Busy and most wonderful Easter

Easter this year was pre booked with all sorts of fun. To kick things off Mr Fox and I had tickets to the concert The Eagles of Death Metal. Mae was tenderly looked after by her Aunty Emma and Uncle Roman. By all accounts they all had a great night full of giggles together.

It was lovely to sneak out to a gig; just the two of us. It was a loud and crazy show, a little overwhelming for a tired couple! We  realised that those kind of nights out are best for the weekends (not a Tuesday!) and that we are not as young as we used to be. Sigh. Plotting dinner and a movie next time.

Our cars seem to be playing tag when it comes to problems. After fixing the ignition and window on the Honda my car decided to have brake and timing issues. This was thankfully fixed with a morning at the mechanics so it was rather hilarious to have a flat battery on our trip north.

Ever hopeful to miss the infamous we had the car packed and set off by 7.30am on Good Friday morning. Anticipating a coffee break after Warkworth, bags under our weary eyes and a happy little traveller in the backseat we hit the road.

The dead battery saw a long stop in Wellsford before we got a jump start from some kind motorists. The rest of the drive was uneventful and we were all relieved to see our friends when we pulled in mid afternoon.

Hihi Sunset fro the deck.

Our adventurous friends have brought a 16 acre block on a hill overlooking a harbour in Hihi, Doubtless Bay. The beautiful and warm Bay of Islands makes for an idyllic setting. The property had been left to become rundown and overgrown.

These friends of ours hardworking. They have already cleared gorse and draining the land closest to the road. The pocket of native bush is beautiful and has it's own resident male brown Kiwi whose call we were delighted to hear one evening. It is magical place; a setting just right for an Enid Blyton novel.

Little Easter bunny

The few days we had there passed quickly. The guys kept busy on the chainsaws and diggers. The digger had an unfortunate ditch crossing and ending up on it's side, very stuck in the drain. An afternoon of digging could not budge the wretched machine and a bigger digger was called in to pull it out.....just like the Little Yellow Digger  book!

Little digger stuck

We visited the local markets and nearby town of Mangonui where we were treated to a large ray gliding past and a school of small fish. The nearby beach was explored and we collected seaweed to nourish our friends garden. We played the Settlers of Catan boardgame in the evenings and ate far too much good food,

It was with much reluctance that we packed the car and headed towards Auckland late on Easter Sunday (this time with jumper leads at the ready in the boot!). It won't be long til we return to Hihi and the cosy house high on the hill. The trip has fueled our desire to get our rural patch.

Our Monday was to be a recharging day before Mr. Fox had to head back to work but we ended up getting a 'Do Little' seat for the bike. It wasn't what we had in mind for a bike seat but after a trail run we are pleased we went with this option. Mae loved it. I'm sure we will be able to have many family outings around Auckland's cycle ways with this gadget.

Trying out the Do Little seat