January was... well, a bit of a nightmare. We had the kids down at Kaiaua for back to back 12 day stints with 1 day off in between to re-up on groceries and get the place clean for the second lot. I got sick and missed 4 days of work. And, by the end of it, all Dan and I wanted to do was go away and forget that it ever happened! Just imagine 14-20 kids whining your name at the same time for 12 days, all day long. You start to run out of patience!
Anyway, we decided to head over to our favorite place in New Zealand - the Coromandel Peninsula. Known for its white sandy beaches, pristine bush, and amazing fishing spots, I couldn't wait. We went to a place called Hahei, where my mother and father treated us to some amazing accommodation for a night!
Our first adventure was night fishing at a ferry landing to catch Mackerel, our bait for the following day. I used my never-fail fishing technique, which you really have to see to fully understand, but it goes a little something like this: put a line of hooks in the water, bend over and watch for the fish to come take a peek at what you have, when they go in for a taste, jerk the rod and pull the hooks quickly out of the water and over your shoulder, effectively launching the unexpecting fish out of the water and onto the dock. This only works for blue mau mau and apparently mackerel. I have to say, I did end up with a hook in my finger, which the ferry master had to remove for me - not exactly the most pleasant experience.
The following day we headed north to Otama for a hike along some hills/cliffs to a beautiful fishing spot on the rocks. Along the way, we saw 3 sharks cruising near shore! Very exciting!!!!!
The start of our hike - Dan looking out over the crystal clear water. (You could see through the waves the water was so clear!!)
Otama Beach - we have this picture posted to the wall in our kitchen... a friendly reminder of why we need to save money so we can someday live overlooking a beach like this ;)
Snorkeling in the crystal clear waters! Didn't see much, but it was nice to get used to the snorkel and get prepared for the next days attempt!
We stayed at a camp site in Hahei for most of the time we were there. Down the beach from camp, we found this amazing tree swing from a Pohutukawa off a cliff. This is Dan soaring through the air! It was a truly amazing experience - like you were flying! That is, until the rope snapped! Thankfully Dan stopped himself before it got too dangerous!
A Pohutukawa towering over the beach.
Enjoying some morning tea and a newspaper at The Church - converted from a church into accomodation - amazing native gardens and funny chickens running around!
After our travels, we returned home to find the Monarchs were hatching! I think we had about 20 Chrysalises in the first round - they just kept coming!!
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