LIBRARY POINT

This morning a very chirpy toddler and two rather tired parents sat down to a pancake breakfast and tried to decide what to do with their sunny, Sunday morning.  We finally settled on an old favourite that we haven't visited for well over a year (I'm pretty sure Ayana was still in the back pack last time we went).  In order to get to Library Point you have to head further out into the country until you see the large and completely intimidating high security prison sprawled out before you.  The important part is to turn a sharp left and head down a small, uneven road just before you hit the prison gates!  Suddenly you find yourself at the entrance of a large reserve (complete with a dog park and horse/ bike trails).  The walking track eventually leads you to a completely magical spot at the very end of the point where the tidal waters quickly turn from murky brown to a radiant blue (when the weather is right). It was here that the first settlers established a mobile library system for those living in these remote regions.  Once a month somebody would row down the river in a small boat laden with books, and lucky locals could collect some fresh reading material.  You could only imagine what a treasure it would be to have a book to get lost in when you're otherwise living in total isolation!  Anyway, nice history aside, this particular spot is just so tranquil that it's a great place to come a re-energise.  I definitely plan to visit more often again!

WHATIPU (cave exploring)

 

Sometimes during the middle of the week, when the sun is finally shinning, you just have to drop everything and head out looking for adventure.  Before you know it you're out of the city, you've driven your car through a little stream, stopped at a tiny corner store for a snack, and are winding your way down an endless gravel road in search of ancient caves.  

There's hardly a better reminder of how small and seemingly insignificant we are in the greater scheme of things than when you're standing inside a cave that is millions of years your senior.  Your voice echo's off the wet, dripping walls and the air feels heavy with age.  They say that Whatipu is haunted, that the lost souls of 189 men who drowned when their boat sunk on this treacherous shore line still walk the coast.  If you listen carefully you can hear their mournful cries.  Over at the historic Gibbons estate (now a lodge) there have been countless sightings of a translucent pink lady who paces the property and appears to visitors in broad daylight.  And yet despite all these drifting souls with their tragic stories, there is an incredibly invigorating energy out here.  As though if you stood high on the dunes and threw your arms in the air, the salty wind would blow all your troubles away in one powerful gust.

By the time we got home in the late afternoon we were completely sapped of our energy.  We wanted nothing more than to lay down in the sunniest nook of the house and close our eyes.  Exhausted, happy and content.

xx

EDEN GARDENS

This morning Ayana and I dashed into town (cursing at slow drivers) thinking we were late for our osteopath appointment, only to find that it had been cancelled.  Hmm maybe it's time I started checking my phone messages! Anyway seeing as how it's a half hour drive for us we weren't about to turn around and head home again.  Despite the constant downpours, we decided to try our luck at the beautiful Eden Gardens.  We had been there once before when Nic was working on a photo shoot, and although it was absolutely stunning I couldn't really justify the hefty entrance fee.  I mean I love a pretty flower as much as the next person, but I could get three cups of coffee for the same price!  Nonetheless I dug my hands deep between the car seats.  Amongst the soggy crackers and half eaten apple pieces I managed to scrounge together enough small change to cover the cost.  The elderly lady at the counter gave us a strange look as I piled my coins up in front of her and asked which walkways were pram friendly.  It soon dawned on me that we were the youngest people there by at least 50 years and was soon Ayana soaking up the grandmotherly attention.

You could be forgiven for thinking that this place was named after and designed to look like the Garden of Eden because it really is stunning.  In fact it is nestled in close to the side of Mt Eden.  It's so close to the city and busy motorways, and yet you walk through the gates (pay your hefty fee) and all of a sudden everything is calm.  There are native birds flitting around, exotic flowers are perfuming the air, and you find the outside world just melting away. 

I could have personally stayed all day but a certain somebody was now scowling at the nice old ladies... which meant we were overdue for lunch and a nap! We headed to the garden cafe for a quick devonshire scone and then made our way back to the car between rain showers.  Now I'm sitting in the car in our driveway while it pours with rain outside and the little one is fast asleep in the back.  I would say we made pretty good use of our botched up morning.

