What we have been up to lately part 1 - Mt Maunganui

The first week the Waldeck seniors were here, we all went on a holiday to the beach. We rented a 4 bedroom bach at Mt Maunganui (the best beach spot on the North Island). The weather some days was a little cool for spending much time at the beach, but we were thankful that at least it didn't rain all week (which it traditionally does in December). So most days involved spending some time at the beach playing in the sand and sometimes venturing into the water (only Peter, Ben and Liz actually ventured in a reasonable way - the rest of us weren't too keen on the cold water temperature). Other activities we did included:

• walking to the top of 'the Mount' (as it is known to locals) - it's a 232m high, extinct volcano
• learning about the kiwifruit industry at Kiwi 360 - did you know kiwi fruit grow on a vine
• Peter and Ben tried out fishing for the first time (off a jetty) - unfortunately they didn't catch anything, but Ben had fun anyway
• walking around the base of 'the Mount' - which included seeing a ship loaded with logs sailing past
• visiting the local farmers market - where we sampled locally made cheeses, salami, avocado products, and chilli products.