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Palmerston North

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On Tuesday morning after the Extravaganza Mum and I had the girls date I had been waiting for since New Plymouth. We went to see the new Beauty and the Beast movie, its amazing! My favorite scene is when the Beast is starting to be kind and she realizes that in her heart she is starting to love him. I also loves the singing the dancing and the costumes. If I was going to be in a movie it would be that one!

After the movie we went to Ujazi cafe. Did you know Ujazi means to provide in Swahili? Then we went to meet up with Dad and the boys at Haumoana where we stayed two nights right next to the beach.

Writing for my blog at Hamoana beach.

Dad went hunting and shot a Sika deer then hung it in a tree outside the truck. Mum and I were disgusted but the boys were intrigued. Mum got confused and wanted to become a vegetarian. But I will remain a picky omnivore till the end of my days!

We were so so tired because we have done so many Extravaganzas and have worked so hard. Palmerston North was just a two day fair and on Saturday night Dad and I and most of the Gypsy’s went 10 pin bowling, I even got a strike!

Museum of Art, Science and Technology in Palmerston North.

Its hard to believe that this is the second to last Extravaganza of the season! Next weekend Petone.

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Napier

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Reddish orange, purpley pink. The cloud dotted skies are ablaze with colour as the sun awakes over Hawkes Bay.

Six thirty am and I am sitting in my sleeping bag watching the sun rise from Sunrise hut in the Ruahine ranges.. Last night i did not get much sleep because I was sick.

This week we have Caslym (pronounced Salem) with us. She is one of our Gypsy kids. She is very entertaining and fun!

After our 3 hour tramp up to Sunrise Hut we were all quite tired so we went back to Granddads house where our truck had parked while we were tramping. We even got to have a bath!

My Granddad.

 

On Wednesday we enjoyed a soak at Ocean spa hot pools once again. They have one lovely warm pool, two spa pools, one cold kids pool, one cold pool and a lap pool, plus this is all beachfront. I think i am starting to sound a bit like an advertisement! Afterwards Caslym and I went to cheer-leading class with Bay-City Cheer. We did lots of teamwork and activities.

Later on Wednesday we had to get on the grounds early due to the fact that heavy rains and gales were forecast.

On Thursday we had a mellow day of school work and baking. It was a busy busy four day Extravaganza interspersed with a Grease movie night and an Easter egg hunt.

Dressed up for Grease movie night.

My friend Maya came to visit us at the Extravaganza. Maya is the daughter of Mums childhood friend Kirsten. We went on a mini train ride together. It was fun until I stepped on a horrible prickle!

With Maya.

As we tried to leave on Tuesday morning we found we were stuck as we had feared but we managed to get out in the end.

Next weekend Palmerston North.

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Hastings

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“Ah lovely” submerging yourself in hot water is pure heaven! Morere hot pools were just that.

After our hot soak we drove to lake Tutira and stayed the night. The scenery was amazing but the fact that it was still raining wasn’t the best.

The next morning in the pouring rain we drove to Granddad and Roz’s and proceeded to immediately  get stuck in their paddock. Roz saved the day by pulling our truck out of the mud with her tiny car.

Oh look! I am already up to more hot pools. I highly recommend Ocean Spa hot pools on the waterfront in Napier, five stars!

After another heavenly  soak I went to my first ever cheer-leading class with bay-city cheerleaders. I loved it!

On Friday morning we setup at Windsor park, right next to Splash Planet, but sadly it was closed and isn’t opening until November.

That weekend it was Danielle’s (14 year old Gypsy-girl) first time on fire poi. She was stunning!

On Saturday night we went down the road to see a colourful Chinese light show. It was beautiful.

Well that was Hastings. See ya.

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East cape and Gisborne

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Marae’s , majestic Maori carvings, expansive ocean, rocky cliffs, winding roads, so many horses, dilapidated houses, rusty broken cars and staunch friendly people.

 

House for rent. cheap!

This is what I saw out of our truck window while traveling the east cape.

When the locals heard about hotmail they realised they had to move with the times!

We traveled the east cape with Tiwai, Lette and Simone. We spent the first night at Waiou bay where we went to the Pub(the one from the movie boy) for dinner. Yum!

Afterwards we made a movie called girl.

