Lots of to-ing and fro-ing to start the new year

Happy New Year to you all! Paul & Justy, re-establishing contact with you all... we have been very busy and often 'off the grid' so to speak which doesn't make it easy to update this blog!

We're now in Auckland and it's very warm and holidayish feeling to be not Helpxing but staying with Gen. Gen's fifth & final 40th birthday party is happening today at Uncle Ivan & Auntie Susan's house in Takapuna, so we've come up for that. Margot & Arnold are here too - a nice family reunion :)

Luka & Connor flew to Christchurch on Thursday: seems weird to think Luka has relocated back there and plans to go to Riccarton High School this year, it was a surprise plan but a great one and we are right behind him! Go Luka!! Connor is on a 2-week visit, staying with Tristan and seeing his friends... .so its a bit like Pauly and I are on honeymoon at the mo! Tomorrow (Sunday) we drive to Mt Maunganui where we will stay with my dear old buddy primary school friend Nina- Paul will fly off from there to Nelson on Thursday and meet Connor there (flying from ChCh) because from 14-20 Jan they have a paid catering job at TRACKS in Golden Bay cooking for 40 people! Then they fly back to ChCh together and on Jan 22nd its Connor's 15th birthday and we'll have a couple of days to help Luka sort out a boarding situation for the year.. I'm happy to say I will be in ChCh Jan 18th for about a week too. I may turn up with bags on doorsteps around this time..........

Paul was a bit freaked out by how much air travel suddenly was required with all these relocations and job offers etc..he didn't think he'd be heading south to work either! It's all part of the great realm which opens up to you "when you let go of something which no longer serves you your hands are open to recieve something new" or some such quote.

On the 24th we're back in the North, at a HelpX place in Te Puke for a week. Tristan is going to join us there for the last week of the school hols. Then on Feb 1st P & C plan to go to Thames, to stay & Wwoof with one of the guys they met at last year's Tracks event.

As to what we have been doing...
We finished up cooking etc at Lake Rotoiti on 22 Dec, and moved to Waimana about 25km out of Whakatane. We were on a small (3 acre) farm with a family of ten(!) All the kids are in this pic, along with our host Richard. Only mum (Nicki) is not in the pic.
Needless to say, the place fair bustled for 10 days with the addition of four de Spas! We had lots of interesting work to do – the boys riding around the place on the quad bike feeding pigs and chooks each day; milking a goat & 2 cows (yummy fresh milk cream & butter!) Paul and Justy gardening, sanding, painting, fixing stuff and a bit of swimming in the river. For the last 2 days of the year, we helped put up a windmill which was pretty cool.

Christmas dinner was a real treat (roast duck and home raised ham). Boxing Day we had an outing & a beautiful swim at Ohope beach, and the little kids were always an endless source of entertainment! It was a great home away from home for Christmastime, such great hospitality. New Year's Eve was guitars and singing round a bonfire, and we left the next morning to go to Lake Waikaremoana.
We hope you've all had a great start to 2011.. might see you next week in Chch!

Bonus pic - Connor helps prepare and serve special Christmas dinner for the drilling crew at L.Rotoiti