Grandpa and Nana in da house..woot, woot. Holiday, week 2.

hail to the chief - the in-laws arrive!

Week one of holiday ended on Easter Sunday night. We arrived back at the house around 8:30 pm and tried to get everyone to sleep as we had a very special day the next day. Not only was it Easter Monday and ANZAC Day (two national holidays falling on the same day this year), more importantly, Terry (Brett's dad) and his wife Bonnie were arriving from the states. Of course, couldn't quite give them the welcome we wanted. Once again it was raining for our visitors. And, because it was two national holidays, no stores were open, and seeing we had just come back from holiday, not a whole lot of food in the house.

very exciting.. of course, look at the weather

Still, it was great to see them. And the kids were overjoyed!!! Of course, we got more goods from the states - more deodorant (as the NZ stuff sorta sucks), a two year supply of dramamine, some Crystal Light, a new razor scooter for Phoebe... and more. And, the best part, they packed it all in a large cooler, or as the kiwis call it, a chilly bin. I sort of half kidding asked for one of these. We really wanted one but just couldn't make ourselves pay 100$ for one here. I told them if they needed extra room to pack they could just haul it all in one of those. How awesome are they for hauling a cooler across the world for us?... pretty awesome I'd say.

So, yes, it was raining again. And, the whole forecast for the week did just not look good. Uggghhh. I couldn't believe it was happening again. Really, it was nice before they came, and we have now been on another stretch of really nice sunny weather. I am afraid to have more guests. Anyways, they were really good sports about it and we spent some days by the fire and watching the angry sea and the pouring rain. We did have one nicer day and it was Brett's day off. We took off to one of our favorite "hot spots", the Morere hot springs. Of course, after driving two cars 45 minutes, we arrived (to more rain) and to find out that those torrential rains we had had the previous days had flooded and washed out the thermal pools. NOT FAIR. So, back to Gisborne. We did get to eat some fish and chips at the beach and have a nice stroll, though. And, then, I thought we might need to take a little road trip away from the howling wind. So, a couple days later, we set off for the trip through the gorge to Rotorua, where there was a forecast for sun. The trip was lovely and enjoyed by all. I must have been excited to get out of town, as I just recieved my first ever speeding ticket in the mail. I was caught by a speed camera on my way out of town - oh well.

Off to Rotorua again. As you may remember this is where Jenna and I had a little getaway to. This time, I did almost all different new stuff. And it was a lot of fun again. We went up a gondola and did some luge rides down a hill. Walked through a redwood forest. Hung out at the lakeside park with the kids, and one day there were amusement rides and activities for them. Introduced Terry and Bonnie to Indian food and loved watching them enjoy it.... they may be as hooked as we are now. Of course, had to take the kids to the bubbling mud pools. How can bubbling mud sound so cool? And, a stop at some thermal pools (a fourth location for me). This time you could hike up to where the boiling water is coming out of the ground... very cool (actually, hot).

And, then, even though it seemed like they had just got here, it was time for them to go. They were headed to Sydney, Australia for a couple of nights and then back to Sun City, Arizona. Felt too soon, but we were again grateful that they got to come visit and we could show them our new life. Thanks again... and we miss you guys!