Kiwi Kids Rocked It

Monday

Our thoughts are with Toby, one of Ro's classmates, who's very sick and was transferred from Tauranga to Starship Hospital (the children's hospital in Auckland) while Mark was at work on Saturday. This morning, Ms Carr had the class write Get Well cards for him. On a lighter note, today was Ro's first school Christmas production, for which they've been rehearsing for weeks.

Today's matinee show of the production was well-attended by parents as well as the entire school. Cerine came with us as we watched Ro's class do their part as reindeers. Other classrooms performed as elves, snowflakes, North Winds, etc... The songs were lively and everyone had a good time, although we could tell Ro was visibly unhappy when his antlers came apart halfway through the show.

"Kiwi kids are rockin' it, rockin' it! Kiwi kids are tops!"

Belting their hearts out

After the play, Ro's class went back to their room to change back into their street clothes. In a testament to the laid-back atmosphere around here, the boys and girls all changed together in the classroom, stripping down to their skivvies. Not sure that would go over in the States. Even before the play, we had spotted the school cat crossing the street, and Sherry remarked that she's seen the cat everywhere - wandering in and out of classrooms, on the sofa in the office, and so on. Surely in America, some parent of a cat-allergic kid would have complained by now, but the Kiwis just take it in stride.

We took Cerine to Main St Cafe for brunch. It's a sentimental favorite, and is actually owned by a guy from Georgia (USA). Mark had his usual Eggs Benedict with bacon, Cerine the same but with spinach, and Sherry a huge breakfast scramble of which Mark probably ate half. All delicious, as usual. After filling our bellies, we went down to Pilot Bay to "bless" the girls' greenstone Maori symbols. Mark had given Sherry a single twist for her birthday, not realizing the custom of blessing it in the ocean at the time, and Cerine had bought a Koru (spiral) in her travels here. The weather was a little cool and drizzly today, and they didn't want to walk all the way to the ocean, so Mark dipped the symbols in Pilot Bay from the fishing pier.

One last look at The Mount for Cerine

We took Cerine to Tauranga airport for her flight to San Francisco (via Auckland). Sherry wondered if Cerine needed an import license for all the TimTams she was bringing back! We hung out with her for a little while in the terminal until it was time to pick Ro up from school, then said our goodbyes. Although we loved having her and Mark's parents here, it's been a long month of burning the candle at both ends, which was magnified by the poor sleep we'd been getting since flying to Melbourne. Sherry's such a light sleeper, and Ro such a noisy one, that all of us sleeping in the same room was a recipe for exhaustion.

On the way home from school, Ro lost one of his jandals climbing into the car. Of course, we didn't realize this until we got home. Mark was of the opinion that he could go to school barefoot for the rest of the summer, since he and the other boys kick their shoes off as soon as they get there anyway, but Sherry was determined to keep looking for it and drove back to the school, finding it in the road. Meanwhile, Mark took Ro downstairs to the pool for a couple of hours until dinnertime. They enjoyed playing with Ro's boogie board, racing back and forth across the pool in the steady rain. Sherry appreciated the "alone time," as she was anxious to get the apartment back in order.

After a hearty spaghetti dinner, we put an exhausted Ronan to bed early. We caught the end of the first test cricket match between NZ and traditional powerhouse Pakistan from Dunedin, which NZ won in dramatic fashion. Then came the rebroadcast of the All Blacks vs France; Mark had missed the live show on Sunday morning, and was eager to catch it. It was the last test match of the season, and proved to be a fast-paced, exciting match, with lots of running and only a modicum of the strategic kicking that has bogged down much of rugby union this year. The AB's won handily 39-12 in Marseille, a place France has only ever lost one previous test match. NZ even kept alive their remarkable streak of not allowing a single try in the Northern Hemisphere for the second straight season.

Sunday Afternoon In The Park

Sunday

Mark was working this weekend, but made sure to call Sherry from work to remind her to watch the All Blacks vs France live from Marseille (it was on at 8:45am), as if he could watch it vicariously through her. She gave him a patronizing "okay, honey" and went back to checking her e-mail. With Cerine's time here running short, Sherry was at a loss for what to do with her. They wanted to go Blokarting, but there wasn't enough wind, so she showed Cerine the Te Puna Quarry Park that Norma & Carver had liked so much.

