawahia pa, and a bit of Irish culture!

Took a run over to Ngaruawahia in order for Kieran to play in the school Ceilidh band on the occasion of Father Keane's 50th anniversary of his ordination. It was a bit of a "churchy" weekend, with our kids performing in the church band and choir the evening before.

While the band was setting up, Jan and I took the opportunity to do a little bit of geocaching nearby. There was one close to the church that took us to the local pa (Maori hill defence system). The pa afforded the defenders a commanding view of the local area, with the river and local hills all being overlooked by the site.

The preserved site, with fantastic wood carvings provided by the traditional carvers from a local university, is a reminder of the turbulent past of this young country.

After this we went back to the church hall to watch the boy's performance of some lovely Irish tunes, accompanied by some lively dancing from a couple of girls from the Irish dance school.

The lovely sunny weather added to the nice relaxing Sunday, with both of us enjoying the walk in the sunshine.

St. John's college Sporting and Cultural awards evening - Vilagrad winery

Last Wednesday, we attended the prizegiving event at the Vilagrad winery near Hamilton. Kieran was being awarded his "blues" for services to the school musical scene.

It was an excellent evening, with a beautiful carvery meal and an excellent performance from the school guitar group to provide the music. An after dinner speaker had the audience in tears, both laughter and sadness, well worth a read of his story on his website... http://www.jasonbarrell.co.nz/jasonstory.html

Kieran and all the boys looked very smart in their school uniforms, they were a credit to the school and it is nice in this day and age to celebrate young people's achievements instead of hearing about their problems.

Flying to Wellington tomorrow...

Camera will be at the ready for some nice shots of the mountains in the morning sunshine.....well weather permitting!

Tongariro range looked beautiful in the week, lots of snow on the tops - watch this space!