Candy And Flowers...A Kiwi Halloween

Saturday

Mark was off to work early this morning, but not before Ro peeped out the living room window and exclaimed, "I see Teta!" Sure enough, Norma was up bright and early, on her way down the street to find a bakery so she could get some pastries for breakfast. She was largely disappointed in the place she stopped at, as all their confections seemed more oriented to the lunch crowd: sausage rolls, mince pies, and such. Carver slept in.

A while back, we visited the Te Puna Quarry Park, a botanical garden that was made from an old quarry. While there, Mark had remarked that his parents would love it. So, with Mark working this weekend, Sherry thought it would be a good local spot to begin sight-seeing with Carver and Norma, while not doing anything that Mark's sister Cerine (who arrives later this week) would terribly mind missing out on.

They first met for brunch in N&C's apartment, and Norma cooked a green onion, mushroom, and cheese omelet that was so delicious Sherry decided mushrooms weren't so bad after all. No one could coax Ro into trying a bite, but he'd already had his first and second breakfasts by then, like a true little hobbit. He was more interested in filling in the newspaper crossword puzzle beside Teta's code-cracker with random letters or showing 'Pop' (his name for Grandpa, as all his Kiwi friends use this) his dinosaur and prehistoric animal encyclopaedia from the library.

As the ladies cleaned up and Carver worked on his laptop, Ro began to entertain himself by crawling in the near empty linen cupboard in the wall beside the dining table, calling it his "burrow." He also found three tea lights he pushed around like cars. When he found a box of matches, he dutifully brought them to Mum. Smokey Bear would be proud. Sherry observed that there is something truly magical about grandparents, as Ro was just good as gold, quietly playing and occupying his time with his imagination and tea lights, never once complaining of boredom.

Afterwards, it was off to the quarry park, and what a beautiful day! The weather was just perfect, sunny with just enough cloud cover to keep it cool. Ronan fell asleep on the way over, but woke up in a fair mood that quickly brightened when we said he could go to the playground first.

Sherry had parked next to the "Sensory Garden," and all were drawn toward the smells of the herbs and perfumed plants. Making a quick dash to the play area, Ro clambered onto the dragon sculpture that lies along the stone steps, and went down the slide. As N&C were itching to see the gardens, Sherry lured Ro away from the playground by convincing him to be the leader on the trails with the NZ equivalent of a Fruit Roll-Up.

N&C taking a break at the quarry park

We started the walk through the orchid gardens, winding our way down to the quarry pond, where stone sculptures of large seashells and a frog adorn the banks, complete with a wooden crocodile. As a side note, volunteers use fallen timber to create these type of wooden art works, and the pieces are scattered throughout the park.

Carver & Ro checking out the view from the ridge

We followed Ro on the winding path up to the new Butterfly Garden, which Sherry and Mark never got to see last time (Ro had seen it on a class field trip). The cactus and succulent garden on the way to the Butterfly Garden was simply stunning. At the top of the ridge, the Butterfly Garden was a reward indeed. There was a small covered area where Ro lied down in the shade, saying he was going to "have a sleep." That lasted less than one minute, and he was off and running again. Although we didn't see any butterflies, the garden would've been more aptly named the "Bee Garden" yesterday, as fat bees buzzed happily amongst the wildflower garden. It was just beautiful! There was a nice view of the sculpted hedges that line the farms on the rolling hillsides below, giving N&C a taste of the picturesque rural NZ countryside.

View of Mauao and the western BOP

We never saw the bonsai garden, but managed to make it most everywhere else at the quarry. The fuchsias were Sherry's personal favorite, while Norma favored the orchids. Nearly everything was in full bloom, save for the exposed rhododendrons; but as Norma observed, the shaded rhododendrons were blooming nicely. Soon we were heading back toward the play area, where kids from the Tauranga Adventure Club had taken over! Ro happily joined in, while the adults enjoyed a picnic of fruit, cheese and crackers. A group of girls were skipping rope, and Norma waxed nostalgic on her childhood, having skipped rope using a piece of clothesline.