The next day we moved onto East cape. We stayed at a beautiful camp ground(paddock) next to the roaring sea. That night it poured with rain. Drip, drip, drip, my roof leaks!  In the morning the sun broke out as we drove to the East cape lighthouse.

All on the road to east cape.

As Dad walked backwards to get this shot we all heard a loud “Bugger!”

Bugger!
Meeting a friendly local.

We had to walk up 800 steps to get to the light house!

A view worth 800 steps. As east as it gets.

I love churches! (I am not religious). We went to the Tiki Tiki church on our way to Anarua bay. I was so surprised to find a church completely filled with beautiful Maori designs. This church is a must see.

Anarua bay is a lovely place to stop. We stayed there a night and in the morning I did my school work then played and played at the awesome beach with Tewai, Lette and my brothers.

Finally we made it to Gisborne where we set up for another Extravaganza. On Saturday night we had a Goat potluck. It was Delicious.

Helen Stokes, the lady who kindly gave us her late Husband Murry’s magic props came to visit us at the Extravaganza and watched our magic show. Later she told us she had not been sure how she would feel to see his props in action again. Happily she found it wonderful to see them being used once more. Dad and I were delighted to have her come along.

                                         Helen Stokes visiting us at the Extravaganza.

That weekend was very hot and quite tiring. We all got quite grumpy, but all in all it was a lovely week/weekend.

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Ohope beach

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Rats! Rats! Rats! Dad shot three of them out of the truck window and killed one with a hammer! Needless to say the rats at Port Ohope were terrible. We stayed there for the week after Mt Maunganui.

                                                                           Rocket making!
                                                                              Ready for blast off!

It was a lovely week of play , school work and rocket making.

On Monday we went to the classic flyers museum at Tauranga airport with Colin and Maria, it was incredible! My favorite exhibit was the Catalina flying boat.

On Thursday night at midnight I went into Mums bed with severe abdominal pain fearing I had appendicitis. I was rushed off to hospital. After being checked over by kind doctors I was sent home completely  painless!?

Ohope beach is one of New Zealands most loved beaches. The Extravaganza sets up right next to the beautiful beach at an amazing playground with a big flying fox!

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Mt Maunganui

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After the traumatizing Sundaise experience, we moved on to Bowentown. It was rainy and grey and we felt lonely without any of the other Gypsies so we moved onto Plumbers point and stayed at Simones Mums place with Tiwai and Lette. Lots of Gypsies were there and they made us feel so welcome.

The Adults had a big party while us kids played. We had a very enjoyable time. On Thursday we moved early to the grounds to have an interview with the Sunlive newspaper.

We set-up and went to the beach where we dug channels and tide pools and explored the realm of sea creatures in the rock pools.

Mt Maunganui beach

The weekends Extravaganza was not the the most busy fair. Dallas made an adorable little crystal shop which he was so proud of.

Dallas’s Crystal shop.

The Gypsies had a loud party and I could not get to sleep, it was very annoying.

All and all it was a nice quiet week.

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Papamoa / Sundaise

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Oi !Oi! Oi! Punk party! Riley had a punk party to celebrate his ninth birthday. It was Awesome! Punk is is a vicious vulgar society of people who are anarchists.

On the Monday after Papamoa we climbed Mt Maunganui. The veiws from the top are so beautiful. The horizon stretched out before us. On one side is the great wide ocean and on the other the sprawling city of Tauranga.

Top of Mt Manganui

This week we were off to the Sundaise music festival with the whole Extravaganva. Hipsy called up on Monday saying we have to get onto the grounds early because of the forcast for torrential rain. So we went in on Tuesday. It was a quiet rainy week helping set up for the weekends festival. On Friday as the people started arriving the heavens opened and it started to rain hard.That night we went to sleep never expecting what was to come…

It was midnight when Mum and Dad woke us up saying that the river had broken its banks and we have to get to safety! By that time the river was already rushing past our truck. We hopped aboard the adults backs as they took us to Ange and Thornys truck which was safe… for a while. All the other kids went there too, we were all white faced and wide eyes shivering from the shock of it all. Then we evacuated to a hay barn on the other side of the river. So many families were squished into that one barn it was unbelievable, while outside it was raining hard.

