Our first getaway...

This week was fabulous! We took off with Tanya, Scott, Kesia and Jordan to head to the tip of the North Island - Cape Reinga.

On our way, some car trouble... Scott and Tanya's SUV fan belt gave way. A minor set back. We didn't let that damper our spirits. While Scott, Michael, Kesia and Jordan made their way to the next service centre, Tanya, Kathy, Mackenzie and Breeana continued on to our final destination - Cable Beach.

Tanya booked us a fabulous "batch" overlooking the shores of Cable Beach. An awesome spot! A little noisy... the waves rocked you to sleep every night. LOL

After getting the car repaired, dropping off our bags and grabbing a quick bite we drove around and visited Karikari Peninsula - Tokerau Beach and Matia Bay. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around. Once again, we were speechless. Beautiful white beaches and breathtaking views!

Having worked up an appetite, we set out for the best fish-n-chip on the North Island. It was actually operated for the longest time by Scott's grandfather. Legend has it that Scott's father and uncle would catch snapper from their bedroom windows. One thing we can confirm is that it IS the best fish-n-chip that we've had... even better than the Glenn's back home.

Our tour day: We started the following morning "bright-eyed and bushy tailed", eager to conquer the North. We made our way to Kaitaia for our day long bus tour. Don't frown... it was an awesome day. The weather cooperated. It only rained when we were on the bus. Miraculously it would stop everytime we got off! We highly recommend the tour to those of you who are coming to visit! We saw some of the oldest trees in the world, stood at the tip of New Zealands' north island, saw where the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea crash together, tobogganed down the sand dunes, drove along the 90 mile beach and ate some of the best ice cream in the world.

Tanya, Scott, Kesia, Jordan, thanks for inviting us on your family getaway!