Thursday -

At abut 10AM Mum dropped me and Matthew along with lots of bags and stuff at the Woodville playground where we met the Binyons. We played for about 15 mins and then we set off to Tony and Kim’s place. Matthew rode with David and Zak in his truck and I went with Rebekah, the girls, and Caleb in her truck. We arrived and met the Medlands there and played for about 30 mins on the motorbikes. I went on the little mini bike and it looked stupid!! Then we all (except Tony and Kim who had just returned from a week long holiday in Thames) drove out to Akitio Beach and arrived for a late lunch. After lunch we went up the road to the river lagoon that flows into the ocean and played there all afternoon. I went on the biscuit and on the jet ski etc. Then we headed back for showers and tea. After tea we played arm wrestling and ball games till bed time. 

 

Friday - 

In the morning we went back to the lagoon and played around in there and then we went to the beach and played in the waves till lunch time when Tony and family arrived. After lunch we went to explore the rock pools and then went straight to the beach. I didn’t have time to put my togs and sunscreen on, so I swam in a tee and shorts and fretted all afternoon about sunburn. Turns out the worst I got was a minor tan on my arms and burnt ears. Not bad not bad. David took me back to camp to get the jet ski and then he took me in the waves on the back of it. That was so fun leaping waves and hooning around!!!!! One of the best memories by far. Tea again and then we played some Bible quiz cards before bedtime.

 

Sabbath -

We all went for a long walk from the campsite right up to the river and played in the sand and chatted to some fishermen. Mind blank here but maybe that’s all we did in the morning. Lunch and then after that we headed out to the rock pools again all afternoon and we found some amazing stuff!! We found a baby octopus, enormous sea slugs and starfish, sea centipedes, and every other imaginable thing on the planet. We were out there for hours before we heard something that sounded like a tsunami warning alarm coming from the boat club. Pretty sure it wasn’t a tsunami warning, we all raced up to the boat club and the noise was just deafening. But now it was confirmed it wasn’t a tsunami, but we were just standing around getting our eardrums blown out, wondering what it could be! Soon we saw one, then two, then three boats go out to sea and we figured it was an emergency call by the worried looks on peoples faces. 1/2 an hour later the first boat returned, and we were told it was a drowning. Pretty sad for the family that lost someone that day. By now it was tea time so we did what all humans do. We ate. After tea we talked and then went to bed. 

 

Sunday -

We woke up to the nicest sunrise anyone could wish for on their 15th birthday ;) What a blast we had that day… a birthday I will never forget for sure. We spent the morning in the lagoon on the jet ski and the biscuit. David also has this floating panel that we were standing on and David would come over with the jet ski, do a sharp turn, and we would all get absolutely blasted with water until someone wobbled and we all toppled over!! Another of my best memories… We had lunch right there which consisted of a lot of sandwiches and sand in place of salt and extra sand for good measure. After more sand we headed to the beach and everyone was too chicken to ride behind David on the jet ski (I don’t know why?!) so I took the offer instead!!! I mean why not?! Then we all went swimming in the waves and David took me for another ride on the jet ski in the waves and we really flew this time so much that we nearly tipped the thing!! Then Tony and Kim left to go home and we mucked around some more and then headed back to camp for a shower. Matthew and I and a friend went on top of David’s truck (which has a kind of rack that he ties things to - basically we had things to hang onto) down the beach and it was pretty close to flying actually. I have so many good memories and sitting on top of a truck hooning down the beach with the wind whipping through your hair on your 15th birthday is pretty near the top of my list if you ask me ;) We all had showers and then set off home. Matthew and I went home with the Binyons as we were going to stay there for a week. On the way up their track, me, the girls, and Caleb (we were riding with Rebekah) went on the jet ski that she was towing. David, Zak, and Matt said they could hear us laughing and yelling before they could hear the truck!!!!!! After some games when we got home, it was bedtime. 

 

Monday -

We all did some school together (we’re all homeschooled) and Matthew spent some time with David in his workshop helping out. Then it was lunchtime. After lunch we played board games all afternoon and played on their kids quads until tea. Then it was more board games and bed time.

 

Tuesday -

More school and board games and pretty much what we did the day before. So that was Tuesday. Yeah.

 

Wednesday -

In the morning Matthew and I helped David put up a hammock. Not a regular hammock though. It uses a pine tree and an enormous metal pole and a one ton concrete block and a wire rope to put anything to shame. The result? A hammock that goes two meters in the air and almost vertical at that. And it’s over a very green looking fishpond/paddling pool two times bigger than the hammock. By the way did I mention the hammock is one meter wide by about two meters long made of steel bars and wind cloth so thick you could hide behind it??! Not joking either. Anyway everyone had a go on it and man that was fun!! Matthew fell in when he tried to get off and we were in fits of laughter for about 10 minutes afterwards!! So now after all that its time for lunch and then after that we did some wood splitting. Matt learned to drive their twelve ton digger the day before, so I videoed him doing so. Boards games all afternoon and then tea, more games, and bed. A day to remember for sure.

