Zak Meets Jacinda

Zak met Prime Minister Jacinda Adern at the Taite Music Prize presentation this evening. 

I wonder what was going through his mind. I remember when he met All Black great Richie McCaw he wasn't impressed because the flag Richie gave him was a bit munted. OK, so he was only about 5 then. But what does a 14 year old boy think about meeting the Prime Minister? I'll have to ask him when he gets home.  

Zak likes MTB

A great video of Zak on his bike at Whareroa Farm on Good Friday. 

 

Easter Egg Hunt

Park to Path Fun Walk

The sun was shining this morning and Zak had agreed to walk 6km with Nisa, Rayna and I. The Park to Path event was organised by the Kapiti Coast District Council and there were even participant numbers containing electronic tags so everyone's time could be recorded. The four of us started off at a walk but only three of us walked the whole way.  Within a few metres of the start line Zak strode off ahead off us and then I saw him running up the only hill on the course and disappearing off into the distance. About 25 minutes later he passed us as he returned along the trail to the finish line. Zak took only 33 mins to complete the 6k while Nisa, Rayna and I strolled over the finish line in 1h5m. He was very pleased when the times were posted and he saw that he was a top ten finisher.

 

Ticket to Ride

A great way to both give and receive is to give a game as a gift and then join in the fun of playing it. I gave Zak & Alison the game Ticket to Ride Europe for Christmas and have played a few games with them.  It's a great strategy game and Zak, 12 turned 13, picked it up quickly and understands how it works. We had a game on Sunday as I've started supervising him alternate Sundays while Alison works. First we had a game of squash then a game of Ticket to Ride and it was a fun way to hang out with him. 

 

Easter

The first 9 days of April, and heading into mid-autumn, have been the best weather-wise in the three months since I moved to Wellington. The weather forecasters predicted bad weather over most of Easter but they were completely wrong and Wellington has sparkled under blue skies.

We celebrated the end of the first term at Amesbury School by going out to dinner at a restaurant at Queens Wharf. We watched a Cook Strait ferry arrive as a full moon emerged over the harbour at dusk - beautiful.

On Good Friday I spent an hour and a half at Wellington airport catching up with a friend who had a stopover on her way back to Australia after a visit to Christchurch. For once I was happy about a flight delay as her plane departed Wellington half an hour later than scheduled and we fitted in a little more chat time.

I went up to Raumati South yesterday for some family and chocolate time. Alison and I hid 59 little Easter chocolates around the deck area for Zak and her partner's son Bronson to find. The final tally was one chocolate to the dog, 56 chocolates to the boys and two chocolates still missing because we couldn't remember where we hid them all. Oh well, 56 chocolates was more than enough, especially as Zak had already demolished most of a large chocolate rabbit after his bowl of cereal at breakfast time.

After some backyard badminton and a fresh from the tree, crunchy apple each (a token gesture at something nutritious) we headed down to the beach. I shivered just at the thought of the water temperature but the others, all hardier souls than I, went swimming, while I enjoyed people watching and the view. The South Island was clearly visible in the distance and from Raumati Beach there is a beautiful view up and down the coast and across to Kapiti Island.

Ears gone, five minutes later only legs left.