Napier

I have to begin this post by sharing this photo from our visit to Napier.  It's significant for a reason.  Any guesses?

This is the first photo of our entire family together since arriving in New Zealand!  And it only took a month to get it!  I need to remember to hand the camera over to people once in awhile, because I really love seeing all eight of us in one photo like this. 

I mentioned in my post about Big Red that we had gone on an "inaugural" road trip.  We hadn't really planned to go anywhere that weekend.  Steve was heading off for a meeting at the hospital on the Friday before the kids started school on Monday.  Even though there were still things to get done in preparation for school, we decided at the last minute to head out of town, just for one night.  So, after Steve's meeting, we loaded up Big Red and took off.  I'm so glad we did, because Napier was amazing!  It's one of our favorite places in New Zealand so far.

It took just over two hours to get there, and Steve kept trying to pump us up about finally getting to use the new tent we brought all the way from Utah... (silence throughout Big Red).  No, that's not true...just silence from the passenger seat.  I don't know why, but even though I absolutely love tent-trailer camping, we haven't tent camped in years, and I haven't been very excited about it...especially since it's still winter here (although obviously not the kind of winter we are used to!).  

Since we got a later start, we pulled into Napier at dusk.  We found another Holiday Park, and inquired about campsites.  The price list showed that a tent camping site only cost $35 -- bargain!  Then, the clerk informed us that that price was for two people...each additional person would add $20 each.  That makes for a pretty expensive campsite!  I think the nice gal at the desk felt a little sorry for us when she saw our reaction, and offered us one of the cabins for the same price.  She must have seen me winking and pleading with my eyes from behind Steve's back. :)

This cabin was wonderful, even nicer than the one we had rented in Taupo, complete with a kitchen/eating area and two bedrooms with plenty of room for our family.  The bathroom facilities were just around the corner.

In true Holiday Park fashion, there were awesome amenities for the kids.  We can see why people come to these parks and stay a whole week!

We had scarcely unloaded our bags before the kids started begging to swim (I took these photos of the pool area the next morning with better light).  That front pool/splash area was gorgeous, but ice cold.  The other pool behind was only mildly heated.  The kids tolerated it, but no-way-Jose was I going to swim, especially since it was already dark and the outside air was pretty chilly, too.  I used to love cold water.  I've turned into such a wimp!  

We couldn't resist having the kids pose at this sign as we headed out...

This is a quick shot from the front seat heading down the main road into town.  One of the kids exclaimed, "I feel like we are in Hollywood!"

We made our way to the water, excited once again to get a view of the ocean and the gorgeous mountains in the distance.

We discovered a side road which led to a scenic lookout above the town.  The view was stunning.  Rachel and I both took a ton of photos.

On the way back down the hill, Steve happened to glance over and see what he thought looked like a waterfall through the trees.  Upon closer look, we discovered this serene park with a gorgeous waterfall as a backdrop.

Not sure what was up with Emily, but she wasn't in a very smiley mood.

We can't pass by beautiful flowers without pulling out our cameras.  Perhaps the fascination will wear off?  Probably not.

We made our way about 15 minutes out of town to an area called Cape Kidnappers, named for an incident that occurred when Captain Cook entered the area in October of 1769 and one of his servants was taken by some of the local Maori.  

Back in Napier, we were impressed by the extensive play areas along the beachfront.

The kids decided to monkey around a bit on our way to get ice cream.

We almost loaded up to leave after ice cream, but had to squeeze in a few more moments on the beach.  The beach didn't have traditional grains of sand, but various-sized pebbles...different, and beautiful.

It was sure hard to resist the urge to drop those pebbles down Emily's perfect coin slot. :)

I got down on my tummy for this shot... I love how the individual pebbles are more visible.

Here's Luke proudly displaying a treasure he discovered.

Farewell to Napier!  We'll be back soon.