Party Central

Thursday

A few weeks ago, we had made plans with Craig and Paulette to go out for a late dinner and celebrate New Year's Eve on the Main Beach along with everybody else in New Zealand. Ro and Barnaby were going to sleep over at Pat & Keith's house with Barnaby's cousins. Alas, when Ro woke up this morning, he simply flat out refused to go. We suspect it was because he didn't like being the "little kid" of the group. Sherry even walked down to the menswear shop where our other babysitter Jessica works to ask if she could watch Ro for a couple hours tonight, but of course she already had other plans. We couldn't very well drop Ronan off at Craig's mum's house if he didn't want to be there, even though we suspected he'd have a great time with all the boys. So, we cancelled our dinner reservations and turned New Year's Eve into a family day on The Mount.

Holiday traffic outside our apartment

Strolling along Marine Parade, the kids had their run of the streets, riding their bikes and scooters up and down, free of all but sporadic local traffic since the roads were blocked off to anyone who doesn't live here. Not sure where all the people on the beach and in the cafés came from, but there were plenty of them. The two huge music stages were being set up, barricades erected, and Port-a-loos all set out in rows in anticipation of the big night. Our first stop was at Slowfish Cafe for brunch; Mark had Eggs Benedict, Sherry a Greek salad, and Ro a waffle, all of which was very good for as busy as they were.

http://www.slowfish.co.nz/

The stage overlooking the beach was built on top of the loo

Scooting past the second stage

Right Said Fred would be proud, dude

These guys were actually kinda creepy, especially the dancing one

We spent much of the afternoon taking a leisurely walk around Mauao, stopping frequently to play on the beaches and rocks. When we got back to the Main Beach, Ro took a turn on the bungy, where he also ran into his friend Fox. After he was done flipping and bouncing to his heart's content, we walked over to Pilot Bay, stopping for ice cream cones on the way. The Holiday Park at the base of Mauao was packed with partiers outside their tents and campervans, who had started grilling and drinking early this morning. Most of the public spaces and streets in Mt Maunganui have been declared alcohol-free zones for summer to cut down on the drunken revelry, but the Holiday Park is a notable exception.

Watching the ships roll in

Happy New Year 2010!

Taking a break from scooting around Mauao

Father and sons spear-fishing

Above the Main Beach

Enough pictures, daddy! I wanna bungy jump!

A shady spot to wait for mum and watch the sound checks

Wheeee!

Even on holiday, Kiwis abide by the honour system

Get that hottie on the scooter a beer!

Checkpoint on Maunganui Rd

Mark and Ro played in the pool while Sherry whipped up a delicious dinner of mac & cheese with steamed broccoli, and a lamb rack for Mark. Sharon, our penthouse neighbor, entertained Ro by spraying him with her garden hose from two floors up while he was in the pool, as he tried in vain to dodge the stream. As we ate dinner on our deck, we could see the parade of out-of-town policemen heading to the station to start their New Year's Eve night duty, reinforcing the local cops. As dusk approached, we put Ro down for a nap. Then we sat outside drinking champagne, watching the revelry begin in earnest below us. In particular, a group of university-age partiers across the road were making quite the spectacle of themselves, with some of the co-eds already having difficulty standing up.

It ain't the Marriott Marquis, but the weather's better

Reinforcements and partiers heading in opposite directions

Blue moon rising

We took a chance and woke Ro up around 11:15pm, plying him with cinnamon toast and the promise of fireworks. He was in remarkably good spirits as we ventured out to the beach, all of us adorned with party hats and glow sticks. Ro got a little scared by the rowdy yet friendly crowds filing towards the Main Beach from all over Mt Maunganui, going so far as to walk between us and hold both our hands. In an effort to avoid the congestion and all the hootin' and hollerin', we (along with a few other locals) detoured onto the beach access walk between the buildings, which is unmarked and difficult to spot in the dark, so unless you live here you wouldn't know about it.

The main stage was pumping with music and a pretty snazzy light show, and the crowds milling around the base of Mt Drury were huge, extending all the way along Marine Parade. There were some year-round Mount residents taking in the spectacle in their possum-merino jerseys and loafers, and even a few kids Ro's age, but the vast majority of the crowd was in the 18-25 demographic, loud, and very, very drunk. For those of you who have been to Franklin Street in Chapel Hill on Halloween back in its heyday, picture that only with warmer weather and consequently skimpier outfits. Most of the families with kids had long since marked their spots with blankets on top of the grassy knolls bordering the dunes. Sherry wanted to climb Mt Drury to get a birds-eye view of all the action, but she got outvoted since Ro and Mark wanted to be on the beach for a closer look at the fireworks.

