Piha with Nanna and Poppy

There was the junior world surfing championships at the time which made Piha very busy although the boys loved looking for Chicken Joe and Cody (Surf's Up) so they thought it was all very cool. The surf was as huge as ever. Tom fell flat on his face and was not impressed that I took his photo. He has just started speaking to me again! Still find it so strange to be walking on black sand.

Trip to Piha

On our way to Piha we stopped at 'Summit Cafe' which is something we have always wanted to do because of the views. They did not disappoint, even the boys stood still for a minute! Poppy had brought his binoculars which Tom found very useful for looking for 'things.' After climbing up the Waitkere ranges the views of Piha are awesome.

Sailing around Auckland

We were keen to Poppy on the waves and Dave kindly offered to take us out for a sail to Rangitoto and up the coast to see the different bays. He also took us into the main marina in Auckland where all the 'big' boats are and, even though it was a little choppy, we had a great trip.

Auckland Museum with Nanna and Poppy

The last time Nanna and Poppy went to a museum was when they took me and Sam to London when we were kids so I think they had a great time. As we walked in the king of the fairies offered us a rose which gave us a free pass to see the exhibition on the rose and to see the play of a Midsummers Night Dream. We got to go in the huge hanging dome which was great and the play was really funny. Alex and Ollie were so impressed that they went down to the stage to thank the actors and actresses.

Poppy's Birthday

For Poppy's Birthday the boys wanted to take him to 'Denny's' for breakfast and we ate lots. We needed to walk some of that off and so we headed to Long Bay where Tom decided to spell his name with shells. We then took Poppy down to the Auckland marina so he could have a look at the million or so boats and we finished the day by taking him to the skytower for a lovely dinner. The food is surprisingly good in the 'Orbit' restaurant which revolves so you have a constantly changing view.

Achilles Point and Kelly Tarltons

Whilst mum and dad were here we had plenty to show them in Auckland. We drove to Achilles Point for the first time which is just south of Auckland and the views were great. Everyone talks about Mission Bay as 'the' place to go but we drove past another 3 or 4 really nice bays after that. On Taraki drive, which is the coast road, is Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium and they had a new exhibition on so we gave it go. The shark head was weirdly real and not exactly pleasant viewing but Tom was impressed! Visiting the Penguins in the snowcat is always worth a trip and they were feeding them at the time which made a lot of noise. Mum and Dad were blown away by the size of the rayfish and sat there for a good 15 mins!

Arataki Visitor Centre

We were determined to take the boys for more walks as the Waitakere Ranges were so close and so we headed to the visitor centre for a map. We couldn't believe how amazing the centre was with amazing views and an excellent learning centre for the kids. The centre is on the same road you would travel on to get to Piha. That was for you mum and dad as you now know what we mean!

Island

On our way back from the hole in the rock they dropped us off on an island for an hour. It was a perfect location right in the middle of all the islands and even the children started to enjoy the views. On our way back from the island the captain invited us up to the main deck and he was brilliant. Alex must have asked him a hundred questions and the captain was loving it. Even Poppy was excited!

Hole in the Rock

If you visit the Bay of Islands you have to do the hole in the rock ferry trip. I wasn't that bothered by it but it turned out to be an excellent trip and the children particularly enjoyed it.

The trip through the islands to get to the hole was great but the dolphins, which are guaranteed, was amazing to see and the boys went bananas! The hole looked quite small and there was a bit of swell so it was incredible when the captain did the horn and sailed through it!