Ro & Carver on the log train

Soon, it was time to head back to The Anchorage to start cooking Carver's seafood bouillabaisse. Sherry copied the essentials in her recipe book, and happily discovered that pre-fish, it would be a nice base for any range of recipes. Sherry doesn't eat seafood, remember? Ronan pulled a chair up beside Pop to watch, and for some reason seemed especially interested to see when the "green stuff" (parsley) went in. Finally, the lure of his latest National Geographic DVD on loan from the library diverted his attention, and he hopped down saying, "When you put the green stuff in, call me!" He snuggled up on the couch and almost fell asleep.

Meanwhile, the plan was to take some of the bouillabaisse out in a separate pot for Sherry to cook tortellini in, and not add the shrimps and scallops until Mark was home from work. Ro had been invited to Trick-or-Treat with Mat at 7pm, so Ro was going to have tea (i.e. dinner) early. Everything changed when Kathryn called Sherry at 6, wanting to know if Ro could come sooner, because the other boys showed early and were itching to go!

Quick! Sherry threw tortellini in the pot for Ro and chopped fresh veggies in record time. He ate his capsicum, broccoli, and carrots while the pasta cooked. Finally, he was so excited to go Trick-or-Treat, he was begging Sherry to serve him the tortellini raw, "You don't HAVE to cook it, Mom."

Once cooked, Ro ate the tortellini in record time, and commented on how good Pop's sauce was. It was so good, Ro said he wanted more later when we returned. Time to go get some candy!

Segue by Sherry:

As I sit here writing this, I feel compelled to tell you that as a driver, I have prided myself on not hitting anything since a cement parking-lot thingy when I was 25. That was seventeen years ago. And when I received a speeding ticket on Maunganui Road via a speed trap camera, I felt so bad about it! Maybe it was the look Mark gave me over his glasses when he opened the ticket that arrived by post. But later, when Mark backed into a concrete support column in our garage, I would tease him about my ticket, saying "At least I didn't hit anything! And my ticket was only $80.00!"

Oh how those words mock me.

End Segue.

Pulling out of the garage parking space driving N&C's rental, Sherry misjudged exactly where she was backing up, and thinking she'd cleared the support column, she backed right into it with a sickening crunch!

Time stopped for a moment. Ro screamed "You hit something, Mommy!" Norma and Carver's hearts fell into their stomachs while thoughts of rental insurance contracts and excesses (i.e. deductibles) danced in their heads. Sherry wanted to get out of the car, lay down in front of the car, and ask Carver to run over her. Feeling all of the blood in her body rush to her face, she held her breath as Carver got out to inspect the damage.

She was praying to God for all she was worth but her heart fell when she heard something fall off the car and hit the concrete floor. Carver got in the car and calmly strapped on his seatbelt. "So, how bad is it?" Sherry asked, cringing. "Oh, only a couple hundred dollars of damage." American.

D'oh!

Sherry looked, but there was no hole in sight to crawl into. So, she kept driving since no one actively stopped her from doing so! When they got to Kathryn's house, three kids bounded down the steps, engulfing Ronan, and running out of the front gate. They were off! Heatblast, a Scream ghost, a red devil, and a Charlie Brown-ish bedsheet ghost with misplaced cut-out eyes. Halloween isn't nearly as big here as it is in the States (i.e. no college towns block off their downtowns for drunken revelry), but the kids didn't care.

The Trick-or-Treat posse

The one or two houses Kathryn previously mentioned going to soon turned into a dozen, and Sherry began to worry about how much candy Ro was getting. Every time Sherry looked at Ro or asked him a question, there was drool coming out of his mouth from chewing on candy. Finally, they went to the Tay Street Dairy (a favorite after-school ice cream stop) on the way back to Kathryn's, and were given even more candy!

On the move. Note Mauao in the distance

We scored on that one, heh?

Flowers abound on Halloween here

The whole experience was bittersweet for Sherry, who still wanted to climb into a hole and stay there for a while. When they were almost back to the rental, the crumpled bumper and broken tail light taunted Sherry from afar. Goodbyes were said, and Mark rang Sherry to say he was almost home from work. On the way back, Ro kept asking broken-record style if he could have more candy from his sack. Norma discreetly took the bag once home to help Sherry out of that jam.