We stayed there for about three hours, then the river retreated back into its banks. We were able to go home. When we looked at the clock it was 3am! We had a big toast feed then went to sleep at last.

In the morning we woke up, opened the curtains and looked shell-shocked out the windows at the floods devastation. That was so so so scary.  I have never been in a disaster before.

 

 

 

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Hamilton and beyond.

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Hamilton was a bustling busy hot fair and lots of fun.

After that we went to Opal springs where we soaked in the lovely hot pools. On Tuesday we had an adventure. We walked all the way up to the top of Waiwera falls. My little brothers did the first half of the walk to the waterfall viewing platform. They loved it. I was so proud of them.

Dad and I climbed another 45 minutes to the top of the falls. The Hauraki plains fanned out below us while the waterfall roared in our ears. The walk climbed through dense greenery, over rocky boulders and up winding stairs. It made me so happy to be out in nature again.

We popped by Plumbers point for a night and harvested some more Avocados, then onward  to Memorial park Tauranga where Circus Aotearoa  was set up in their big top. That night we went to the Circus! The acts were so inspiring my hands were sore and red from clapping by the end of it. I decided then and there that I wanted to be in the Circus. Ha ! I already am!  Phew, What a busy week now onto Papamoa.

 

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SPLORE

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Sadly the Rotorua fair was canceled due to heavy rain bogging up the grounds.

So we went to Splore to perform our circus show to the pumping crowds! Splore is a big commercial music festival held at Tepapa-kanga regional park near Auckland. It was such a long queue to get in, we crawled along stopping and starting every few meters. We didn’t mind though, we were having fun in our circus costumes!

We had a bit of a “star-wars” moment, just as the storm troopers/security guards were about to search our truck a lady came striding over to us saying”We have been waiting for you! We have a parking space saved. We need to get you off the road. We will have to skip the security check!” This saved Dad from having to use his “Jedi powers”. Our contraband was safely smuggled in, chiefly our two Chihuahuas among other things….

The camp area was a ten minute walk from the festival stages, so it was nice and peaceful. The moment we parked up for the night it started raining. We woke up to 16,000 feet(8000 people) squelching through a sea of mud. I thought it was a little bit too muddy and crowded. For such a big festival the kids area was surprisingly small, just one little tent. But still it was fun making badges.

Dad went mud sliding in the lucky star zone and came out looking like a mud monster, so we went and washed off in the sea.

That night I danced on the lucky star stage, it rocked!

In the end we did not perform at Splore. We literally could not find a flat place that was not mud!

MIM gets a helping hand out!

That week we went to Te Aroha and met our cousins at the holiday park where there is an amazing adventure playground and a gigantic flying fox.

Oh my! I almost forgot about the pools. They have three pools, a small hot pool a small cold kids pool, and a big deep cold pool.

Next we go to Hamilton!

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Taupo

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“Who farted” I asked as we drove through Rotorua on our way to Taupo for a two day Extravaganza without Mum.

Set up and pack down was hard without Mum but Dad, the boys and I battled through it together. I ran the shop for dad while he made lunch and did jobs.

Unfortunately we could not do any circus shows because Mum was not there. So the boys got to relax and play all weekend while I did two magic shows each day. In one of my magic shows I stuffed up and forgot to pack the ribbon box, I’ll make sure not to do that again!

Adorable! Tiwai and Lette’s new kitten is soooo cute. Her name is Baba Kittylitter/Shadow. She is black allover and very small and sweet.

On Monday Mum came back from NZ summer pole camp, it was so exciting! She was all pumped and muscly! She brought chocolate mice, cats and frogs with her. They are so delicious!

After Taupo we met up with family at Whakamaru reserve alongside a dam on the Waikato river.

Uncle Brent, Auntie Daniela and my cousins Dominic (5 years old) and Samantha(2 years old) camped next to our truck. We dug paddling pools and made mountains.

We shifted a lot of sand! Dominic and the twins had a blast. Cute little Samantha adored me, She loved my love heart sun glasses.

DIGGING THE RAIN!

Later that week we went to the Waikete thermal valley hot pools and soaked while it bucketed cats and dogs on us. Very relaxing!

Also there we went for a short walk to the biggest up-welling of boiling hot water in the country.

Next comes Rotorua famous for its stinky stench!