Grandma Arrives! MP

Friday 22 September 4:00 AM - Our alarm clock sounds.

By 4:30 AM all four of us are loaded into the car and driving to the airport to pick up Lynn's mom (Grandma).

Grandma's flight was early, landing at 4:30 AM from Vancouver. A farmer using a digger had unknowningly damaged the only pipeline for aviation fuel causing a limit to aviation fuel on the entire north island. This incident caused us a bit of scare since some flights were being delayed and canceled. In the end, there were no issues with Grandma's flight. She arrived with smiles. 

We took her for a quick sight see up One Tree Hill and a special breakfast to MacDonald's before I got dropped off at school for the day. 

Rangitoto Island and the north shore is behind us in this picture.

Jonah wanted to go to school to finish some work he was in the middle of completing but Siena was happy to stay home from school and hangout with Grandma. Afternoon naps for the three ladies. Actually, I had a nap on the train home and almost slept right through the last stop that turns the train around to go back the other way. I was exhausted. 

Saturday was a beautiful day so we packed a lunch (Lynn packed a lunch) and drove an hour to Piha. Piha has black volcanic sand beaches and is located on the west coast within the Waitākere Ranges. The Waitākere Ranges are amazing. Sir Edmond Hilary trained to climb Everest within this large regional park. The hikes in this area are world class! 

We hung out on the beach, tried skim boarding, played touch rugby and met a sleeping seal. No it wasn't sick. Lynn called the Department of Conservation to confirm that the seal was probably just trying to nap on the sun soaked beach for a while before going back into the Tasman Sea to eat more. 

The views up Lion Rock were fantastic! A short walk up gave views of North Piha Beach and South Piha Beach. This next picture is from the side of the road showing Lion Rock and South Beach. 

I think Lynn's hair was bothering her in the next picture hence the forced smile. It probably wasn't because of her picture-happy husband.

Here are some more pictures of the beaches. North Piha Beach.

And South Piha Beach

The kids and Grandma needed a rest so they hung out in the car while Lynn and I explored a short walk to a waterfall. Kitekite Falls was worth the 40 minute walk. 

The next day, I ran the Devonport Half Marathon in 1 hour and 46 minutes. This was 4 minutes slower than my last half marathon from 2015. However, there seemed to be more hills here in NZ. 

I had these two supporters, personal photographer and Grandma cheering me on!

This past week, I grabbed the 6:30 ferry to school. NZ does Daylight Savings Time at the end of September so it was back to pre-dawn commuting! The view of Auckland in the morning is peaceful especially when the harbour and weather is calm. I typically sit on the top deck of the ferry to take in the sea air and views. 

Taking the ferry and train to work provided Lynn and Grandma with the car to go sight see. They traveled up the north shore to find as many beaches and cafes as possible. 

Next up, we are going to the Aquarium in Auckland. Soon we have a two week holiday from school. We're taking Grandma to Taupo and Northland. If the kids are lucky they get to come along too. 

I'm trying to convince Grandma to Bungy Jump or Skydive in Taupo. 

All the best.

The Urban Adventures Continue - MP

The Urban Adventures Continue

Last night, Siena was invited to a friend's house for a sleepover. So after school, Lynn and Jonah jumped onto the ferry and met me in the Central Business District. Since I was waiting for them for a bit, I was forced to have a beer with friends from school. We popped over to a neighbourhood that we hadn't explored yet, Ponsonby. It has a main street with many restaurants, shops, cafés and bars. We found this burger joint for dinner.

Burgers in Ponsonby just west of Auckland Central Business District (CBD).

On our way to Ponsonby, we stopped at Westhaven to visit the marina. Nice views of the CBD through the masts. 

Lynn's going to take up sailing and sail us home. Just kidding. 

This evening, we go to the All Black's v Springbok's (South Africa) game in Albany. Should be a great live sporting event! Albany is about 20 - 25 minutes north of our home. We are taking a bus since parking is horrible at the stadium. The ABs are dominating world rugby over the past, well, forever. However, their last two games have been very close for 60 minutes and then the ABS have pulled away. 

Tomorrow, Lynn and I have won a VIP pass to the season finale taping of The Block NZ. The family has watched this show for the past 8 weeks cheering on four teams that are finishing four houses to put up for auction. Tomorrow is the live auction. The kids will be home with a babysitter watching the live event from our living room. Last weekend, we went to an event to meet the four teams. It was a load of fun meeting them and the hosts. 

This is Nate from the "Dad's Team". Him and Andy are from Hamilton and have constructed a great home.

 

Ling and Zing are from Christchurch. The judges have been really harsh on them. We think they speak a different language since they have so much slang in their vocabulary. They are quite entertaining. It's a "fairy tale ending" for them with "soft hands and courage".

The houses are being constructing about 10 -15 minutes from our home so we took a trip to check out the action. Jonah wants to renovate a house when he's in High School. I think it would be a great learning experience for both of us. 

Before the live auction, I'm running my last long run before entering the Devonport Half Marathon next Sunday! Here are some pictures of my last run. I commute to school early to avoid traffic and run on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Within a 10 km radius there are some great views. The next pictures are from the top of Mangere Mountain looking back over Manukau Harbour and neighbourhoods like Onehunga, Hillsborough and Blockhouse Bay.

Manukau Harbour

All the mountains are dormant volcanoes so they have cones in the centre. You can see the cows grazing at the bottom. 

This is looking South to Puketutu Islanad and over the Ambury Reserve Park (and petting zoo). You might be able to see cows and sheeps in the fields. The airport is way off in the distance but you can't see it. 

