Yesterday our hosts, Alison & Cliff, took us to a well-known beach on the west coast (Piha), but on the way we stopped at a visitors' centre to learn a bit about the local region's flora & fauna. Outside the centre, a Māori pouwhenua (what looked to us like a totem pole) caught our attention. Rowan was game to pose with me, but Teaghan needed serious persuading. Can't figure out why Judy "insisted" on standing to my right in the photo......... The shot over Rowan's shoulders is of a reservoir that provides views of the Tasman Sea in the distance.
After another "typical" NZ drive (read: crazy climbs & descents with plenty of twists and turns), we arrived at Piha. It is known for its black sand and wicked rips that make swimming & surfing quite dangerous for the uninitiated. We were content to let the kids play on the beach and marvel at the breakers crashing in. We then took a short (but steep enough!) hike up a track to Te Waha Point, which provided us with a bit of a breather (see the shot of Alison, Judy & the girls) and a beautiful outlook on the Tasman Sea - hohum, another breathtaking view - trust me, this never gets old! I told the girls to point behind them to Australia, as that is the next bit of land on the other side of the water (only a 3-hour flight away).
We then headed back to Alison & Cliff's beautiful home for "tea" - a full-course Kiwi dinner of roast lamb & veggies. The girls are still raving about it !!!!! It was simply the perfect end to a perfect day.
We've really enjoyed our stay in Orewa and want to thank Alison & Cliff for their hospitality and suggestions of places to visit. We're looking forward to our final few days in this beautiful part of the country before moving on......
Today, we tried to revisit Goat Island Marine Reserve (we spent a wonderful afternoon there last week snorkeling), but the storm over the weekend had left the visibility in the water quite low; however, the day was salvaged by a visit to the visitors' centre affiliated with the University of Auckland, and the girls had a lot of fun handling various sea creatures native to the area - check out their pages tomorrow (hopefully!) for pix & commentary.......
After another "typical" NZ drive (read: crazy climbs & descents with plenty of twists and turns), we arrived at Piha. It is known for its black sand and wicked rips that make swimming & surfing quite dangerous for the uninitiated. We were content to let the kids play on the beach and marvel at the breakers crashing in. We then took a short (but steep enough!) hike up a track to Te Waha Point, which provided us with a bit of a breather (see the shot of Alison, Judy & the girls) and a beautiful outlook on the Tasman Sea - hohum, another breathtaking view - trust me, this never gets old! I told the girls to point behind them to Australia, as that is the next bit of land on the other side of the water (only a 3-hour flight away).
We then headed back to Alison & Cliff's beautiful home for "tea" - a full-course Kiwi dinner of roast lamb & veggies. The girls are still raving about it !!!!! It was simply the perfect end to a perfect day.
We've really enjoyed our stay in Orewa and want to thank Alison & Cliff for their hospitality and suggestions of places to visit. We're looking forward to our final few days in this beautiful part of the country before moving on......
Today, we tried to revisit Goat Island Marine Reserve (we spent a wonderful afternoon there last week snorkeling), but the storm over the weekend had left the visibility in the water quite low; however, the day was salvaged by a visit to the visitors' centre affiliated with the University of Auckland, and the girls had a lot of fun handling various sea creatures native to the area - check out their pages tomorrow (hopefully!) for pix & commentary.......