Another year older

August is almost over and it is blog time again.  We have now been in the far north for a month and parked up at the campground, where we are campsitting for 2 days in exchange for our stay, for almost as long.  It feels that there isn't much to write with us being parked up for the whole month however the month has seen a few adventures.

Our spot at the campground

It is certainly strange being parked up for this long without moving at all. Usually, even when we stay in the same place for a long period, we need to move each week to empty however here we can empty our grey tank and fill our fresh without moving the bus.  With a lack of movement, and packing up in preparation for movement, I have noticed that more things are left out and piles are accumulating!  It will be a shock next month to have to find homes for everything again that is for sure ... for now though themselves are enjoying being able to have their projects out to come back to rather than always putting them away.

At the end of Ninety Mile beach .. Ahipara

At the top of Ninety Mile ... Cape Reinga

There are a few animals here and part of our duties is to feed up. Jasmine has fully taken charge of this and it is hard to be up early enough to have any input most days!  Daniel is finding it hard as he really wants to feeding the pig but the love of his bed in the morning is too much to resist most days. The early bird very clearly catches the worm in this case ... or at least feeds the pig ;)  Aside from check-ins, Liam has to empty the rubbish bins and check the water which means that even though we are camp-bound we still have loads of time to ourselves even when we're on duty.  We have been able to head up to Cape Reinga, lots of beach walks, out to the giant sand dunes and themselves have been down to the wharf for some fishing many days.

Beach  and Bush walks

Te Paki Sand Dunes

Jasmine has been selling her Girl Guide biscuits while we have been in Pukenui and this must be her best year yet as she has cleared 10 cartons by herself.  She has been attending the Kaitaia Group and as they are all Brownies she has been helping the leader and completing some of her leadership clauses.  Being parked up means that we have also been able to catch up with some of the other work that she has been sent through Aotearoa guides which makes for some interesting times .... the choice between rewards now (playing) and delayed rewards (after a bit of work she'll get the badges she wants) has been a big learning curve.  She has also been learning Spanish, making the most of some South American workers which are staying here, and it has been wonderful seeing her confidence growing in talking to others in both her own and another language.

Selling biscuits at Pukenui Market

Daniel has been pottering away on his badge work too though Lego is a major contender for his time each day. His creations and what he thinks to do with it in combination to his electrical bits and other toys never fails to amaze me.  Thanks to being able to join the local library he has had a bit of a break and really getting into reading more chapter books that he likes rather than making do with whatever we can find on the road.  It is nice to see how eager he is to read each night.  He has also been learning some languages, Japanese and Italian, while also chatting to a few Italian campers here. I think however it should be him learning Spanish really as every day, when we ask when he is going to do something, we hear mañana, mañana!

Enjoying something besides Lego ... nothing like burying your sister!!

Fishing down at the wharf

August also sees me turn another year older and this one was my first as a Vegan. Not that it an issue thankfully as I still got a delicious GF, vegan carrot cake to munch on!  It was a lovely relaxed day with loads of time to read. Themselves did a great job with the cake, doing all the jobs and heading out to collect a bunch of wildflowers for me .. yes, there are heaps of flowers blooming up here in the winterless north!  In fact the weather up here has been so warm that the other day we were on the beach in our togs ... sorry had to mention it ;)

Birthday celebrations

Anyway, until next month I hope this finds you all snuggled up warm.

Arohanui Y

July update from us lot

It is amazing just how many photos you can take in a day when you're out sight-seeing and July has certainly seen us out and about alot.  From the beginning of the month in Auckland we travelled to the far North and are currently in Kaitaia.

Maitai Bay, Karikari Peninsula

Coming into Auckland made us appreciate just how much we are NOT big city folk!! I think if it wasn't for wanting to catch up with friends and family we would have cruised straight through the big smoke.  However we managed to find a great spot to park up with a water view and a bit of nature for the kids to play in which made the whole thing a lot more manageable.  It was wonderful to see everyone (if only briefly) and connect for a bit with some who I hadn't seen since Jasmine was a baby.  Themselves also enjoyed playing with their cousins and fellow bus friends.

Checking out the Auckland west coast beaches

Auckland also saw us have an extra occupant join us on the bus ... intentionally that is ;)  Daniel got his first pet just from himself.  After much research, thought and a lot of humming and harring he decided on a wee male mouse who he's called Nibbly.  After a bit of a transaction with his sister over buying all Moonlight's bits Nibbly is now happily part of the family.  It is nice to have the cage filled again and Jasmine seems pleased to have another wee mouse to snuggle and watch.