At The Anchorage, N&C went to freshen up and meet back at our place in a few minutes for dinner. Sherry had texted Mark to "look at your parent's car bumper," so he would be forewarned. As soon as the elevator doors closed, Ro was begging Sherry for "one more lollie," and Sherry started crying. This put an immediate end to Ro's whining as he said, "What's wrong Mommy?" "I hit their car!" Sherry sobbed. Ro gave Sherry a big hug, "Oh Mommy, we can get Daddy to pay for it!" This only made Sherry sob harder. Mark came home to find Ro and Sherry in the bathroom, Ro happily taking a bath, Sherry red-eyed and listless.

Sherry told Mark what happened, adding, "I teased you because I never hit anything. Well, I out-did you on that. Not only did I hit something, I was in my in-laws car!" Mark gave Sherry a big hug, saying, "Oh honey, in ten years no one is gonna remember this!" Sherry looked up, cringing and only half-joking, "Oh, no! It's going to take THAT long?"

We all congregated in the kitchen socializing as the bouillabaisse simmered, and after a few Sapphire and tonics, all was forgotten. Mark and Carver had a medical interlude, providing an impromptu dermatology consult to a neighbor. Ro watched his National Geographic DVDs, pausing occasionally to tell us, "I can't hear, can you stop talking!" Ahh...how liberating it must be to have no social filter.

Carver cooking his semi-famous fish stew

After dinner, Sherry put Ro to bed as Mark and Norma cleaned up. Carver nodded off on the couch, but woke up in time to catch the start of the All Blacks game from Tokyo's Olympic Stadium. Norma wasn't about to stay for the whole thing, so Mark's parents said goodnight and retreated to their own apartment. Carver stayed up to watch the first half, including an amazing Sitiveni Sivivatu try, but the All Blacks were still down to the Wallabies at halftime 16-13. He missed the All Blacks strong second half, taking their 7th victory in a row from Australia 32-19 and becoming the darlings of Japan in the process.

http://www.scrum.com/bledisloecup/rugby/story/104732.html

A Mini Family Reunion

Friday

Mark has been working a lot of evening shifts lately, so yesterday afternoon was the first time Ro had seen him in days! Ro's always off to school by the time Mark gets up, and he's asleep by the time Mark gets home. Ro needed his daddy fix, so Mark took him over to Coronation Park after dinner for some guy time. A little rugby, some hide & seek, some tiggy, and some sort of leopard impersonation thing Ro made up...lol.

Laying a sand castle foundation at Pilot Bay this week

This rugger doesn't look too menacing

That's more like it!

We were up early this morning, thinking we had to meet Mark's parents at the airport at 7:25am, but their flight ended up being delayed nearly an hour. Fortunately, we checked the new arrival time online before leaving the apartment. We saw Norma as soon as we walked into the tiny airport; she laughed and exclaimed, "We're freezing and you're in shorts!" Ro clung to Sherry's leg when it came time for hugs, as he doesn't really know Mark's parents that well, and it's been 9 months since he's seen them. Carver was busy sorting out their rental car, and we all put our names on it as drivers in case they found negotiating New Zealand roads too much of a challenge. Ro helped Norma retrieve the bags from the small carousel, and we were on our way.

Signing our lives away

Sherry took Norma and Ro in our car to drop Ro off at school, which doesn't start until 9am here. Meanwhile, Mark played driver's ed teacher with Carver in the rental. Mark had forgotten just how unfamiliar driving on the left can be to someone who's not used to it. Just as we had done when we first started, Carver kept turning on the windshield wipers when he wanted to use his turn signal, and bumped a few curbs as it's tough to judge distance on your left. Passing the local college (i.e. high school) and intermediate school, Carver mentioned that he had seen football fields from the air, to which Mark replied, "No, those were rugby fields." "But there were no nets on the goals," Carver stated. Ahhh...much to learn, grasshopper. We all made it safe and sound to Ro's school, then drove home along Marine Parade, giving N&C their first view of the beach.

Mark's parents are staying at another apartment in The Anchorage, so after picking up the key from the front desk, we helped them settle in. Although on the same floor as us, you have to go down to the pool or lobby to walk between the North and South towers, and we finally understood why when we got into their room. Their place spans both sides of The Anchorage, giving them a view of the city to the east and Pilot Bay to the west, overlooking the pool.

