CK Down Under: So much to do, with so much vacation to do it in, how nice!

So, as I write this, Mom and Dad are down the hall in the midst of packing up the entire country which they have bought and are trying to cram into 3 luggage bags. It has been a fabulous visit with them, and the weather has given us many treats with which to enjoy their company.
After the buried village, we celebrated my birthday with mountain bike rides, big dinners, another visit with Pam and Andrew, a super yummy cake, some games with Michelle, Nathan and Clare, and came back to Pram feeling like we had done heaps in the week away.

Bryce had to go back to work for the middle of the week, but still got along to the museum with us one night to see the exhibit of the colossal squid they caught in New Zealand about a year ago. It was massive and not something I would want to find myself swimming beside at any point. They have a beak, if you can believe it, which they eat their prey with, after the long tentacles with rotating claws grab the prey. The esophagus runs through the brain so if the squid eats too big of a bite, it can have some severe head pain (or maybe what we call "a brain freeze?").

We had a great long walk to see seals (which were on vacation until May, oops) but got to explore the south coast of Wellington, nonetheless; and had numerous lunches out including one that involved Dad and I splitting a milkshake that was made up of a Moro bar (like a Mars bar) and chocolate icecream. Oh, snap. That rocked.
This past weekend, we went to Napier to show Mom and Dad the beauty that it is; vineyards, Te Mata Peak, Carl and Denise (who is in her last days of pregnancy), great Thai food, and my favourite memory: getting up at 5am to watch the sunrise with Dad. How special that was!

We got a chance to visit Trish and Craig (Bryce's cousin's) on their site at a campground right on the beach as well, and had a really nice lunch with them. Unfortunately, the weather was pretty chilly and windy and the waves were crazy, so we didn't get to have a "beach day" with them. Mom, Dad and I made up for that yesterday though at Scorching Bay in Wellington. Still a cold wind, but a nice chill-out on the beach. Hard to imagine them not being here tomorrow. Sad, but I have a feeling they will be here again soon. I think New Zealand stole a little more of their hearts this time.

Sunrise photo (Dad took an hour long video!)