A slow week...

Well it's been a slow week for several reasons.
1. the dust balls were chasing us around the house;
2. Breeana and Mackenzie were out of clothes;
3. there wasn't much food left to eat;
4. Kathy's was sick with a cold; and
5. Mike had to work.

So we kept it simple. We ventured out to the west coast for the first time to a place called Dargaville. The drive was good. We saw more cows and sheep that you could shake a stick at! We drove straight for about 50 km. Something we hadn't done for a while since most of the roads we've traveled usually twist and turn.

Dargaville is the nation's Kumara capital. Once a central trading centre at the turn of the century, given it's location on the Wairoa River, houses a wonderful museum depicting the period. It is also home to the holdest kauri tree in the country which we didn't see... that's our travel guide's fault!


We finally had, beleive or not, two days of superb weather = NO rain! That's right people, not one single drop and almost 20 degrees temperature:)

We started off the weekend at the local market to purchase some fresh fruits and vegetables. It was great to see everyone with smiles on their faces. It reminded us of back home when everyone walks around with a "permagrin" following those first few days of warm weather after a harsh winter. We try not to smile when people here say that it's been a hard winter - lots of rain! We tell them about the winter we had last year and say at least it ain't snow! They smile but we don't think they can really appreciate what 14 feet of snow actually looks like. It's just one of those things that you have to experience!

With our purchases done, we hooked up with Scott, Tanya and their kids and made our way out to Patua. So far one of the best spots we've been to with the girls. So much so that we went back on Sunday. It's got the best of both worlds - an estuary surrounded by trees with shallow water for Mackenzie to play in and an ocean side with lots of waves. Both of which are blessed with beautiful white beaches. So we palyed in the sand, burried our feet and hands, got a good dose of vitamine D and snacked on some goodies. What a great weekend!