We have just returned home from a lazy week at the beach with good friends. Well, perhaps lazy is not the best word. Four adults and eight kids aged 6 months to 5 years!!! We went to Whangamata, quite possibly the coolest place to be...except at New Year's when seeminglyevery teenager in the country converges for a drunken fest and the police set up temporary holding cells in the carpark.The kids had a ball, playing in the estuary, riding bikes on flat roads with practically non-existent traffic, eating treats almost every day, meeting new friends, drawing, playing games and relaxing as kids do...at full throttle!
The adults spent a lot of time organising said children, managing squabbles over toys, nursing owies and trying to keep everyone quiet through the night in the tiny three bedroom bach.
We did get to spend some time with old friends who made the move from Auckland to the BOP a few years ago and have now moved on to reside at the beach....the lucky things.
The guys went fishing, J caught his first fish...two legal snapper! We ate smoked kahawai and fresh bread for lunch one day and fresh pan fried fish with lemon and pepper another. Mmmmmmm!!!
The girls went out for a coffee and caught up on the latest with old girlfriends, and also scoured the opshops looking for and finding thrifty treasure...vintage fabric, woollen blankets to mend and embellish for the kids beds, knitting needles and kids books... I finally found the Bobbsey Twins. (Yes,I am on an Enid Blyton collecting spree at the moment... Lashings of ginger beer anyone?) Bliss! I will be updating with my thrifty refashions later.
After a lovely week away our hearts sank and both J and I audibly sighed as we came over the Bombay Hills and back into Auckland traffic, noise and concrete. We have both solidified our desire to move out of the Big Smoke for a quiet life, where we have time to think and live slowly...and get a puppy!
7 comments:
Oh I love it there!!!
Sounds like you had a lovely time
Id never go back to Akl to live
Its too busy I love it here in the Bay
Jen at http://jenz.wordpress.com/
Welcome Back!! Oooo I'm going green with envy!! So glad you guys had FAB weather while away...I thought of you in the middle of last week on one of those HOT afternoons.
There is nothing like having holidays when others are all at school/work. Soooo peaceful.
K and I used to have the "SIGH" when we returned to Auckland after trips away. I definitely recommend life beyond the Bombay hills.
Have a Fab week...
OMG "lashings of ginger beer for timmy..." (one of our fave family quotes) *and* blankets to refashion: can't wait to see photos of your finds..
oh, and there are *loads* of photo opportunities in The Sunny Bay...
*nudge nudge*
oh, i know that quote is slightly muffed: but i can't imagine timmy-the-dog missing out on the ginger beer.....
So Katie...do you know anyone wanting to give a fantastic fella a job for enough money to keep his family of four hungry kiddos and *trying to cut down on being so hungry and lose some more kilos* wifey???? Seriously...J has moved from "Ugh, not Tauranga" to "Maybe we could look into the outskirts"!!!!!!
well: it's like a mini-auckland down here. cos you can get back-blocks or outskirts fifteen mins from town, instead of an hour and a half drive. seriously. you could come down for a weekend and stay with us and check it out..... X
"and get a puppy!" Love that.
Mike
http://somethingaboutparenting.typepad.com/
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