And we're back! Some probably thought we'd fallen off the face of the earth. I would have thought so too because it could have been possible while on a drive in New Zealand during our last visit. But that's a story for another time. Ask me when I thought the earth actually was flat!
Due to a strain of viruses that decided to make a visit to our home, we've been down for the count and let me tell you, it was not pretty my friends. Have you ever known what meningitis feels like, or what being left alone on the top of Mount Everest during a blizzard in your skivvies with a neck brace while someone plays a wicked
ZZ Top Drum performance on your bones feels like? I do and again, not pretty.
Alas, here we are. Back to normal and off to our adventures better than ever and just in time for Easter Break! School and business were closed on Friday and Monday for Easter Break so we joined the rest of the country and took off on holiday (vacation).
We spent the first day in Auckland before making our way up north to a town called Paihia in the Bay of Islands. It's a popular tourist town known for its 100 or more islands in the ocean with so much beauty and history. We took a boat cruise to see dolphins and a site called "Hole in the Rock" and it was just that. It's a breathtaking hole right there in one of the islands/rocks in the middle of the ocean. Usually they drive the boat right through it but due to the high swells we just drove close to it. It was still an amazing sight to see.
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| That hole is large enought to drive a large boat through. |
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| Everyone enjoying the cruise. |
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| Talmage sleeping during the cruise. |
The next day was Easter. The kids were worried that the Easter Bunny may not be able to find them at our hotel, but miracles seem to never cease. She was able to make it happen very early in the morning among the wet shrubs and trees in the back courtyard. Looking and peering through all the back patios (
hoping security wouldn't be called so early in the morning) finding the right room to leave a few goodies for the kids. What an adventure that was for the Easter Bunny. She must really love those kids. I have to admit, it was so nice to keep it small and simple. They got what they wanted.
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| Taking it easy Easter Morning. |
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| Enjoying the hunt. Real tricky! |
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| Enjoying their treasures. |
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| Got what he wanted, a toy rat! |
Then we enjoyed the remainder of the day with a reading from the Book of Mormon to keep a little focus of what Easter is all about before heading out to play and enjoy more of the city.
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| Easter breakfast by the beach. |
We visited the historical Site where the peace treaty between the Moari people and England was signed.
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| Longest Waka (canoe) in the world. |
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| Marae depicting many different tribes in NZ. |
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| Home where the treaty was signed. |
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| Copy of the treaty in Maori. |
Enjoying an afternoon of a little ocean fun!
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| Cordell, Walker and Talmage |
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| Rebecca and Abigail |
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| Cordell, Abigail and Maddox |
Then we took the scenic drive back to Auckland. Man, I know I've said this many times before but New Zealand is sooooo incredibly beautiful. I do wish we were staying longer. We've found new sites and cities that we'd love to stay at. I guess we'll have to put those on our to-do list the next time we visit NZ.
Once we arrived in Auckland it was late so we decided after our fun full few days we'd let everyone sleep in a bit. We didn't have much on our agenda for Monday but to take it easy and take our time getting home. Easier said than done when your wakeup call is fire alarm. The entire hotel had to be evacuated to the parking lot because the fire alarm was set off and the fire brigade was called in to investigate the problem. This was the best free entertainment of the entire weekend. Ever wonder what the people in your hotel look like at 7:30 a.m.? Now I know. It was so funny! I'm sure they were saying the same thing looking at our sad looking family all in our p.j.'s with no shoes on. No shoes?! We didn't even think to grab shoes! That should have been a given. I thought enough to hurry and change a poopy diaper but no shoes? Not even a camera or a wallet. Makes you really think your priorities. "What will you grab when there is a fire? What is most valuable to you?" Not being the smelly family in the parking lot was my obvious priority.
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| What's left of the action. |
After that fiasco we thought since we are up we'd just pack it up and head home. Show's over. We stopped at Hamilton for some shopping, then Cambridge, a fun small town just to walk around and perhaps get something to eat. Since it still being a holiday everything was closing by 3. So we just came on home to end our weekend fun as well.
All in all it was a great weekend full of fun and adventure of all kinds. It was a fun Easter weekend. Different from years past. No Easter decorations to fill the house with. No coordinating Easter outfits to parade in church. No pleading, begging and bribing my kids to take at least one decent picture in the said outfits. No hunting all over town (
or at least all 3 different Targets) looking for that one perfect present the Easter Bunny is going to leave. No extra pounds of candy that didn't fit in the gazillion plastic eggs that will sit in the top of the closet calling my name, forcing me to eat for the next few months. This was a good year. This was simple. This is how it should and can be for us.
