The Whirst Whokken Whest

At the beginning on February my Aunt Nelly and Uncle Mike came for a visit. This is my mom's brother and his wife. Their son came to New Zealand for a visit a few years ago, so he very much convinced them that they need to see this country, so why not go when you have a niece living there to show you around. We were planning to go to Whitianga and it took them forever to remember that the "Wh" was a "f" sound, so I gave them a hard time. It just works out perfectly that I can use the "wh" alliteration for the title of this blog!

They flew in on a Friday and after a short detour they ended up at our house. We went out for the day and toured Auckland which included lunch at Mission Bay, a walk up to MJ Savage Park for some stunning bay views. Then opting for a full day we drove to to Piha for the afternoon. It was low tide so we were able to walk to the little cove area and discover.

Me and Nelly dipping our feet at Piha 

What a shot!

Dinner in the Wynyard corner

Saturday morning we got up bright and early and headed for Whitianga after hitting up the French Market for some coffee! We took the long way through Coromandel which was beautiful.

First look at the East Coast!

We hit the beach once we checked in and the waves were really big! It was a king tide that weekend so everywhere we went we had huge waves. We enjoyed bumming around Whitianga for the evening and enjoyed a stunning sunset.

Stunning sunset in Whitianga 

Whitianga harbor

The next morning we got up at at em and went to Cathedral Cove. We'd not been there before and it was so stunning! Definitely a place to see when in New Zealand. It really is what it says it is, a little cove of beach and it is so cool! We opted for the walk which was enjoyable on the way there (mostly downhill), and sweated on the way back.

Through the "Cove"

Cathedral Cove

Cathedral Cove beach

Along the walk to Cathedral Cove

Then on to hot water beach. We'd been there before in the winter so enjoyed the warm water, but this time it was too hot! We were watched al the crazies dig their hole while we body surfed and boogie boarded in the amazing cool water. It was some of the most fun I'd had in the water in a while. I felt like a kid.

Hot Water Beach

Then they were off for a whirlwind trip around both islands ending up up back in Auckland for the day before flying out back to cold New Jersey. My mom and aunt (the remaining Fokkens) are coming out in a few weeks so the Fokken Fest will continue!

Indian Summer

Well right now in New Zealand it's kind of like the equivalent to an Indian Summer. The kids are all back in school, everyone if back working full time, but it is still very warm (hot hot hot!) and we are doing our best to enjoy what we have left of summer while it is like this back home.

Pictures from nbc.com of Minneapolis this week! Why did we buy a house here again?

I laughed at this, not from this snow storm, but the thought is quite true...

Will has been really busy at work, and I've been busy babysitting full time this month! It has been so fun to see E every day! We've tried to get out do several hikes since we are really the final countdown now, with less than 3 months to go! A few weekends ago we did a big hike with some friends that included a really deep swimming hole which was a fun break in the hike. I always love hiking, and hiking with this little guy makes it even more fun!

My little buddy E. He loves me lots as you can tell!

Katie B and I

Action shot!

After our dip in the swimming hole

The swimming hole. We jumped from where the guy on the rocks is, looks  like nothing but it really is high! Katie jumped from the top of the cliff off a platform!!

Taking a break from his baby carrier! 

Will on the swing bridge

Last weekend we did a short hike in the same ranges and then went to Bethell's Beach which is such a cool beach, we wish we would have found it earlier! Will swears the water is magical by how it makes you feel when you're in there. I would agree it was great water, but not sure about the magical thing...

Over Valentine's day weekend we went to a winery for an afternoon of tasting, purchasing bottles and then enjoying one bottle in the grounds of the winery near a lovely pond with some good friends. It was a great day!

We've been doing a lot of events with our friends Drew and Katie since they leave in about a month to move home to North Carolina. We had our last monthly dinner group party this past weekend with them and it was a great time.

Me and Kevin in our cool Icebreaker hoodies. Everybody wishes they were cool like us.

The gang on the rooftop

And that brings us up to date. We are laying low this weekend, then my mom comes next Saturday for 3 weeks, and my aunt comes in 2 weeks!! Can't wait!

What we've been up to during the holidays

Hello again!

Well the Smiths have kept it pretty low key over these past few weeks where most of NZ is still on summer holidays.

We had some birthday BBQs, some beach time and some fun events. Will has been working since the 6th of January, but it's been fairly light compared to previous times. It's been nice to have him home for dinner most nights.

I'll give you a picture play by play of some of our fun times.

Burlesque Dance Class for Jess' Hen's night

The blushing bachelorette!

I had a great time at the hen's night. We did some dancing, ate some good southern cooking and I got to know some fun, new people!

Birthday dinner for our friend Kevin, meatloaf and scalloped potatoes!

My very first cake from scratch---it was AMAZING!

This was my first time ever making a traditional meatloaf and a cake and frosting from complete scratch. Both turned out really well. It was so fun and easy, I'll never use a box again! Not to brag, but it also tasted so much better than anything I've had before.

Setting up for the clothing swap

All the gals shopping at the clothing swap

The clothing swap was a great success. We all cleaned out our closet, and came home with some fun new pieces! Afterwards we had 7 bags of clothes that no one claimed to donate, which was also great!

I also learned how to make the famous Kiwi dessert of Pavlova with my friend Rachel. She is a great baker and need to learn more recipes from her!

So, that's been the month of January for us. People really don't do much in Jan, it's still kind of "the holidays" so we've been really relaxed and just enjoying the sunshine and friends!

xxTally