Ohope for a quick stopover

Its 21.50 and everyone apart from LLoyd is still awake.  Matthew is playing with his new torch, and seems in no rush  to go to sleep.  Steve is talking about fishing all the time, today he purchased a fishing rod and equipment, so I expect I wont be seeing much more of him this holiday!  I'll just have to ensure the route goes inland now and again  so I get some help with the kids!!!

We spent most of the day either on the road or feeding kids today.  We are now at Ohope Beach, in the Bay of Plenty.  We are parked up overlooking the beach, and can hear the waves crashing as I speak. Its quite nice!  Lloyd has spent most of today with no clothes on again.  It is very hot still, I have to cover both the boys in sunscreen every morning.

We have decided to cook in the kitchens on the campsites wherever possible.  It is safer than trying to cook in the motorhome with Matthew running around.  The people you meet are extremely friendly, there is a much better atmosphere than would be present in the UK.  On the streets of New Zealand people are also very friendly, again different to what I have seen in UK. 

The lifestyle here seems quite laid back, and the scenery even on the north island is spectacular.  It seems a beautiful place to live, if a little remote at times.  Im not sure what jobs would be around in the Bay of Plenty, I suspect you would need to be self-employed or not want a significant career to live here.

At present, surprisingly, I still prefer Denmark in Australia to what I have seen here.  I think it was the coastline that did it for me, I had never seen a coastline like that before.  It all makes me think about where we are going with our lives.  When we are in England we are swept along by the rat race we live in, with no time to stand back and assess what is right and what is wrong.  I think of the built up area of Leigh-on-Sea, lovely though it is.  I think of the houses overlooking us all around, the crush of the people on the train, and the general gloom of winter time.  It is a sharp contrast to the present.  But I am careful to see that this is a holiday, and not a true reality of life on the southern hemisphere.

I am starting to think of what I want from life, what I want for myself and my family.  Luckily I have the time to look at it closely, and hopefully come to decisions which will improve our quality of life.