Two Months in NZ.....

We are in a wonderful and quiet area called Ohope.  We are able to rent a house for 2.5 months and live by the BEACH!  Yippeee!  We are feeling oh so blessed by this house, the yard, the comfy beds and space!  Ellie has her own room and Meg & Luke have a view of the ocean from their room!  WOW.  This place is more than we could have hoped for!  We are excited to be here until Christmas too!  

We are not too sure about the kids being able to go to school here as the school here is so full they moved their library into the hallway!  We'll ask anyway and see!  The kids have been working hard on their school work these days- it is easy to do when the weather is rainy and staying inside is best!  We are still cold most mornings and need a little fire in the wood stove here, but once the sun comes out the laundry can dry faster than the dryer!

The other big news about this house- WE HAVE A PIANO HERE!  The family that we are renting from could not see how Ellie should go a whole 2 months without a piano- so they bought a used one and brought it here!  They have a few pianos already so they do love these instruments!  Ellie has been on the piano every day and once I get some music for Meg and Luke they will start again too!  I have enjoyed a piece or two myself!  

So we are good and comfy where we are for now!  We plan to homeschool a few days each week and go on trips to locals areas to see the sights.  We'll post photos as able!

We also found a church in Whakantane area that we enjoyed.  Feels a little like home- but I do miss my mom every time I walk along the beach and wish that she was with us!  Just like every golf course that I see I wish my dad could play on!  

Love to all at home!

More photos and NZ adventures...

Just a few more pictures from our time on the Coromandel pennisula! We had fun at Hot Water Beach, hiking Paku mountain, visiting the DCR train and various beaches. The roads were as windy as we have seen so far, but it amazing what one can get used to!

Lots to celebrate....

As I write we are coming to the end of our time in Tairua.  We have loved the library and harbour area.  The water has so many different colours, lots to look at every day!  We had quite a few rainy days here and were glad to see the sun yesterday!

Keith and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary and my 37th birthday this week.  I'm not too keen on getting a whole lot closer to 40- but I really have little to do that number!  We had fish 'n chips on the beach, dessert on the beach and went fishing on the beach- we love the beach!  Luke managed to fall in the water just before we were to go out for dinner so we ate in for our anniversary- cheaper that way- and more memorable!  

For my birthday it looks like I got a surf rod for fishing this year!  Last night I almost caught a fish!  The kids love the chasing seagulls part of fishing- they will eat the bait off the hook as you cast!  Hopefully we'll figure out how to bait our hooks better and catch some free food along the way- I hope the kids like to eat the fish....

Last weekend we spent 2 days with the Taylor family and went lots of fun places around here with them!  Luke loved having a "big brother" to hang out with and pull him on his boogie board.  Ellie and Meg enjoyed their time with the girls so much- it was like spending time with family!

We plan to leave here on Monday and go back to the "mount" for a night.  We will then go to Ohope for 2.5 months to rent a house on the beach!  We are so excited to live on the water and hear the waves!  The beach is a nice beach for the kids to play on and the area is quiet- not too busy.  Keith and Luke will be able to fish there, Ellie and Meg can collect shells and I look forward to running on the beach!  

We are missing the Canadian Thanksgiving here- no turkey this year!  Love to all at home.  

Tairua on the Coromandel Pennisula

These pictures are of the sunrise view at the place we are staying, the kids in their hats, and the kids flying a kite!  Still having a grand time- home schooling, hiking and walking beaches as much as we can!

As for all these Kiwi towns ....if you are having a hard time pronouncing all these places- do not feel alone!  As we drive we see so many signs for different places and as best we can we try to pronounce them.  Most times we are wrong- not even close- so either we make up our own version and hope for the best OR we resort to the locals telling us the proper Kiwi way- that we cannot remember either.

We are not a lost cause- yet- and we do seem to find our way without getting too lost. Once I suggested to Keith maybe I should turn the map upside down since we are "down under"- he was not impressed!  But as I can recall that made sense to me at the time!  So for now I am not asked for my opinion for directions, but I do get to hold the map.  Lucky me!