Nibbly Mouse

Themselves enjoying the beach at Orewa

Leaving Auckland we spent a a great couple of days parked beach side which meant the kids had just that much more freedom to explore and enjoy nature.  They both found another huge stash of kauri gum on the beach near Liam's brother which they both turned into some amazing jewellery.  It is great watching how their skills in different things build and develop as we travel along.  As we continued further north to see more friends and family themselves enjoyed a bit of swimming where ever they could, they assured me the water was warm but I wasn't convinced enough to try. ;)  While locals were snuggled up in jeans and jackets we were enjoying just how much warmer the days were as we ventured further north.  It is hard to believe that in July we could be in shorts and t-shirts!!

Testing out a possible addition to the bus at Warkworth museum

Swimming in the far north ... Pataua North

After watching the NZ wars DVD's it was fascinating to be able to visit the actual sites that we had heard about; Ruapekapeka, Ohaeawai, Russell and Waitangi.  To hear about some of the people involved in that part of NZ history and how much life changed for the far North once the capital was moved to Auckland in 1865 was are great experience.  Being part of Heritage NZ meant that we were able to go to many of the these sites for free and receive a tour which allowed us to piece together a cleared picture of how things were. It is amazing how relationships changed and history was made so fast in this part of the world.

On the way to Russell

The Stone Store in Kerikeri

Only another week and we'll be up in Pukenui for Aug and Sep where we will be doing a few days work each week in exchange for our stay. Themselves are very excited about the few farm animals they have there, the fact that Jasmine can go to guides and also that they will be close enough and warm enough to hit the waves!  Until then I hope this finds you all warm and healthy.

Tea with a view ... Mangonui

Arohanui
Y

A month in the Coromandel

Almost the end of June and it is time to catch up on here again.  It been another busy month as we have traveled up and around the Coromandel, had a 15 year wedding anniversary, a birthday and finally arrived in Auckland.

Cathedral Cove

Never having been to the Coromandel I was filled with images of sandy beaches, flat roads meandering along them and constant sunshine .... man was I wrong!!  The rugged coastline, and often narrow roads, was a big surprise and more than a little nerve wrecking. The bus brakes and gears surely got a good working out as we travelled up the east side of the Coromandel peninsula and down the west.  Thankfully we were already booked in to get the a bus checkup before our COF ;)  The rain too was torrential with more than a few thunder and lightening storms overhead along with a bit of flooding here and there.

Flooded in at Whangamata

Hot water Beach

Themselves are loving all the rope swings they find and make.

By the time we finished, and after a couple of weeks in Thames day tripping, we had pretty much done a complete loop around.  Themselves reveled in all the beaches and bush to play in, finding all sorts of treasures including some kauri gum which they sold to a local guy for $5 each.  Great for them to go through the whole process and wonderful that someone is still willing to buy small amounts from kids.  After that they were keen to stay even longer and return to the source of their treasure as they planned all sorts of spending with their money!

Karangahake Gorge .. windows walk

Whittling for Matariki in Tapu

It was also the place that we have spent the most money on 'attractions' I'd have to say though they were well worth it.  The Waterworks just out of Coromandel town was a fantastic place with all sorts of water inspired engineering feats to have fun on ... it really worked the body, the brain and the soul with all the laughter we had at the difference creations.  Driving Creek Railway, which was hand built by a NZ potter, was also a highlight however I think the free roaming pigs where the favourite for Daniel.  He loves pigs so the opportunity to see so many and then to sit snuggling a piglet for ages was awesome.  He came away with all sorts of plans about how a pig could work on the bus ... none of which we were 100% convinced about I have to say ;)

The Waterworks .... ET style ride!

Pig catching ....

and pig patting.

When we got to Thames we joined a local unschooling group on their Nature Space catch up and made some wonderful friends who invited us to park up with them.  It was great to connect with like minded people and wonderful seeing our two adjusting their play to include younger children. Even at the craft morning in Thames with a group of 50+ women we were supported and congratulated on our lifestyle choices.  It was an amazing feeling and so great to be able to chat without trying to 'sell' our choices just to deflect negative comments.  Thames certainly left a very good impression on me that is for sure.

