Whangamata 2!

Took loads of photos and couldn't decide which ones to put on the blog...so here are a few more!

Whangamata

"Uncle" Paul's birthday came at a perfect time this year. One week after a hectic moving weekend we celebrated Paul's 27th birthday (is he really that old?!?!) at a bach in Whangamata (in the Coromandel). The weather was brilliant and the company not too bad either! The New Zealand coastline constantly impresses me. It is always a joy to go to amazing beaches but even better is the fact that there is nobody to share/spoil it! Call me anti-social but who wants to holiday with other people (apart from the group you are with). It's also great not to have to walk a mile or 2 to get away from the crowds especially if you've got loads of kit for the children! If only I could transport this part of NZ back with me!
Anyway, the weekend was really great. We played far too much Settlers (a strategy board game and great fun but not so good for your marriage if you're competitive!) and enjoyed some good coffee and fantastic pizza. The other highlight was flying a kite on the beach. I don't know about you but I haven't ever been able to fly a kite for more than 10 seconds. I remember spending many a frustrating time with my Dad and then with my children unable to get the stupid kite in the air. I think I have now cracked it...thanks to a little tuition from my brother-in-law I would now consider myself almost competent!

On The Move Again!!

It has been a while since the last blog note and this is probably due to moving house again and settling into a new area. The seaviews were fantastic but in reality the house we moved into in Hillsborough was a bit too big for us and slightly too isolated for a young family. I will miss the proximity to the sea and it was great fun for a time...but Mount Eden is the new hunting ground for the Amess family!!
So ...on the 20th July... the Amess family moved again! We hope this will be the last in New Zealand because I don't think my back will cope with another!! The day was actually really good fun. We hired a knackered old lorry (for about 35 GBP equivalent) and we shifted all our stuff in the space of about 5 hours. We couldn't have done it without the help of Paul, Rich and their better halves. I really think we could set up as a removal service...or perhaps not!! The highlight of the move had to be the "burgerfuel"(best burgers in NZ) at the end of the day. Class!!