We are enjoying our time at the "bach" as this is the first time we have stayed in one place for more than a week!  The kids have discovered the forest and have made a fort near the house.  We have visited a few local towns and have discovered more yummy take away places with fish 'n chips.  We made it to Cathedral Cove- SO BEAUTIFUL- we will return there again when the tide is out.  While we were hiking there we saw parrots and some neat birds.  

Thanks for reading and your comments.  We miss home, but are having the family time that we need.  Blessings to you all!

One Month Over Already- WOW!

Hello all!  or in NZ G'day Mate!  

We are still having fun together as a family and have not gotten tired of each other!  Today was a month since we have arrived!  POOF- that was quick.  There have been a couple moments when I felt like I could relax and slow down- I hope I have a few more moments like that before 6 months passes.

Paihia and the Northland area of the north island was wonderful and amazing.  We had an amazing place to stay- the kids loved the pool- but of course they were the only ones in it (in their wetsuits)- brave Canadian kids!  What a great area to visit.

As we left Paihia we visited a Glow worm cave- did you know that it is their poop that glows????  We were told to keep our mouths closed as we looked up- Luke took this set of instructions very seriously!  As we got ready for the caves we noticed that we did not have Megan's jacket- grrrr!!!  So we went back to find it in Paihia- we were only 20 minutes away.  When we got there we asked at a few places- no jacket- but the tour office had a jacket that someone had left behind 2 months ago- so the tour lady opened the bag and there was a girl's jacket- Megan's size- WOW- she is not as fond of this jacket- but live and learn!  Thankfully the weather has improved in the past few days.....

We are currently in Mount Maunganui staying with Mr. G's family.  Today we visited Grandma G and had lemonade from the lemons in her garden.  The kids have been back to the beach to body surf and swim.  We have also acquired spades (shovels) so that the kids can dig to China at the beach.  This is a great way to burn off steam and energy!  It also allows parents to read a book and not have to go into the water!!

Tomorrow we plan to head off to Tairua on the Coromandel pennisula to stay at a "bach" (batch) for a few weeks.  We'll see about the kids attending school there and we plan to settle in for a bit.  The home-schooling has been a WONDERFUL experience so far.  Teaching the kids is really quite rewarding and challenging all in one.  The kids are adjusting to the routine and becoming more independent as we go.

Love to all at home.  The kids miss their friends and cousins.  The other day I saw a Christmas display in the store- that made me miss my mom- so I emailed her!

Cheerio for now.....

Cape Reinga and 90 mile beach

Yesterday we set out early in the morning for Cape Reinga at the north tip of NZ.  It was a long drive up there- the kids coped fine.  The view out into the ocean was huge- it just went on forever!  The light house was above where the Tasman Sea and Pacific ocean meet- waters were rough and murky there.  I can't believe all the different colours of blue.

Then came the sand dunes and boogie boarding!  The kids were all  keen until they had to climb these TALL hills of HOT sand! The loved the rides down, but then there was the climb up after.....  It was a great memory!

Then.....  I agreed to driving down a river bed and onto 90 mile beach!  I was pretty nervous but the kids loved all the splashing water over the CRV.  We drove on the beach for 40 minutes at 80 km/ hr- the beach was amazing!  As far as you could see- there was beach.  The waves were huge and boy was I glad to get off at the end!  

Our Buzz wagon was filthy and sandy after all that excitement.  We all had good sleeps last night!

NZ Wildlife.....

Dolphins and Kiwis!!!

In the past dew days we have seen more native NZ wildlife!!  We didn't plan most of it, but we have been amazed at what we have learned!

The Kiwi birds have really long noses and sniff loudly to find their food at the bases of trees.  The one we saw had only one leg- his name is Sparky- we got to pet him and touch his feathers.

The Dolphins were out and playing the day we were on the tour.   There was even a few babies in both pods of dolphins we saw.  The dolphins love to swim in front of the boats and jump along the side.   Our boat drove through the large "hole in the rock" because the waves were not too big!  NZ has some cool things to see.

The Kiwi hikes are really fun for mom because there are no bears on the whole island!  The kids like the hikes when they get to the top and if there are treats along the way!   We are all getting into good shape with all the treks we do!

Luke now wears his hat every where we go!  Looks good.  Now if we could find something for the girls......