Thursday 18 June 2015

Easter!

SO...it has been QUITE a while since I last posted.  But in keeping with the theme of this blog (FAMILY) it seems only right to go all the way back to Easter and record our annual "Pengelly Easter Weekend" tradition!

For our 8th year we headed off to Anaura Bay, north of Gisborne on the East Coast of the North Island. It was a bit of a mammoth road trip to get there but well worth the long drive. Thanks to Nana & Gramps who split the trip up for the girls by taking some of them the night before as far as Opotiki-that certainly broke the journey! Caitlin wanted to spend quality time with her parents so opted for the 5 1/2 hr road trip on Good Friday!! :)

 
This was the view that greeted us from the lookout on the road in to Anaura Bay.
 
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And here is our home for the weekend...nestled halfway up a hill that gave us the most amazing views! The driveway was WAY more interesting than it looks...I'm just glad Jeff was driving and not me!!! The house was amazing with two bedrooms opening out onto a deck and overlooking the sea. Jeff & I were lucky enough o score one of these and I absolutely loved waking up to see the sunrise over the sea. The girls slept in a 2-room sleepout which had been added to the house at some stage.
 
 
As usual there was a lot of sitting around...relaxing, catching up, eating, drinking, laughter and joking about. A typical 'Pengelly get-together'. Here is where most of that happened-the deck was perfectly situated to see the rising sun and ...
 
 
also the beautiful moonlit nights! We were so lucky with the weather...lots of clear skies that weekend. The girls swam in the sea but no adults were brave (or is that stupid?!) enough to!!
 
 
Some of us found the energy to take a bush walk at the nearby Anaura Bay Walkway which included a very big hill climb!! But also some great downhill tracks and a riverbed walk to finish with. The bush was beautiful and I absolutely enjoyed spending a couple of hours exploring with Mum.
 
 
And hey...even WITHOUT a GPS or phone we were able to find a geocache or two!!! Felt WAY more satisfying to find them going only by the hints and the descriptions alone :)
 
 
 
Of course, no beach holiday is complete without a bonfire and marshmallows...which we all enjoyed one evening down on the beach. There was a fabulous little path that ran from our house straight down to the beach. It took us about 2 mins to get down to the beach where the guys spent most of their time fishing by way of kayak and long line. Actually, they were quite successful too-getting us enough fish to feed us for a meal or two!

So, yet another wonderful Easter weekend spent together...the only downside was the fact we all missed two people terribly! Arthur and Dawn, it is not the same without you and we sincerely hope that one day you will be able to join us again and maybe even Bryce might like to come too?! We can't wait :)

Next year, it is our turn to choose the location and arrange the accommodation...I better get my thinking cap on!

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