Cccccold....

I know i have no right to moan whilst most of you are buried under 10 ft of snow in the UK but when the sun isn't shining here it's blimin' cold. And today is one of those days, it's amazing how much the weather can effect your moods. Yesterday was brilliant sunshine and good waves, we wandered through town and bought some xmas pressies and best of all, a van pulled up next to us on the camp site with a 13 year old and a 16 year old complete with lovely mum and dad. The kids surf and the parents drink wine and beer, perfect.

Sam spent the evening with the boys and we chatted with the parents (Martin and Michelle) about the trip and bless them, they have invited us to stay when we get to Australia. So all was well... and then today we got up to clouds and wind and it's cold. But we have a plan, we are going to check out the olympic sized pool here and see if they have any kids events on over the holidays and there is a golf course we are going to find so all is not lost.

Life in the van is pretty good and the sleeping arrangements are working well. Last night I made a disgusting stir fry, tonight maybe pizza hut (don't fancy cooking in the rain). Must go now as Will is going to call his Mum (Dee, have you had the baby yet?)

Gisbourne

We woke this morning to sunshine (thank god) and spent the morning pootling around the campsite, Sam enjoyed watching the TV for half an hour, a rare opportunity for him these days and Will sorted all the food out in the van. Then we went for a walk around Gisbourne. As it's the 'Surf Capital' of NZ we were surprised by how un-surfy the town centre is, with only two surf shops and about 20 book shops. Still it is a nice town and looks a whole lot better in the sunshine... even the waves have picked up and it looks like the boys will get a surf today (hooray).

We have decided to stay a few more nights on the campsite, generally there are more kids around on the weekend so it will be a good chance for Sam to make a few friends. We have also had a chat with the tourist info people so we can see what kids events are coming up over the holidays here as the kids break up from school next week... so it's looking good for 2 of our 3 requirements we have surf, kids (almost) and so far no coffee shops but I have had to give up coffee as Ellie turned me back into an addict and I had a raging headache for the first day that I had no coffee so I have decided to ease off for a while. As for future plans... we have none... we want to do the North and South Island and will probably stay for a bit with Will's friend on the Mahia peninsula. Right now I am headed for a lovely hot shower, Sam is back in the TV room watching 'Wizards of Waverly Place' and Will is out in the sea worrying about sharks... happy days!