TERM 1

LIVE

"Life should not be a 

journey into the Grace 

with the intention of 

arriving safely

in an attractive 

and well preserved body

but rather to

skid in sideways,

champagne in one hand-

strawberries in the other,

body thoroughly used up,

totally worn out

and screaming

WOO HOO

What a ride"

   The schools here are divided into 4 terms, with a two week break in between each term. We just finished Term 1 on Thursday. The term was filled with lots and lots of activities and events to keep all of us active and very busy. Swimming is part of the curriculum here in NZ so  therefore the kids swam everyday at the school pool. Because Oakura is a Coastal town learning how to swim is just as important to the school and community as reading or writing. The school has a very small pool on the property where  the younger kids take their lessons, and the older kids head into town to swim at the Aquatic Center. The kids also have a beach education day, they spend the day at the beach learning about ocean currents, and rips and then head into the Ocean for a swim. This is taught by the Surf Lifesaving Cub. Environmental Education is valued highly in NZ, so the kids spent another day outside at the river picking up trash, and then they all got to have a swim at the end of the day. The school system really encourages the kids the be physically healthy and they are constantly providing opportunities to do so. Being healthy and fit is not only benefifical to one's health but it also gives a kid confidence. The school had a Junior School Triathlon which meant it was only for the 5 and 6 year olds. It was held back in Feb., which was great for Owen since Grandma and Grandpa were around to watch. It was a lot of work for the teachers to set up the mini course but it was well worth it as all the kids crossed the finish line with smiles on their little faces. It was one of the cutest things I have seen in a long time. They started with the run, then bike and finished with the swim.  The run was maybe 300 yards, and the bike ride was about 100 yards slightly uphill and in the grass. About half the 5 year old's still had training wheels on their bikes!! The swim was the entire length of the 20 meter pool, which is only 3 feet deep. Owen ran, biked and swam as fast as his little legs and arms would go, he had a blast and loved the cheering squad he had on the sideline!! The older kids got to participate in a triathlon later in the term. It was put on by Weet-bix, and done in a typical kiwi fashion. It was held on Wednesday so they got to miss school, and it was totally  non-competitive. It was all about competing, finishing and having fun. 1,500 kids took part in the race and it was held at the port. Both my girls had butterflies the morning of the race but they did excellent and had a sense of accomplishment after the race. The highlight of the tern was both girls got to go away to camp with their classmates. Skyler's class went to a camp called Vertical Horizon which was about 45 minutes away. They left on Monday morning and came home Wednesday night, which was the perfect length of time as this was the first sleep away camp for most of the kids. The camp reminded me of a upscale Girl Scout Camp, nothing flash but very clean and super cool activities for the kids. Then the year 7and 8 kids went to Wellington (capital of NZ) for 5 days. Brad took the time off and went as a parent helper, which I thought was super sweet that he wanted to go and spend the week with his daughter and 66 other 11-13 year olds.  They did everything from swimming at a water park, visiting Parliament and meeting John Key, had an amazing race around the central city, and a sleepover at the Zoo. Both Lindsey and Brad had an excellent trip, and some lasting friendships were made. 

The bike's ready for the junior  triathlon. 

Owen at the starting line. 

Going neck to neck in the swim!

Crossing the finish line with the senior kid's at the sideline cheering them on

Owen loves to Boogie Board

Love that smile!!

This is our friend's car, which makes me smile everytime I see it!

This was what they called a "storm bomb", which was huge south westerlie gale winds that pounded Taranaki  for a solid 24 hours. School was cancelled. I took this picture from our living room, the ocean looked soo eerie, it looked like some of the scenes from the movie The Perfect Storm. 

These 5 pictures were taken at WOMAD, which stands for World of Music, art and dance. It was started by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Brooman in 1982. It is a 3 day international festival that brings artists from all over the world. We were there for 10 hrs. on Saturday, and we all woke up Sunday morning wanting  to go back again. We learned how to belly dance, how to do the Bombay Royale (imagine Bollyworld), and watch a Japanese mime. We listened to bands from Australia, Cuba, and Africa.

