We rang in the new year with a visit to Whangarei and the Little Earth Lodge to see Jon, Junko, Shino & Muttley. It was quite different to be able to enjoy New Years Eve outdoors in a t-shirt, rather than bundled up in a down jacket and stocking hat. We thoroughly enjoyed a classic kiwi summer BBQ, fireworks, champagne, and good friends to ring in 2011!

Green-lipped mussels, sausages, and chicken on the BBQ. Muttley licking his chops nearby.

Happy New Year!!

New Years Day 2011 spent at the beach! Boogie boarding, a picnic, and playing in the sand with Shino.

Below: Junko, Shino, and Muttley…beard full of sand.

A few kilometers south of Cape Reinga are the giant Te Paki sand dunes. As you’ll see in the photo below, a local man has a boogie board rental business set up for those brave enough to slide or surf down the dunes. Of course we gave it a go! There are two dunes to choose from for sliding, one small and ‘family friendly’, the other GIANT! We headed straight for the big one. It’s a huge, steep trek up that dune and the wind was whipping strong gusts as we neared the top, pelting every inch of exposed skin like needles. Before we even slid down the dunes, we had a nice layer of sand caked over our entire bodies, filling our ears, and we were trying hard to keep balance.

Bruce with the little sand dune in the background.

At the top of the giant dune, it was sand like this as far as we could see. Felt like we were in the desert!

Bruce hiding behind his board, taking cover from the sandstorm.

People making the trek on hands and knees up the giant dune!

Weeeeeeeeeee! Our summertime version of Christmas sledding

After our Christmas/Boxing Day festivities we decided to do a bit of a Tiki Tour. I bought a motorcycle and we hit the road. This time we headed north.

Our first stop was Ahipara, a small town at the base of 90 mile beach. We spent the night at a very cool little surfer lodge appropriately named The Endless Summer Lodge. The weather on our first day of riding was overcast and a bit blah. Neither of us had been on a motorbike in a year so even though it was only 4-5 hours of riding, it felt like a long day.

After a good nights rest we got back on the road and headed for the northern most point in New Zealand — Cape Reinga. The weather was a little worse than the first day. Overcast with light drizzle, and increasing wind gusts. Not terrible weather, but not great either. By the time we were 20km from the Cape the wind was incredibly strong, it was blowing us all over the road.

When we got to the end, the clouds had come down and we were shrouded in fog. We could hear the sea, but couldn’t see it. We were both thinking, “isn’t there a lighthouse around here somewhere?” If there was a lighthouse it wasn’t doing a good job. We followed the trail blindly until eventually we got close enough to see the lighthouse (it has been decommissioned, hence no light or fog horn).

We had made it to the top of New Zealand. The place where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific. Also the place where spirits depart for the underworld beginning their journey to Hawaiki, the spiritual home.

The day after Christmas, otherwise known as Boxing Day, we headed to the races. Bruce in his stylish hat, Kristin with her stylish Fascinator and ready to cheer on some horses and drink some bubbly in the December sun!

Bruce at the paddock, eyeing up the horses before deciding who to place his bet on.

With Keisuke (the expert at teaching us about what qualities and characteristics to look for in a horse) and Chikako.

We were fortunate to have many gracious offers from kiwi friends, inviting us to join in their Christmas celebrations. We started the morning at my friend Katie’s family home with a champagne and croissant brunch. It was a lovely start to our day, great people, conversation and holiday cheer!

For those of you who are curious about what foods New Zealanders would have on Christmas, well here you go. This was the lunch Katie’s family had prepared for the day. Fairly similar to what many Americans have- ham, turkey, salads…but the freshly smoked salmon is probably different!

Later in the afternoon we headed to our second Christmas celebration, at our friend Jean’s sisters home. Again, we were fortunate to be invited into a lovely celebration, with delicious food, a beautiful setting, and wonderful people.

The Christmas table, set with Christmas crackers! We’d never seen these before, but they seem to be at all holiday celebrations here in New Zealand, from work parties to family dinners. Each person grabs an end, pulls, and POP! Inside you’ll generally find a silly paper hat, a joke/fortune of some sort, and a little gift. In the various crackers we opened over the weekend, the gifts ranged from a little plastic charm to a miniature screwdriver set. Some gifts seem to be  a bit more useful than others.

Another sneak peak at a Kiwi Christmas meal. A few foods on this holiday menu different than we’re used to on Christmas Day were grilled lamb with mint sauce/jelly, prawn salad, and roasted kumara salads. Yum!

Christmas day sunset on the waterfront.

Outdoor Christmas Eve dinner

Presents!! So excited to get a tennis racket and a ukulele!

Christmas cracker crowns

Thanks to Linda for the Christmas care package…hat’s to get us in the spirit!