South Island Holiday 2014-2015

We had an early Christmas with Oom Ron, Oma and Opa in Lichfield, on the way to the South Island.  We had a ham and yummy food for dessert like pavlova and ambrosia.  We also got to open presents while we were there, as we would not be with Oma and Opa on Christmas Day.  I got a book on NZ roads less travelled (a NZ Geographic book with lots of photos) and some new clothes.

We spent one night in Wellington and we visited Parliament Buildings, Te Papa (the museum of New Zealand) and went on the cable car.  We did a tour through Parliament Buidlings and we saw the big cushions which were made for earthquake strengthening in the basement.  At Te Papa, there was a platform to jump on to see how strong you needed to jump to create an earthquake - my jump was Magnitude 4.  I made my own squid on a computer, next to the colossal squid.  The colossal squid has eyes as big as soccer balls and it has ot chew it's food small as it's throat goes through it's brain and if the food is too big, it coudl suffer brain damage.  The cable car was fun - it goes up and down the side of the hill.  There is only one cable and both cars stop at the same time when travelling.

We did a night time crossing over the Cook Strait.  The narrowest part of the Cook Strait is only 22kms, but the trip on the ferry takes 3.5-4hrs.  Once we got to Picton, we started driving all the way to Christchurch, and we got to Nana's house about 6am.  We got to sleep for about 1hr, then had breakfast with Nana.

We caught up with some friends in Christchurch, and then on Christmas Eve, we went over to O'kains Bay to stay in our family holiday house.  Nana, Mama, Papa, Karl and I went to church on Christmas Eve - it was held in the old school house as the church in O'Kains Bay was damaged in the earthquakes and has not been repaired.

Uggie (Nana's sister who lives in Auckalnd) brought Grandma and Gugs over to O'Kains Bay for lunch on Christmas Day, and Papa and Nana took them back later in the day.  We all got spoilt with presents - some of my favourites include a book, $10, Lego and chocolates.

We were at O'Kains Bay for 10 days, and filled in our time with swimming, biking, walking up the hill behind our house, drives to different bays, reading, playing with Lego, watching TV, and relaxing.  We got to see cruise ships in Akaroa Harbour (they used to go to Lyttleton Harbour but the infrastucture there was damaged during the earthquakes, so now the ships moor in Akaroa Harbour and passengers take a small tender to land).

After we left O'Kains Bay, we visited a few more friends in Christchurch, then left to head north.  We went to Blenheim for 2 nights, and while we were there, we went to a couple of wineries, Makana Boutique Chocolates, and the Aviation Heritage Museum in Omaka.  It focuses on WW1 aircraft and has the Red Baron's handkerchief, taken from his body when his plane crashed behind enemy lines.  Before we left, Karl and I both bought ourselves some Jubilux sets (which is similar to Lego).

We crossed on the ferry during the daytime, and as well as looking out at the Marlborough Sounds, I watched the Nigel Kennedy magic show and played in the playground on level 2, which is under the water!

We started driving up the North Island, and stopped at the Fisherman's Table in Paekakariki for dinner and dessert, then drove back to Oma and Opa's house in Lichfield, arriving just after midnight!  The next day, Papa, Mama & I went for a mountain bike ride.  One of the tracks that Papa and I did was really steep in places and Papa crashed into a tree and fell off his bike!  I had to walk my bike down the track in places.

The next day, Karl stayed with Oma and Opa, and Papa, Mama & I drove back to Auckland, stopping in Hamilton to visit Tante Norma (who had been in the Philippines before Christmas, so hadn't been with us when we went south).

Day 1 & 2 of the School Holidays

On Saturday we went to South Auckland to get chicken food for our chickens. After we had picked up the chicken food, we went to our Uggie's house. We stopped at a bakery near Uggie's house to buy some lunch.  When we got there we saw Megan and Uggie's cars but not Nicky's car. Nicky was at her farm. On her farm are horses. Karl and I sat outside to eat our lunch as well as the gingerbread men Papa bought us. After lunch, Karl and I went down to the park to play. While we were playing some girls came down and started playing on a tree which was fenced off. We started playing on a tree too. Karl went to the top of the tree when I went to the beach. I climbed up to Karl pretty fast. On the way home we stopped in at Bike Barn and got some handle bar grips for our bikes. Then we went home.

On Sunday I built a tree-hut in the hedge with Papa. Karl liked my tree-hut so he decided to build his own one. I helped Karl with decorating the tree-hut he built. Papa made the surface by cutting down branches and also nailing the pieces of wood in it for it. I loved my tree-hut a lot.

