Cheap swing

There's nothing like a rope on a tree to get everyone into the swing of things. It was one of the most enjoyable activities of our holiday and one that cost nothing but our time and imagination.



Jon is the first to test the strenght of the swing. If it can take his weight then we're all safe.



Just a fraction too heavy or perhaps the rope is a shade too long. Either way Jon ended up with a wet bottom.



George decided to make her move and get her feet wet.



Next was Yasmin. Ready, steady...



Go...Yasmin loved the experience and we couldn't get her off.



Finally, Theo took his turn and found the whole thing a fab experience.

Roger's Birthday

Well, after over forty years of birthdays in the cold, damp and dark days in the UK, Roger was able to celebrate his birthday in the hot sunshine of Queenstown. The only thing missing was all his friends who attened his birthday last year (see Jan 2006 in archive). Fortunately he had his best mate Jon over from the UK to help ease the pain of missing all his friends.



Roger and Jon sitting on a wharf - just thinking about catching a fish.



Yasmin and Theo playing Pooh sticks on the wharf.



There's always time for a quick ride on the bungy.



And later George and the kids went for a bike ride.



So, Roger will be able to point to Bob's Cove as the place he spent some of his first birthday in New Zealand. A very happy man.

Holiday in Queenstown

It takes time to get into the swing of a good holiday. You've got to navigate your way around a new town, decide how you want to spend your time, balancing the needs of everyone and eat, sleep and relax. So below are some of the other things we got up to while in Queentown.



Theo and Yasmin after running around the deck - seemingly unaware of the view behind them.



This is Arrowtown. It's an little town that grew out of the gold rush. 'Yes, there's gold in them there hills.'



And Roger couldn't resist helping himself to the flakes of gold dust that remain. After plenty of panning and no nuggets he went home disappointed, but vowed to return again one day to seek his fortune.



Jon and Yasmin work their way through the crowd of luge riders to complete another lap on the downhill slopes of Queenstown.



We had time to watch a game of rugby. We also had the pleasure of seeing a naked streaker. Unfortunately, we cannot publish the picture - far too limp!

Reaching new heights

Trying new things is always on our agenda and although there are plenty of climbing walls in Sheffield, our holiday in Queenstown provided the first opportunity for us to go climbing as a family. It proved to be a challenging morning, but we all managed to conquer what fears we had and reach new heights.



Here's a view of George that one rarely gets to see - but it's not the last time we left her hanging around.



Yasmin made her way to the top with consumate ease.



Theo proves once again there is climbing in the blood - after all he is related to climber Ben Moon.



What goes up must come down and for Roger the gentle decent was not quite the real thing - abseiling is far more exciting.

Lakeside at Bob's Cove

Bob's Cove was one of those little lakeside bays where you can spend an entire afternoon without bumping into anyone else. This enabled us to use our imagination and find the 'child' within us - of course with some help for the kids.



Here we are with Jon on the right.



There's nothing like skimming stones...



... or throwing sticks.



If you've got time you can build a hut using driftwood.



You can sit and admire the wonderful views.



And when everything is complete, you can simply relax and get forty winks.

Deer Park

Roger was a little poorly so we left him to rest and went in search of other animals to feed. It was Theo who displayed the Dr. Doolittle bit of magic by enticing a red deer to eat from his hand.



Eye to eye, deep in deer talk. Theo shows his patience and kindness and earns the respect of a very timid deer.



Once again Theo has the right approach in getting the animals to eat from his hand.



Theo, this time with Jon's help continues the feeding frenzy.



Finally, Yasmin discovers how she can participate in what was a very relaxing and enjoyable afternoon.

Queenstown Views

Queenstown on NZ's South Island was spectacular! The glorious weather, fabulous lakes and snowcapped mountains made it an exciting and mind blowing placd to be. Everytime we stepped out, we were blown away by the awesome views. Simply fantastic.



This is Queenstown as seen from our holiday house.



On the road to Wanaka we stopped to admire the valley below.



Queenstown at night from our holiday house.



This is Queenstown from the top of the Skyline where we tried the luge ride.



The valley.



Here is another breathaking view.



The is Queenstown from the deer park.

Yasmin's 7th Birthday

Yasmin celebrated her 7th birthday in real style. She had some of her new Kiwi friends over for a small party (her birhtday falls during the summer holiday so many of her school friends were away), a great cake and some fab presents. Her first birthday in Auckland was a great occaision for us, especially since moving into our new home.



How quickly our children are growing. From a little girl into a young lady.



Tuan, Theo, Yasmin, Yen and little Max prepare to create a bang with their party poppers.



We had a picnic in the park before attending the Cirque du Soleil preformance of Varekai. With music arranged by Nitin Sawhney, the production was awesome with some of the best acrobatics to be found in the world. A truely magnificent experience.

Into 2007...

It was great to spend a wonderful amount of time with Clare and Martin both in our rental home and our first new home in Auckland. They were such good company and we miss them all so much already. But they left us with some wonderful memories, lots of funny things to recall and plenty of love to ensure we are well looked after until we all meet again.

The big swing proved a memorable experience for everyone. When he kids said they would take the challenge it was difficult to gage who was really scared, those taking part or those left to witness the fear in little eyes.



A bit of aprehension after being strapped in, but excitement prevails.



If only they were wearing Pampers... I don't think they realised it was going to travel so high in the sky. When they finally let go the combination of fear and the thrill was so great we coupld quite catch it on camera. However, to their enternal credit they all went on for a second time.



The children inspired George to have a go too. Thank goodness there was one brave grown up in the crew.



The Luge is always good fun and here Clare comes through the crowd having negotiated the luge circuit.

Zorbing in Rotorua

When it comes to having fun in Rotorua, the kids really know how to lead the way. Here Ben, Sam, Yasmin and Theo show us all how to get the 'rush' as we enjoyed the last days of 2006. For those who have never heard of Zorbing, it's where you to climb inside a huge plastic ball, partially filled with water, roll downhill like a mouse in a cage and emerge with much laughter. Apprently!



Sammy & Yasmin dressed and ready to go.



Ben looking rather relaxed before the main event.



Nerves begin to kick in as they take the 'off road' drive to the Zorb launch site.



Off they go...



...and out they pop just like being born again.