Ro really wishes this old steam shovel still worked

The quarry was still very much in bloom, and Ro did pretty well with all the hiking. The only time he complained all day was when he was walking up a steep hill and plopped down in the middle of the trail, pleading with Sherry, "carry me!" At that moment, an old man with a cane happened by and challenged him to a race. Ro lept to his feet and charged up the trail. Cerine laughingly called him a "faker," so to prove her wrong he lay right back down again.

It's almost Summer, but Spring is still full on

Cerine's favorite parts of the quarry were the butterfly garden, the fuchsias, the roses, and the dragon sculpture. We also got to see the elusive bonsai garden that we've somehow missed on our two previous visits. While we were all perched on the wooden train, Ro (the engineer) imagined we were, "riding into the rainforest to see the bats, the big vampire bats...and the biggest bat of all - the wombat!"

Ro was fascinated by the butterfly garden

Even with caving, luging, and rafting, Cerine has thus far managed to escape NZ without a scratch...until she and Ro decided to do a little rock climbing at the quarry. Her shin met the business end of some nasty brambles, but Ro was quick to point out that his scratch was bigger (it wasn't, and it was also two weeks old). We noticed a guy at the top of the cliff getting ready to abseil down, so we sat and had a snack by the pond and waited for him to hop over the edge. And waited...and waited some more. "Look at the guy not abseiling!" He finally chickened out altogether.

Bouldering on the quarry wall

Dance like nobody's watching!

In a good mood

Making music, sort of

Cerine enjoying a balmy last full day in NZ

No outing is seemingly complete without Ro losing his clothes

On the way home, we took a little side trip to Otumoetai, so Cerine could snap some pics of Mauao across the bay and Ro could have a play on the climbing frame. Cerine managed to nail her injured shin while trying out the flying fox. She had discovered more room in her suitcases than she anticipated, requiring a quick run to the store for more TimTams! We wound down the evening watching the final episode of Flight of the Conchords.

Searching For Troll Gold

Saturday

On the way to the Karangahake Gorge, Sherry inadvertently took the wrong road, but made the best of her mistake by showing Cerine McLaren Falls. After a few quick pictures, they were once again on their way. Sherry, again, took a wrong turn in Waihi, and realized that she hasn't been paying attention for the last year every time Mark drove to Auckland. But again, an unexpected benefit: they got to see the actual working gold mine, as well as a monster dump truck that Ro enjoyed immensely (no pun intended).

Ro & Cerine at McLaren Falls

Finally, a REAL monster truck!

Finally arriving at the gorge, the three enjoyed a quick snack by the river, watching the finches fight over their crumbs. Sherry took the opportunity to teach Ro that just because he couldn't see any birds initially, it didn't mean they weren't watching him, and he got his proof the instant he threw his first crusts of bread.

Karangahake Gorge

One of the things Ro was looking forward to was the 1km railroad tunnel Sherry had told him about. As they walked along the river, through a beautiful fern-filled forest, Ro kept asking excitedly, "Where's the cave?" Once they arrived, the sheer length of the tunnel was daunting to all of them, because the other end of it was just a pinpoint of light in the darkness. Ro took Sherry and Cerine's hand and once they had gone in a good 50ft, Sherry said, "maybe we'll see some trolls in here!" In the dim light, they noticed archways on the tunnel wall regularly spaced down the length of the tunnel, and Ro decided that they were abandoned troll caves. Even with his new headlamp, he would scurry past the holes, expecting something to jump out and grab him. The whole headlamp thing wasn't working out as well as Sherry planned; instead of leading the way, Ro mostly just pointed it in the girls' faces, blinding them.

Troll hunters

We're almost out!

In a classic case of confabulatory one-upmanship, Cerine was relating stories of her adventures yesterday at the Waitomo Caves, when Ro replied, "back in America, Mommy took me to a cave where the water was up to here on me, but tell her not to feel bad if she doesn't remember."

Our little explorer

Look, Mommy, I found a happy tree!

Owharoa Falls is a favorite stop of ours, and Sherry thought Cerine would enjoy it. Ro was a little too excited about getting down the hill to them, and skinned his knee. It was bleeding pretty good, so Sherry went back up to the car for a plaster (i.e. Band-Aid), and Cerine went on to the falls by herself to snap a few pics and was already back at the car by the time Ro finished getting his first aid.

To show Cerine the other end of Matakana Island, Sherry stopped at the Bowentown Headlands on the way home. Matakana Island is a narrow 20km barrier island with its other end at Mauao, forming one side of the channel into Tauranga Harbour. There's a popular holiday park on the beach below the headlands, where some of Ro's classmates will spend their Christmas break.

