Matariki and Rugby Rivalry

Matariki - The Maori New Year marks the time when the Pleiades star cluster or The Seven Sisters reappears in the morning sky and the sign that the days are getting longer. Kindy was invited to join in the celebrations at the local Marae and the children sang a song for the elders. (Joe is centre of picture in the red cap)




It was a really interesting visit and The Marae is beautiful, full of intricate carvings and decorated brightly. The children enjoyed some lovely stories and a singing and dancing session.




Then!!!!! Yesterday was the big day for rivalry in the Simmerson house. England vs the All Blacks playing in Christchurch. Joe was even more excited than is usual because we were taking along his buddy Josh to see the game. The Ralphs came too and we had a block of seats together. Now follows some footage of Josh and Joe - maybe my questions need to be a bit more specific in future!



The boys screamed during the intros, thoroughly enjoyed the Hakka and fidgeted the whole way through 80 minutes of play. A resounding triumph for the All Blacks 44-12! Joe, Josh and I were really enjoying every try, but it was an altogether more painful experience for some. Chris and Matt were very brave from the first few minutes when they went behind, stoic at half time (20-0) and magnanimous (just) by the end.

Two tired boys went to sleep pretty easily but this morning was an excruciating 5.30 wake up! And there was no way they were going back to sleep!

Boys will be Superheroes

Spiderman and the Katipo Kid taking a well earned rest!

2 seasons in one day

Saturday morning found us on the beach in shirt sleeves enjoying the sunshine and balmy temperatures. We took part in an organised planting on the dunes and were treated to a sausage sizzle by the park rangers.
Lunchtime brought torrential downpours and falling temperatures.
By tea-time it was snowing heavily! Hooray!

Sunday was fun filled as we took off to the nearby foothills to partake in a little sledging with the Jacob family. We found a lovely spot called Glentui and crept up the access road feeling grateful for the 4WD (not as grateful as on the way down!). We must have got in a good three hours of sledging as well as a walk to the waterfall and squeezing in a picnic. The sun shone and the bell birds sang all day. The videos show Joe and I on the 'nursery' slope.
Joe was fine and got up laughing!!!!
Later on and farther up the hill we found the 'black-run'. Unfortunately the camera had run out of batteries by this time and the spares didn't work. Otherwise we may have caught some even more spectacular wipe outs!

Rugby Fanatic

Joe has gone completely rugby mad. He has been collecting cards from packs of chippies (crisps) for a couple of months and now has 30 out of the 50 available. Thanks to all those who have been supplying him! They represent the players in the NZ teams of the Super 14. Matt took him to a game at the AMI stadium to see the local Crusaders play the Higlanders (based in Dunedin). Unfortunately the Crusaders lost but Joe's enthusiasm did not fade. He was desperate to go again, but missed the semi-final match because we were at Brunner.

Luckily Matt got tickets for the final - Crusaders vs Waratahs (Sydney). Match day was red and black day here in Christchurch and kindy added to the hype by having a rugby themed day. The children played with a rugby ball for the whole session and they made flags etc.
Joe was beside himself all day and couldn't eat his tea as he was so concerned about being late for the game. They headed off with Joe wearing his colours in the form of a new Crusaders cap. Crusaders won 20-12 and the pair of them returned home exhausted. Joe had very little voice left after shouting himself hoarse.

The whole set-up is lovely and child friendly. They receive a pack with chippies, drink, vouchers and a cardboard helmet to assemble. There are fireworks, flame throwers when the Crusaders score and Knights in armour circle the pitch on horseback. Joe is completely addicted - he knows the names of players from all the teams and even some of the statistics. He can't wait for the All-Blacks vs England in a couple of weeks time. Divided loyalties will be tested as Joe is convinced he will play for the All-Blacks one day and is cheering for them, Matt says 40 years of hurt supporting England have ingrained a certain loyalty!

