Hello everyone! As promised, here’s a bit about a recent weekend getaway.

Whitianga is a coastal town about 3hours drive from home (or four, if you leave later than expected on a Friday afternoon, doh). It’s reasonably quiet and peaceful for most of the year then comes alive for the summer months, especially during Beach Hop with all the classic cars & music. For this trip we deliberately chose a quiet period, so we could have a look around the area without the hordes.

We rented a comfortable modern house in the centre of the residential district – a few minutes’ drive to the beach and supermarket, but within walking distance of several good restaurants and cafes. The area the town is on is flat, with wide streets and footpaths – really safe for cycling or pedestrians. Only Mase came with us this time, which is very odd, but it was argument free! He enjoyed being the only, being spoilt and having all the attention. This trip marked his first visit to a pub and he’s still in awe that he was allowed inside – it was lunchtime, kid! He was super polite to the staff in the hope he didn’t get kicked out, which made them laugh.

On Saturday we did the Cathedral Cove walk. This local landmark is in a few movies that you might have seen – it’s the beach where the children land in the Narnia series, below the cliffs of Car Paravel (YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUlVUvffXwk) and it’s every bit as gorgeous on an overcast day as it is on the big screen (or little, if you’re on your mobile). Of course we met people we know – the Si curse – but on the whole we got to enjoy the sound of the sea, birds and the wind in the trees as we walked. Mase mocked us for being slow both ways (yes, I am massively unfit) but spoiler alert, it wasn’t me asleep in the back seat on the way back to Whitianga!

There’s going to be a soldier’s memorial arbour there too – anyone can “buy” a tree that will be planted and cared for by the trust.

We drove home on Sunday trying to beat the incoming storm – and got home in time to unpack then listen to the hail on the roof. Ah, bliss.