Well it's about time! Lots of times this year I've said to Dad how great our holiday in Waipu was - and that was over a year ago. Finally we get to go away on another holiday, even if it was just because Daddy won it at work. It was heading north again, but not as far this time - only as far as a place called Leigh.
We dashed up there after work and school on Friday afternoon. We were staying in a bach. Nice and big, but no sign of a TV. Oh well, at least I had my iPad.
I hadn't eaten in a whole hour, so naturally I was asking for food pretty much as soon as we stepped inside. We picked up some fish & chips and ate them on the beach at a bay near the bach.
William and I were sharing a room again, which we hadn't done since the last holiday we had to Rotorua. That was nice since it meant we could check on each other to make sure he was okay.
The next day was Daddy's birthday, so as soon as we woke up we bundled onto his bed to give him his presents. No time for reading that book or watching that DVD though - it's time to drive off to visit Goat Island.
But hang on a second... something's missing. Where are all the goats? Sure those trees are nice and there's some sand to play on, but someone's oversold us on the goats. Maybe they're up by that Maritime Centre up the hill...
...Nope, no goats anywhere near Goat Island. At least the Maritime Centre was fun to visit. There were some cool open-top glass tanks where we could tap the water and feel the seaweed and other little sea creatures. There was even a baby octopus in a tank (but we couldn't touch that one)!
The sun was still shining, so we next drove on to Pakiri Beach. It has a huge, long stretch of sand and sea, just perfect for paddling in. William's always copying me, so when I ran in to splash about a bit, he did the same. Which he thought was great fun, right up until he tripped and face-planted into the water. He sure wasn't as cheerful as he is in the photo below after that happened!
We'd had a couple of snacks during the day, but all this rushing about was making me hungry again. Luckily it was getting close to dinner time, and we were going to some place with lots of old machinery sitting outside. Hopefully the food is a bit newer.
Turned out it was my favourite dinner - pizza - at the Sawmill Cafe. We got a great table just above where some musical instruments were set up. Then, just before we finished eating, the band arrived and started to play. It was my first time seeing a real live band playing, right in front of me; the first time seeing people playing drums and "kee-tar"as William calls the guitar.
The next day was Sunday, which meant time to pack up our stuff and head back home again. But not before one last bit of excitement. It turns out my tummy isn't very good on long car journeys, and about a minute from home I was sick all over a towel. Uh oh. Maybe next time we should just take an aeroplane instead. Maybe back to Australia...?
