MOTAT with Nanna and Poppy

There was an awesome exhibition at MOTAT about future sports. The Zorb balls on the water were very popular and Alex was understandably drawn to that first. It was hilarious watching him trying to stand up but he didn't give up and constantly fell over. Awesome. There was loads of activities including Splash Attack which involved firing water bombs at each other and a gyroscope! Alex was in his element hunting down activities and collecting stickers for strength, endurance, intelligence and agility. It was all very well laid out and my parents loved the old favourites too such as the flight simulator over the South Island through the Milford Sound.

Paihia

The main town in' The Bay of Islands' is Paihia. We had to get a very short ferry ride across from Russell instead of a 100km road trip! The ferry was interesting as it literally pulled up and you had to be quick to jump on before it left again. The trip was worth is just to sit back and take in some of the views of the boats and scenery. Paihia was great although not as nice as Russell. The views from the cafe were lovely and watching the ferries and the 'Excitor' was impressive. The boys were disappointed when we said our ferry was not the Excitor!

Russell Walk to Lookout

It was recommended that we walked to the 'lookout' over Russell and although it was a little steep, it was fantastic. The views were amazing but more importantly for the boys they found a stick insect on Alex's shoe!

First Impressions of Russell

First impressions of Russell were great. It felt like a bigger version of Herm/Sark. Russell is a ferry trip away from the main town of Paihia in the Bay of Islands. There were plenty of small shops and restaurants. On our first morning we checked out the closest beach and it was stunning as all you could see, funny enough, were islands.

Whangarei

On our way to the Bay of Islands we stopped off at Whangarei for a KFC and a coffee. The waterfront is always a good option and this one did not disappoint. The play area was awesome as it was big and quite different. Lots of coffee houses and plenty of boats for Poppy to enjoy.

Mum and Dad arrive

Orewa

During the first couple of days we entertained my mum and dad by catching the ferry from Devonport to Auckland and visiting the skytower. We also visited our friends in Orewa which is about half an hour north from where we live and Duncan cooked us an awesome BBQ. He also set up a water slide which, as you can clearly see, the boys loved. The boys were keen to show Nanna and Poppy the tunnels to see the Meerkats at the zoo which kept them busy. We are sat outside the exit waiting for the boys to reappear for about the sixth time!

Hamilton

On our way back from Napier we stopped at Taupo so Colin and June could see the mountains over the lake. On our way from there we stopped in Hamilton for tea which was a real surprise. The main high street was great with huge Christmas tree and we found a restaurant which the boys thought was 'awesome!' because they were given a cardboard boat. Easily pleased, the food was also great.

Napier

Napier was a beautiful town on the east coast. Most of the buildings were in an art-deco style and the gardens were amazingly kept almost Victorian looking. There were some Christmas decorations up so Thomas was extremely impressed with their efforts. Alex and Ollie were quite happy to sit on a cannon! Interestingly, they had a fantastic skate park where they provided helmets and a cafe encouraging the whole family to come. Awesome.

National Aquarium of NZ, Napier

As a family we love our aquariums so we were very excited to find one in Napier. Fortunately it was excellent although a little short as we were hungry for more! The highlights were the turtles and jellyfish. Ollie being a Nemo fan was particularly excited and wanted a shot showing off his map. Alex was impressed by the giant squid and decided it needed to be in the next Alex Rider book. The tunnels are a brilliant idea as you see so much more. The building was very modern and stands out in the art-deco feel of Napier. Weirdly, Alex was talking about the Megladon and whether it still existed, and they had a set of it's teeth! One of Tom's favourite characters from Nemo is Bruce, they have similar traits, and insisted I took a photo with him.