Tahiti

On Thursday night we reached Tahiti. Our plane landed about twenty minutes early. The driver did not have much space in his car so we needed to go in a taxi. While we were waiting two more people arrived.  The people who were there as representatives for the people going on cruise ships were handing out leis when they found them. We had no one waiting to pick us up. We could not all fit in the car (a very small car, a four seater) because we had all our luggage with us. One of the people waiting for someone let us borrow his phone to ring the taxi driver. Once we got to the hotel called Pension de la Plage (Beach Pension) the driver of the vehicle that was meant to take us there took the two other people to their rooms. We paid the driver who drove the taxi a couple of thousand franc. The hotel is very active during the night. We tried calling out for Nana and tried looking for her because she said she would met us outside but she got too tired so she went to sleep in her room. The person who was meant to drive us there asked us what was our surname. Next he asked us if we were with our Nana so we said yes. He showed us to the rooms we were staying in. The rooms had names. Our rooms name was Maupiti and Maruu.It was about 10:30 when we arrived at Pension de la Plage. It gets light in Tahiti at six o'clock in the morning and gets dark at about six thirty in the evening.

On Friday we got up and had breakfast under a thatched roof with no walls so we could get some fresh air. The breakfast was next to the warm water pool. Once we had breakfast Karl and I went for a swim in the pool for about two hours. After the swim we got in the car and started driving. The first thing we saw was a Marae called Marae Arahurahu. The Marae had some coconut trees near it. Next we went to Marra Grotto. A Grotto is a cave with plants around it. After that we went to Bain de Vaima (a spring bubbling into a crystal clear river, very popular with locals, and with eels). One of the last things we looked at was Arahoho Blowhole. Once we got back to our hotel Karl, Papa and I went out in the lagoon and went swimming. After the lagoon we went back to the pool at our hotel and Karl and I went swimming.

On Saturday we went to Pape'ete to have a look around. Pape'ete is the capital of Tahiti and also the Capital of French Polynesia. We went to a church where the PK markers start marking the length of the island. Next we went to the Marche de Pape'ete, where you can buy ice-creams, fruit, meat, fish, materials, baskets, and lots more.  We got an ice-cream.  We saw the town hall then the ferry terminal building where the ferries leave for Mo'orea and other islands round Tahiti. We got on the ferry and went to Mo'orea. Once we got to Mo'orea we got a taxi to drive us round the island. He showed us his hotel with a beach outside it.  That beach had really white sand.  Once we got back from Mo'orea we went across the road to where they sell the best crepes in Tahiti.  I had crepe avec chocolat et banane. We dipped our feet in the pool at our hotel after we had dinner.

On Sunday morning, Karl & I did not have any breakfast because we had eaten so many easter eggs then went swimming.  After Papa, Mama & Nana had eaten their breakfast, we all went to a local church.  It was a Catholic church, and the songs were in French and Tahitian, and the priest spoke in French.  We had to leave a bit before the end so that Papa could settle the bill at the Pension.  We then went back into Pape'ete to see more.  We tried to see King Pomare V tomb, but it was fenced off.  We did the Presidential Palace, the Vaima Hospital and the Pharmacists House (an old 2-storey colonial house).  Also, we saw the Queen's house.

After that, we returned to the Pension where Karl & I swam in the pool for a while before Papa took us over the road to the lagoon.  We saw a school of fish which I chased and an eel.  Mama & Nana stayed at the Pension and swam in the pool there.  The water in the lagoon, and in the pool, was warm.

We had dinner at the creperie again, then had an early night.  At 3.30 in the morning, we got up and went to the airport.  We were the first to check in.  Our plane left at 7.35am Tahiti time, and took about 5 hours 40 mins to get back to Auckland.  We left on Monday morning and arrived on Tuesday morning, because we crossed the international date line.

Tahiti was hot and muggy.  There were lots of dogs, chickens, roosters, coconut trees, people selling food on the side of the road.  Lots of people, especially the locals, go to beaches and rivers to swim and keep cool.

For more information, go to the sites listed below:

http://plesfam.blogspot.co.nz/ 
 http://gbskarlp.blogspot.co.nz/

To LA

On Wednesday we got up and drove to LA. We saw Chewing Gum alley which we could smell.

 On the way we went through Solvang, a Dainsh town.In Solvang we got out of the car and had a walk around. On our way back to the car we went in a bakery and bought some food for afternoon tea. We saw the mission in Solvang as well.

Late in the evening we played on the beach in Santa Moncia while Mama and Papa sorted out where to stay the night. We stayed in LA at the Super 8.

Half way to LA

On Tuesday morning we got up and left San Francisco in our automobile.  We drove along Highway 1, which goes along the Pacific Coast.  We tried to see New Zealand, but couldn't.

At one beach we saw all the driftwood that had been made into things like huts.

We saw elephant seals which were nearly extinct because of the oil-rich blubber, but are now increasing in numbers.

We saw Carmel Mission, which is where Junipera Serra is buried.  We didn't go inside, but looked over the fence.

As we drove along, we looked out and could see Hearst Castle, which took 30 years to build and if built today, would cost $400 million to build.

We drove through Monterey and saw Cannery Row, where sardines used to be canned in America before all the sardines disappeared.  We also saw California's first theatre.

We had dinner in Morro Bay, and could see Morro Rock, which is the last in a chain of 21 volcanoes.  Morro Bay has lots of fishing boats.  We then drove to San Luis Obispo to spend the night.