Gerard’s mother Gabriella and her husband Mike came to visit us for two weeks over the Christmas holidays. After our soaking Christmas Day, the weather turned sunny, warm and glorious. We were able to be out and about every day.
On Boxing Day (the day after Christmas), we went to Sheep World where we learned about sheep breeds, the sheep industry, sheep herding and sheep shearing. Xavier fed the eels, Annick fed the ponies and Quentin participated in Rob’s sheep show by working the sheep sorting gates.
The next day, the “boys” went out fishing – see our earlier post on Quentin’s birthday.
The following day, we took the ferry to Tiritiri Matangi and were delighted to see almost all of the island’s main bird attractions in the first half hour, including a takahe family with a chick! There are only 300 takahe in the world and we got to see 1% of them in a single sighting. Later in the day, we were enjoying the beach at Hobbs Bay while waiting to board the ferry. To add to our enjoyment, one cheeky takahe patrolled the beach back and forth right in front of us.
On Saturday, we snorkeled at Goat Island where we saw monster snappers and a big school of blue maomao swimming in the kelp forest. Gerard finned out and found an eagle ray in about the same place where Beth spotted one the week before when the boys were doing their scuba training. Quentin swam freestyle (and solo) to Goat Island and back to shore (probably 100 meters each way). Later, he spent lots of time looking for cushion stars and crabs. Gabriella and Mike admired the fish from the rock ledges.
On Sunday, we drove up north to Paihia where we set out on an all-day sailing and dolphin watch tour. We boarded the catamaran and headed over to Russell to pick up more passengers when Quentin got the first big excitement of the day: he spotted a young hammerhead shark swimming at the surface. The skipper saw it too. Gerard saw the fin, but missed out on seeing his distinctive head peering above the surface. We first motored (there was almost no wind that morning) to Urupukapuka, an uninhabited island. Some rode ashore in the dinghy and some of us swam ashore to find a long stretch of beach with golden sand. There was a short trail up the hill to a viewpoint which looked out onto the bay and beyond. The view was breathtaking.
We headed back to the boat for a Kiwi BBQ (sausages) and to continue our search for some dolphins. We found one pod that included a couple babies, including one that was apparently only four days old, so there was no swimming allowed with the dolphins. Nevertheless, the dolphins were very entertaining to watch. They didn’t leap out of the water as much as the last pod we saw in November, but they swam at the bow of the boat and we were clearly able to see the babies with their mums. It is always a thrill to see them in the wild. After our time with the dolphins was completed (there are regulations that govern how long a boat is allowed to watch/harass a pod), we hoisted the sail (the wind had picked up) and sailed back to Paihia.
On Monday, we needed a little rest. After a quiet morning at home, Gerard took Gabriella and Mike out to lunch at Ascension Restaurant, one of our favorite places to eat and drink. The restaurant sits in the middle of the vineyard and offers tasty meals in a bucolic setting. Their pinotage is delightful (especially with lamb) and their port is simply too decadent.
On Tuesday, we celebrated the New Year by going to the beach. We drove out to Tawharanui Regional Park and discovered yet another beach jewel in our “neighborhood”. The sand was sugary and the waves were playful enough to get many good rides on the boogy boards. Cliffs hugged the bay with blooming pohutukawa trees decorating them like bright red rubies. It was Beth’s favorite New Year’s Day ever.
The following day, Xavier and “Mum” went for a couple dives while the others went to Warkworth to do some other activities. The diving went well, but it was a long day in a bumpy boat for two dives. Xavier was very enthusiastic about his first independent dives. The dive sites included some dense kelp gardens teeming with fish. There were some rock walls encrusted with magenta, pink and orange cup coral and overhangs where large kingfish would congregate. Quentin, Annick and Isaac showed Nonna and Mike the equestrian skills they have acquired this year. Afterwards, Gerard showed his mother and Mike a 600-year-old kauri tree at the Warkworth Museum.
Later that week, we went to Muriwai Beach again in order to see the gannets without buckets of rain. We timed our visit with the low tide so that we could explore the caves and find some sea stars. We enjoyed watching all the new gannet babies before heading over to the patrolled beach so that Xavier, Quentin and Papa could boogy board in the wild and crazy Tasman Sea. They had fun, but the waves were wicked and hard to manage.
Our last outing took us to Matakohe where we went to the Kauri Museum and admired some big trees in the area. The Kauri Museum was intriguing. There were many interesting displays on all aspects of kauri trees in Northern New Zealand life. We got to take a small bushwalk through a kauri grove with several good-sized specimens. We also visited a very large fig tree with a gargantuan girth.
