Ethan turned 11! Time flies! Since we're focusing on memories instead of things we had his special day dedicated to what he wanted to do. Our stake (church area) had a dedicated temple day on Saturday so we felt it was important to go as a family to support our stake. The New Zealand temple is 2 hours away from us in Hamilton, so we got up extra early and made the long trek down to get an early start on our day of fun. Ethan wanted my homemade cinnamon rolls so we ate them in the car on the way down. Cody went in the temple for a few hours while the kids and I explored the Visitor Center and temple grounds. This temple is on the smaller side but sits on a hill and has a simple elegance. It reminds me a lot of the Los Angeles temple. We had a nice peaceful morning being on the temple grounds and I loved being there with our kids. It will be a goal of ours to include them in our temple attendance as much as possible so they can see the importance and sacredness of temples.
We then headed an hour to a beach we had read about. It was a very windy road with gorgeous green rolling hills to our destination. So windy that we had to pull over for some fresh air for Gavin and me… Kawhia Beach is a bit hidden and quite a gem! After eating a packed lunch in the car park of all of Ethan's favorite foods, we headed on our adventure. It looks like you're heading to go on a walk (hike), but then you walk up a steep hill of black sand and the ocean suddenly peaks out. There were a few big sand dunes surrounding the shore that the kids had fun running and sliding down. The reason why we chose this beach was because it is a hot water beach. Say what?! This is not a well known tourist attraction in New Zealand and mostly only locals know about this special place. It looks like a normal beautiful peaceful beach. But 2 hours surrounding low tide is where it turns into something much more than just sand and sea. The book gave us instructions of where to go and what to do. Low tide was at 4 pm that day so at 2 pm we stashed our stuff on a sandy mound of brush and toted our shovels and buckets and went to town digging near the water line. After a few minutes and some discussing, we found the jackpot! Cody dug and dug little holes for us while we claimed our territory and let the warm water wash over us. We could bury our hands and feet in the sand and be instantly heated. It was amazing!! There are sulphur pockets beneath an area of this beach which heats up the sand and creates a thermal reaction. We were the first ones there that afternoon and by the time we left there were 20-30 people gathered digging their own little thermal pockets and enjoying the warm water. We loved relaxing and lounging in the sand and water. At one point there were horses walking along the shore. It was such a quiet and calm beach. We loved it! It was one of our favorite days yet here in New Zealand and we will definitely be back!
Since the warmth was created by sulphur, we had a pretty fun smell on us =) We showered the stench and black sand off in the car park and changed into comfy clothes. We made the long trek home and stopped for some takeaways (burgers, fish & chips, and mince pies) in Hamilton. Ethan requested ice cream so we found a yummy frozen yogurt place in Takapuna to top off our fun filled day. The way to Ethan's heart is definitely through his stomach!
We then headed an hour to a beach we had read about. It was a very windy road with gorgeous green rolling hills to our destination. So windy that we had to pull over for some fresh air for Gavin and me… Kawhia Beach is a bit hidden and quite a gem! After eating a packed lunch in the car park of all of Ethan's favorite foods, we headed on our adventure. It looks like you're heading to go on a walk (hike), but then you walk up a steep hill of black sand and the ocean suddenly peaks out. There were a few big sand dunes surrounding the shore that the kids had fun running and sliding down. The reason why we chose this beach was because it is a hot water beach. Say what?! This is not a well known tourist attraction in New Zealand and mostly only locals know about this special place. It looks like a normal beautiful peaceful beach. But 2 hours surrounding low tide is where it turns into something much more than just sand and sea. The book gave us instructions of where to go and what to do. Low tide was at 4 pm that day so at 2 pm we stashed our stuff on a sandy mound of brush and toted our shovels and buckets and went to town digging near the water line. After a few minutes and some discussing, we found the jackpot! Cody dug and dug little holes for us while we claimed our territory and let the warm water wash over us. We could bury our hands and feet in the sand and be instantly heated. It was amazing!! There are sulphur pockets beneath an area of this beach which heats up the sand and creates a thermal reaction. We were the first ones there that afternoon and by the time we left there were 20-30 people gathered digging their own little thermal pockets and enjoying the warm water. We loved relaxing and lounging in the sand and water. At one point there were horses walking along the shore. It was such a quiet and calm beach. We loved it! It was one of our favorite days yet here in New Zealand and we will definitely be back!
Since the warmth was created by sulphur, we had a pretty fun smell on us =) We showered the stench and black sand off in the car park and changed into comfy clothes. We made the long trek home and stopped for some takeaways (burgers, fish & chips, and mince pies) in Hamilton. Ethan requested ice cream so we found a yummy frozen yogurt place in Takapuna to top off our fun filled day. The way to Ethan's heart is definitely through his stomach!
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