Friday was the most beautiful sunny day - so we spent it indoors at the emergency doctors trying to get a new cast for Ryan’s arm. Ryan fractured his wrist after falling off a climbing wall on an adventure course last week, we were wanting a good solid cast on so we could go away for the weekend. Some of the family waited in the cool of the air conditioned waiting room whilst one other sat in the hot car with the windows down so the food we had just packed to go away with on the weekend didn’t perish. A few hours went by before Ryan was able to replace the already battered plaster cast with a sturdy fibreglass cast in bright green. We were, at last, ready to head north along with Auckland’s peak hour traffic towards the Bay of Islands.
Claire, Kev & Matt had invited us to stay in their Okiato hideaway near Russell. We had met them cycling the Otago rail trail last year as friends of Laura, Paul, Riley & Tara. The combined team effort on the trail with the kids and pitching camp together every night,made for a great tour. Claire and Kevin had kept in touch and invited us up to visit them, and try some adventures up north. I was not able to do any great adventures with my leg still feeling the pain in the back of the thigh every time I was walking, straightening the leg, or bending over, but Kevin had suggested an early morning kayak. So the next day I was up before most of the ‘birds’, the tide was in, Kevin and I kayaked round the island near Paihia, and wished we had brought some money to stop in and buy a coffee - we were needing breakfast, but its a great way to start the day. The others were inspired to try out the kayaks as well. After the water play, we drove to Waitangi, finding a few geocaches and getting a history lesson on the treaty. It was an interesting time to visit, as outside there were many school groups practising their rowing and chanting in their special waka as part of the 175th Anniversary celebrations for the following weekend.
On the Sunday Ryan and Alan found a huge multi-cache problem to solve which took them walking all over Russell. The rest of us walked around the very distinctively French-looking Pompallier house where some of the first ever missionaries in New Zealand translated religious texts into Maori. We learn't how they tanned a hide, bound books and listened to the basis of many print-related turns of phrase. We found Alan and Ryan at the end of their puzzle trail sitting on the electrocution chair having a rest after solving their challenge. A lovely weekend up north with relaxed social adventures for our injured family members. We were hooked, and vowed to return for sailing in a few weeks time.
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