Birthday Cake

After the big day at the zoo we went back to our friends' for a whopping great piece of Birthday Cake - Missippi Baked Cheesecake topped with chocolate cream & cherries, yum!!! They really know how to do puddings down here, although to their credit The Cheesecake Shop is an Aussie venture...good one!

Happy Birthday Emma!

Oz the Tiger

After a welcome break for lunch, the girls were asked to help prepare the Tiger enclosure for the public demonstration in the afternoon. Behind the scenes they were able to get very close to Oz the male Tiger. They prepared meat (chicken and horse), a selection of yummy smells to stimulate his senses, and assemble twigs and things for him to play with. Then in front of a hundred patient spectators, they smeared blood and hid the meat, and got the exhibit ready for Oz's release. Finally, front row places to stand and watch the demonstration. It was altogether an awesome experience....

Lions

Then they had an "up close and personal" encounter with the Lions. Now, imagine this. They're behind the barrier that says "don't go any further or you're in danger of being eaten". The Lion Keeper is telling them all about the Lions and he wants them to get an amazing picture opportunity. How, do you say, can he acheive that? You'll never guess.....

Whiska's Kitten Milk!!! No, seriously, look at the picture!

Hippo

Then they took it in turns to feed the Hippo and to pet the Rhino - well, I say 'pet', they said they had to slap it really hard because it's skin is so thick...

And finally...the birthday arrives!

Hee, at last the weekend has arrived when we start celebrating Emma becoming a teenager! On Saturday, Emma and her friends Sophia and Jessica became Keepers for the Day at Auckland Zoo. Here are some pictures of their day... First they took it in turns to feed the alpha female Giraffe...

Petting Goat

Famous for finding animals to pet wherever she goes (!), here's a picture of Emma petting a goat at Omana Regional Park this week. Lovely walk around the coast, and oddly we were serenaded by someone who'd parked his van in the golf course car park next door to practice his bagpipes during his lunchbreak. Quite surreal!

Hot Springs

About an hour away is a place called Miranda Hot Springs. Feeling a little Autumnal, we decided to head out and see what was there. Built in the 1960s, Miranda boasts the largest Hot Water Spring Pool in the southern hemisphere. It was divine....all fed by a series of natural springs. We came out feeling very warm and soft, lovely!

Exploring locally

You'll notice we're only updating every few days at the moment - that's because our current accomodation doesn't have internet access so we update thanks to our friends who let us use their account when we see them! Anyway, this week we have mostly been exploring around the cottage we've rented, and preparing for the teenage birthday...there's a lovely walk a few hundred metres from where we're staying that takes you down a bank to a mangrove-lined estuary and nature reserve. From the bottom we could look back up and see where we're staying. The two houses in the foreground are our next door neighbours, and we're behind a tree just behind the bungalow with the red roof. We also seem to have adopted a cat whom we have christened Kitty. She comes for her bowl of milk every evening which is very sweet, we miss Lucy very much!

Happy Birthday Sophia!

Talking of 12 year olds celebrating birthdays, here's us celebrating Sophia's thirteenth birthday last weekend with a chocolate fountain!!! YUM...

Family portrait

Our lovely friend Xanthe took this picture of all three Wilks together at the weekend so we thought we'd include it in the blog - ah, ain't that sweet? Only 10 more days left of being a 12 year old!!!

Underwater World

Spent a lovely afternoon this week at Auckland's aquarium - Kelly Tarlton's. There's a tunnel where you walk underneath the sharks and here this guy is in the next tank hand feeding a whole host of local fish including Snapper and Turtles.

And the sun shone!

Just as we thought Autumn was in for a good while, the weather has turned and we're out and about again touring the stunning miles of coastline around Auckland. To the west and part of the Waitakere Reserve is a beach called Karekare (pro. carry carry) which is the most stunning wilderness beach outside of Cornwall....all three (fab) pictures taken by Emma x

Cornwallis

Just to prove it isn't always perfect out here, a rainswept view of the pier at Cornwallis to the west of Auckland. Our plans for a coastal walk fell a bit flat so we just went and got ourselves a coffee and sat in the cafe watching the rain! Mustn't grumble - is it me? (missing Terry Wogan?)

Come rain and shine

All this rain turning on and off is catching us unawares less often these days - constant supplies in the boot of the car include sandals, suncream, sunhats, umbrellas and waterproofs - we are prepared for anything! A fab rainbow above a local bay at St Heliers. Gorgeous...

Omana Regional Park

Just to the east of Auckland is a park called Omana Regional Park - they have the cutest pets corner with a pig and chickens and ducks and rabbits - not sure who had more fun, the adults or the children ;0)

Sometimes in the parks they feature one of these "viewing frames" - the girls had a great time trying to come up with the best "pose"!!!

Huia lookout

There is so much to see and do around Auckland we are a little spoilt for choice. However, Autumn is well and truly with us now - the difference from the UK is that you really can get four seasons in a day and you have to be prepared for anything. We went out to the west of Auckland this week, and didn't get much of a walk in because someone kept turning "on" torrential rain - then turning it "off" again! We did manage to get up to this stunning viewpoint at Huia - it's where the Tasmin Sea feeds into the Manukau Harbour. This picture doesn't really do it justice but it's the best we could do...

Maraetai Beach

Today we went to the beach with our friends Xanthe, Jess and Sophia. We had the most enormous ice-creams (yum!) washed down with a coffee when we had a shower of rain. Then the sun came out again and we were treated to a full length rainbow. The local ice cream speciality is "Hokey Pokey" (not as rude as it sounds!) which has pieces of honeycomb in it. Here's a picture of the girls on the beach...

Back in Auckland

Now we've finished Phase One of the tour and we're back in Auckland for a well-deserved rest (and to celebrate a certain teenage birthday)! Here's a quick piccie of Auckland's famous landmark, the Sky Tower. We can't believe it's two months today since we left Blighty...having reviewed the blog site today we also can't believe how much we've packed in!!! Thanks to everyone who's reading and commenting on the site, fabulous to hear from you! :0) Love Ju, Tim & Em xxx

Tin Town

From Rotorua we headed for Tirau, affectionately known as Tin Town as many of its shop fronts have been converted into crazy characters with clever use of corrugated iron. Here's a really cute Pukeko decorating a Gift Shop; and Em & I outside the Dog which is the tourist information centre....

Local Park

Here's the public park in Rotorua. They advise people not to walk home after dark as new craters can appear overnight!

Rotorua

Leaving Napier we headed back inland along the "Thermal Explorers" highway to Rotorua. Based around a volcanic crater lake, Rotorua is most famous for the thermal activity in and around the town. Go to the local park and you'll find wooden fences keeping the public "safe" from steaming, bubbling mud pools. There are spectacular geisers as well but alas, Autumn has set in and it was pouring with rain...