Negotiating the crowds near Mt Drury

We found a quiet spot, believe it or not, between a large rocky outcrop and the water, right near Moturiki Island, from which they were going to launch the fireworks. Our spot was a little too good for Ro, though, as the fireworks launching a mere fifty feet away from us and exploding over the water absolutely petrified him. Mark and Sherry had just enough time for a New Year's kiss before Ro turned tail and ran...over the rocks and through the crowd toward the dunes, absolutely shaking with fear! Guess they were too noisy for him. Odd, though, since he's seen fireworks displays that close in the past and it didn't faze him one bit. We started to second-guess whether bringing him out here was a good idea to begin with, but then we ran into Greer and Reuben from his class and he was happy again, so we knew we weren't the only parents who wanted their kid to have a memorable Mount New Year's Eve.

Ro and Sherry watching the show on the beach

Those fireworks were cool as, eh?

The Hills in the New Year

Crowded House

Wednesday

The Mount is definitely getting busy. It takes an extra 10 minutes to drive anywhere, as there is a perpetual traffic jam outside our building. The holiday-makers aren't the quietest either, as Ro has gone out on the balcony to shush people on the sidewalk or in the atrium of The Anchorage more than once. He even opened the door of our apartment to shush a couple of young men carrying cases of beer down the hall. At night it's no better; since there's no AC, we leave our patio door and windows open to maintain a comfortable temperature in our apartment. Unfortunately, that leaves our ears vulnerable to noisy groups of pedestrians below, long into the night until the bars close.

Chillin' with Barnaby in Coronation Park this week

Alien invasion

We've stuck close to home this week, spending a lot of time at the pool. Ro's getting a little possessive of the pool, though, and got a little upset when both spa tubs were too crowded to get in this afternoon. We explained to him that The Anchorage is filled to capacity and he'd just have to wait his turn, to which he responded, "but I'm cold!"

It didn't take long for Ro to try a few stunts

Mark took Ro to The Rock House this afternoon for a change of pace. It had been a while since we were there, but he managed to climb a new route he'd never been able to conquer before. They even ran into Marama, the nurse manager from the Tauranga ED, who was there with her own son.

"R" for me!

Getting past the overhang

Holiday Picnic

Saturday

Boxing Day is big around here. With no Thanksgiving (and thus no Black Friday), the day after Christmas is when retailers have all their big sales. It also marks the start of the busy time at The Mount. Craig and his extended family got together for a picnic at Kulim Park in Otumoetai, just across Pilot Bay. He was nice enough to invite us, so Sherry spent the morning baking biscuits (the American kind) and we took a tray of scratch-made mini ham biscuits.

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

You can take the girl out of the South, but...

Craig's family wasn't sure what to make of the ham biscuits, "Oh, look! Shortbread...with...ham?" But they tasted good and that was enough for the Kiwis. Barnaby had a couple of cousins at the picnic, and Ro had fun climbing trees, running around, and splashing in the water with the three older boys. We spent much of the afternoon chatting with Craig's mother Pat and her husband Keith. They had quite the spread, but our favorite treat was the mince pies.

Barnaby and his cousin cooling off

Barnaby found a hip bone, presumably from a sheep

Why does a boy climb a tree? Because it's there

That baby better not pee on my new scooter!

Lolly scramble!

Ro was too busy chewing candy to pose

After the picnic, we stopped by Rebel Sport to take advantage of their big Boxing Day sale, picking up some All Blacks and Rugby World Cup 2011 (which will be held in NZ) merchandise. Ro hit the pool at home with Barnaby, and we called our families back home on Skype (it was Christmas evening there). Then we enjoyed a leisurely dinner on our deck (fettuccine with a lamb rack for Mark). Ro passed out hard after a couple of bedtime stories, dreaming of all his Christmas presents he'll be playing with tomorrow.

Sunset over Pilot Bay from Mt Drury

A Visit From Sandy Claus

Friday

Ro woke us up at 7:30am ready to open presents, "Daddy, daddy, daddy! Santa came! Santa came!" Sure enough, the traditional NZ meat pie and beer we left out for Santa was gone with just a few crumbs left on the plate. With no chimney, we left our patio door open so he could get in. Once Mark and Sherry were out of bed and properly caffeinated, Ro dug in to his gifts. Instead of stockings, we improvised with our bucket hats which "Santa" had stuffed with lollies and other treats.

