2010 Annual Holiday

Hi, we have just returned from our annual prilgrimage to Auckland to visit our daughters and grandchildren.

This year we decided to take a bit of extra time and visit the Bay of Plenty area.  On our way up we stopped at Palmerston North at a self-contained B&B called the Loft.  If you are in the area we highly recommend it.  From there we headed

across to Whakatane but actually stayed at Ohope Beach at the Top 10 Camping Ground in a motel unit adjacent to the beach.  This was lovely with the sunrises and sunsets and just strolling on the beach.  We stayed here for three nights.  We had wanted to go to White Island which is about 50 ks off the coast of Whakatane but the weather was not king enough and the seas were a bit rough. I’m not a good sailor.  Instead we did a day trip back to Rotorua and went to Hells’ Gate – the thermal mud baths.  This was a lot of fun but the cold shower, in spring fed water, between the mud bath and the spa, was very exhilerating to say the least.  Three days in this area went very fast and it was time to head to Auckland.

Here we had a lovely time visiting the family and doing activities with the grandchildren which included going  into the city, on the ferry form the North Shore, to the Sky Tower (some 200 meters up – not exactly my favourite thing to do especially when there were bungy jumpers going passed the window about every 5 minutes or so), movies and a day trip to Davenport for lunch and then up to North Head park where the boys did some grass tabogganing.  We also got to go to all the boys Saturday sport.  Two play rugby and the other football and they were all at different venues, which took a bit of organising on my daughters part as her husband was away at a conference. 

As usual, this time also went very fast and it was time to head home again.