I want to ride my Bicycle...

Well, the adventure continues with the recent purchase of a couple of bicycles for George and Roger. It's something we wanted to do in Sheffield, but we waited until our arrivial in Auckland. So, after a trip to the shop we emerged with a couple of sparkling bikes. All we have to do now is negotiate the Auckland traffic. Should bring many years of joy!



Roger and the kids get ready to sample the delights of Tamaki Drive.



George looking good with the beach on one side and the cycle path on the other.



And this is the view as you cycle along the famous Tamaki Drive. Not bad! The sea was full of windsurfers and with Rangitoto forming the backdrop, the ride was beautiful.



This is the newly created St Helier's beach and as you can see the view is stunning.



All done and packed away in 'Bess' (the kids have named her) the Previa.

Theo's 5th Birthday

Theo finally reached his long awaited 5th birthday only to share the moment with his first day at school and our furniture arriving from the UK. Despite these major distractions we managed to celebrate with Hana and Matthew while we set about planning a party for a later date. He was a little disappointed at not having any friends to witness the opening of his presents, but a few phone calls and birthday cards was a perfect reminder that he has not been forgotten by distant friends.

Happy Birthday to You....

Time to make a wish...

Walkies Talkies - now he can really pretend to be a spy. Just a pity he shouts when he talks into them.

You can't beat a big piece of chocolate cake on your birthday - whatever age!

Yasmin is delighted to see Theo get his dream wish of a remote controlled racing car.

What boy doesn't dream of owning a fast remote controlled car? However, getting the grips with the controls proves rather more challenging and he has already written off most of the skirting boards around the house.

A big thank you to everyone who able to send a present or a card. We know there are lots of you who haven't got our address yet so were unable to get things to us. We'll make sure we drop you an email with our details in a couple of days.

Theo Starts School

Well, the day has finally arrived when Theo leaves the bosom of his family and enter the next phase of his life as a student. Okay, his just a schoolboy, but in his uniform he looks so much older and mature. He was certainly ready for school and it has helped enormously to take Yasmin to school so he can get some idea of what school life is like. It also helps that we are allowed to play in the school ground at weekends so he has become familar with the environment.



Theo looking very nervous and a bit anxious as he prepares to be left at school and fend for himself.



Fortunately things went very well and at the end of the day it was all smiles. Yasmin has been a star at helping him settle in and find his way around the rules and routine. In fact, Yasmin has been far happier since Theo has been at school. Sometimes we wonder who looks after who.

Furniture arrives

After nearly three months parted from our prized possessions our funiture finally arrived from the UK. It was strange to walk back from dropping Theo at school on his first day to see a 20ft container lorry parked on the drive, but pleasing to see it was the same container that we watched depart from Sheffield.



It was a tight squeeze, but the lorry managed to get close enough to the house to begin unloading our stuff.



And here it is, just as we left it. Packed and wrapped and hidden from view.



It took the removal men just under three hours to unload everything as we ticked off the boxes one by one.



These are the items left to be inspected by MAF (Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries) just in case the are contaminated. It's an anxious time because they could inspect everything and we could face hefty fines if found guilty of importing contaminated goods. Fortunately, the inspector took just over five minutes to approve our clean items and left us with the problem of whether to unpack or leave things whilst we continue our search for our new home. We've still to decide the best option.

Kids and their Friends

Yasmin and Theo are beginning to make firends and settle into Kiwi life, including bare feet walking. Here's a few photo's of them with some of their new friends.



Theo here is with Max holding a couple of Christmas reindeers. Max is one of the many boys Theo met whilst at pre-school.



Max's brother Nick is a lovely lad who played well with Yasmin. It's a pity that Nick attends a school on the other side of the Eastern Bays.



Tuan and Yen have become firm friends with Yasmin and Theo. They all play well together, no fighting or fussing. So, let hope things go well with we all go camping together.



Theo sitting with Daniel, Chelsea and James during the school Bush walk where they learnt about nature and the environment.



James was too happy to be parted from his mum and spent most of the walk holding back the tears.



Anna has helped Yasmin settle in school and has become one of the first to visit.

Camping?