N&C's view of Pilot Bay

Thankfully, N&C brought some comforts of home for us that are either unavailable or crazy expensive here: Mark's favorite deodorant (Mitchum unscented clear gel), reasonably priced boxer shorts for Mark and Ro, Johnson & Johnson Dento-Tape, and Crest toothpaste. The things you take for granted! And best of all, duty free Bombay Sapphire. They were eager to stretch their legs after the long red-eye flight from San Francisco, so we walked down Maunganui Road, through Drury Park and onto the Mt Maunganui Main Beach. We ventured to the tip of Moturiki Island to take in the great views of the ocean and Mauao. They likened the terrain to California's northern coast, although there's a much wider sandy beach here.

Norma, Carver, & Sherry on Moturiki Island

Same spot, looking in the other direction

We stopped for brunch at a cafe on Marine Parade; Sherry got the veggie frittata but everyone else had Eggs Benedict, which was very good. We thought briefly about taking a walk around Mauao, but Carver and Norma were pretty tired from their travels. As Carver put it, referring to their apartment, "I want to see how the remote works." For a different view, we walked back along Pilot Bay. It became abundantly clear to N&C that the temperature at The Mount varies widely with sun or shade, but most importantly with which street you're on. The streets parallel to the shore, like Maunganui Road, are relatively sheltered by the buildings and comfortably warm, but the wind whips through the waterfront roads and cross-streets, chilling you despite the sunshine...not unlike San Francisco as Norma observed. Thankfully no major hills, though, save Mauao.

After relaxing for a bit and freshening up, Sherry and Norma walked to Ro's school to help out with their Friday gardening. Mark and Carver drove over about an hour later to find the ladies working hard on a mosaic. Kathryn and Bill showed up just before the bell and Mark introduced them. Of course, conversation soon fell to Syria, since they lived there for 2.5 years and some of Norma's extended family is still there.

Didn't waste any time putting Mom to work

Jack & Ro tending their class garden

Deisha introduces herself to Carver

Once Carver drove us home (no curb checks this time), Sherry and Norma set off again for New World to pick up groceries while Mark and Carver watched Ro play in the apartment and caught up over some Waikato Draughts. Once the girls were back, we retreated to N&C's apartment for a while to leave Sherry in peace to prepare a delicious dinner of lamb racks and roasted veggies.

Carver nodding off, beer in hand

"Look, it's our deck, daddy!"

Ro making room for plenty of lollies tomorrow

Our lobby features live entertainment

As dinner approached, we gathered back in our apartment for hors d'oeuvres and gin & tonics. Afterwards, Ro was anxious to hit the spa tub downstairs before bed, so Mark took him down to give Sherry and N&C a chance to chat. After Mark and Ro dried off, Carver presented us with gifts he had given out on his 70th birthday back in April, at which he gave everyone some sort of jewelry. Ro and Mark received tie tacs (an airplane and the Caduceus, respectively), while Sherry got an ornate silver and onyx charm. They also gave us a beautiful brass nativity set to use at Christmas.

Everybody say Kiwi!

For dessert, we had tea and TimTams as Ro read his homework books to us at the table. We figure that he would only be a few months into kindergarten in the States, so he's well ahead for when we return home. We switched on Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on the tele as we relaxed, but N&C were fading fast, so we said our goodbyes for the night and put Ro to bed. It seems strange to have family here in NZ since it's been so long we've seen them. If only we could talk all our friends and family into moving here, we'd stay! [Hint! Hint!]

Our Humble Playa

Tuesday

After a pleasant holiday weekend in The Mount, Mark had to work Labour Day yesterday. It was easily one of the 2 or 3 busiest shifts he's had since we've been in NZ. The department was already bursting at the seams when they got word of a major car accident up in Waihi. But, the whole hospital came together to quickly move patients upstairs and out of the ED to make room for the deluge in an encouraging display of solidarity. Now, why can't they do that all the time?