Monkey Business & Horsing Around

The boys have now set a line in the sand as far as their future careers are concerned. Oddly enough, both in sport.

First we see Joe in the bars section of his gymnastics routine!

Next, we see Ben on the gallops training for his next race - local pundits are doubting he can make race weight in time.

Heading West

This weekend saw us exploring a little further and heading west to Lake Brunner. We packed Thursday night and rushed around on Friday to fit in all the last minute jobs + kindy, playgroup and Joe's swimming lesson so that we could leave promptly on Friday afternoon. Needless to say we left a little later than anticipated!

The journey is a real stunner though and we took our time crossing the mountains at Arthur's Pass (more about this later). The car had to work really hard at the hills, both up and down, suffering brake fade for most of the trip down! We made it safely to the relative flat surrounds of Lake Brunner and began the last leg in rapidly fading light. We found the cafe that had the key to the Bach and searched for it in the dark. After dumping our belongings and switching on the heat and water we headed back to the cafe for dinner. The boys were late to bed, but unfortunately their internal clocks were not fooled by morning.


Saturday was just glorious and we woke to a fantastic view of the lake from the upper floor of the bach. We wandered through the township to the lake, it was fine and clear and the lake was like a mirror - just beautiful.


The coal train passed under the footbridge and Ben was thrilled that the driver waved to him! The boys even braved the cold water for a little paddle, but that didn't last long! Unfortunately our planned boat trip on the lake had to be cancelled because the operators had all taken their boats to a neighbouring lake to search for a missing canoeist. No joy on Sunday either as the search continued.

The change of plan meant that in the afternoon we headed into Greymouth. Matt and Joe spent an hour living it large by going off roading on a go-kart (while Ben slept on oblivious in the car). Of course they brought back a field full of mud on their clothes, which are now soaking in a bucket!
Once the adrenalin junkies had regained their composure we headed along the coast (Tasman Sea) to Shantytown. This replica gold rush town filled Ben's requirements for a good day out because we had a great ride on a steam train and even got to stand in the cab. Joe pulled the whistle and made us all jump - even though we were expecting it!
We panned for gold and carried away our few flakes in a bottle - Joe is taking his in for show and tell at kindy tomorrow! The boys played with 19th century toys (stilts and hobby horses) and explored the jail, stocks and tried to lift a ball and chain - no they couldn't.
Funny how children can persuade you to stop at every photo opportunity!?
Sunday was a more relaxed affair as we took our time returning to Christchurch, making several stops along the way. We lunched at the Wobbly Kea in Arthur's Pass, but decided not to walk to the Devil's Punchbowl because of the rain! Unusually the west coast had had the drier weekend! - lucky for us! (No keas bothered us - much to Joe and Ben's disappointment.)A short, windy, steep drive later we stopped again and spent a couple of hours working off lunch by climbing hills and boulders at Castle Hill.Couldn't dislodge them though !

Can't wait to see the mountains fully capped with snow - the first tantalising glimpses could be seen through the cloud so it will not be too long now!

Ben is 2!

Happy Birthday Ben!

Ben turned 2 this week and we had a couple of small celebrations - a gathering of family and friends on Sunday afternoon, complete with pass the parcel, trampoline fun, food and a cake. Ben's friend Annissa from playgroup and Jumping Beans came with her parents and we were really pleased to see the Ralph family, recently arrived from the UK!
Then on the actual day, a fesh and chups tea, cake and present opening too!
A bit of a train theme was involved - he received some trains and accessories for his train set including a barrel loader and truck from Joe. He loved the train cake, complete with extra truck for Kate who celebrated a slightly bigger birthday last week.
Needless to say he took to the present opening with enthusiasm and even joined in the singing! He spent the whole day in his new Sheffield United outfit (a gift from Grandma and Grandpa) and we had to prise the new hat off his head whenever we went indoors.Joe is now looking forward to his big day! But is proud to announce to anyone who listens that he is now 4 and two thirds!