 

Thursday - 

In the morning we all mucked around and got no school done at all. After lunch Rebekah took me, the girls, and Caleb to town. She dropped us at Levin playground while she did the shopping. We had heaps of fun there on the slides and swings and climbing equipment. Then we all went around to Rebekah’s mum’s house for a bit and us kids played Connect 4 for ages. By now it was 6 PM so we headed home. We picked blackberries up the track and then rode on the roof of Rebekah’s truck (which also has things to hold onto) up the track. Tea and then we set off on the quads to go play for a bit. It was getting dark so we just got headlights. I mean why wouldn’t you just get headlights if you’re hooning around on quads in the dark in the middle of nowhere?! Zak and I were playing around when we realised Matt and the girls were missing. We decided they were playing a prank so we left with Caleb and let them realise we had left them in the dark in the middle of nowhere. We came back 15 mins later to discover they didn’t care we had left them so we decided we didn’t care if they spent the night out and left them hiding. We got back to discover the dog was back (who was supposed to be with them) and decided they had walked back in 15 mins and were hiding somewhere around the house!! David called them and in they came laughing and carrying on. Let the battle begin because I had hidden the key to the motorbike and they needed to collect the trailer they had left up there. I wouldn’t give in so we all went to bed.  

 

Friday - 

Woke up to a downpour and thunder so raced across to the main house (we were staying in a hut across the driveway) and basically stayed inside all morning except for continuing the battle of hiding keys, bikes, and trailers. Matt had taken Zak’s bike and hidden it so after breakfast Zak said he thought he knew where it was so took off and 5 mins later returns with the hidden trailer to say he found his bike as well. I took him up there so he could ride his bike back and lock it in a container where we thought they couldn’t touch it. They found out where he had hidden it and we caught Leah walking to collect the key. Zak beat Leah to the key while I had raced back to get the quad. I convinced Matt to let me ride (he now had the key because we had given it to them to feed the chooks) while he rode in the trailer. Bad idea that was Matt. We got up there and I quietly unhooked the trailer while he was talking and raced off!! He was mad! Zak and I returned later to tell them they were not allowed to get in the container to discover they had broken in through a very small window at the top of the side. I don’t know how but they were in. Zak then got his motorbike out and we left them there. We both went inside to watch a christian movie and I went to find them to ask them if they wanted to come join us. I found them building a brick fort that looked really cool. Anyway they didn’t want to come so I left them to walk back. The battle was pretty much over so they came back and we all watched the movie. Then it was time for lunch. After lunch we watched another movie and did some housework. Then more, yes more, board games and it was time for tea. We did two hours of singing before bed and then it was (obviously) bedtime. 

 

Sabbath -

Matthew and I woke up about 10 AM. We went to bed at 10 PM so that was 12 hours of straight sleeping, through two alarms that each go for an hour, without even lifting an eyelid. Literally. So we hurriedly got ready for church and then left to go to Levin. After the service we met the Medlands there and we went to a river near Levin for a picnic lunch. We went for a walk/wade up the stream/river and it’s just beautiful up there. The ferns, moss, and flowing water was a picture painted in life. Then we all headed back to the Binyons as the Medlands were staying the night too. All of us kids rode on David’s truck again and we were laughing until our stomachs ached at people playing limbo with the ferns and gorse!! We stopped over at David’s brother’s place (who lives on the same track) for a bit as he is building his own house and he has the most awesome tree hut too. When we finally got back to the Binyons house, us kids all took a walk up the track a bit to the chooks. We played around all afternoon and then it was tea time. We did some more singing after tea and then went to bed.

 

Sunday -

After breakfast we mucked around on the hammock and Zak fell into the pond!! He said, “You’ll never get me in!” and we didn’t get him in but he hopped off the hammock, fell backwards onto the edge, and then just went backwards in slow-motion headfirst into the pond!!! We were laughing and laughing for ages while he hurried off to get dry! We all then proceeded to pack our stuff and headed off to a private lake up near Woodville wth some other people as well. All the kids rode on the truck again and a friend and I rode up the front. We were just laughing until we all had gut aches while dodging and diving from ferns, gorse, and tree branches all the way down the track!!! Rebekah, the girls, Caleb, and I all went in one truck while the boys went in the other truck and we all arrived about the same time which was good. We had a competition at who could stay on a biscuit the longest behind a jet ski and some crazy drivers, and I was second out of three. We did heaps of kayaking around and jumping off the small dock. Lunch, and then more goofing around before it was time to say goodbye. Our Uncle came to pick us up and one of the most epic holidays ever came to an end. We will both never forget this and the fun memories made with some amazing people. Next expedition is planned in about three weeks. Not kidding… 

 

 

Word, human, and place glossary:

 

The Binyons - A family that we know. David and Rebekah, and Zak, Leah and Jasmine (the girls), and Caleb. They are basically a one-family circus with kayaks for China and a jet ski along with everything else you could want.

Tony and Kim - Another family we know with three little children - Matthew, Lachlan, and Annalise.

The Medlands - And yet another family. Peter and Lisa, and David, Isaac, and Michelle.

The Binyon’s track, house, and surrounds - They live about 20 mins from Levin in the hills and their track is very long with ferns and gorse growing along the sides so if you were to stick your head out the window, you’d get a face full of it! There are quite a few tracks around their place where we can play and ride motorbikes.

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