Takapuna Triathalon

One of the Sovereign Tri Series events took place January 29th, 2017 on Takapuna Beach which is right outside our front door.  We could not pass up on the opportunity to participate in that!

There are some videos below but these can only be seen on a computer (not an ipad).

Naysa did the Splash 'n' Dash which was a 100m ocean swim and a 1km run.  She was a little cold at the start but quickly forgot about that and showed her competitive spirit.  She was proud to have passed some of the adults on the run (we did not mention that they were doing a 5 km run).

Off to the start line...

A little cold at the start...

On the way out of the ocean..

Finished!

Rob did the Sprint Triathalon which was a 750m ocean swim, 17km bike, 5km run.  It was a very technical bike course with 10 laps of 1.7km loop.  He is in the 40+ category now.  You can see that he fits in nicely with that age group.

Jonah did the 'Have a Go' Triathalon which was a 300m ocean swim, 9km bike and 3km run.  He enjoyed having his friend Noah along side him.

A little nervous at the start...

Coming out of the water...

He was frustrated as those on road bikes seemed much faster than him...

After the finish...

So proud...

Next up is a full Triathlon in February which Rob and Erin will share as a relay.  

Day Trips Around Auckland with Nana

Looking back on our 24 days with Nana (Erin's mom), I don't think we sat still at all.  We were either traveling, packing, unpacking or touring around the Auckland area.

Here we are hiking at Shakespear Regional Park 40 mins north of Auckland on the east coast.

Hiking at Bethell Beach and Te Henga Recreational Reserve on the west coast of Auckland.

 We miss you Nana!

The South Island - Picton, NZ

Our adventures included beach time at Whites Bay which, of course, included paddle boarding through a hole in a rock.

No comment...

This area of the South Island is known as the Marlborough Region and is world famous for its white wine production.  So one afternoon, Nana treated us to a fabulous wine tasting tour.  The kids were rewarded at the end with a tour of the local chocolate factory.  You can appreciate the symmetric rows of vines in the valley below.  

Next it was kayaking in Queen Charlotte Sound.  

Which, of course, ended with Rob going through a hole in a rock.  

We had hoped to swim with dolphins but they were out in the open ocean feeding that morning so not around for us to enjoy.  We did see the endangered Hector dolphin (but you are not allowed to swim with them) and lots of other wildlife (can you spot the seal?).  

Our last adventure, was a 17km hike along the Queen Charlotte Track.  This is a 70km multi day backpacking hike that can be split into sections as we did.  We took a water taxi to Anakiwa (far left on image below) and spent the day hiking to Lochmara Lodge (near Titoki on image below) where we caught a water taxi back to Picton.  

Finally we rest....

We made a very special stop in Whanganui, NZ on our way home to Auckland to visit with the Wahba's (friends from Saskatoon).  They will be spending a year there with their young family.  It was wonderful to be with close friends and we look forward to seeing them again in February.  

Traveling to the South Island, NZ

New Zealanders say that the South Island is the most beautiful part of their country.  So in mid-January we set out to see for ourselves.  Nana (Erin's mom) joined us on our 10 day voyage south.

We drove 640km from Auckland to Wellington at the most southern tip of the North Island (in our small, old Subaru with paddle boards on top!).  We wanted to drive as it gave us a chance to see other areas of the North Island.

Wellington is the capital of NZ and is by far the windiest city!  When we arrived the wind was blowing at 40km/hr and mom says that there were reports of gusts at 110km/hr.  The car shook when we parked it, opening the car doors was a treacherous undertaking and at night our cement high rise hotel swayed a little.  One of the locals said that he has lived in Wellington all his life but that he does not live there for the weather!!

It is a shame really as it is a beautiful city with a busy harbour and quaint houses up on the hills.  It reminded us a little of San Fransisco.

We had a brief stay in Wellington before catching the InterIslander Ferry across Cook Straight to Picton, NZ on the northern tip of the South Island.  You can appreciate the ferry's route on the map below as it meanders through the majestic Queen Charlotte Sound (filled with islands).  For those from BC, it looks a lot like the gulf islands.  Luckily the seas were not too rough for our trip as I guess sea sickness can be quite a problem.

We stayed for 6 nights in a waterfront apartment in Picton complete with a hot tub barrel on the deck!