We arrived at Plummers point reserve near Tauranga late and exhausted.
Mum wanted to hide but I wanted to go see Tiwai and Lette because they have been away for weeks. I won and got to meet them down the road at the wharf for an awesome and refreshing swim.
We were parked next to towering Avocardo trees and Tangelo trees dripping with fruit which we harvested and made sweet juice from the Tangelos.
We collected a huge fish bin of Avocardos for all the hungry Gypsies.
We did a three day Extravaganza at Memorial park Tauranga. It was awesome because we were parked right next to the Mega slide the biggest inflatable water slide in NZ!
Performing in the blazing heat was challenging because it made my hoop slippery. That week the time came for Mum to leave for the New Zealand summer pole camp in Queenstown. I was sad when she left but hoped she would have a great time.
We spent three weeks in the Auckland region it was very hot , busy and tiring!
Did you know that a third of the country live in Auckland? That would be 1.5 million, a lot of people huh?
We spent three days at Shelly beach on the Kaipara harbor, where the Great white sharks go to breed. So Mum was a bit nervous swimming.
We went fishing off the wharf with our Christmas fishing rods and caught 6 Kawai. Tasty!
Next we moved off to Matakana. We set up at the stables where there were lots of beautiful horses and a great playground!
It was the first weekend that was hot enough to enjoy our new Christmas swimming pool. Also Koco had her birthday party.
Following Matakana we went to Te Ari which is where the festival called Shipwrecked is held. Some other Gypsies went there too. The center piece off the site is a large timber boat hull upturned to make a shelter and sound shell for the piano positioned beneath it.
We also went swimming in the warm man made lake. It was really quite relaxing after our busy weekend.
Next it was off to Orewa where we were interviewed for the Rodney times, they did a good article on us which we hoped would promote the Extravaganza.
Gulf Harbor was that weeks hangout with a stingray to pat and snapper and king-fish to feed.
On Tuesday we caught the ferry to Auckland city where we drove to Kelly Taltons underwater world by shark bus. Later we took a bus to K road and walked down Queen street. We ate in restaurants all day, it was awesome!
Auckland saw the Extravaganza at Blockhouse bay. We set up at Craigavon park which is a lovely dog park with an awesome playground. We did three days of Extravaganza and had a lot of fun dressing up and playing. I had a bad situation with an adult who was not cool at all. You know, not all adults deserve respect, they don’t just automatically get it just because we are kids. They need to earn it. Some Adults don’t deserve respect.
The last four weeks have been a blur of Extravaganzas and adventures. I have been too busy playing and performing to write much. Hence the short posts.
After Waihi beach we moved on to Whangamata. During the week there we went on an amazing kayak into a doughnut shaped island in the sea called Doughnut Island where Flo our pet German jumped off a high cliff into the water! It was scary!!
We set up then went on a small walk to a superb swimming hole where I sucked up my courage and without a moments hesitation bravely jumped into the freezing cold river.
On Saturday my cousins came and we went back to the great swimming hole it was so much fun.
A pram full of Chihuahuas with my cousins Lotte and Elsa
New Plymouth was a five day fair, three twilight’s and two full days. On our first day there I was part of a radio interview on the student radio station.
On the last day (Sunday night) the festival of light started with a burst of luminous beauty. We went boating on a lit up row boat.
That weekend Ella held her blue birthday party, literally everything was blue!
After that we drove all the way to Whitianga on the Coromandel where we had a mini Christmas with our relatives(Mums side).It was lovely.
There was nothing special to report from the Paraparaumu Extravaganza. So I will tell you about the week before. We went over the Rimatakas to Masterton to see family. My brothers and I got to have a sleepover with our Nana and Pa(Dads parents)while Mum and Dad had a romantic night together. I got to look at Mum and Dads wedding photos and Nana and Pa’s wedding photos and Auntie Sheryl and Uncle Petes and Auntie Carolyn and Uncle Des’s and Uncle Brent and Auntie Danialas. I was in heaven. They also have an album of me growing up! Nana makes the best marshmallow pudding!
We enjoyed an early “little christmas” with Nana and Pa and Auntie Carolyn and Uncle Des on their new land where we had our truck parked. We performed our circus show for them and their neighbors.
Waiting…waiting at the Picton ferry terminal, ah ha finally we can board the ferry. It was delayed because of earthquake damage in wellington. We boarded the ferry and made our way to the family room with my paino, where I had a lesson with one of our musicians Kerian.
Paino lesson on the ferry.
As we came into Wellington we noticed all of the earthquake damage. The ground had sunk in places. Tall stacks of shipping containers had been tumbled and jumbled to the ground.
We docked and drove off the ferry. We were in the city! We drove to Lyle bay and parked up.
On Thursday went to the sushi train(one of our favorite restaurants) and did a tour of parliament. We got to see into the modern beehive, the old parliament house and the even older parliamentary library.
On Friday morning I got to have a radio interview with Redbird from radio active.
We set up the Extravaganza at Waitangi park right downtown.
In the evening Mum and I went to Grease the musical. It was amazing!
Oh I almost forgot. Sean Mels friend made a movie on the extravaganza.
Did you know that the Nelson area was settled by Maori 700 years ago? In 1841 Nelson was established by English colonists. It is the second oldest city in New Zealand and the oldest in the south island. Nelsons population is 46,437. Nelson is well known for its thriving arts and crafts scene.
Oh what weather, one minute bucketing down cats and dogs and the next throwing down from the heavens armfuls of sun-rays which fly around the sky as if they own the place. It poured with rain right in the middle of our last show, scattering the crowd. By the time we got back to the truck the cheeky sun-rays were leaping around the sky again!
My darling friend Jasmine had her ninth birthday with us at the Extravaganza in Nelson.
Two years ago we left Queenstown and headed for Motueka where we spent a lovely summer in Marahau. We then moved over the hill to Motueka where I went to the Steiner school before joining the Extravaganza.
Staying at Kina beach whilst in the area felt like coming home.
Ange my fire poi mentor lights me up. Thanks Ange!Loving my first spin!
Oh I almost forgot, I did my first ever fire show with real fire poi. It felt amazing.
We were excited to drive our Truck through the Hast pass after heavy rain. A little corection to the video. Its the “Gates of Hast” not hell over the Hast river not the Wills river which joins the hast a short way upstream from the bridge. Dad thought “Gates of hell” sounded more dramatic.
We stopped to do some school work at Bruce bay, not a bad class room eh?
Did you know that 13,550 people live in Greymouth? That is 42% of all the inhabitants of the west coast.
We set up on Friday in the Greymouth Domain which is right next to the roaring sea. Then on Saturday morning at 4am our awning blew down in a storm. Mum and Dad spent 2 hours picking up crystals from the ground.
On Monday we drove to Punakaiki, where we went on a lovely kayaking trip up and down a lazy tea colored river, fringed with lush rain forest and towering cliffs. Our friend Jola Josie came along and filmed.
Thanks for the beautiful footage Jola. Jola has a beautiful video blog.Check it out.
Then we went to the amazing pancake rocks and watched the blowholes in action. I had pancakes for dinner!
The next day we headed for sunshine and Kina beach.
