Megan is now three years and eight months old! See Aidan's page for the full story of what we did this month.
One sunny Saturday we headed to the Waitakere Ranges, and did the Auckland City Walk - an excellent walk in part of the forest that is an open bird sanctuary. Megan impressed us all by spotting a kereru (New Zealand wood pigeon) - none of the rest of us had seen it at all! It's not the first time she's demonstrated herself to be a very sharp and observant little girl!
We had a great time at the zoo, but a lowlight for Megan was our picnic lunch. The zoo has some very bold hens strutting around freely, and when they took an interest in us she got scared and froze. It was her undoing - they took her fairy cake right out of her hands!! Apart from that she loved it, and proved her worth again as birdspotter. She particularly liked watching the monkeys in the new rainforest exhibit.
At the end of May we went on our big trip around the North Island (page 1 on Aidan's site) (page 2 on this site), visiting family and friends.
Go to: Aidan: photo page | Aidan: big trip page 1 | Megan: photo page | Megan: big trip page 2
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  Image A0026-0986 Canon PowerShot A470 1/60 sec., f/3.0 2009:05:12 07:12:58 |
Fun in the shower. Our house has only a shower - no bath - but the kids love playing in it. With the two glass sides they can clean it or draw pictures on the glass to their hearts' content. |
| Intrepid explorers head out on the Auckland City walk. |  Image 0096-0354 Canon PowerShot S45 1/60 sec., f/2.8 2009:05:16 03:09:51 UTC (c) Keith & Carolyn |
 Image 0096-0356 Canon PowerShot S45 1/30 sec., f/4.9 2009:05:16 03:20:28 UTC (c) Keith & Carolyn |
The kereru that Megan spotted. She's very observant, and it was great for us to see one for the first time! |
| Natural masterpiece. The Auckland Regional Council (the regional body responsible for parks like the Waitakeres) have put up a number of picture frames like this at picturesque spots. They're a lovely little gimmick! This is at the end of the Auckland City Walk, in the golden setting sun. |  Image C0004-1229 Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS 1/499 sec., f/2.8 2009:05:16 04:24:38 |
 Image 0096-0371 Canon PowerShot S45 1/799 sec., f/2.8 2009:05:17 00:00:46 UTC (c) Keith & Carolyn |
Megan at the Zoo! The kids both loved the Zoo. We were particularly taken by the imaginative enclosures - this was a great giraffe-eye-height walk around the African safari section. |
| Cute girl in a huff. Keith refused to carry her on his shoulders, and so she gave us the beautifully cute pout :-). |  Image 0096-0404 Canon PowerShot S45 1/39 sec., f/2.8 2009:05:17 01:27:14 UTC (c) Keith & Carolyn |
 Image 0096-0421 Canon PowerShot S45 1/99 sec., f/2.8 2009:05:17 02:50:16 UTC (c) Keith & Carolyn |
The dragon at the Zoo. Keith used to play on this concrete dragon when he was a kid, so he was delighted to see it still in use! In his day it was painted as a traditional European dragon (green and red), but it's moved with the times and is now a Chinese dragon (19% of Auckland's population are Asian, mainly south-east Asian). Great to see it being loved and appreciated by another generation - long may it survive! |
| Embarking on our trip. Taken at the motor camp in Ngongotaha, by the shores of Lake Rotorua. A very cute little cabin! |  Image 0097-0437 Canon PowerShot S45 1/99 sec., f/2.8 2009:05:22 04:39:53 UTC (c) Keith & Carolyn |
 Image C0004-1340 Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS 1/799 sec., f/3.2 2009:05:22 23:32:25 |
The amazing Huka Falls. 220 cubic metres of water goes over this drop every second, as the ice melt from the central plateau rushes out of Lake Taupo and down the Waikato River. If you look very closely on the left you'll see Keith on the viewing platform pointing at the falls while Aidan and Megan look on - Megan is wearing a pink jacket. The falls are huge! |
| On the walk out to Pencarrow. This is near the spot where the survivors of the Wahine disaster were washed ashore. You can see across the harbour to Wellington behind us. |  Image 0097-0479 Canon PowerShot S45 1/199 sec., f/3.5 2009:05:24 23:27:32 UTC (c) Keith & Carolyn |
 Image C0004-1398 Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS 1/60 sec., f/2.8 2009:05:25 02:10:02 |
Megan showing off the cardigan Grandma knitted for her. |
Go to: Aidan: photo page | Aidan: big trip page 1 | Megan: photo page | Megan: big trip page 2
