Emma's Birthday

Emma turned 9 on Sunday. We had a little family party after church. She misses celebrating with all her friends from home.

Waitomo Caves

To celebrate Esther's and Emma's birthdays, we visited the Waitomo Caves. They are some amazing caves a few hours south of Auckland. The caves have millions of glow worms. It looks like lots of little green stars. Unfortunately, we weren't able to take pictures inside. On the way back we noticed someone supporting the Lone Star State. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

Here is also a picture of Hannah at a school certificate assembly.

Esther's 6th birthday

Esther turned 6 on February 12th. Unfortunately, she still had to go to school that day, but it's a blessing in disguise. You get lots of attention at school when it is your birthday. Her teacher let me bring in cupcakes for the class. I enjoyed getting to know some of her classmates. That night we had a little family party and then all watched Dr. Who together!

Pa's surgery

Mark's dad had shoulder surgery Monday. He's been putting it off for a long time and finally had to do something about it. Once he came home from the hospital, he was smothered in nurses. He had one feeding him, one putting a damp cloth on his forehead, one combing his hair, and (my favorite) Sarah combing the hair on his legs. It will be a long recovery and lots of work, but he seems to be doing pretty well so far.

Back to School

The girls started back to school Wednesday, February 4th. Esther is in Year 2, Hannah is coincidentally next-door to her in Year 3, and Emma is in Year 5. I think they are happy to be back in school, but I'm not sure I could get them to admit it. The week was a short one, though, because Friday was Waitangi Day. It celebrates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and the beginning of New Zealand as a nation. We spent that Saturday going to a surf beach about an hour away, called Muriwai. We took the kids on a little hike to some cliffs overlooking the beach. After that, we went down the road to see a gannet colony. Then we went for a swim and some boogie boarding at Muriwai.

Napier, Taupo, and Rotorua

On Monday, we caught the ferry back across to the North Island and traveled north along the eastern coast to Napier and Hastings. These are kind of cool art deco towns. (The Eketahuna picture is for Jonathan!).

The next day we headed back to Auckland and stopped off at Lake Taupo. This can be an absolutely beautiful place, but we were there on a not very nice day. The kids are mad in the picture because we dropped them off on one end of town, and told them to walk down the sidewalk to the other end of town, where Mark and I were enjoying a cup of coffee in peace. They got over it, though.

After Taupo, we went on to Rotorua. Rotorua is kind of a tourist trap area with geysers and boiling mud. It's pretty cool, but reeks of sulfur.

That night we made it back to Auckland safe and sound with lots of experiences and memories to cherish. We had to get to bed early, though, because the new school year was starting the next morning.

Kaikoura

On Sunday, we continued our drive up the east coast, and stopped in a beautiful little town called Kaikoura. It is a place famous for whale watching. We tried to go out on a boat but they had canceled all tours because of rough seas. This was a bit of a bummer because it was one of the main things we were looking forward to doing. Nevertheless, we continued on to the north of the south island where we stayed on a farm. It was in the Marlborough Sounds on a flat area between two of the sounds.

Christchurch

On Saturday, we left Dunedin and drove north along the eastern coast of the South Island to Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island. On the way there we stopped off at Shag Point. I know what you're thinking, but it is a bird sanctuary. Further down the road we saw the Moeraki Boulders. They are the freakiest things - perfectly round natural boulders just sitting on the beach.

The Shotover Jet

On Friday we did the Shotover Jet. We've always heard of the Shotover Jet, but never done it. They take these jet boats and drive you down canyons at 50mph in water a foot or so deep. Then they pass jagged boulders within a yard (it looked more like a foot) and do 360s. It was so terrifying that it almost wasn't fun for Mark and me. The girls loved it. It just shows how naive and trusting (and dumb) they are!

After that, we left Queenstown and headed for Dunedin. It is the main University town in NZ. On the way there, the kids were killing us so we let them out in some farmer's paddock and they ran around herding sheep and burning off some energy.

Queenstown

Thursday, we left Wanaka for Queenstown. On the way, we stopped off at Puzzling World. Apparantly, it is the origin of the modern-styled great maze. It was a surprisingly great thing to do as a family. Also on the way, we stopped off at AJ Hackett's Bungy Jump. This is the place that invented the bungy jump. You can choose whether your jump will allow you to dip into the water or finish just above it. That is one time I wouldn't want to lie about my weight. We decided it was more fun to just watch other people do it.

When we arrived in Queenstown, we took a gondola ride to the top of a steep mountain for a spetacular panorama. Then we took a ski lift up higher and did the luge. Queenstown is a ski town in winter, but in summer it is the "adventure capitol of the world." I used to scoff at this marketing, but after reflecting on it, I can't think of any place else with such an adrenalin rush choice. It is one of the most beautiful places you will ever see. Unfortunately, we were there on a cloudy day and it wasn't Queenstown in all its glory. Nevertheless, it was still spectacular.

Franz Joseph Glacier

Wednesday morning we went to the foot of Franz Joseph Glacier. People walk on it and land planes on the top of it but we just hiked to the foot of it, looked at it, took a picture, and left. We continued driving down the West Coast as far as you can go, then turned inland across Haast Pass. We passed Lake Hawea (pictured) and ended the day in a beautiful town called Wanaka. In the winter, it is a ski town, but is also really nice in summer. It is near Queenstown, which gets all the fame, but many people prefer Wanaka for its more subtle style.