Additional info

Pram:
YES.  Although you can't go everywhere.  There are quite a lot of small steps, but still enough pram friendly walkways to make it worthwhile.

Toilets:
YES.  Right at the entrance.

Camping:
NO

Food:
YES.  There is a cafe in the gardens but this would also be a great place for a picnic if you wanted to bring your own.

Shelter:
YES

Fee:
YES. Adults $8.00/ Children free

Eden Garden Website

Over all experience:
Surprisingly great!  And yes I still think the price is a little steep, but I'm glad I went in and checked it out.

WENDERHOLM

This is so typical of Auckland.  One minute you're caught in a downpour and have to hide in the bushes, and the next the sun is shining again.

The old creepy Couldrey house

Sometimes it feels like life never slows down!  Between farm sitting, and Nic being away for work a lot, we have had hardly any time to hang out as a family.  We also have all these great intentions of getting out and exploring on the weekends, but when they finally roll around we're tired and it all seems like too much effort (sound familiar?).  Then we get scratchy because we never do anything fun, even though we know there's nothing we love more than a good adventure.  So to combat this we've decided that on Sunday mornings we're going to throw together a picnic, pack the car and hit the road.  We live in such an incredible country and it's about time we stopped using the whole 'baby' excuse and got out amongst it again!

This past Sunday morning we got up early (I say that like it's something unusual!), I downed a bowl of porridge, and then headed out to the markets to grab our weekly veges and a treat for lunch. Meanwhile Nic and Ayana packed the car and cleaned up breakfast.  By the time we pulled out of the driveway some pretty dark clouds were rolling in but we were determined to get out, rain or shine.

I'm ashamed to say that despite living around these parts for most of my life, I've never made it out to Wenderholm until now.  I'm told that in summer it is alive with the bustle of holiday makers, trampers and picnic enthusiasts, but on this rather soggy Sunday morning it was just us and a gang of over friendly fantails.  It's sort of hard to describe, but this place feels wise and ancient.  You know it has a lot of history under its belt (I suppose it was occupied by Maori for 1000 years before the early settlers laid claim to it!).  The little one had energy to burn so we wrapped up warm and marched our way through the bush to the cliffs above.

"Do you know that they're thinking about bringing extinct animals back to life?  Imagine if there were moa's running around here again", Nic said at some point.
It's hard to imagine these 2 foot high giants thundering through the tree's around you while you're straining to push the pram up a steep bush path.  For now there is just the occasional overweight, native pigeon trying to land in a taraire tree without much elegance or grace.  By the time we made it back down to the beach Ayana was snuggled down and fast asleep in her pram.  Mission accomplished! We sought shelter from the blackening sky and shivered as we quietly are our lunch.

By the afternoon we were getting tired from all the fresh air and exercise, and in desperate need of a caffeine fix.  I took a quick tour of the old Couldrey House (because I'm a history nerd and can't pass by a a good early settler cottage) while Nic took Ayana down to the beach for a last run around.  Then yawning, we headed back to Orewa to down an espresso before heading home.

We stumbled in through the front door, kicked off our muddy shoes, high fived each other for having an awesome weekend and started planning the next adventure!

WENDERHOLM INFO
What to take (in winter):

• Sensible shoes (sneakers will do)
• A warm/ waterproof jacket
• A picnic (there are no shops around here)
•  Something to drink
• A bundle of energy
• Some money in case you want to visit the Couldery House.  They charge a whopping $5.00 per person which I thought was a little steep.

Pram:
YES.  There are specially marked pram walkways.  Be warned though, you will be pushing that pram up some seriously steep paths.  Also we did encounter a few steps along the way but nothing we couldn't get the pram over together.  Oh also if your pram has a rain cover I highly recommend bringing it.  A baby carrier would be another great option.

Toilets:
YES.  This park has real flushing toilets and taps (although water is not suitable for drinking)

Camping:
YES. Although I think that's only in summer.  We also noticed an advertisement for really affordable old baches for rent.

BBQ:
YES.  But you need to bring your own fuel.

Shelter:
YES

Over all experience:
This place has bush, park and a sheltered beach... kind of perfect wouldn't you agree?!

Wenderholm Website



xx