Not a cloud in the sky today .. ( Brid would approve !! ) Headed up north today stopping first at the Honey centre. Lots of bees busy making honey. We had fun trying to find the Queen bee whose role is only to lay eggs and be responsible for Hive Morale ! What a great job ! The shop was full of every imaginable product that contained honey or has anything remotely associated with bees. Lots of honeys to taste and manuka honey to buy.

Then off to Ransom wines to taste their selection of wines. 10 wines later ... and we needed lunch ! We sat outside in the mid winter sun with beautiful views over the vineyard and lemon groves. Doesn't get much better than this !

Sampled some very interesting Carmenere - a very rare and tasty red - but the rose was the order of the day. Needless to say we came away with a case !

To follow , coffee in Matakana - a funky little township with trendy coffee shops and then onto Omaha a popular surf beach. Surf was not up today and the place was fairly quiet and peaceful - not like it is in summer apparently.

Then onto to view a potential bach for Carol and Gary at Snells beach. A lovely spot - very still and calm. We snooped around lot of "for sale" bachs which have just been built and massively overspecked with outside fires on the deck, outdoor showers and inbuilt coffee machines in the deluxe kitchens.

The boys played on the beach til the sun went down over the hill ....