Kiwi Holiday Part Three - Papamoa Beach

The third leg of our Kiwi Holiday was Pacific Beach Christian Holiday Park at Papamoa Beach - and what a blast! Our dear friends and annual camping buddies located this gem of a place so we squeezed in four nights and four days together near the premier holiday destination - Mount Manganui!!! This campground was WOW - so much bigger and more organised and fitted out than the one we've been going to. We loved it! We set up camp right next to each other so it was easy access and the other bonus - just on the other side of the hedge were our other friends from Wellington - the Naftel family!!!! It was an action packed four days!!!

On Friday 4 January we made the trip over from the West Coast back to the East side with enough time to set up camp and get the kids down so we parents could catch up over kebabs and Christmas cake! This is the best part about camping - the night time card games, uninterrupted conversations and treats!!!

Saturday was a sunny one, so after a bit of tiding up we walked across the street to Papamoa Beach for what was supposed to just be a 'scouting trip' for an hour... but everyone was having such a good time we stayed for much longer til the kids just couldn't bear their hunger any longer - well, until we couldn't bear their complaining any longer!

 My how their all growing up! Aidan, Helena, Luke, Hunter, Caleb...

 They found this big log and wanted to build a pool - didn't quite get there with this, but they had fun trying to move it to their construction site.

After lunch at the camp, the bike riding lessons began! Helena's training wheels came off and Mr Gavin became head coach!!! Helena was off and riding like a champ! After her two 15-minute attempts at the Port, something clicked this time around and she just got it!!!

 Gavin's got 7 kids so he's the pro... Thanks for passing on your tips to Helena!!!

 On Sunday we went into Tauranga to attend Lifechurch. After a great service, we headed over to a HUGE park for lunch and a bit of fun. Of course the new-found skill was practiced and perfected as Helena rode  her bike over the grass, along the paths, through the circles of picnickers...

 The kids took a break from riding bikes and scooters and we took a little ride along the railroad! It's amazing how much joy a two minute ride on a train can bring to these little guys!!!

 We moved over to the half-pipe where Hunter was having fun riding his scooter back and forth... but they had more fun when they decided to use the wall as a slide!!! Oh no - not your good shorts... oh well... this is the fun of being a kid!

 And this is the reward of being a dad!

 And after the kids were tucked snuggly in their tents - it was fun with the friends playing cards and enjoying the beauty of nature!!! 

 Tony and Mike rode their bikes the 12km to the Mount on Monday morning while Anne and I took the kids, the food and the gear in the cars. It was a gorgeous afternoon on the harbour side where the water was refreshing and full of opportunity for fun with dad.

The sun was hot, the water refreshing, the company wonderful...

This is what summer holidays are all about!!! This was my first time to the Mount - at least the first time I remember it. It is a stunning area - the drive over was flat with houses lined up like Newport Beach along the coast. The houses were also somewhat familiar looking - gosh, I would love to live around here!!! I guess so do thousands of others because house prices are high!!! At any rate, we had a gorgeous day to enjoy it!  

Well, it was a gorgeous day until the wind picked up and started blowing sand into our faces, food and books... time to move on. 

 We walked through the Kiwiana streets looking in windows with one thought on our minds - ICE CREAM!!! I promised Aidan an ice cream for riding his bike so well - so - well, we all got ice cream!

We walked over to the surfy side of the Mount where the wind was really whipping around and the waves and crowds were huge! It was another fun day together topped off with a dip in the 'hot pool' at the campground and another BBQ dinner in the dining hall.

As much fun as we were having, it was time to say good-bye and head back on that 7-hour journey toward Wellington. Thankfully the kids are very good little car travellers!!! We had a good trip back and the holiday didn't stop there... we stopped in on the Simkin family for a bit of fun in the spa!!! What a great family holiday!!!