Our great big NZ holiday entry!

A great time being had..and still another week to come!

Bright n early the morning after we arrived all us MONKey's headed off to one big bach on Lake Rotoma... 'Hey hey we're the Monkeys'

My mum there in the dress, nearly 60 years old AND got up on the wakeboard first time!! Way to go Mammie! Dad was cool on his salem ski too. 
Ha it took me 2 or 3 times but yip I can now wakeboard as well, switch even!

Lake Rotoma...
~crystal clear waters,
~swims to the buoy and back,
~hoons of uncle drivers taking the kids for a spin on the biscuit, (& smashing the adults off)
~wakeboarding,
~a visit from the awesome Penisula fam (5 more kids!)
~Mum's hearty meals)
~thermal hot pools...
~Lots of family fun, catching up, kids and activity!

A fabulous 3 days... before we loaded into cars again and the convoy headed to Mangakino, which we nicknamed 'Monkakino for 6 days with even more fam! My cousins, uncle, aunt, and ALL their kids- what a ball!!

Oh boy were my kids impressed on arrival to see our cousin BJ perfoming stunts off the ramp-he's awesome! 'Tantrums (flips), 360's...WOW!! 

Bj and Keith were just amazing and sooo patient taking us all out in their super cool boats and giving everyone a go wakeboarding until they got it! My just turned 6 year old Choppy popped up first time too!!

Monkakino...

~Fun in the sun, as we picniced here on the lakes edge everyday..

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~Watching and in on the boating action, the kids back and forth to the pontoon

~Kayaks, more food, and touch rugby on the grass, cheering from the boat as crazy uncles and cousins jumped from the highest bridge into the lake

~ Grace and Sarah our gorg teenage cuzzies, their funny stories and "This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friend...'

~A fun-as mass family dinner at Keith and Tracy's, the kids had a riot!
~Catching up and laughing with my cousins
~Aunty Nic's 33rd birthday brunch and the dance the kids made up for her,

My grandparents were missing, they've had a lot of sickness in the last year, so after our time in Mangakino Mum, Dad, the kids and I made a trip down to stay with them in Horowhenua. As always it was lovely to see them xox

In the Horowhenua

~Choppy knowing Nan and Grandy have been unwell was so keen to lend a helping hand

~ Otaki is the home-town of both my families, so on Friday we took a nostalgic trip down memory lane- what a beautiful slice of the world!

~We visited houses my parents and I had grown up in (Yep one lady let us in when she saw us peering over the fence!), drove past schools, the maternity home we were born in and shed a few tears at the graves of loved ones who have passed on.
~Flipped through all the old photo albums

~& Mammie and Pa took us all out to Cobb and Co for dinner last last night

~We prayed for Nan and Grandy and gave them big kisses as we left for Auckand this morning

Andrew J you'll be pleased to know we stopped at 'The Honey Hive' in Taupo on the way home!!  Thanks Mum and Dad (Sampling the honey) for organising this wonderful holiday for us all!! They're so incredibly generous!