Oakura holiday 4

Lots of pictures below. We are almost at an end of the summer holiday and we have had a ball. We left our own bit of paradise last week and went down the east coast for a couple of hours to a settlement called Oakura. We found the bach on a website and it was very reasonable. The view from the deck was fantastic, out over a sheltered bay along the beach. There was always something going on: fishing boats going out, people hooning around on sea-bicuits, paddle boarders, kayakers, walkers, swimmers. The tide went in and out - as it does. We had the time to watch it and plan our activities around its movement. We all had goes at fishing, swimming, diving.

My own favourite kayak was the one on the very last morning. Chantelle got up at 0515, had a coffee and were on the water before sunrise. The water was very calm. We paddled into a perfect sunrise with the Poor Knight Islands as a backdrop. We caught no fish big enough to bring home, but we could see them shoaling about in the clear water below the boat.

We also drove to a DOC reserve 1/2 hour down the coast at Mimiwhangata. Even more beautiful beach. We had a go at snorkelling in the rock pools.

We took all our boys plus a friend. They are all pretty much living on planet teenage, where the conversation is crude, film-based and inconsequential. The activities are based around sugar and staying up until the small hours. The years of our family holidays may be coming to an end.