Wellington Zoo, December 30th, 2008

Rebecca and Tessa, Hannah and Laura get up close feeding giraffe's, seeing a Kiwi up close (a one legged one at that with its own prothesis!), and meeting a baby chimpanzee.

Junk Yard Sculpture Garden on Ohiro Rd

Around 1 km South from our house is a kind of garden junk yard where the owner has made amazing sculptures all over the hill side and beside the road.

NZ Plants

New Zealand makes a concerted effort to keep its indigenous plants and animals safe from invading species. The possum is a huge threat and so they are poisoned. Cats are kept indoors at night as they kill the kiwi. The ecosystem of the island was isolated for a long time that it is susceptible to foreign species and is quite unique. James was fined $150 for accidentally bringing in an apple at customs and when we had our stuff shipped, it was thoroughly inspected as Hannah's riding gear was in there.



New

waikane

Ice cream after a day at the beach at Waikane. Around 1 1/2 hours up the West coast at the batch of Sarah, Kevin, Laura (from Hannah's class) and Jack along with the lab and the greyhound.. Nice to be back on a beach with dogs!

Ohiro Stream

The friends of Owhiro Stream have worked hard to make this little city stream healthy with native plants. We saw a huge eel and tramped down the stream for over a km. The stream runs right past our house to the ocean.

Boxing Day Party at Kate and Simon's

Here's James with the guys racing their cars. Georgina and Tessa prepared a 5 page quiz, Simon cooked the filet minon perfectly and the kids played happily. We met many of Kate and Simon's wonderful friends.

Our house on Ohiro

Yikes! Setting up house on Ohiro Road. James study, Hannah's room and our bedroom

Library Author Series Jill Marshall

The author of the Jane Blonde series speaks to the girls and then they eat cupcakes and decorate their nails!.

Year End Class Trip to Pool

Didi and Hannah at the Botanical Gardens
Hannah with the underwater camera.
The entire school went to a big pool with a long waterslide. It was freezing and rained.

Back home in Southampton

Wow..It's been cold. First time Canada has had a White Christmas Coast to Coast!
Here's what Granma Margaret and Granpa Bob are dealing with in Southampton along with Jasper who looks much loved with his bed AND blanket AND santa hat!!

Hill behind house on Ohiro Road

A hike up the steep hill behind out house. Look for Rebecca way up in the tree at the top and that is Hannah's tribal stick

Boxing Day Skate

Boxing day we went roller blading at Queen's wharf which is right downtown on the harbour.



Pohutukawa tree - lovely red flowers at Christmas. If you slide down the Pohutukawa root, in Maori this means you have passed on to your ancestors.


Fergy's at the waterfront

Makara Tramp Christmas Day

Christmas picnic in the fancy tupperware basket. Instead of carving the Roast Beast we sacrificed a Watermelon.
































This is part of the old concrete gun defences. There were two guns manned between 1941 and 1943 defending the Cook Straight. Each could fire 15 km and were never used.