This picture is north back up to the CBD. You can see the small looking Sky Tower on the horizon. I commute to the other side of the Sky Tower, over the Sky Bridge and around to just north of Devonport. 

Lynn's mom (aka Grandma, or Karen) visits for three weeks soon. See arrives this Friday at 5 AM ish! We are excited to show her around the greater Auckland area, Taupo and Northland!!! All the best to Karen with her flights this week. Since the school is on the way to and from the airport. The whole family is getting up to go to the airport to meet her that morning. They'll drop me off at school on the way home from the airport. 

All the best!

My birthday 🎉😀 SP

My Birthday! 

My birthday was on Friday September 8th. I had lots of fun playing games for most of all my party🎉. 

It was very funny and really fun because it was a minute to win it party. Here is are of some of the activities.

We had to try to build a house of cards but this didn't go as well as planned. Then there was this game that we had to pickup maltesers with chopsticks. I didn't do well at all. I only got 1. On the other hand, my friend Nanae got 28. By the way, Pippa and I sorta cheated at the end. WAIT DID I JUST SAY I CHEATED!! Ohhh Nooo! Any hoo we had lots of fun. 

On my birthday 🎉 I got a spike ball game, skim board, watch ⌚️ and much more. Mommy also made Daddy make me breakfast in bed. 

Back to my party I had very yummy cupcakes with OREOS on the inside and the cupcakes were shaped as a nine here is a pic of the cupcakes. I had so much fun. That will be it for this blog please keep in touch. Bye, for now!

P.S. Daddy just put this random picture in this blog trying to be funny.

The Block NZ Party - JP

Today the Phillips Fam went to The Block NZ Party. The Block NZ is one of our favourite shows on TV and we went to a party celebrating the end of the show. We got to meet all of the teams and take some pics with them. Here are some picture of the awesome event.

👇🏼 👇🏼  👇🏼  👇🏼  👇🏼  👇🏼  👇🏼  👇🏼  👇🏼  👇🏼  👇🏼  👇🏼  👇🏼  👇🏼  👇🏼

Andy and Nate

Nate letting us hang off his arms.

Ling and Zing

The Host - Mark Richardson

Stace and Yanita - better known as Steak and Cheese

There are the pics. Our favourite team is the the 1st picture but we also like the other boys in pic 3. Those teams are Andy and Nate and Ling and Zing so we hope one of them wins the live auction this Sunday. WAIT!!! You don't know what the show this is yet, well I will tell you. This show is where they get 4 teams of 2 and each team has to design and renovate a house to then put up for auction, whoever makes the most money at the auction wins. There, now you get what I'm talking' about. Talk to you later. See Ya

                                                                                                                                                                       Jonah

Update 2nd September - MP

Last weekend we drove out of the city to see some of the countryside. About an hour south east from Auckland lies the Hunua Ranges and a small town called Clevedon. We arrived to Clevedon and found a hill to climb. It was a good 45 minute hike to the top with stops along the way for pictures. It rains often here during the winter. As we descended, it started to lightly rain making the path a bit more difficult to manage. 

 
We've committed to watching a New Zealand based TV show called The Block NZ. Four teams consisting of two people with trades people are competing to create the best home. These four homes are their creation. A live auction to sell the homes happens in two weeks. The homes are being built in the next community about 15 minutes away. So Lynn, Siena and Jonah went on a road trip to find them.

Lynn decided that she would make the swing in the Confidence Course. So we managed to capture her attempts and successful completion on video.

Afterward, we had a snack while driving to the Hunua Falls. There were warning signs about potential drowning in fresh water since it is less buoyant than salt water. We chuckled but decided to play it safe and not swim. 

Maraetai Beach was next on the agenda with ice creams and a play on the beach. We recently purchased wetsuits for sailing and surfing so we tried them out with a quick swim in the salt water. Kids still getting comfortable swimming in salt water.

This past Wednesday Siena and a friend, Mila, went to cheer on the Silver Ferns ad they played England in a serious game of netball! Lynn, Jonah and I purchased some tickets too. It was fun to watch these elite level athletes hustle!

Siena earned a certificate at school this week for being a "super helper and taking initiative". Lynn and I were lucky enough to be able to attend. My principal allowed me to arrive late for Teacher Only Day so I could take some pictures of Siena and cheer her on.

Jonah and I continue to hone our table tennis skills. We are getting better and I think the 2024 Olympics is a possibility for us. 

Last night, Lynn and I scheduled a kidsitter and went out with the staff from the maths department at Onehunga HS. We went to the Titirangi RSA for Comedy Night. Three of the four comics were very funny. We had a great time! 

Today is rainy so we  decided to visit the Aston Martin, Bentley and Lamborghini dealership that was having a grand opening. Free food, posters, and tours around the building and in the cars were so much fun. Some cars you couldn't touch and one car was locked in a glass room. It was worth 2.3 million dollars. I liked the modest Bentley for $370 000.

We have some upcoming adventures that we are looking forward to in the next couple of weeks! 

1. My school is beside the start of a West Coast to East Coast Walk. I think I'll do it one afternoon as my commute. It takes 4 - 6 hours and traverses two dormant volcanoes.

2. I am going to enter the Devonport Half Marathon on September 24th. I've been training and should be ready...

3. Spring Break brings a two week holiday. Lynn's mom, Karen will be staying with us! We plan to site see around the North Island going to the far North and also Taupo. As well, we'll see lots of sites around Auckland. 

4. I have a session booked with a tattoo artist for October 6th.

5. The kids are booked into a Learn to Sail Course for four days during the school holiday. Lynn and I plan to take the adult course starting later in October.

All the best!