WOMAD was amazing, one of the best music festivals I have ever been to.  All types of acts from every continent playing on seven different stages, great food and great people watching.  Certainly one of the major entertainment events annually in New Zealand and they have it here in Taranaki.  The kids had a blast as they ran all over with their friends and as a parent you actually felt quite safe in that.          
                                                                                                                      Brad

These two pictures are of Orca Whales that swam past our house last month. There were 5 of them, and it happened at 7:15 in the morning, which was cool because the kids were home to see them. We chased them down the coast until we couldn't see them anymore. It was a great way to start the day, but it did make going in the water later that day to Paddle Board a little nerve racking!!

The group of year 5 and 6 that went away to camp for 3 days and 2 nights. 

Lindsey and her buddies in the Amazing Race.

I just have to add my two cents and point out that our team, the only one with only an American chaperone,  actually won the amazing race through the Streets of Wellington.  I was pretty proud of myself but the truth is we would have gotten quite lost if the girl's had not made me ask for directions.  It was a pretty neat week.  We slept at the zoo and actually ran in to the Prime Minister of New Zealand, John Key, in the halls of Parliament.  He actually stopped, made time for the kids and asked them questions.  Imagine that happening in the states.   Despite the fact that I spent the week with 60 pre adolescent kids and slept dorm style with 3 other snoring fathers I really had a blast.
                                                                                                                                            Brad

Daddy participating in the activities!

Hello Smeagol!!!
At the Weta cave, where they did all the special effects for Lord of The Rings

The year 7 and 8's in Wellington

Lindsey getting ready to start the triathlon.

The transition area from the swim to the bikes!!

Skyler getting ready to start. 

At the finish

Proud of my girls!!

Skyler and her buddies.

Owen and Jasper

Owen has decided with a little encouragement from Dad to play Rugby this Fall. He so far is enjoying the game, the younger kids play Ripper Rugby which is no tackling. It's kinda like flag football. I am not sure who was smiling more at his first game, Owen or Brad!

Owen making a break for it

Smiling is no way to intimidate you opponent

Owen catching a wave.

Skyler has totally embraced the opportunities presented to her while living near one of the best surfing area's in the world. She has participated in 3 surf competitions this last month and placed in each of them. For her birthday last week, she wanted  a new wetsuit and  surfboard. She has impressed us with her determination and gutsy attitude. Surfing has an element to it that she is not use to in playing other sports, it's called fear. Not only is she nervous about not doing well, she is also nervous about getting pumbled by a wave, or the board smacking her in the head, or a rip carrying her out to sea. That's a lot to overcome for 10 year girl who was born and raised in the middle of the US, 18 hours from the nearest ocean. So needless to say I am bursting with pride when I see her out there catching waves.

Her first competition she got a little help from Mom, and then she kicked me out of the water  and wanted to do it herself.  I hold my breath everytime she goes out, and breath again when she is safely on shore.  

 Every year the ASP Women's World Tour comes to Taranaki. It is one of 7 stops they do around the world. The top 17 women surfer's in the world come to our beaches and battle to be #1 in the world. It is a nine day surf festival that has activities on and off the beach. Yesterday we went to watch the aerial competition, and tomorrow we head out to watch the women surf. One of the top women surfer's in the world, Paige Hareb, lives down the street from us and Skyler is hoping to get her autograph. As part of the festival they put on a microgroms competition for kid's age 12 and under and Skyler insisted on entering.  We were at the beach from 8 am to 6 pm. It was a warm blue sky day so we did not mind spending all day in the sun.  She won both her heats and made it to the finals, and placed 3rd overall out of 8 other girls. 

Heading into the water.

We all came out to watch her in the finals. 

getting a little help from Dad after the heat

her competition in the final

Receiving her medal

Her new medal!!

The Easter Bunny found us in Oakura, They all were very excited when they saw the eggs were filled with American Candy. We went to a beautiful church service at out local church. The church can probably hold about 50 people and it was filled up with local families. After the service they served Tea and biscuits, and we then all walked home. It was a lovely morning. 