Above Waihi Beach

The end

There was a brief stop in Katikati (the mural town of NZ), for Sherry to snap a picture of "the other woman" for Mark, but alas, the Marilyn Monroe statue outside the storefront had been taken in for the night. Sherry dropped Ro and Cerine at home, then picked Mark up from work. We spent the evening relaxing and watching Walk the Line, although Ro had trouble falling asleep because of his nap in the car.

Black Friday

Friday (duh)

Mark and Cerine were up early to drive to Waitomo Caves, about an hour south of Hamilton. It is said that all New Zealanders visit the caves twice in their lives: once when they're kids and again when they take their own kids. But first, we made a slight detour to the Hamilton Gardens so Cerine could see them.

The gardens are different every time you go, as new things are blooming. We were pressed for time, so it was a whirlwind tour, but we saw all the highlights. Today's best sights included the Victorian Greenhouse, the Rose Garden (they were just past their peak), and the newly re-planted Indian Char Bagh Garden - easily Cerine's favorite.

This rose garden was a lot bigger than Tauranga's

A Persian carpet of flowers

Cerine hangin' with Romulus & Remus

Heading out of Hamilton, we were shocked to find ourselves on a four lane road in a rural area - most major highways in NZ away from Auckland and Wellington are just two lanes, with an occasional passing lane. Just as we were remarking on it, what should be ahead of us but a cow! In the middle of the road! Narrowly avoiding it, we continued on our way through the many road construction zones that seem to blanket the Waikato. We passed through tiny towns, each with its own claim to fame. For instance, Te Awamutu is "The Rose Town of NZ," and Otorohanga is the Kiwiana town.

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

We soon arrived at the Long Black Cafe (Long Black is a double espresso shot with hot water), home of The Legendary Black Water Rafting Company. You've heard of white water rafting, right? Well, Waitomo is the birthplace of black water rafting, essentially rafting in a dark cave. It's a bit of a misnomer, since it's actually tubing, and the water is crystal clear. While waiting for our tour to start, we grabbed some food at the cafe. Cerine had asked the girl manning the counter for something vegetarian, so the girl picked out a spinach & feta pie from the display case and heated it up, along with Mark's bacon & egg croissant. Cerine took a big, famished bite of the pie, and then another. Then she looked at it more closely - it had ham in it! Needless to say, she was not pleased. Mark wanted to roll on the floor laughing, but kept a straight face. Fortunately for Cerine, the clerk soon remedied her error, gave Cerine a refund, and comped another spinach & feta (sans ham) pie.

The One Ring is actually made of rubber, apparently

Our guides Matt and Stew were friendly, funny guys, and our tour group was limited to eight people. Six of the guests (including us) were from the States, and only two were Kiwis. The other four Americans were studying abroad in Dunedin (South Island) from Clemson University, so it was nice to hear a southern accent again. The guides issued us a litany of do's and don'ts, chief among them seemed to be: don't pee in your wetsuit! Soon, after much effort getting our wetsuits, harnesses, and helmets on and properly adjusted, we all piled into the van. Mark wished he'd remembered to bring his chums to hold his glasses on, but Matt fashioned him some out of a shoelace they kept around for just such purposes.

Getting squeezed in places we didn't know we had

Ready for some black water adventure!

The weather was perfect, which meant we were getting pretty hot in our full wetsuits (a Farmer John plus a jacket and booties), so the first stop was at the river, where we were each given an inner tube and marched to a dock about 2.5m above a river. Like paratroopers getting pushed out of a plane, one by one we were pushed backwards into the chilly water, the force of our landing nearly taking us completely under. But it was a great way to cool off! That's how some of the other tour packages start out and just continue down the river into the caves, but we piled back in the van to go to our next task: abseiling.

Graduates of abseiling training

After we'd all had a few tries at abseiling down a small hill, it was time for the real thing: a 35m (115 ft) drop through an hourglass-shaped tomo (vertical entrance shaft) into a black abyss. We all took it in turns, and the process of getting everyone down took a fair while...long enough for Mark to find a nearby bush and wriggle out of his wetsuit just enough for a pit stop, in anticipation of more icy water ahead. The narrowest part of the tomo was quite a tight squeeze, at least for Mark (must be Sherry's good cooking), requiring some twisting and contorting before you pop into a spacious cavern. Claustrophobics, acrophobics and nyctophobics be warned.

This is really high. Are we really doing this?

