Our first week back in Auckland

The kids cousin Logan was over from the Gold Coast.  He and Nathan spent a day hanging out.

We had a playdate with Nathan's friends from PreSchool, Curtis and Joakim.  They had fun starting up a cool dude band.

Friday night we had fish and chips down at the Kelvin Cres beach

Staying Beachside in the Mount

After Ohope we decided the water was too warm and we needed a bit more time at the beach, so we let Dean head back to Auckland for work and the kids and I went to the Mount for a week.

Playing around at Pilot Bay

The two Auckland boys Nathan and Cadence having fun at Hart Street Beach, their Mummies old local spot

Only at your grandparents house you can get away with Jelly for breakfast

Out for a fish with Dad and Reid, I got a good sized Kahawai, Reid got a couple of fish and a few Crayfish, Dad got a snapper I think

Back to Hart St on our last day before heading back to Auckland on Friday

The roaming continues - Ohope

After Te Kaha we stopped in Ohope for a few days where on the 9th of January we would be remembering my Aunty's husband Trevor who we lost on that day last year.  We had a lovely few days all together and on that day remembered him in a lovely way.

Whale Island

Paige, Nathan and Maia having dinner on the deck

Everyone down at the beach reeling in the long line - no fish but a couple of baby sharks and sting rays we let swim back out to sea

Aunty Louie, Dani and Maia

My Cousin Jamie's newest addition - Te Kaha Robert Rolleston, his mama went into labour while we were all in Te Kaha so he has got a cool name to match a cool place

REMEMBERING TREV

Heading to the beach where the boys paddled out on the Kayaks and Longboard to place a wreath in the ocean

Afterwards we had a swim, kayak and surf

Later that day they got the four wheeler out for a blat on the boogie board

This is my awesome cousin Dani who gives everything a go and kicks butt doing it!!!

Two weeks in Te Kaha

Not having a house to call your own isn't so bad when you've got a comfy as air bed in a tent that is like home away from home and two weeks in paradise, where you can bathe in the warm creek at 7 in the evening while the fantail birds flitter in the trees around you!!  Where you have bounty from the sea to eat most nights and friends and family around to wile away the summer days.  Where even when the rain sets in you can find things to amuse you.  As in any situation where you have lots of people living in one spot things can at times get a little stressed, but not for long.  It was cool seeing the kids running around playing and hardly hearing them moan because they're too busy having fun.

Getting some Kamokamo out of Aunty Bari's garden on the way up

The biggest snapper caught

Maia enjoys her kai, she was tucking into some crayfish here

Never mind that it had been raining all night and the creek had swollen and trapped us in, the boys sure made the most of it

Nathan and some of his crew

My cousin Dani and I and our Twin mums

This guy got a little confused when he got the New Years Eve Hawaiian night invite - he thought he'd cover all bases by being a Chinese/Samoan Hawaiian

Our little Island Princess

Me and My little but big cuzzy, Luke

The kids and the New Years Eve fireworks

New Years Day Hangi