Yesterday was Waitangi Day. It is recognised as NZ’s national day. A day which commemorates the signing of a Treaty between over 500 Maori Chiefs and Representatives of the British Crown, in 1840. These days, the Treaty is subject to much heated debate on its place in modern NZ, and the ensuing redress for Maori is continuing.
It has been nice however, to have had a short week for the first week back at school. We are very grateful for any public holiday which we may avail for ourselves at this time! The weather has continued to be nothing short of amazing. This summer is proving to be as hot and sunny as last year’s……and we are all wondering, if it will be as long! I think we had one of the longest summers on record, last year. Winter was very short...and you know how much I like my igloo!
For Waitangi Day, we took off to the north to visit our friends who have just relocated there. For those of you who know them, the ‘Greenies’ have settled in remarkably well. It was so nice to see them again and to spend some time with them! We would highly recommend a visitation if you need a break from the humdrum of city life! It will make you want to relocate too!!! Ever the consummate hosts, they turned on both the barbie and the weather for us too!! :-)
It has been nice however, to have had a short week for the first week back at school. We are very grateful for any public holiday which we may avail for ourselves at this time! The weather has continued to be nothing short of amazing. This summer is proving to be as hot and sunny as last year’s……and we are all wondering, if it will be as long! I think we had one of the longest summers on record, last year. Winter was very short...and you know how much I like my igloo!
For Waitangi Day, we took off to the north to visit our friends who have just relocated there. For those of you who know them, the ‘Greenies’ have settled in remarkably well. It was so nice to see them again and to spend some time with them! We would highly recommend a visitation if you need a break from the humdrum of city life! It will make you want to relocate too!!! Ever the consummate hosts, they turned on both the barbie and the weather for us too!! :-)
This is a walkway around the back of one of the blocks at Kingsway School,
where the G-kids now attend.
OK. Seeing as how you like those ocean shots Ange of the North, I will post a few more photos from our time at the beach yesterday. I am in awe of the training that the surf lifesavers do. They had already been training when we arrived at the beach….and who knows for how long prior to our arrival. Whilst we were there, they would race in their kayaks or surfboards, for a distance of about 100m in a strong headwind. They would then race back to shore, drop their kayaks and sprint another 50m along the beach. Then they would stop for a couple of seconds, walk back to their kayaks, and race back into the water again. They repeated this process countless times whilst we were there, only stopping briefly once for a group pep talk which lasted about 2 minutes. By the end of it (and we were there for a couple of hours!) they looked POOPED! No wonder there was not a scroggin of visible fat anywhere on their bodies…..Mrs G and I wondered how we could get bodies like that....but without all that kayaking and running about!
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