School Holiday Break and warmer weather

 There are 4 terms of school here.  And between each term is 2 weeks of break or "holiday".  And then between school years there are 6 weeks of holiday.  So after our start in term 3, we had a break in the beginning of October.  The grandparents came up for a week and the other week we hung out together.  One day, we went to a trampoline park and the kids were in heaven.  we met up with a couple of their friends and topped it off with ice blocks.  Best day ever, Archie said.

I can't remember what this is but it is a yummy treat here.  Put fires in some break with ketchup.  It is actually really good and this is before I devoured it.  We have been enjoying fish and chips on the occasion that I don't want to cook at the end of the week!

We have graduated to big puzzles!  I loved doing puzzles as a kid during summer and winter breaks.  The kids enjoyed it and we will be doing more of these in the future.

Just a breakfast and doing some FaceTime with family.

And the kids are learning cricket.  We have just enough space to do it in the back yard (or garden as it is called here).  The kids really like it.  I am not sure that we will be joining a team but it will be a good sport to play as a family and with friends.

I have been making friends here and getting coffee.  On this occasion, my American accent helped me get a special design in my cup of flat white.  While my friend and I laughed that she got a hash tag.  

A walk down to the beach.  Weather is perking up and we are enjoying it.  A must is hats and sunscreen here.  The sun is more intense than the northern hemisphere.  The kids aren't even allowed to play outdoors at school unless they are wearing a hat.  I appreciate it but the hat hair for me is a downer.

Sylvie doing some jumping at the local mall.  She loved it and it was worth stopping and doing something fun and totally not on our to-do list. :)

A rare photo of the two of us while at Alan and CCs place for a swim.

A look up to to top of One Tree Hill

We went for a walk to One Tree Hill, yes a real place not just a TV show from the states.  It is a famous hill in Auckland (an extinct volcano which is pretty much every hill in auckland).  There is a famous Maori story about the hill and there used to be one tree at the top.  The tree was cut down by a settler long ago and there has been an effort to replace the tree.  The kids had actually learned the story in school and Sylvie told us all about it.  So we did a nice walk with sheep, cows, and view of the city.  There an obelisk at the top which we can see from our house as well as from most vantage points in the city.

The paddocks had spring lambs and LOTS of sheep just hanging around.

There were beautiful trees along the way as we winded up the hill.

The obelisk at the top.  It is quite large.

The view towards our house and Rangitoto island.  The city is alway a vibrant green with the blue sea surrounding it.

The park is beautiful that surrounds it and I imagine we will be visiting it quite a few times in the future.

So the One Tree of the hill was cut down and it was a sacred place to the Maori.  In an effort to replace the tree, there are currently 6 trees at the top (protected by fencing).  The healthiest and strongest will be the one to stay.

We took a ferry to Waiheke Island to visit some friends at the bach (pronounced batch and means a cabin).  It was a fun outing and a great way to see the city from the water.

The drive to the island reminded us of the islands around Seattle.  It has the same feel and we even saw some dolphins off the side of the boat.  There are Orca pods in the water as well.  

The photo doesn't give the beauty of this place.  It was so so beautiful.  There were some many things that just look like beautiful paintings.

School and warm weather = bare feet.  The kids get to take their shoes off in and out of the classroom.  A kiwi norm but new to us.

And the kids started swim lessons.  The LOVE it and Archie's swim cap was a little too small.  He had a nice face lift.  

And Archie's class read some Grimm Fairytale Story about 3 boys in a wood and some witch that took their clothes (?).  They had to run home naked.  He drew the boys with butts! :)