Ski Bunnies

We survived. No broken bones. No dislocated joints. All in one piece. Our first visit to the ski fields of this lovely country were a success, mostly.

Ms R had a great time and has discovered the joys of sledging. Well the joys of riding down with someone else to pull you back up the slope anyway. Damn, I felt old after the 7th trudge back to the top. Poor Little Ms R was not so keen; being so small, she felt the cold a bit more and the gloves and scarf didn't keep her too warm. Looks like she might become an Après-Ski expert.

Ms R was a natural though. Despite some initial difficulties standing up, once she mastered the balance thing, she was in her element and I see many years of snowy fun ahead...and many dollars spent on fashion and kit.

We had a great time eating out in the little restaurants and taking in the spectacular scenery and just living without any boring lifey things to do - no cleaning, no dishes, no jobs around the house......bliss. Nice for Mrs R and I to stop and take a breather together.

On the way home, we diverted around the mountain to the rather cool Tongariro National Trout Centre where the kids fed the fish to many giggles and shouts of "Nemo, Nemo" and then to the Army Museum at Waiouru. I am not keen on guns and killing but the museum is excellent and details the horrors of war with blunt facts and poignant displays. Not one to wish to expose my kids to death at such an early age, I was a bit hesitant but through their eyes they only saw big trucks, men dressed is silly hats and ammo boxes which Ms R insisted were treasure boxes.

The car journey was, as expected, noisy but the colouring books and the purchase of two mid-sized Magna-doodle rip-offs from the $2 Shop were a Godsend (thanks for the idea Martha). They fitted neatly into my coat pocket and appeared magically at meal times along with colouring pens and sticker books for instant calm for the 43 minutes or so for lunch or dinner. After that magic time, all hell breaks loose so the secret is to get as much conversation done before the food arrives and then chow down like a dog in silence with the occasional nod until the plates are clean. The arrival of Ice Cream Sundaes buys at least 8 minutes, enough time for a coffee and to collect the small pile of discarded food from around the table.

The highlight of the return journey was Levin. There is this enormous childrens adventure playground with some modern clear toilets (very useful if you arre travelling with small bladders). Well worth the stop and just broke the journey enough to get home with no bloodshed in the back seat.

We were blessed with dry days and some great clear skies and arrived back to the monsoon season in Welly. Shame, too wet to get those house chores done and I'm back to work on Monday..... Nuts.