Christmas 2011

 Mother harvesting "her" garden. 

We provided the ham, so how else do you get star anise to stick into the skin? Years of watching them fall off during basting, but not this year!















 

Queen Elizabeth Park, Christmas Day. Just perfect for Christmas lunch. Julie & Tim are getting the hang of a hot Christmas Day.












It's not Christmas without pohutukawa.















Tim carves the ham, under Barb's supervision.

And the Otaki Races.  Auntie Val does her good impression of her mother doing the picks, and daughter Faye wasn't bad either.

Ohiwa Harbour 2011-12

Cow unhinged! The back road to the Bay of Plenty, with new stock signs that can be folded up when the cows are safely in their paddocks. Strangely enough, the Children signs were the same. Missed photo opportunity: the sign for "Bitterns Wandering" through the swamps of Cheddar Valley.

The traffic gets more interesting, the closer you get to the Ureweras.

Ma & Pa Kettle go on holiday. Not quite the same as a trailer, 3 boats and a tent.  
(I thought we looked super cool - Dad)

With the weather closing in, we still managed the new 22km Dune trail south of Opitiki. Reward for the odd foray onto the main road was a stop at the shop. We could have drunk our water, but hey! Fanta was attractive, with a few kilometres of head wind still to go.

Sparkle Bixley looking dangerous with a bat, with low tide on the Ohiwa Harbour, and Ohope, in the background.

A vicious game of croquet in progress. The girls were up on the finer & tougher rules of the game.

Jo being coached on the finer points by Zoe & Paul.

Paul looking relaxed and ready for another day's activity, and before the floods put pressure on the red wine supply and the tolerance of the septic tank.

Sumptuous feasts were prepared each night. Anna looks happy with the outcome

And Bill is an excited starter.

The new outside shower, providing luke cold (read freezing) water for the intrepid. An ingenious method of reducing waste water going into the stressed septic system. Pat Hill gets the prize for going for a swim in the ocean, floodwaters included, and then taking a cold shower.

The heavens opened, but our tent was snug. The reading must go on. The cup of tea must still be coming.















Bill & Zoe took advantage of the high tide, and the lull before the storm, to kayak on the harbour.














 Crisis. The red wine supply is exhausted, and this is the main road to Opitiki.  Fortunately there was a 2nd route. We were a bit disarmed by the Road Closed signs when we were coming home - with wine and bread - we could live - but fortunately the road closure was just past our turnoff.

Stump garden.
 
Enterprising farmer had created a number of roadside gardens, using old stumps as a base.

Hukutaia Domain, established around a 2000 year old puriri, Taketakerau. It was a burial tree, which gave farmer, Norman Potts, a bit of a surprise when he found it on his land. Consequently he established a 4.5 hectare domain, and spend years developing it as a native reserve. And yes, the skeletons were removed appropriately.

Ahh, those guys! Oldest friends, playing in a hollow puriri.

The bush was super eerie, in the rain, with everything dark and shiny. Taketakerau had its only special place, with carvings.










 

But who is this joker, in the base of the tree? Spooky.

Otaki Forks Camping

"Slow Down. Rural Character Area. Don't burst their bubble" - whatever that means. We were very careful about bubbles after that.

Little tent in a big space. The luxury of camping mid week.

The compulsory first night tipple.

Camp Mothers consider the day, and perhaps another cup of tea.

Glamour breakfast wear, when the sun is already quite high in the sky.

Francie gets her first cup of tea just right, after sleeping through the first wake up calls.

Running repairs on the beach umbrella. An attempt to stop the butter melting.

Bill & Barb (backlit as per Lady Diana) peruse the swimming hole, and estimate the temperature of the water. Response: cold, very very cold.

But really bearable once you get in.

Morning 2. Drizzle. Forecast. Heavy rain overnight - we are in the Tararuas, with gales the next morning. The decision is made to decamp.  Footnote: the forecast was right, but by then we were snug in our own beds.

Whangarei Jan 2012

"What the time, Mr Wolf". Emily & Nathan use the sundial as an elevated safety spot, away from ranging pukeko.

Maunu Primary School.  So close, and with such excellent playgrounds.  Holiday time means free access to the big kids' climbing frame.

Nathan in touch with his feminine side - not!
You'll never see that look on the face of a ballerina.

A day at the beach. A perfect lagoon for small children and their surfboards.  Called "Emily and Nathan's Bay" by the locals - Whangaumu by the National Geographic people.

Nathan puts the finishing touch to a really spiky sandcastle.

Major decisions about what to have for afternoon tea. "That looks a bit healthy Dad. I think I'll stay with the chips."

On the ferry to Russell. The Sewell men do a bit of whale spotting.

Oh good, outside seats on the slow ferry. So much more time to spot fish and birds and boats and cloud animals.

There are just too many pebbles on this beach. Some need to go back into the water.

Ferry building Russell. Excellent toilets, especially with no laundry or dishes to be washed in the sink - as per the sign.

"I'll pose, and you take the photos, Poppa"

Kite "flying" at Maunu School.  I did get the kite to a reasonable height, with grandson attached, but then he said "Now do loop-de-loop, Grandmarg". Loop-de-loop!! I ask you!

It's a hot day, and all the water toys are out. Poppa is lounging, and doesn't want to be squirted with the water pistol.  Diversionary tactics are required.

The stand off.













Full battle. Aside: no grandson was damaged or dampened in the exercise.

One very wet grandmother. "Let's go and get Poppa"

At the Farm Park.  Emily bravely submits to a rat on her hat. Grandmarg sits closest to the escape hatch - sorry, doorway.

Nathan bravely submits to a rat on HIS hat.

"Of course I can feed the animals myself"


















"And if Emily can do it, so can I"

Save me from the llamas, Poppa.

Have you ever seen so many marshmallows on a fluffy?  And a very tired little boy didn't want an iceblock, didn't want a fluffy, he had spotted the little truck stuffed with lollies. Even the lollies were incidental. The truck was the thing. It's a Happy Van.

I could have sworn that triceratops was somewhere!
26 degrees, and the hoses are out.

A snack is prepared, after a hard few hours digging up the compacted gravel, in preparation for lawn and a vegetable garden.

A

and of course there was a competition - his and her camera (or hers and his)

B