Snow in summer

What a great day we had today. The Junior school years 0 to 3 all went to Snowplanet for a day out. It's an indoor snowfield and is bigger than these pics look, at least the size of two full size rugby fields side by side and they are in the process of extending it. Half of the kids went in to learn to ski whilst the rest of us had something to eat and then we swapped over. I came down the beginners slope 4 times, a little faster each time and didnt fall over once.....not bad for an old duck and 1st time on skis. 55 kids and 10 adults had a wonderful day but now my legs feel like they do when you ride a horse after not having been on one for a few years. Lmao wondering what I will be like tomorrow. What an awesome time we had. Next time I wanna have a go on a snowboard, can't be too different from handling a surfboard. Go Grannie, Go!!!!

Boogy boarding down the sand dunes on the other side of the harbour. We went over by boat and what a great experience for adults and kids.

Here we are at Opononi beach and some of the kids doing Waka Ama (outrigger canoeing) whilst the rest of us were swimming. There were two canoes going and the kids rotated around. A perfect end to the day in the forest.

Here we are in the Waipoua Forest. Joey Morunga from Footprints Waipoua is our guide and in this picture we are just approaching Tane mahuta, Lord of the Forest, a giant kauri tree who is over 2,000 years old. What you see here is just the lower trunk.

Hokianga

Here are some of our kids exploring Okopako, a small falls in the river at Whirinaki. A magical place away from the rest of the world, the kids were entranced by it.

Anna in Aotearoa

Anna in Aotearoa

Just returned from a wonderful week in Whirinaki in the Hokianga (the winterless north) with 70 schoolchildren. What a wonderful time we all had. The parents were wonderful and we ate, slept, swam and explored. We stayed on Moria Marae, a wonderful place and close to the river for swimming. We did so much in the week that we were there. Visited a family who live using traditional and organic farming methods, growing all their own food and grains. Was wonderful for the kids to see a plough pulled by horses and to have the opportunity to plant kumara in their gardens, with the invitation to return at harvest to gather our crops. The swing bridge was a whole new experience for some and yes I managed to cross it fine until some students decided it would be fun to jump on whenever a teacher was on it and give it a good wobble....lol, i didnt fall off.
The trip to the forest to see Matua o te Naghere ( father of the forest) was great. Whtas a magnificent Kauri he is and also to Tanemahuta (lord of the forest). The Waipoua Forest is a totally magical place and we had a great guide, Joey Morunga, Footprints Waipoua, http://www.omapere.co.nz/view.asp?websection=62 Joey lived in the forest for 8 years and is very passionate about it.
We had a great time doing Waka Ama ( outrigger canoeing) and swimming at Opononi as well as our trip over the harbour to the sand dunes where we spent hours boogie boarding down the dunes and into the water. A big thanks to the guys from Hakianga Harbour Tours.
WEatch this space, I will be adding lots of pictures of the time up there.