Okay, who would have thought we would be going camping? The truth is that Roger has done plenty in his youth so he is not phased by the idea of being windswept, cold, damp, miserable, hungry, mozzie biten, sunburnt, tired, smelly and constipated. In fact, he's persuaded the rest of the family that it would be a great way to see NZ and a valuable bonding experience. We'll see how it turns out when we return from our first weekend away in a couple of weeks.



This is the tent we've bought.It's big enough to fit a small terrace house. This is during the sales day on a huge field with lots of other tents on display. We didn't realise you need 10m by 7m just to be sure you can pitch the thing. So there are some concerns and slight panic before we've even set off.

Roger already looking confused as he attemps to pitch the tent in Paul and Sue's garden. Goodness knows how he'll manage when is dark, wet and windy!

Roger gives the thumbs up to the self inflating double matress.

Sue and Paul also give it a try and also part with their cash. We'll be going to Waiwera Thermal Spa and Pools (www.waiwera.co.nz), but I'm not sure our photo's will be as good as the offical ones - we'll keep you posted.

Easing ourselves into Kiwi life

It's over two months since we first arrived in Auckland. We are gradually finding our feet and learning more about Kiwi culture. It still feels like a holiday and with the sun shining we're not complaining.



Yasmin with a wonderful smile reflecting her growing confidence at being in NZ and enjoying school with each passing day.



Theo has loved pre-school including the day when he had his face painted. Here, Theo is pretty in pink.

Pool Doctor

As summer beings to show its face, our pool has sprung a leak. So, enter the Pool Doctor. Tau has been working hard to plug the leak and eventually had to get his wet suit on and dive in.



Pool Doctors are a common feature in NZ, but as I'm sure you can imagine it been a complete novelty for us.



'Watch out for the eel!'



Tau has inspired the kids with a desire to dive. However, they don't seem to share that passion early on Saturday mornings when they have their swimming lessons. They have to learn all the strokes including the butterfly and it's not going down well.



Having found the leak at the bottom of the deep end, the next job is to empty the pool and seal the hole.



With the pool empty, the kids are able to venture into the deep end without fear of drowning.

Made in Taiwan - well... nearly

One of the good things about being in such a large city is the variety of cultures we come across. Whilst looking for tents (that's anther story) we stumbled into a Taiwanese festival complete with singing, dancing and plenty of exciting food to try.



The performance on stage was in Taiwanese, but still managed to capture Theo's attention. Must be the music.



We stepped outside to get some air only to discover a troup of young drummers.



Eventually we found the food and couldn't resist giving it a try. Once again Theo leads the way in all things exotic.



Of course we made the trip with Paul, Sue, Tuan and Yen, who are fast becoming close and valued friends.

Bonfire Night

Yes, the Kiwi's do remember the 5th November - why? On a warm Spring evening we were invited to share the bonfire night with Katie (Yasmin's friend from class 19) and her family Melanie, Lee and their youngest Aiden, along with their guests. It was an interesting night where we could see the Auckland skyline brighten with various firework displays from across the city.



Mel gets into the mood with a flaming sparkler.



Some of the home foreworks were a bit of a anti-climax, much to the bemusement of the adults.



Nevertheless, the children found anything that brightens the night sky was exciting, as you can see.



It wasn't long before the adults saw the funny side of the poor firework display, but the children were beginning to feel a bit disappointed.



Yasmin having great fun ealier in the evening playing spying games with the hand held walkie talkie.



This is Kristle, a Dutch friend of Mel's with her daughter Else (unfortunately that yawn was the forerunner of a a big chuck later on!).

Spring into Spring

This is spring in Auckland.



After George finished work we took a walk along the beach at Kohimarama. It took approximately four minutes to get there and as you will see it was a fine evening. This is the Kiwi way and I'm sure we will be doing it again as we enter summer.



Here Theo is learning to get across one of the obstacles on the climbing frame located in Yasmin's school, which anyone has access to after school hours.



The kids have had great fun on the numerous Flying Fox's found in many of the Reserves (parks) in Auckland. The grown ups have had the odd go and we can certainly give it a big Kiwi thumbs up. One older lady out walking her dog said she was one of the first to have a ride, so there is no age barrier to fun.



With Spring comes the occasional (frequent really) shower. Here's proof of the mixed weather, the old saying four seasons in one day , is so true.