Paeroa

Birthday drinks and meal out for himself.

So now we are in Auckland to catch up with a few people before - the rest we'll see on the way back down ;) - journeying up North.  Arriving this morning reminded me just how much I'm not a city girl!!  Thankfully the company for friends and family will make up for the stress of the hoards around us ;)

Arohanui
Y

May Update from us lot

Well it has been a very busy May!! It is amazing how many photos we take as we travel along compared to when we are parked up somewhere.  Since it is the last day of the month and I'd really rather be procrastinating, than actually doing this, I will just do a bit of a photo highlight  ... sorry this blog platform doesn't seem to want to let me do a slideshow.

Morning walk in Te Kaha

Sunshine breaking through the morning mist in Kawarau

Exploring octopus in Te Kaha

Napier Aquarium

Ahuriri Estuary 

Exploring the Vast Untrodden Ureweras

In the Urewera National Park

Road side harvesting

Mahia Peninsula

Cooking in Morere Hot Springs

Contemplating Rere Rockslide

Liam going for it on the Rock slide

Jasmine going for it on the Rock Slide ... Daniel was first to go down however we didn't get footage of that!

Tokomaru Bay

Most Easterly lighthouse in NZ

Enjoying some natural hot pools in a river near Rotorua ... for free

Mt Maunganui

Enjoying the rope swings around the East Cape

Hope this finds you all on your own adventures ... big and small.

Arohanui
Y

April Update from us lot

Our April began with a bit of a bang .... literally .... a bang to the wrist for Daniel when he fell of some monkey bars which ended up with us in Taumarunui Hospital on Easter Sunday (1st April) getting xrays and a cast on.  It took a while for us to convince the doctor to get x-rays however as there was no swelling and he still had some movement.  We have come to learn over Daniel's many breaks that this is normal for him so insisted and reluctantly the doctor came to tell us we were correct in guessing a break.

Taumarunui ... no April Fools joke unfortunately

In usual Daniel style though it didn't slow him down and we continued with our plans to head along 'The Forgotten World Highway' from Taumarunui to Stratford.  This was an amazing journey with hardly any other traffic, thankfully as the road wasn't that wide!, which wound us through native bush, quiet farmland and the Republic of Whangamomona.  Visiting the Republic has long been on my list of things to do since reading about it a few years back and their president 'Billy Gumboot the Goat' (yes, an actual goat) so it was a great highlight to get a stamp in our passports and have some lunch before returning to New Zealand.

Themselves playing in Whanganui River near Taumarunui - note the plastic bag for D's cast

Whangamomona

From there we reached Taranaki and had a great time catching up with family in New Plymouth before slowly making our way around the back of Mt Taranaki.  To make the most of the trip we began watching a 'New Zealand Land Wars' DVD so that we had a bit more background information on the sites we were visiting.  There were so many pa and historic sites that it would be hard to list them all however seeing Parihaka for the first time held a special place, hopefully we can come back to visit it for the International Peace Festival one year.  Taranaki pulled out all stops as far as weather went and we had the extremes from shorts and jandels to gumboots and jackets in the couple of weeks we were there.  Thankfully we missed the mini tornado that hit just kilometres north of us and while the winds blew and the lightening struck we remained warm, safe and with power in our bus.

Dawson Falls in Taranaki

Sunset at Tataraimaka Pa

Cape Egmont lighthouse and Mt Taranaki

Opunake before the storm

Into Whanganui for a new cast, along with a random catch-up with a few road-schoolers and a friend of Liam's, then we cut across the country heading for the East coast.  It has been great taking the back roads to places and our route towards Hastings was no different.  We received a warm welcome in Makuri, found the birth place of the person who discovered DNA had a double helix structure in Pongaroa, played some pool on a round table in Wimbleton, got blown inside out in Herbertville, visited the longest place name in the world, had the most peaceful night yet in Elsthorpe and were treated to free running ponies and trains in Otane before arriving in Havelock North. With the end of the month nigh we are parked up in a beachside settlement enjoying a catch up with friends, munching on feijoas and sea scapes galore. 

Entertaining themselves in Makuri

Wimbleton Hotel

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu

Thankfully with only had trains in the daytime while in Otane!

Cape Kidnappers Gannet Colony

Until next month, be happy, healthy and snuggle up

Arohanui
Y