Lambing and Skiing Season

August and September mark the start of spring in NZ. But not only do we get the usual spring treats like asparagus, daffodils, and warmer winds we also get lambs. Lots of them. Cute, cuddly and very playful ones.  They are of course every where, remember there are 10 lambs to every person here. And that ratio jumps up to 35:1 during spring. A female lamb is called a ewe. And they are very protective of their young. If, for example an American with a camera jumps out of a car to take a close up photo of the babies, the mommas take off with the youngin's in tow and the photographer is left with lots of pictures of sheep's behinds. 

This is a big blue chicken looking bird that runs all over New Zealand. They are called Pekekos . They are  cool looking birds who frequently run around public parks snatching kid's lollies.  

We headed to the center of the North Island to ski on Mt.Ruapehu, which is one of 3 active volcano's. Last year we skied on the east side of the mtn. on Whakapapa (the Maori pronunciation is fakapapa) , and this time we headed to the other side to ski Turoa.  The first half of the 16km drive up to the ski area was lined with lush rain forest and Kiwi crossing signs. Then we went above the tree line and were surrounded by lava rocks and lots of snow. We were lucky and had beautiful warm weather. I noticed the signs in the bathroom that warned of the danger of volcanic eruptions and advised skiers to stay out of the valleys and head to higher ground in case of lava flow. Not a warning sign we are use to seeing, skiing in North America. I normally would not of thought much of the warning but considering that Mt. Tongariro, which is next to Mt. Ruapehu erupted on August 6, I did wonder when Turoa was going roar back to life. I knew living abroad would include some risk and challenges, but I never thought hot molten lava would be one of them. 

Mt. Ruapehu

This was the Bach we stayed in for the weekend. It is a 4 bdrm house with 1 bathroom.  After arriving we realized that there were also 18 other people ( and 3 dogs) staying at the Bach in addition to us.  My girlfriend's brother-in-law owns the Bach, and insisted we stay with them. She told us it was "cheap as chips", and there was plenty of room. The whole house was up @ 6:45 am for a warm bowl of oatmeal, and then out the door by 7:30 to catch the first chair lift up the hill. It was all about the skiing, no frills, no fluff, just ski. It was a great weekend, the other house guests were kind, and the skiing was decent. It reminds us of east coast skiing. Plenty of ice and skiing above tree line. There were quite a few other Oakura families skiing as well, which was a novelty for my kids to get to ski with their friends. Lindsey spent most of Saturday cruising the mountain with two buddies, she was thrilled. 

This is the Opunake Carrot. It is on the New Zealand Monopoly game (Baltic Place), so we HAD to have a picture of this prime real estate!

This is Mt.Taranaki seen from the distance.

The kids had their

 school cross country race a few weeks ago. Last year we giggled at all the kids who did not wear shoes, and as you can see my kids are barefoot as well. They insist they run faster, an it just saves me from hanging up 3 more pairs of socks to dry. The kids have fully embraced this easy, laid back lifestyle and are quite enjoying it. Both girls came in first so we are off to regionals next Tuesday.

A proud Mom and Dad

This was a Police challenge Course. Each school picked a few teams and competed against each other at the YMCA. It was an obstacle course that teams of 4 raced through, hoping to get the best time. Oakura school did well but did not make it into the final round. It was a bit of a quirky event, but the kids had fun especially when some parents volunteered to do the course. 

Brad looking for some waves.

Happy Birthday Big O! I Love you to the moon and back!!