I don't know why this happens, but Easter is usually a glorious long summery weekend of holiday time and then everyone goes back to work the following week, the clocks go back and winter hits. It's as sudden as that. Easter weekend is always like the last party of summer.
Anyway, we got a glorious long summery weekend of holiday in the Hawkes Bay this Easter with the Auckland whanau. Mark, Sam, Darren, Beth, Matthew & Daniel joined us at a bach we'd booked on the Kevern Walker vineyard near Hastings.
It was a gorgeous little spot. We had a sheltered little garden with enough space for the boys to play cricket, soccer, ride bikes etc. Plus a vineyard all around us to walk in (play tag in, bike in, quad bike around, etc). And 4 outdoor tables which meant the children could be put on one side of the garden to eat and the adults could sit on the other side - just far away enough not to see the bad table manners ;) !
Over the weekend we spent quite a bit of time along the coast. One day we walked along the promenade around Napier while the kids all scootered - and we bumped into some friends from Wellington! Another day we sat on the beach admiring the view to Cape Kidnappers while the boys threw stones into the sea. Then we laughed while they filled Jake's pants up with rocks (I'm still not sure why?).
But the best day of all was the one we spent at Abbey Cellars vineyard. In fact we enjoyed it so much we spent 5 hours here!
There was live music and we brought a picnic and drank wine in the sun. We also sang a lot (sorry all you other customers). The singer was clearly brought up in the same era as us (think Tears for Fears, Wham, etc). Meanwhile the children just ran around and climbed trees and seemed more than happy to do this for 5 hours.
We only saw them when they popped back to get food from our picnic table every so often!
And as if that wasn't enough, Darren, Mark and I went to visit another vineyard next door one evening! If you ever want a recommendation for some yummy wine, I highly recommend it. Alpha Domus Winery - they take online orders. I came away with some sparkling Cumulus and and the Barnstormer Syrah, and Darren bought virtually their entire supply of Navigator - but I do believe they will be making some more soon!
And then came Easter Day. Of course the Easter Bunny finds children wherever they are in NZ. In the past the bunny has found us in Wellington, in Himatangi, in Kaitoke Regional Park... and this year in Hawkes Bay. So there was a very exciteable hour of hunting around the garden in the morning, and rather a lot of eggs were collected!
A trip up Te Mata Peak is a must when you're in the Hawkes Bay. Just stunning. We watched a paraglider who ran off the top, and some crazy mountain bikers going down a near-vertical path, and enjoyed the view for a while. But next time we're at Te Mata Peak I will make sure we leave time to do some of the walking trails there.
Back at the bach/vineyard, there were animals everywhere to keep the kids entertained. A couple of farm cats who didn't seem to mind being hauled about, horses, farm dogs, and a gorgeous Shetland pony to feed grass to...
And there you have it. Lots of fun, lots of sun, lots of wine, lots of chocolate, lots of laughter. What more could you want for an Easter break?!
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