Kia Ora Guys

It's been a few weeks since our last posting and we thought it was about time we had a catch up.

The 2 weeks running up to the Xmas break were done in a breath and before we knew it, we were enjoying a pint with friends on Xmas Eve.

We woke up Christmas morning to a bright sun beating down and considering all the snow and bad weather the UK was getting it felt a little bit weird. Compared with last year we had a real good pile of goodies to open and spent quite a while opening up gifts and loving every single one of them.

Before long I set off to pick up a couple of friends who would be spending the day with us on Cheltenham Beach.Once back at the house we swung into action and gathered up everything we could have needed for a day at the beach. Now the list was quite comprehensive and included 4 chairs, 1 table, 1 Cobb Oven, 1 umbrella,1 rug,1 esky full of beer, 2 chill bags full of food, plus frisbee and board games so it was fun getting everything there and we were glad it was only a 1 minute walk!!!!

As soon as camp was set up we got on with the cooking,as it was only our second run out with the new oven we started cautiously with home made burgers before moving onto kebabs (pork and prawn and scallop.) Once we had some nourishment it was time for a swim to cool off.

We were feeling active and got the frisbee out which was great fun bounding around on the beach and flying into the sea when the odd throw went astray. People passed by and commented on how cool the oven was and took quite an interest in it,which was nice.

Once 9 o' clock arrived and it had cooled down we retreated back to the house for the rest of the evening.

Boxing Day wasn't the best for me as I had over indulged on Xmas Day and didn't feel fantastic for most of the day and it took until 8pm for me to feel anything like normal,I never seem to learn!!!!

Rotorua was our destination for the next few days and the drive down was nice and relaxed with a quick stop off at Tirau so Mel could see the big tin dog and big tin sheep.....

We had been to Rotorua several times before but had planned to visit places we hadn't been before and were looking forward to it. For the first time in a while we had decided to stay in a hotel as we got a cracking deal. Once we were checked in we took a walk into town for something to eat. The restaurant we opted for did the hot rock cooking where you order your steak and it cooks on the hot rock right in front of you,which is cool.

The food was delicious but the wine was a different story and not chilled,so after Mel had it sent back twice she opted for red instead.At the end of the meal we got a nice surprise as they didn't charge us for the wine as they said the refrigerators were not functioning correctly. The weirdest thing though was a family that sat on the table next to us, but as soon as they found out there were no chips, in fact nothing deep fried they got up and left which really confused the waiting staff!!!

After breakfast we took a ride to Wai-O-Tapu thermal park to check out some geothermal activity, we had turned up just too late for the geyser but set off on the 3km trail to see what it had in store. We walked past craters and bubbling mud pools and also rocks coloured by sulphur,the landscape looked very barren and petrified. All the trees were twisted and gnarled. Eventually we got to the Champagne pool which was a turquoise colour with an orange crust around the edge which gave it a stunning look.

The weather had been hit and miss all morning and as we drove back towards Rotorua it started to rain which gave the steam a real eerie feel,and it also made steam rise from the road which looked cool.

As I said earlier we had been to Rotorua on several occasions but never visited any of the wonderful lakes in the area,so today was our chance to put it right. First stop was the green and blue lakes just a short drive from the centre of town,the grey sky and low mist gave them a cool feel and enhanced the landscape. By the time we had made our way to the lookout,the mist had lifted and the sun was out which gave it a whole new look again.

It was mid afternoon and we stopped for a cup of tea at Lake Tarawera, this was left after the eruption of 1886 and it is a fair sized lake. It was said that when it erupted the noise could be heard as far North as Auckland and as far South as Napier,it also buried the pink and white terraces which some considered the 8th wonder of the modern world.

We sat watching the boats on the lake as we enjoyed our drinks, it had been a really nice day and we headed back to the hotel to relax by the pool.

The weather was really wet for the drive home and we took it steady stopping at Cambridge for brunch before doing thhe final leg back to Auckland,where it wasn't raining and was really humid.

Roll on New Year

Lots of Love

M & M

xx