Kayaking in Russell

One of the great things about staying at a bach is that you move into a home with everything there like dvd's, boardgames and kayaks! The weather was stunning and the boys were really keen to swim and have a go at kayaking. I was so impressed that Alex wanted to do it for himself, he has grown so much in confidence. Even Tom was keen to get out there, although I had to paddle for him. It looks like we will have to buy some kayaks for our new home as we are so close to the beach, never thought I would ever say that!

You have to scooter...

in Russell. Ollie insisted we brought the scooters and within hours of waking up he wanted to check Russell out via a scooter. We found another lovely beach although Ollie was more interested in trying to do tricks on the road. Anton was pretty good!

Walk through Russell

The village of Russell is lovely. There are plenty of shops, bars and restaurants but not too many and it has a great 'island' feel to it like Herm. There is a great wharf with lots of things happening on it which the boys love watching with an ice cream. The waterfront is beautiful with a line of trees and beach with fantastic views of the Bay of the Islands.

As we walked up the waterfront Tom said he was sorry as he wet his trousers and asked him how much. The photo was his answer! "This much"

Russell with the Hines

We left home fairly early to avoid the Easter traffic and arrived in Russell just after lunch. The boys were so excited that they ran out in their pj's! Our first impression was incredible, we couldn't believe the batch was so close to the beach. Alex ran onto the beach straight away and the beach was stunning, the views were even better. The batch was modern and big.

School Uniform and bits

School uniform was introduced this year and the boys had mixed reactions! Ollie accepted it once he realised that everyone else was wearing it too. We are doing our best to enjoy the outdoors and encouraging the boys to ride their bikes especially as there are so many cycle tracks. It is still very difficult to take the three of them as they are at such different stages with their cycling skills. Alex is fine although still needs us close, Tom hardly moves and Ollie is trying to do 360's and flips. Stressful.

Alex wants to dress formally for birthday parties at the moment?! Strange but he does look pretty cool and much older.

The boys continue to flourish in cricket and Alex is now capable of hitting 4's and 6's, which is amazing considering he could hardly hit the ball at the beginning of the season.

Sheepworld with Nanna and Poppy but without daddy

While daddy was back at work everyone went to visit 'Sheepworld'. Alex loves being close to the animals and as you can see walks around with a great big grin on his face! He has really grown in confidence and now puts himself forward to do things like sheep shearing, as you do. Nanna really enjoyed giving the lambs their milk and the icing on the cake for the boys was to meet the 'dog' who rounds up the sheep in a show.

Te Puia, Rotorua - Thermal Park

There are lots of thermal parks to visit in Rotorua and we decided to visit the most popular one as it was nice and close to the town. It was full of Maori culture and more importantly there were lots of smelly thermals! This one was particularly smelly and the boys did not appreciate it. It was a good hour and half to walk around the park which was a bonus as it tired out the boys for an early night.