Princess Bay
Sunday morning we took a drive over to Kilbirnie to have a look at the kids' bikes at the bike store there. It hasn't really been bike-riding weather (in fact it snowed and hailed here on Saturday) but some other parents had the same idea as us so there was a small crowd of youngsters trying out bicycles and scooters (and crying when it was time to go home). We decided the selection at (you guessed it, Joanna) Moore Wilson was better and more affordable so we didn't take a bike home with us that day.
The girls have been developing some cabin-fever thanks to their ear infections and the weather, so Sophie wasn't happy to hear we were heading home after our shopping trip (not buying a bike probably had something to do with it too). We decided to take a drive out along the coast to have a look at the surf, as it's very dramatic when big storms blow in. We headed out Onepu to Lyall Bay and then took a right towards Island Bay.
Sophie was grumpy at first ("I'm NOT going to look at the waves, I'm JUST going to look at the floor!") but it wasn't long before she was exclaiming as if we were watching fireworks. The waves were enormous and beautiful, and crashed spectacularly on the rocks. As we drove around the corner into Princess Bay, we decided to stop the car and just watch the action. I got out of the car, climbed up on the rocks and took some pictures of the snow-caps on the South Island, then stayed with Josie (she fell asleep before we left Kilbirnie) while Brandie & Sophie got out and explored.
Afterwards we went home for lunch, then played some games and read books with Josie while Sophie napped. When Sophie got up we jumped on the trampoline and played in the little house, then made pizza for dinner. Even despite being on the tail-end of all our colds it was really a nice day for everyone.
did sophie have a growth spurt? her legs are looking longer.
Wow - Sophie is getting so big!! I can't believe how fast they grow. We miss u :)
Wow! When I first looked at those pictures I thought the snow on the mountains were (was?) just clouds. I didn't realize you could see the South Island like that! I don't think it's ever been clear enough, or maybe we couldn't make them out because they weren't outlined like that. Gorgeous pictures, Jake!
Jake forgot to mention that while standing on top of these huge rocks onto which the waves were crashing, a gust of wind knocked him back (but not over). I sat having a heart attack watching him from the car imagining myself a widowed mother of two stranded in a foreign country.
He did something similar on our honeymoon, insisting to get a little closer to something called "The Devil's Churn" in order to get a good photo. I thought then I'd be one of those stories about people widowed on their honeymoon.