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10605565

Ro had his second Ball Blitz sports fundamentals class today after school. The afternoon rain shower didn't phase the kids or the instructor, and they moved underneath a large covered area adjacent to the play yard. The instructor brought along a "Player of the Day" trophy which immediately captured Ro's attention. Ro, being the youngest in the class, asked who was going to get the trophy, to which the instructor replied, "the person who works the hardest on today's skills."

Ready for an AC/DC concert

From that moment on, Ro gave the instructor his absolute attention, and ran through the motions of each exercise with complete focus. By the end of the hour, Ro had probably said at least three different times, "I sure hope I get the trophy!" The older kids could obviously care less, although they were all having a blast! Since they have participated in Ball Blitz before, they knew that they would all have a turn each week taking home the trophy. Finally, as the instructor gathered them in a circle, she announced that it was time for the trophy. Ronan piped up, "Who's the person who's going to get it?" The instructor said, "Well, their name starts with an 'R', and they worked really hard today!"

"RONAN!" shouted Ronan.

Everyone smiled as Ro excitedly grabbed the trophy and came running to show Sherry. Ro was so proud and couldn't wait to show Daddy!

Showing off the hardware

Go The Bay!

Sunday

Ro was up early, prompting Barnaby to go downstairs to his place, "to get some sleep." Then Ro woke us up in short order, finally convincing Sherry to get out of bed and feed him. Mark is still on his evening shift hours and slept in, waking up around 10am to find fresh blueberry muffins coming out of the oven. He watched Ro and Barnaby while Sherry walked down to the farmer's market to stock up on fresh goodies for the week.

The boys got a little crazy with the sidewalk chalk

The Senior Busking Championships were today; with Maunganui Rd blocked off, The Anchorage was surrounded in a sea of diverted traffic. After Sherry got back, Ro went off with Barnaby, Craig, and Paulette to take in the scene. Mark soon caught up with them after stopping by the bank. There were tons of musicians and other street performers along the sidewalks. The musicians were all very good, but their numbers diluted their impact, and the biggest crowds hovered around the more unique acts. The jugglers, in particular, were a big hit with Ro and Barnaby. Ro briefly (less than 30secs) got lost in the crowd on our way home, eliciting a few crocodile tears.

An early taste of summer crowds on Maunganui Rd

The boys captivated by the fire juggler

Clowning around at The Cruise Deck

Once home, the six of us crammed into our car and headed down the road to Baypark Stadium, for the final Bay of Plenty Steamers game of the season. They play half their games in Rotorua and the other half right here in Mt Maunganui. The Steamers started the Air New Zealand Cup season strong, but have since fallen to the middle of the table, just ahead of today's opponent, the Taranaki Amber and Blacks. Of note, Taranaki is where Ro's Rarotonga crush Kelsea is from.

We were in line to buy tickets when a couple ladies with some extras gave them to us, freeing us from paying admission. Combined with the free parking, and the gorgeous, warm, mostly sunny weather, things were looking good. Once inside, Mark headed for the merchandise stand to pick up a jersey (which were discounted since it was the last game - Woo Hoo!), while the rest of our group got their faces painted. Barnaby didn't like the way the paint felt on his face and promptly rubbed it off, eliciting whines from Ro who now wanted Sherry to wipe his off, too. Sometimes you just can't win.

In the right place at the right time for free tix

The concession stand has a remarkable way to keep the lines to a minimum: beer comes in six-packs! Mark was duly impressed with their efficient solution. After finding seats near midfield (general admission), Sherry went on a food run to pacify the younglings. She normally avoids greasy stadium food, but the hot chips were some of the best we've had in ages. Ro and Barnaby dug into their sausages on a stick (akin to corn dogs) with gusto, although it was probably not the best choice for Ro, who'd been ripping truly rank ones ever since we were in the car.

Savoring a rare treat: candy floss!

