Happy New Year!

Hello everyone!

What a great way to spend New Years! It seems so strange to be in the summer heat, and long nights, and to be celebrating New Years, and seeing Christmas decorations still up. We arrived 2 days ago in Whitianga, and it feels like right into the heart of summer.

We're having some problems with our computer - we can't send emails directly, and our camera isn't downloading photos - so for now you'll just have to imagine how lovely it is here.

Sam started our trip with a delightful tantrum through customs and immigration. Stewart had to hold onto him to stop him running away, and he was screaming the whole time. Maybe that’s why we got through so quickly! James couldn’t be left out, so the next day he let one fly, too. Then they had some rough moments deciding who can go into which areas of the bedroom they have to share. If we had a measuring tape, they would have used it to make sure the other one didn’t have a fraction of a centimeter more space. However, it’s hard to stay unhappy in this sunshine for long, and they’re having so much fun in the water.

Our apartment is fantastic. It's on the third floor overlooking a park full of big bushy trees, and onto the marina on the estuary, with hills across the estuary. Downstairs is the pool and hot tub, and 5 minutes down the road is the beach. It's a bit of a pain, really, deciding what beach to go to: there are 4 or 5 stunning long white sandy beaches to choose from. Today we went to visit my Mum and Dad in Kuaotunu (the tiny town where my sister Kate lives). They are staying in a very rustic converted barn on Kate and Phil’s property. It has the nicest outhouse I have ever seen: no door, open to the panoramic view of  Kuaotunu beach. Kate and Phil aren’t home from their sailing trip yet, so we have yet to see all the cousins.

Whitianga is insanely busy right now. It’s a summer beach town, so it will be busy until school goes back in eary February, but it’s particularly busy right now for New Year’s. There was a huge outdoor festival/concert with something like 15,000 people. James and I went for a run on New Years Day at 6:30 am (yes, we were up – it was 9:30 for us!) and saw people sleeping in their cars, on the beach, in tents along the side of the road…some were still up, some were sitting still holding their heads in their hands cursing the sunlight… Apparently there were lots of parties going on around us, even fireworks, but nothing disturbed us. We were all asleep by 9pm!

Real life starts tomorrow. I start work at the clinic, which is just a block away from home. Stewart’s going to start home schooling, starting of course with the morning swim in the pool. The afternoon’s field trip? Maybe a walk to the beach to study waves? Gym class will be devoted to boogy boarding. It’s going to be rough.