Butterfly Creek

Today we hired a car but due to the weather we couldn't do the activities we'd planned so instead we went to Butterfly Creek. The butterfly's were really inquisitive and were constantly landing on you and flying around your head! Nathan was really interested in them and even managed to catch one and start tearing it apart - oops - the butterfly was swiftly removed from his wee hands and set free, luckily it could still fly!

Along with the butterfly's there's a reptile centre which houses some baby alligators (yes it is real)

and some older adult crocs. We went along to see the croc being fed.

I tried taking a video of Nathan with the butterfly's....

Harbour Cruise

Today we went for a harbour tour. The weather wasn't great but at least it didn't rain.

Nathan enjoying the air on deck

Nathan sleeping off all the fresh air.

Auckland with North Head in the foreground while moored at Rangy

Inside Auckland harbour

Escape artist

We think this constitutes as the first stages of crawling.....

Toasty

Mt Victoria

Unfortunately Abby had to work today so we never got to go to the zoo with her today. Instead we went to our Rhyme time class and then headed to Caths. We deiced to go for a wee trip up Mt Vic and rather than trying to push the pushchairs up the hill Roo got Mob'ied and I put Nathan in his backpack - well I thought I better use the thing as I'd lugged it half way round the world!!

It was a lovely sunny day despite the forecast although it was a bit windy at the top. Its the first time I'd been up that I can remember, and what a great view.

We decided to treat ourselves on the way down and headed into Devonport for an ice cream, while Nathan watched on!

This weekend my friend Alice came up from Wellington to see us so we got in a bit of sight seeing up the Sky Tower and a walk around Victoria Park Market in between lunch and coffee's. We also had a couple of walks around Devonport and a good old chinwag before she had to head back down to Welly.

I headed over to Cath's after walking with Alice to the ferry just in time to join in, in the Mother's day champers. Duncan had the camera out so we should be getting some good pic's of Nathan our way soon hopefully. In the meantime I took a couple of pic's of the wee boys....

Ickle Kiwi

All quiet on the western front

We've not been up to much apart from shopping the past couple of days. Nathan bought daddy a present to take home and got himself a lovely little jacket with a kiwi on it with the money Grandma and Grandad Griff gave him. We're just waiting for my friend Alice to come up from windy Wellington for the weekend. We're going to do the usual touristy things like the sky tower and museum if the weather holds out and maybe up Rangy tommorow. We're hoping to take Abby to the zoo on Monday and maybe hire a car during the week to go out and about a bit more. There's some hot springs just up the coast that I fancy and as Nathan's yet to go swimming on his holiday and use his new super cute swimwear it would be the perfect excuse!

Auckland Botanics

Mum and I had a day out at the Auckland Botanical Gardens today. It was a wee bit of a trek to get out there, but fairly straight forward and well worth the trip. It was only opened in 1981 so fairly new in the botanically circle. We went today to take the free tour but typically they were short staffed so could do the walk. There was a nice women originally from York who moved out 4 years ago who gave us advice on where to go and what to look out for. We started off in the herb garden (a wee bit of a squash for the pushchair!) then headed through the rock garden

to the duck ponds.

Nathan took a real interest in the ducks just wondering what they were I guess.

It was quite easy just to wander for hours through the park and that was without going through the native bush areas to the top end of the gardens. We stuck to the paths through and came across some good picture opportunities.

My doesn't time fly

Well we've been here for over a week now - not that it feels like it. We've had a busy weekend with tea out at Cath's on Friday and Sigdi (Indian) on Sat night. Nathan persisted in joining in the activities both nights by refusing to sleep until after 9.30. I gave up on Sat night and went to bed before him!!!

Saturday day we had another day of wandering the streets of Devonport we a wee pit stop in one of the local cafe's and Sunday we went to visit the long lost Griffiths clan over at Dilworth. Once everyone had, had a chance to meet Nathan we headed to the posh girls school next door for a school fate. This was no average fate as the main sponsor (one of several) was BMW, and there was security guards everywhere! Still I managed to get Nathan a couple of bargains a rain coat and pair of trousers (new) for $5 and a foam hopscotch mat (used - but good as new after a hose down) for $1.50. Unfortunately my camera was just about out of batteries so the pictures didn't come out very well but here's a few....

Monday after we'd been to rhyme time (which was fab and much better organised than ours at home) we headed into Auckland for a wander before going back up to see Abby, Isla and Seona.

Today was retail therapy at Silvia Park though I think as per usual Nathan got the most!!

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