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Palmerston North to Taupo via Desert road

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Inevitably I didn’t work that weekend. Being as sick as I was, I spent the weekend in bed, Netflix and chill. I managed to haul myself out of bed to halfheartedly perform our magic show then snuggled back down. Saturday night sick or not I would go bowling and that’s exactly what I did. Sore throat n’all I bowled through two rounds with my awesome team; Yani. Terene, Kio, Jason and Cody. That night I consumed a lot of ginger beer to sooth my throat and keep me going, but I did it! I went bowling with the Gypsy’s.

Monday Dad took all the Gypsy kids to the Te Manawa museum. It’s one of my favorite museum’s in New Zealand, mainly because of the awesome kids area and all of the interactive games and exhibit’s. We spent a couple of hours there, then Simone took Lettie and I to the massive op shop across the road. Heaven on earth!

We parted ways with the Gypsy’s and made for Rangipo dam off the Desert road, literally in the middle of nowhere. Tuesday we schooled, trained our show and explored the dam. The sound of a colossal jet of water piped down from another dam miles away accompanied our stay there.

Training at Rangipo dam. See the water blaster behind us!

In the afternoon we sped to the hot pools at Tokaanu, only to find them closed due to a pump being fixed. Luckily our savior came in the form of the Oasis camp ground just down the road where they have hot pools and a ping pong table.

The next day we soaked as long as we could then moved along to the lake Taupo waterfront park up spot. After schooling I spent the afternoon baking apple pies and meringues for desert that night. We spent the rest of the night happily watching Harry potter one.

Thursday more schooling then we biked into the wind the whole way to a really cute waterside cafe/restaurant for some lunch in the form of Pizza!

We biked home (tail wind), then hopped excitedly into the car and headed for De Brett’s the biggest and fanciest pool complex in Taupo. We spent five joyful hours soaking in the hot pools and racing down the awesome hydro slides. Stumbling out of the pools late at night we drove home to bed and a good nights sleep.

Image result for debretts taupo

I love hot pool weeks. This one was especially lovely! Tomorrow setup, this weekend Taupo. Bye!

Extravanganza, front

Wellington

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It’s hard to believe that Mum and Dad actually had a life before I came along, but they did, a whole 32 years of adventure! Evidence of this arrived in the form of their old friend Anna from England. She came to their wedding and joined them on their month long honeymoon around the south island 18 years ago. Anna arrived right in the middle of our circus training. After we had finished it was hugs all round. She has come to travel with us as long as it suits her.

Waitangi park is a a great place to be set up for the Extravaganza, right next to Te papa, the supermarket and Circa Theater, where we went to see “Puss in boots” the pantomime after set up. I’d never seen a pantomime before but I loved it. It was hilarious  and amazing  at the same time!

Usually the Wellington weather is a bit of a gamble , this time we got lucky. My Auntie Robbie (Mums sister) and my cousins Jaan and Delishia joined us on Saturday. Sweet Delishia loves helping in our shop!

Bike Rave? What’s a Bike rave?  Evidently it’s a thing! Dad and I were tired on Saturday night but he managed to talk us both into dressing up and joining 12 other Gypsies on our bikes. We rode down-town to Bicycle junction( a shop that organised the Bike rave) to meet up with more than 120 other ravers, all on funked up bikes! These included a tricycle sound system pumping out awesome music, bikes lit up with fairy lights, tall bikes, short bikes, long bikes, rickshaws and much more. We dominated the streets of Wellington, stopping at the rainbow pedestrian crossing on Cuba street and holding up the traffic for blocks. No one seemed to mind. We partied there for 10 minutes then moved on to rave at another intersection. We toured the streets and back alleys of Wellington while pedestrians shouted encouragement, waved, clapped and took photos.

So that was a Bike Rave! Next year we will definitely be back with more decorated and funked up bikes. It was the highlight of the weekend! Here is a pro video which does justice to the occasion.

After hauling ass over the Rimataka’s  we stopped at Featherstons lovely Book cafe, which we had discovered last year. I walked out with a supermarket bag full of scrumptious books and a warm cozy feeling.

We decided to have a couple of days peace and quiet at a new destination; Mt Holdsworth D.O.C camp, close to Masterton. Our bubbly friend Anna joined us there. Tues after school work we walked up to view point, then came home and watched a movie and went to bed. We had some crazy weather at Mt Holdsworth, hail, thunder, heavy rain, burning sunshine, sometimes all at once!

Wednesday we decided to start socializing again so we sped into town truck n’all to pick up a yummy fudgey slice then made our way through the suburbs to Nana and Pa’s lovely house. We had lunch then Nana and I made Belgium biscuits. I’ve made them before but not by my Great grandmothers recipe. They tasted amazing! Thanks Nana! Afterwards Nana and Pa dropped me off at my Auntie Carolyns and Uncle Des’s house which had recently been completed. All of my relatives  in Masterton are on my Dads side, so we usually have an early mini Christmas and this year was no different.

Thursday morning Auntie Carolys and I went op-shopping at Savemart. I love op-shopping and this time I got a particularly  good score, including a funky costume for Cupa-dupa (if you keep following my blog you will know what Cupa-dupa is sooner or later).

I’d been wanting to bake a cherry pie for a while now, so Christmas dinner was the perfect opportunity. Nana and Pa arrived and after a quick(not so quick) fashion show of my op-shop bought clothes, we had a delicious Christmas dinner, finishing off with my perfect cherry pie. Then it was present time. Mum and Dad are saving their presents to us for actual Christmas but I got a cute notebook and an amazing Anabell Langbein cook book.

Thanks Nana, Pa, Carolyn and Des! So that was our first mini Christmas of the year. Usually we have a few since our family is spread out in the North Island.

Well that was a lovely little week with the family. And an amazing cherry pie!

Tomorrow set up, this weekend Masterton. Bye!