There was a metal platform at the bottom, and Stew was there to help unhook us from the rope. As we came down, we all gathered on rocks at the bottom of some stairs, with our headlamps turned off, watching the people coming after us. Once we were all safely in the cave, we filed down a narrow passage to another metal platform, at the end of which was a Flying Fox. We couldn't see the other end of the zip line, which lay in complete darkness.

Matt went first, so he could be on the other end to help us off, as Stew hooked our harnesses onto the line with practiced efficiency, "hold here, and here, don't touch this, turn off your light, now off you go!" With a shove and a leap, we were off into the darkness at a frightening speed. A rope serving as a bungy was attached to our Flying Fox, preventing us from smacking into the far wall of the big cavern. As you swing to a sudden stop, your senses come back to you, and it looks like you are all alone floating in outer space, but in fact the starry sky is thousands of tiny glowworms. It was one of those vivid moments that is forever burned into your brain...simply magical!

Once all of us were down, we turned our headlamps back on and checked out our surroundings. We were on a wide ledge overlooking a subterranean river. We didn't see any obvious way down, but no matter. We were all grateful to finally be rid of our wedgie-inducing harnesses. Although warm outside, there was a chill in the cave, and we all sat on the ledge as our hosts passed out welcome cups of hot chocolate and some muesli bars. Do you remember being told as a kid to wait half an hour after eating before getting in the water? Apparently, that advice never made it to New Zealand.

We hadn't noticed it before, but in a dark corner of the ledge was a pile of inner tubes. We all grabbed one, making sure to get one that our butts would fit through. Nothing worse than bobbing on top of the water like a cork and tipping over. There was a good 4m drop down to the water, with no easy climbing route, so we all looked a bit nervous as Stew explained the proper way to jump in. Firstly, you have to leap off the slippery rock far enough so that you don't kill yourself on it. Then you have to be coordinated enough to land with the inner tube flat on the water with your butt inside it. And did we mention it's not easy to do a really agile jump in a stiff wetsuit while trying to hold a bulky inner tube against your butt? Pitch too far forward or back and you'll flip when you hit the water; it's not too hard to calculate when jumping into a pool, but you've got a lot more time to rotate on a big drop like this. And they don't tell you how deep the water is, either. Alright, who's first?

"What the hell," thought Mark, who stepped forward to take the first plunge, although maybe everyone else just took a step back, like in those old Army movies. Had he been alone, he probably would have stared at the water below him for a good five minutes psyching himself into it, but peer pressure can be a useful thing sometimes. Everyone would have enjoyed seeing the American doctor make a fool of himself, but he wasn't about to give them the satisfaction, so off he went. If ever there was a leap of faith, this was it. KERSPLASH!!! Straight down into the water, completely submerged for a couple seconds, then bouncing back up as if he were on a trampoline. A picture perfect landing, but oh so cold!

As everyone else jumped off behind him, some with decidedly less graceful landings, the impact of the tubes on the water sounded just like gunshots echoing through the cave. Once we were all assembled in the river, we pulled ourselves upstream along a rope attached to the cave wall, single file. Mark was in the front, so he didn't have to worry about bumping into anyone, and we all soon turned off our headlamps to better see the glowworms. Once your eyes got adjusted, you could actually navigate by their eerie blue glow, roughly equivalent to the brightness of a half-moon. We stopped occasionally to get close-up looks at the worms, as Stew talked about their life cycle and feeding technique. They basically fish for moths with dozens of long, sticky silk threads that they suspend from cave ceilings and overhangs. When a moth or other insect gets stuck, they reel it in and suck out its juices. We actually got to see one feeding, which Stew said he's only seen a few times in as many years.

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

After tubing upstream for half an hour or so to see the part of Ruakuri Cave with the best glowworms, we did a U-turn and came back to our starting point. Tossing the tubes, we continued our caving adventure on foot. Although the water was clear as can be, you couldn't see where you were putting your feet because it was too dark, too turbulent, or there was too much glare from your headlamp. Not much of a concern on smooth ground, but on the uneven river bottom no two steps were the same, and it's amazing we all didn't twist our ankles. Most of our trek was in calf-deep water, but it wasn't all walking, as we had to do a fair bit of swimming in water over our heads, and a little bit of crawling on our belly when things got really tight. We even had to scoot sideways in an L-shape to get through a particularly awkward section.