Ro & Mark enjoying the 1st half

Halftime show featuring local Catholic schoolgirls. Not exactly the Raiderettes

Sherry happy with her coffee in hand

The Steamers made it look easy at first, mounting a 24-6 halftime lead despite the absence of their vice captain, newly elected All Black first five-eighth Mike Delaney, who's currently with the All Blacks on their end-of-season tour. Unfortunately, the Steamers took their foot off the gas, and the second half saw Taranaki mount a remarkable comeback. Even so, the Steamers almost prevailed at the end, crossing the goal line as time expired but the ball carrier was held up and prevented from placing the ball on the ground to score the try, so we lost 30-24. Still, it was a fun afternoon, and a perfect day for rugby.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10605384

Ro found Barnaby's Omnitrix more enthralling than BOP's play in the 2nd half

Leaping for a line-out

Ro pointing us out to classmate Ruby

Final drive

As we were leaving the stadium, Ro and Barnaby darted ahead of us, disappearing into the crowd. Unable to pursue the fleet-footed kids through the throng of fans, we were left hoping they'd stop and wait for us at some point. As Sherry, Craig, and Paulette patrolled their likely exit point from the stadium, Mark went on ahead to the car in case they got swept into the parking lot by the crowd. About halfway to the car, Mark heard Ro call out, "Daddy!" Fortunately, Barnaby was with him. Mark tried not to be too hard on them, since they appeared sufficiently shaken by the experience. "We nearly drowneded!" said Ro, referring to the crowd that surrounded them. Mark didn't have his cell, so he took them on to the car, rolled the windows down and locked them inside with strict instructions to stay put...or else. The initial look of panic on Sherry and Craig's face when Mark returned without the boys quickly changed to relief when they knew the kids were accounted for.

Holidaying At Home

Saturday

Mark worked late last night, so Sherry got up early with Ro and took him to Drury Park, letting Mark get some much needed quiet shut-eye. The smell of bacon and pancakes with real maple syrup (which is tough to get here) finally roused Mark from his slumber. Looking down at the bustling streets below our apartment, you could tell this was no ordinary Saturday morning. In addition to it being Labour Day weekend, the regional Busking Championships were being held along Maunganui Road. Today's competition was for the juniors, so in addition to the throngs of onlookers you had the doting stage parents.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busking

Ro sporting his new Ben 10 Heatblast costume

Junior busker at work

We took in a couple of the acts as we walked to the beach a few blocks away. Warm and sunny, although a bit windy, the beach was a popular place to be today. According to Kathryn, the beautiful wildflowers that cover the dunes aren't native to NZ, but came from people dumping out their ornamental potted plants. Ro soon found a couple of boys to play with, who had dug a fairly impressive hole in the sand, and Ro was all too happy to help them dig it deeper. In the States, we say that you can dig all the way to China if you go straight down, so we were trying to guess where you'd end up if you started digging in NZ. Ireland?

Sherry relaxing on her makeshift boogie-board chair

They were content to let Ro do the work

Ahh...the point emerges. Something challenging to jump over

Mark took a brief dip in the clear water, and Ro enjoyed jumping the waves for a little while, but the ocean is nowhere near warm enough yet for cold-natured Sherry to venture into it. Ro played beach rugby with his new friends while we sunned ourselves, watching the half-dozen or so kite surfers in the distance down at Tay St Beach. As the afternoon wore on, there was a slight nip in the air, and the spa tub at our apartment was calling our name.

Ro bites the dust going for a tackle

The blue Jawa and mum heading home from the beach

Being a three-day weekend, the pool at The Anchorage was unusually crowded, mostly with a few families up on holiday from Wellington. Sherry fixed some eats upstairs while Mark entertained Ro. We were soon joined at the pool by Barnaby, Craig, and his lady-friend Paulette, then Sherry brought down the barbecue she'd prepared. We congregated around the picnic table, sipping white wine and snacking on hors d'oeuvres, chatting while the boys played in the pool. Grilled sausages and veggie kebabs soon followed.

After about a half-dozen picture attempts, this was the best

As the sun was setting and the air cooled considerably, we retreated upstairs. Mark and the boys rinsed off (they were the only ones who got in the pool), and we all met down at Craig's place for some more wine and conversation. Craig and Mark took turns wrestling with the boys, much to the amusement of the ladies. When a wine spill doused the table, Craig's leg, and a bit of the carpet, we decided we'd had enough and it was time to put the boys to bed. They wanted a sleepover, so we took them upstairs to our place where they promptly fell asleep in Ro's bed, despite their pleas to play some more.

"On shoulders, daddy!"

The boys getting in over their head

Subduing and cuffing Craig