Sunrise over Coronation Park

Since we have to lug everything back to the States, the only present Ro got of any appreciable size was a Ben 10 scooter, perfect for tooling around The Mount this summer. He also got a Ben 10 alien, half a dozen small Transformers, Legos, a Ben 10 mug, some new clothes and shoes, an All Blacks calendar, and the biggest hit of the morning: a set of Bakugan Battle Brawlers. He also got a bone Maori symbol necklace (the fish hook), an upgrade from his green plastic one...unfortunately, Sherry soon dropped it on the kitchen tile floor and it broke.

Bumblebee, Ro's favorite Transformer

Sherry made out with a necklace, a summery cotton nightie, a Mt Maunganui tea towel for her collection, a silver fern charm for her charm bracelet, a James Patterson novel, a Waitomo Caves baby-doll tee, a gardening book, a decorative paua shell kiwi, and Ronan Keating's latest CD (a Christmas album conveniently enough). Every time we tell someone here Ronan's name, they say, "Oh! Like Ronan Keating. Can you sing, too?" For those of you not in the know, Ronan Keating is an Irish pop singer, virtually unknown in the States, but immensely popular in the Commonwealth countries.

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

Mark's coolest present was actually a TradeMe coup that cost next to nothing: an otherwise non-descript beer manufacturer baseball cap, but with Daniel Vettori's and other cricket legends' autographs! He also got an All Blacks mug (a picture of the team doing a haka appears when a hot liquid is put inside), an All Blacks mini-umbrella, a Blackcaps jersey, a vintage NZ surf t-shirt, a book on Mt Maunganui, wine glass charms featuring NZ birds, some clothes, and most importantly, his NZ greenstone.

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

After having brunch on our deck (french toast, bacon, and fruit salad), Mark helped Ro put together his Legos and transform his Transformers into vehicles. Sherry made another attempt at pavlova, as the one last night didn't rise properly. She forgot the pinch of salt, and didn't whisk the egg whites enough, despite her arms being sore from it when she woke up this morning. She made sure they were whisked sufficiently today, though, killing her forearms through the entire DVD of A Charlie Brown Christmas, and trading off with Mark when needed. She vowed never to make pavlova again without an electric mixer! Once the pavlova was done, it was time for that other Kiwi Christmas tradition - the beach! Maunganui Road was a virtual ghost town since all the shops were closed, but the beach was a popular destination. Ro put his scooter through its first paces on the way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavlova_(food)

A balmy brunch

Let's hit the beach!

Ro and Sherry didn't venture far into the water, as it's not exactly warm, but that didn't stop Mark from taking a long dip and a couple of shorter ones over the course of the afternoon. Sherry did go in just far enough to bless Mark's greenstone in the water, as the gift giver is supposed to do. Ro was content to dig in the sand, with occasional help from us.

Cooling off in the clear water

Sherry's view for most of the afternoon

Mt Drury from the water

Is it a tunnel or a bridge? Ro wasn't sure

We came home in time for Sherry to put the Christmas ham in the oven, and Barnaby soon came over to compare toys with Ro. Let's just say that they are masters of one-upmanship. We rendezvoused with Craig and Paulette down by the pool around 6pm. There were a bunch of young adults in the pool, but it only took a few minutes of Ro and Barnaby splashing around for everyone else to retreat to the spa tubs.

Last night's pavlova "cookie" and today's success

Play nice!

Our poolside Christmas feast consisted of ham with Sherry's special brown-sugar glaze, steaks off the grill, crayfish, salad, coleslaw, green bean casserole (a novelty for Craig and Paulette), and of course, pavlova for dessert. The boys had grilled sausages and chips. All of it was amazing, and we stuffed ourselves well beyond full because it would have been criminal to waste any. Sherry even set her vegetarianism aside for the evening. Paulette's 2yo daughter Caitlyn enjoyed playing with the boys, repeatedly "pushing" them into the pool. Craig and Paulette gave us a nice gift basket of Kiwiana items, and we all pulled Christmas crackers; the jokes inside were more fun than the prizes.

NZ crayfish are the size of lobsters, but even tastier

God bless us, every one!

This is how you pull the cracker

Good on ya, Sherry!

Think they like it?

Ro and Barnaby were going to have an impromptu sleepover, and we even got as far as bedtime stories, but then Barnaby wanted to go home to sleep in his own bed. He probably wanted to be closer to all his new toys! All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed what will likely be our only Kiwi Christmas.

End of a memorable holiday