Oh how I wish I could say this was Brad or me catching some waves over the weekend!!! But it was NOT. Brad could of been out there with those guys, but not me. Our house is located on an area of the beach called the Gap, which is one of the 57 famous breaks on the Surf Highway. We enjoy watching the surfers catch the waves from our living room sofa. Who needs TV???

Some kite boarders out enjoying the high winds. 

We are off the Australia and The Great Barrier Reef for the next 3 weeks. The kids are on holiday, and there is much to be explored. We hope to blog from Oz. Cheerio and Happy Easter to our Family and Friends. 

Grandma and PaPa

   2 years ago I remember telling my Mom about our hopes and dreams of moving to New Zealand. She was then, as she always is, very supportive about our family plans. And as the time moved on she and Dad helped us make this ambitious dream a reality. They helped me with everything from packing up the house, deciding which clothes to bring, staging  my house before it went on the market, and just basic moral support. They did not even hesitate when we ask them to watch KD girl for us, or when we asked them to look out for our stuff in storage, and to periodically drive both cars throughout the year.  Mom has always been my best friend, I know I can count on her for anything. And so as happy as Mom was for our family, and as happy I was to start our new life abroad, there was a looming sense of sadness because  I was moving so very for away. Knowing that they were coming to visit during the month of Feb. helped with the goodbye's, but they were still much harder than I could of imagined. So when February arrived the kids and I were ecstatic about spending the month with Grandma and Papa, and showing them our new home. After their plane landed, we went to pick up the kids from school. And the faces on my kids as they went running into Grandma and Grandpa's arms was priceless, and brought tears to my eyes as well as my girlfriends that happen to be standing nearby. And I knew right then that it was going to be a great month, and that lots of happy memories were about to be made.

All SLC Carnival's start with a procession of the kids marching in a big square holding their club flag.

The first weekend they were here started off with a bang as the kids had their first SLC Carnival. It was held at Fitzroy Beach, which is a popular surf beach in New Plymouth. The weather was not what we were hoping for but we all put on an extra layer and off we went. I was very proud of my kids as we had never participated in the competitions before, and were not sure what to expect. They all did their best, and had fun at the same time. Lindsey made a name for herself as she came in first in the running races. Sprinting in sand is NOT easy, but she does it with ease. She was recruited by our club to be a member of Oceans 13, which means she will have extra training next summer, and learn how to use the knee boards. 

We wanted to take Mom and Dad on a road trip in NZ. There is no better way to experience the kiwi culture and see the country side than by car. We took them to Lake Taupo, which is a North Island city famous for it's adventure sports and stinky geothermal activity. Lake Taupo is the country's largest lake and probably most know for it's rainbow trout fishing. They say it is the rainbow trout capital of the universe. Dad was quite disappointed when we learned that trout is not served at any restaurants, nor can it be bought at any fish market. The region is a true wild fishery, and trout is not farmed or harvested. In order to eat some trout, we would have to go fishing ourselves, and then take it to a restaurant where they would of cooked it up for us. Sounded like a lot of work for us so we decided to go check out some adventure activities instead.

These next two pictures are of the Aratiatia Dam. The river below the dam is virtually dry most of the time, but 3 times a day the dam gates are opened and the gorge is dramatically changed into a raging torrent. They are the same picture, just one shows the river bed dry and the other is a raging class 5 rapid. The whole process took about 15 minutes for the water to be released from the dam, the river to fill up, and then for the river bed to be dry again. It was fascinating to watch the transformation of the river.

BEFORE

AFTER

We then headed off to Orakei Korako, which is a thermal valley of bubbling pools, fuming craters, and hissing Geyser-fed streams.                                       

This is was once used by Maori women as  their beauty parlor, which is where the name Orakei Korako  (a place of adorning) got it's name. 

