The trip continues...

We are having a great time and definitely recharging. It is great to spend "down" time with Mom and Dad and to be able to actually have a vacation together. Lots of good food and swimming at beaches. We went to the Coromandel for a few days after Christmas which is a region of white sand beaches, with lots of islands of the coast and great waves. We got stuck in some heavy rain for the one day we were staying in Whangamata, but that didn't stop us from swimming. It DID stop us at first and we decided to go shopping in town as a means of using up the day. Bryce found a WASJIG puzzle and we did that for most of the afternoon before I got stir crazy and needed the beach! We all went swimming and boogie boarding in the waves and.....got wet. Good memories though. We got to catch up with Michelle and Nathan and play some intense cards with Kim and John, so we made it through the rains fine. The next day we drove up to Hahei and saw more beautiful scenery. We took Mom and Dad on a 45 minute hike through some bush to get to Cathedral Cove, where sandstone cliffs are eroding away and have left caves and pillars. It was seriously crowded but no less pretty. Next, we travelled to Hot Water Beach where you can dig a hole in the sand and feel the water warmed by thermal vents from underneath the ground. Unfortunately, we were also surrounded by many other tourists checking out the same novelty and it was packed. We managed to find some solitude in one spot of the beach and Bryce and I played in the waves for a while again. We have some "cheap-as" Bob the Builder boogie boards. They ride the waves like champs though so we are very content!
Back in Rotorua the next day and we met up with Pam, Andrew, Sam, Quentin and Hugh (Andrew's Dad) for a gondola ride up Mt. Ngongotaha and some luging. Luges are little sleds that take you down concrete paths that are designed like race tracks and great fun. Mini-golf was the next activity, and resulted in Dad getting two under par and winning a free game.
NEw Year's night we went out for dinner at a restaurant that was on a street that was closed to traffic and had all the tables spread out patio-styles. We enjoyed the dinner and the people-watching, as well as listening to a Bagpipe band walk around the streets and belt out some tunes. Rotorua had a free concert in the park so the place was jammed and had a fun fair like atmosphere. We got home before midnight and had New Years back at the house, but the heavy rains started about 11:45pm, so we were dry but sure that there were hundreds of soaked Rotoruan kiwis who weren't so lucky.
Yesterday, Bryce and I went for a mountain bike ride in the Redwoods ("the disneyland of MTBiking") and then we all drove to Papamoa Beach in Tauranga to swim in the waves with Pam and family again. More intense waves at this place and a few of us got "tumble dryered" in the massive waves. I had at least 3 tbsp of sand come out of my bikini at the end of the day.
Not sure entirely what the rest of the trip entails; more riding, more relaxing and sleeping until you wake up, and more good food and time with Mom and Dad. Hope you are enjoying your holiday and that you have time to just chill like we are blessed enough to be enjoying at the moment! More to come....