On Boxing Day (the day after Christmas), we went to Sheep World where we learned about sheep breeds, the sheep industry, sheep herding and sheep shearing. Xavier fed the eels, Annick fed the ponies and Quentin participated in Rob’s sheep show by working the sheep sorting gates.
The next day, the “boys” went out fishing – see our earlier post on Quentin’s birthday.
The following day, we took the ferry to Tiritiri Matangi and were delighted to see almost all of the island’s main bird attractions in the first half hour, including a takahe family with a chick! There are only 300 takahe in the world and we got to see 1% of them in a single sighting. Later in the day, we were enjoying the beach at Hobbs Bay while waiting to board the ferry. To add to our enjoyment, one cheeky takahe patrolled the beach back and forth right in front of us.
On Saturday, we snorkeled at Goat Island where we saw monster snappers and a big school of blue maomao swimming in the kelp forest. Gerard finned out and found an eagle ray in about the same place where Beth spotted one the week before when the boys were doing their scuba training. Quentin swam freestyle (and solo) to Goat Island and back to shore (probably 100 meters each way). Later, he spent lots of time looking for cushion stars and crabs. Gabriella and Mike admired the fish from the rock ledges.
On Sunday, we drove up north to Paihia where we set out on an all-day sailing and dolphin watch tour. We boarded the catamaran and headed over to Russell to pick up more passengers when Quentin got the first big excitement of the day: he spotted a young hammerhead shark swimming at the surface. The skipper saw it too. Gerard saw the fin, but missed out on seeing his distinctive head peering above the surface. We first motored (there was almost no wind that morning) to Urupukapuka, an uninhabited island. Some rode ashore in the dinghy and some of us swam ashore to find a long stretch of beach with golden sand. There was a short trail up the hill to a viewpoint which looked out onto the bay and beyond. The view was breathtaking.
We headed back to the boat for a Kiwi BBQ (sausages) and to continue our search for some dolphins. We found one pod that included a couple babies, including one that was apparently only four days old, so there was no swimming allowed with the dolphins. Nevertheless, the dolphins were very entertaining to watch. They didn’t leap out of the water as much as the last pod we saw in November, but they swam at the bow of the boat and we were clearly able to see the babies with their mums. It is always a thrill to see them in the wild. After our time with the dolphins was completed (there are regulations that govern how long a boat is allowed to watch/harass a pod), we hoisted the sail (the wind had picked up) and sailed back to Paihia.
On Monday, we needed a little rest. After a quiet morning at home, Gerard took Gabriella and Mike out to lunch at Ascension Restaurant, one of our favorite places to eat and drink. The restaurant sits in the middle of the vineyard and offers tasty meals in a bucolic setting. Their pinotage is delightful (especially with lamb) and their port is simply too decadent.
On Tuesday, we celebrated the New Year by going to the beach. We drove out to Tawharanui Regional Park and discovered yet another beach jewel in our “neighborhood”. The sand was sugary and the waves were playful enough to get many good rides on the boogy boards. Cliffs hugged the bay with blooming pohutukawa trees decorating them like bright red rubies. It was Beth’s favorite New Year’s Day ever.
The following day, Xavier and “Mum” went for a couple dives while the others went to Warkworth to do some other activities. The diving went well, but it was a long day in a bumpy boat for two dives. Xavier was very enthusiastic about his first independent dives. The dive sites included some dense kelp gardens teeming with fish. There were some rock walls encrusted with magenta, pink and orange cup coral and overhangs where large kingfish would congregate. Quentin, Annick and Isaac showed Nonna and Mike the equestrian skills they have acquired this year. Afterwards, Gerard showed his mother and Mike a 600-year-old kauri tree at the Warkworth Museum.
Later that week, we went to Muriwai Beach again in order to see the gannets without buckets of rain. We timed our visit with the low tide so that we could explore the caves and find some sea stars. We enjoyed watching all the new gannet babies before heading over to the patrolled beach so that Xavier, Quentin and Papa could boogy board in the wild and crazy Tasman Sea. They had fun, but the waves were wicked and hard to manage.
Our last outing took us to Matakohe where we went to the Kauri Museum and admired some big trees in the area. The Kauri Museum was intriguing. There were many interesting displays on all aspects of kauri trees in Northern New Zealand life. We got to take a small bushwalk through a kauri grove with several good-sized specimens. We also visited a very large fig tree with a gargantuan girth.