The next started off with a bang, especially if your an energetic 6 year old who enjoys high speed  thrills!! Huka Falls is a amazing display of Mother nature. The Waikato river thunders through a narrow chasm and over a 35ft. rock ledge. The falls then drop into seething milky-white  pool 200 ft across. This fast-flowing river produces almost %50 of North Island's required power. But just viewing the falls from above was not enough excitement for us, we decided to do the Huka Falls jet boat ride and get closer to the action. The jet boat ride spins and skips it's way between the Aratiatia Dam and Huka Falls. It was an exhilarating 30 minutes of high speed twists and turns. A Jet Boat Ride was on my husband's long list of things to do in New Zealand. So we were happy to be able to check it off our list, and the best part was sharing the experience with Grandpa and Grandma. I think Owen thought he had died and gone to heaven, he had so much fun on the ride. I think he and Skyler were either giggling or screaming the whole time. 

The Book a Bach we rented had great views of the River, as well as the lake. And the night we arrived we were looking out the window admiring the view, and noticed some kids swinging on a rope swing. Well, those kids were having so much fun, that the next day we decided to go have some fun of our own. Of course, it was blast as we all acted like Tarzan swinging on the rope and flinging ourselves into the cold river. My Dad could not resist the temptation and went off a few times as well, which Owen thought was way cool that his PaPa did the rope swing!

BRAD
Our Bach is in the background, the 3rd one from the right.

SKYLER

OWEN

LINDSEY

AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GIVE THE CAMERA TO YOUR HUSBAND TO TAKE A PICTURE OF YOU GOING OFF THE ROPE SWING. I DON'T THINK HE COULD OF MISSED ME ANY MORE IF HE WOULD OF TRIED. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE THAT WAS MOM CATCHING BIG AIR OFF THE ROPE SWING.  GO FIGURE!!!!!!!

The next day we climbed aboard the Sailboat "Fearless", to sail around the lake and go view the famous Maori rock carvings. It was a picture perfect, warm blue sky day. Owen quickly became buddies with the captain, and declared himself the first mate. Luckily the captain, had plenty of patience as Owen asked him 173 questions about the Lake, what lived in the lake, are pirates nearby, and what does he have for snacks??? Owen was also busy helping hoist the sails, and manning the helm.  The Rock carving were fun to look at but not exactly what we were expecting. They were made 30 years ago by some local artist using power tools. Hence the name "Famous', and not "Ancient". The 10 metre-high carvings are intended to protect Lake Taupo from Volcanic activities underneath. Lake Taupo lies in a Caldera created by a super volcanic eruption which occurred 26,500 years ago.

Owen doing a cannonball off the boat. 

Because it was such a warm day the water felt good even though it was a chilly 58 degrees. 

First Mate Owen

Helping Hoist the Sails

3 Sisters

On the way back home we wanted to stop and show Mom and Dad Mt. Ruapehu, which is where the ski resort Whakapapa is and where we went skiing last winter. It is also a Volcano, and looked quite erie and desolate during the summer month without any white snow to brighten up the place. And then we also stopped at the 3 sisters, to show them the beautiful rock formations.  

Sugar Loaf Islands

Back home in Oakura we still had 10 days to spend together, and show them a few more sights. 

Mom enjoyed going up and watching Lindsey do her riding lessons, and Lindsey enjoyed having Grandma there to watch her ride her horse "Buddy"

Mom loves to go walking on the beach and collect seashells or whatever other treasures she might find. Skyler and I took her one day to a beach down the coast known for it's Paua Shells. We did not find very many but we had fun looking.

This is the Chicken coop

Mom and I discovered this house just up the road from us that sells fresh eggs. I had noticed her sign before on my runs, but had always forgot about it by the time I got home. Mom and I drove by and we noticed the sign and went to check out the fresh eggs. We loved it and went there once a week for our fresh eggs!! I have yet to go back though as it reminds me of Mom too much.....

The eggs come in this brown bag tied up with colored string. How cute is this???

The kids playing with the chicks!!

The month went by too quickly and we found ourselves having to say goodbye sooner than we wanted. Mom had to get back to her booming Jewelry  Business, and get their dog out of the doggie hotel, and pick up KD girl from my girlfriend's house. I was going to miss them but I also knew that we would get to see them again in July, as we plan on coming back to the states for a few weeks. As sad as I  was having to say our goodbye's, I also felt  lucky that I have such amazing parents that love me and my family and will travel to the other side of the world to come and see us. And so I am thankful to love and to be loved like we do even if it makes the goodbye's harder.