Getting through a tight squeeze

After a while, we came across a metal slide like you'd see on a playground, and we all took a turn splashing down into the pool below it...backwards, of course. We stopped for chocolate bars and a hot fruity drink that Cerine likened to Tang, while our guides snapped some group pics. One guy in our group took a pee break upstream from us, but the rest of us including all the girls held on with iron bladders. Mark was glad he'd taken that last-minute stop when he did. As our journey continued, we were surprised to see a few experienced cavers emerge from a crack in the wall, looking like they'd been through quite an ordeal and completely covered in mud. We also saw a bunch of less experienced cavers with inner tubes tucked under their arms, coming towards us from what could only be the exit, as they looked pretty dry at this point.

This was a 5 second exposure lit only by our guides' headlamps. Hold still!

Plenty of eels in addition to glowworms

Why couldn't these be warm geothermal caves?

We were given the choice of taking the easy way out of the caves (the way the tubers had walked in), or the hard way, climbing up three waterfalls and through some pretty tight squeezes. Of course, we unanimously picked the hard way. Cerine took the lead on the first waterfall, as Matt showed us exactly where to place our hands and feet as we scrambled up it. Mark took the lead on the second, which although not quite as technically challenging of a climb as the first, carried a much higher risk of an ugly death if you screwed up. Our fingers were long since numb from the water, which didn't help matters any (Sherry hates being cold, so it was probably just as well she skipped this trip). Crawling up the much smaller third fall, we emerged into the sunlight as Matt snapped our pictures, now veterans of the Black Abyss.

Happy to see the sun after 4 hours underground

Looking around, the small stream running into the hillside seemed pretty non-descript, and you wouldn't think there were such wonders lying so close underground. Above ground, though, we were in BFE to put it bluntly, and the only sign of civilization was the goat track we tramped along for a kilometer or so until we reached the van. The wetsuits were even harder to get off than on, if that's possible. A hot shower never felt so good, and the tomato soup and toasted bagels waiting for us in the cafe were welcome indeed.

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

Easily one of the best things we've done in New Zealand

We picked up a few souvenirs, then drove into the tiny town of Waitomo, but everything was closed, so we turned around and headed for home. We stopped in Otorohanga to see if there were any cool Kiwiana stores, but as it was after 6pm, they were all closed, too. Pretty much nothing in NZ except restaurants and bars is open late. A few days ago, Cerine even took a picture of a sign in the window of Farmer's Department Store which read "Open Late Until 7pm."

Otorohanga public library

On our way home, we stopped at the crest of the Kaimais to wait for the sunset. By this time, we were getting hungry again (it's a 2.5 hour drive) and stopped at Mills Reef Winery for dinner. We were definitely underdressed, but we didn't really care by that point. The food was excellent. Cerine wanted no part of Mark's oysters tempura or confit of duck, and stuck with a summer vegetable and pine nut strudel. Ronan was in bed by the time we got back, so we wound down our day of adventure hanging out in the living room with Sherry, watching TV and getting the latest gossip from home and abroad.

Sunset over the Waikato Plain

Gorgeous sky over the Kaimais

A civilized dinner after a day of roughing it

A Steamy Thanksgiving

Thursday

Mark was working the first half of this week, and couldn't help but notice all the male house officers sporting facial hair reminiscent of a bad 70's movie - turns out it's all in honor of Movember. With Mark away, it was up to Sherry to entertain Cerine. Monday they stayed close to home, and caught New Moon (the latest Twilight movie). Tuesday, Cerine had to go to Tauranga to get a document notarized; they were told at the lawyer's office that they'd need an appointment and to come back in an hour. So, they took the opportunity for a little walking tour of The Strand. Sherry also went to a thank-you luncheon for all the parents who helped out at school this year. Wednesday, Sherry and Cerine went kayaking on Pilot Bay. Sherry lost track of where Cerine was and hurried to catch up to another kayaker who looked like her, but it wasn't! Sherry had tired her arms out leaving Cerine far behind in her wake...lol.

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

Tauranga Rose Garden

On the railroad bridge over Tauranga Harbour

Jack, Teegan, Deisha, & Ro watering their garden

Ro woke up early this morning, scared of the closet, so we didn't get much sleep. Nevertheless, we were up at 6am in preparation to go to White Island. Ro didn't want to go to school, but we assured him this would be the first and only time he'd ever have to go to school on Thanksgiving! Mark and Cerine's White Island trip was cancelled at the last minute, due to high winds, which would make landing on the island treacherous. We were already on the road when we got the call, so we improvised on the fly and swung south to Rotorua.

