Christmas at Whiritoa

This Christmas we decided to have a break away from Auckland and booked a bach at Whiritoa Beach for 4 nights.  The bach was lovely, just a short walk from the beach and a home away from home.

The beach itself has a steep drop off so some great waves for the surfers, so we stuck to the shallows and made the most of the sunshine.

On Christmas Day morning we walked through the estuary and the Te Ramarama Scenic Reserve to Waimama Bay, only accessible by foot.  We had the beach to ourselves and despite the cloudy skies it was stunning.

The pohutakawa trees at the beach were flowering so a proper Kiwi Christmas.  A fantastic and relaxing break, a place we will return to very soon.

Visiting Anna & Tim

This weekend we went to visit Anna & Tim, always expecting to see something different and this time they didn't disappoint...ranging from a bus (converted to a camper van)

To a tractor dating back to 1945.

And on the animal front they now have a cow which they will keep for another year before ready for eating.

Jodie is developing a real personality and is a very good baby.

Mum & daughter.

And Dad & daughter.

Jodie getting used to her turtle we bought her for Christmas.

Rotoroa Island

Rotoroa Island has recently been opened to the public after being owned by the Salvation Army for many years as a place to send Auckland drunks to sober up and dry out.  This is a photo of what the island used to look like with all its buildings.

A few of the old buildings still remain, including the jail where the arrivals were originally held - I had to let Royston out...

This is a map of the island - not much to do here but walk and relax on the beaches.

The island is now a haven for native plants and wildlife - the conservation teams have spent a lot of time planting new trees and eradicating pests.  Only a few buildings remain now including a couple of holiday homes for rent.

The island can be walked in a day so we did just that as well as spending some time on some of the beautiful beaches.  Here is a view down the island with Ladies Bay and Mens Bay on the left.

On the western point of the island is a sculpture by Chris Booth in memory of an Auckland boatie.  Quite an amazing structure pointing out to sea.

The view from the highest point of the island looking down to the exhibition centre and across to Waiheke Island in the distance.  A beautiful quiet place to visit and one we will return to in the future.

NZ Citizenship

This evening was our NZ citizenship ceremony, the final step for us now to have dual citizenship and the right to hold a NZ passport.  The ceremony itself was a procession of about 500 people going up on stage collecting their certificates, singing the national anthem and reciting an oath.  We celebrated with a glass of fizz when we got home.

Wellington

This weekend we headed to Wellington for a triple celebration - a belated 40th present for me, getting our NZ citizenship and my recent promotion at work.  The weather was beautiful, so we had a good wander around the waterfront to see all the new bars and restaurants that have opened since our last trip.

The main reason for our trip was to have dinner at Logan Brown - winner of NZ's best restaurant on numerous occasions.  The restaurant is situated in an old converted bank, a stunning building inside matched by the quality of the food and service.  We had the 6 course degustation which was amazing http://www.loganbrown.co.nz/

Clear skies meant the flight back gave us a perfect view of the Central Plateau and the three volcanoes.

Wellington Phoenix v Adelaide United

Football finally made it to Eden Park after a long time away so we joined the 20,000 other fans in watching Wellington Phoenix playing their home game in Auckland...  We sat with the Yellow Fever - the main area of Wellington fans - cracking atmosphere.

A fairly even game with Adelaide leading 1-0 at the break, scoring just before half time.

The introduction of Paul Ifil in the second half made a big difference to Wellington and he helped with the equaliser, with the game finishing 1-1.

Auckland at Night

To learn how to use my new camera properly I attended a digital photography course, one session being taking shots at night.  Not that easy...one of my better efforts - at least not as blurry as some!

Caroline's New Car

We have finally become a 2 car household and I have a little run around to get me to and from work.

Charlie

Some photos of Charlie posing for my new camera.

And pretending he's a lion...

Waiheke Island

Today we took a day trip to Waiheke Island, taking the car over on the ferry.  The trip over was rainy so we thought we would be in for a wet day, however by the time we got there the rain and cleared and the sun was out so we headed to the first beach of the day - Onetangi Bay.

We then headed west along the northern coast road, getting some stunning views down the valley towards Palm Beach.

Eventually ending up at Palm Beach, a small quiet beach with some stunning houses lining the beach front.

Next stop was Little Oneroa Beach where we found this lovely painted boat shed.

Then onto the wineries, one of the main reason to visit Waiheke.  First stop was Cable Bay for tastings, and admiring the view from the tasting room back over to Auckland city.

Then onto Mudbrick, a beautiful building for the restaurant and tasting room.

We had lunch here, the most delicious meal with stunning views out over the harbour.  This was my main dish of lamb cutlets, beautifully presented.

The final winery of the day was Te Whau, a stunning winery set on top of a hillside with views down to Putiki Bay.  We purchased a lovely bottle of red to have at Christmas.

The ferry back to Auckland gave great views of the city...

...and the Harbour Bridge.  A great day out and we plan to take the car back over again soon to explore the eastern and quieter side of the island.

A 40th & A RWC Final Party

My 40th happened to coincide with the RWC Final so we had a small gathering to celebrate my birthday and cheer on the All Blacks to victory.  We decorated the house, themed black of course.

And a small reference to my age thanks to Mum & Dad who sent me the banner.

My friend Jo was commissioned to make the cake - I asked for a rugby theme and I think she did a fantastic job.

An incredibly tense game, the Kiwis in the room were very quiet throughout, but finally the ABs did it and won the World Cup 8-7 against France.

We then got into cutting the cake...

And celebrated into the small hours.

Taste of New Zealand

This year the Taste food festival incorporated restaurants from around NZ rather than just Auckland, so we got the opportunity to try some yummy food from places we wouldn't normally eat.  This is a Southland rabbit terrine with Riesling jelly.

That dish, along with this, the West Coast whitebait Thai infused fritter, came from True South, a Queenstown restaurant.

Whilst our favourite dish of the day came from new Auckland restaurant Cocoro, chargrilled Angus eye fillet served with teriyaki sauce and carrot puree.

This year there were a couple of international celebrity chefs, including Rick Stein who was attracting big crowds at his Malaysian kitchen tent.

Queens Wharf RWC Fan Zone

Today we headed into town to finally get onto Queens Wharf to see the Cloud and RWC Fan Zone.  The giant rugby ball has toured the world over the past few years as a tourism promotion for NZ.  We chose not to queue to go in here as very busy.

The Cloud was built especially for the World Cup and is quite an impressive structure.  Not sure if this is going to stay after the tournament.

Inside the Cloud are signed shirts from the small rugby clubs all around the country and also innovations from NZ.

Also on the Wharf is a stage for local bands to entertain the crowds - no-one playing when we were there.

Whilst the old shed that used to hold imported bananas has been converted to a huge bar area.

Just down from Queens Wharf is the temporary Maori village and the controversial $2m plastic waka.