New Zealand Travel Adventure Days 13 - 15 - This wasn't on the brochure

The past few days have been fairly rainy here in Richmond. So, we've taken the opportunity to actually rest on our vacation. On Thursday, Cameron and Pam went to go see the new Chipmunks movie. Cameron thought it was really good while Pam called it "the longest hour and a half of my life."

While Cameron and Pam did went to the movie, Noah, Megan and I went to feed the ducks and even found some surprising friends in the little creek that runs through Washbourn Gardens. EELS!!!Needing out of the house that evening, Tania took us to the Sprig and Fern Tavern where we sampled the local fair. We tried Alcoholic Lemonade, Berry Cider, Fern Lager, Fern Draught, a Hefeweisen, Tasman Lager, Ginger Lager and a Blonde.
The next day, we needed to get the boys out of the house to burn off some energy, so we took them to Chipmunks in Nelson. It's an indoor playcenter and cafe for kids. The boys had a great time and got to burn off some of the energy that had built up after two days indoors.
Yesterday afternoon, we walked the boys down to the local park to play before our big New Year's Eve festivities.

Here's part of our Mexi-Kiwi-merican spread for the evening. We had tacos, spanish rice, Oreo balls, peanut butter balls, chips and salsa and a chocolate chip cheeseball along with an assortment of adult beverages to ring in the new year with. We also watched the movie Bridesmaids, which we will recommend to anyone who hasn't seen it. It was hilarious and a great way to ring in the new year with friends.

New Zealand Travel Adventure Days 11 & 12 - Going to the beach in December never gets old

On Tuesday, we headed to the beach for some sun and relaxation. Here are the views from our picnic spot. Not bad, eh?
Noah spent most of the time laying down in the sand.
Cam enjoyed getting to float along in the Pacific Ocean.
After leaving the beach, we stopped at a little roadside brewery where I discovered what may be my new favorite beer. It's a Fejoa Wheat beer from the Monkey Wizard Brewery.After a great night's sleep (for everyone), we headed over to our friend Shann's farm where the boys got to feed the goats.

They also got to ride on a 4-wheeler. Even though it only went about 3MPH, the boys thought it was great.
They got to pet horses.
And do a little swimming.
And, as if I haven't teased everyone with them enough, here's a few more pictures of the view. It's so hard to describe how gorgeous the view is from EVERYWHERE here. After a wonderful cookout where we had our first taste of goat (we loved it), we headed over to a little cafe for some drinks and Cameron's first attempt at cricket.
Then, behind the cafe, they have a maze where we got to explore and burn off some more energy.
Just another couple of sunny, warm and wonderful days in New Zealand.

New Zealand Travel Adventure Day 9 - 11 - I'm Dreaming of a SUNNY Christmas

The past few days have been relatively laid back compared to our week at Christchurch. Here's a picture of the boys after we walked to Washbourn Gardens to feed the ducks on Christmas Eve.Here's the boys feeding the ducks. Cameron even got a couple of them to eat right out of his hands. I wish I would have gotten a picture of Noah "petting" one of the ducks. It had it's back turned toward him and as soon as his hand touched the duck's back, the duck flapped its wings and Noah jumped about 3 feet in the air.
After a relaxing afternoon of swimming, we were off to bed and ready for Christmas Day. The boys were up at 5:30 in the morning, which explains the look thatis a combination of tired and excited that Noah has on his face when he opened his stocking to find Buzz Lightyear.
The boys opening their Christmas presents (notice the lack of snow out the window).
Isn't this what everyone back at home did after opening presents? The boys headed outside to play with their toys and play in the water.
Noah was all ready for Christmas lunch.
Here's Cameron with the Pavlova that he helped prepare.
The day after Christmas is Boxing Day in the Commonwealth Nations. And, what better way to celebrate than by shopping. So, Tania Slinn took Megan and me out on the town for a day of shopping. It's much more laid back than Black Friday and the deals aren't as good, but it was fun to get out and look around all the stores. The purchase that Megan was most proud of was the Converse All-Star like gumboots that she found for Noah.

New Zealand Travel Adventure Day 8 - Fun with Animals

On Thursday, we headed over to the Willowbank Nature Reserve.
Not only did the boys get to see some native New Zealand animals, they got to get up close and personal with some of them. One wallaby even let Cameron pet it while it ate out of his hand.

And our little monkey...
New Zealand Otters
Two of the ugliest breeds of pigs you'll ever see. They would stand at the fence and open their mouths wide to let you drop food in there. Disgusting.




One of the highlights for Cameron was getting to see a Tuatara.


The other highlight was getting to see a Kiwi. I'm very thankful that one of the pictures turned out because it's very dark in there and they don't allow flash photography.

New Zealand Travel Adventure Day 9 - Return to Nelson

We woke up on Friday morning full of enthusiasm (and exhaustion from a full past 4 days) ready to head back to Nelson. On our way, we stopped at Kaikoura. Here are some of the views from the peninsula.

Some seals that we encountered...




Mostly, today was about getting back to Richmond. Although I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the earthquakes that took place in Christchurch today. It looks like we got out of town about 7 hours ahead of them, which is very fortunate for us. We can only pray that everyone is safe and that the town can again begin the rebuilding process.