Our first stop was the Okere River, a section of the world-renowned Class V Kaituna River, just north of town. We saw Okere Falls, a 2.5m drop that looked especially pretty in the morning light; farther down is Tutea Falls (7m), the highest commercially-rafted waterfall in the world. We continued through Rotorua, detouring west on the scenic route towards Lake Taupo, along State Hwy 30. We paused to take a few pics of the imposing Horohoro Cliffs, then stopped by Lake Ohakuri. We saw "Rainbow Falls" in our atlas near the Ohakuri Power Station, and we searched for them for a good 30 minutes, but no luck. We suspect they were destroyed when the dam was built.

Okere Falls

These cliffs could be seen for miles

Ohakuri, largest lake on the Waikato River

A New Zealand traffic jam

Since Cerine wasn't going to see White Island, we decided on the next best thing: the geothermal park known as Orakei Korako, one of the finest thermal areas in the world. There were several other visitors there who had made the day trip down from the coast after getting bumped from the White Island tour. They were going to re-book White Island for tomorrow, but we had already made other plans (more on that later). After taking the ferry across Lake Ohakuri, we began our self-guided tour of the park.

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

Although Orakei Korako is not as strikingly desolate and alien a landscape as the White Island crater, the thermal areas here were much prettier and more varied, with lots of greenery to break it up. And it's a heckuva lot cheaper than White Island! It would also be better for kids, since you can see the park at your own pace instead of shuffling along with a tour group, listening to a guide. Orakei Korako is also full of surprises, with a new cool thing to see around every bend, whereas you can pretty much see all there is to see at White Island (albeit from far away) standing at the highest point in the middle of the crater. After completing our tour, which wound through at least a couple kilometers of native bush, we thought about hanging around indefinitely waiting for the Diamond Geyser to erupt (it usually does it every few hours), but that would have put us getting back too late for Thanksgiving dinner. There was a call button on the dock that sent a signal to the boat to come pick us up.

Jetboat racing by the Emerald Terrace

Rainbow Terrace

Rainbow Terrace and Hochstetter Cauldron

Amazing silica terraces and crystal-clear, hot thermal pools

The honey made from these manuka flowers is a NZ delicacy, and a cure-all for most of Mark's Maori patients

Cerine and the Golden Fleece

Artist's Palette dotted with beautiful azure alkali chloride pools

Looking out of Ruatapu Cave

The pool in the cave was so clear, you couldn't see the edge of the water

Climbing out of the cave

On the way home, we stopped briefly in Rotorua at Te Puia, a famous Maori arts and crafts institute and home to the Pohutu geyser. It was NZ$40 just to get in the door, though, and we didn't have enough time to do it justice, so we just checked out the extensive gift shop and walked down the block to where we could see a geyser through the fence for free ;) Our last stop was at the giant roadside kiwi at Kiwi360 in Te Puke, something we had neglected to see when we visited with Norma and Carver. After climbing to the top, Cerine put it well, "That's a lot of stairs for a view of...nothing." Basically, you have an expansive view of the roof of the visitor's center, the parking lot, and a bunch of trees.

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

Te Puia, "our place" to the Maori

One of many geysers at Whakarewarewa

The falafel stands in NZ aren't as good as Rockefeller Center's, but the weather's a lot better

There would be no pecan pie for Thanksgiving this year; when we got home, Sherry and Ro were decorating the pavlova cake with kiwi slices. Ro mostly just helped lick the whipped cream out of the bowl. To give Sherry a chance to finish dinner in peace, Mark took Ro for a brief play in Coronation Park. The weather was quite warm today, and with the kitchen going most of the afternoon, Sherry finally relented and opened Ro's bedroom window to get some cross ventilation through the apartment. We have kept it locked up till now, because it opens onto a wind tunnel/skylight which ventilates to the roof, and features a four-story drop straight down. When we first moved in, we were afraid curiosity would get the better of Ro and he'd take a tumble, but he's a lot more careful about such things now.

Can I help some more, mommy?

A pre-feast stop in the park

These hippos weren't as hungry as we were

Thanksgiving dinner was a little unorthodox, but delicious all the same. Turkey is practically unheard of around here, so Mark had roast chicken, while the vegetarians had a hearty roast vegetable pie and string beans with slivered almonds (a Hill family standby). Instead of the Cowboys or Lions, we watched NZ vs Pakistan cricket. After we were completely stuffed, we retired to the couch with another round of tonics for more Flight of the Conchords.

A Hill Thanksgiving

I want more gravy!