Happy Halloween, everyone!  What a great couple of days we've had!  Halloween in Australia has REALLY taken off this year.  It is only the second year that orange, carving pumpkins are available in Griffith.  The lady at the party supply store told me Halloween has increased 40% in Australia this year.  My teacher friends think that Halloween has gone CRAZY.  My response...."Seriously?  What part is crazy?"  (There are only 2 little stands in the middle of the aisle at the Big W(like Walmart).)  Anyway....it's been a blast!

As you know, Kent has been growing his hair since January.  It's really cute but is also getting hot and is in the way during cricket.  We decided he would keep it long until school pictures were done and his friend's Halloween party was over....Kent went as a cute little girl named Kendra!  I had to cut his fringe (bangs) and his hair looked great!

We snuck away from school in a hurry on October 30, and got the long locks cut off.  It was 32C and we had just spent 4+ hours outside for sport so I don't think Kent was too sad to see the hair lying on the floor!  Now...how long before Dean has short hair?!

I was very excited to be able to carve pumpkins outside this year.  The entire week has been mid 20s to mid 30s!  Cody was too 'big' to carve pumpkins this year but the three littles did a great job!  We lit them with glowsticks.  Do you think Kent has a crush on his mates?! 

Rather than go Trick or Treating around town, we had a family Halloween party at home.  We wore Halloween shirts, ate fingers, mummies, barf sauce and blood for supper, and then the boys went out trick or treating with Dad.  While they were gone, I had 28 kids come Trick or Treating to the house!  They were a very scary bunch!

Just when my bowl of treats ran out and I turned out my lights, my family returned from Trick or Treating!  They had a super night and had full bags to dump on the floor and sort through.  They were most excited about Canadian carmels, Coffee Crisps and suckers with big lips! 

After we looked through the boys' candy to check for poison and razor blades, the boys got to stay up late and watch a movie.  (Yes Grandmas....I know that says Rated M and I know that they're 5 and 7!)

It's now 9:30pm.  They are tired, full of sugar, no one has done homework (except Khye who LOVES writing about the pink bear!) and they are all happy.  Tomorrow morning WILL be a different story!  Wish me luck!

Happy Australian Halloween!

****Update****  After a couple of phone calls home, it is apparent that I need to clarify a few things!  The only real trick or treaters at Boongarra Farm were our own boys!  We took the costume boxes outside and they just kept changing and would return to my door for more treats!  Oops...guess my weird sense of humour was getting in the way again!  :)

I really hate to say it but our time here is winding down!  There are only 9 weeks to go until we fly home to the cold, the snow, 6 more months of school and...oh ya, our family that we miss so much!  (Ok, that part will be good.  The other stuff...not so much!  I also know that no one really feels sorry for us!)  We received 2 parcels on Wednesday full of Halloween treats, letters, pictures and gifts that we requested.  Thanks, Mom and Lori, for helping us out and for thinking of the boys at Halloween!

Sorry to everyone else at home, but I think we are all most excited to meet our little nephew and cousin, Kason.  Seriously, could he be any cuter?!  I just want to kiss that toothless mouth and squeeze him tight!  (Yes, I'm going to be one of THOSE Aunties!)

Since returning from New Zealand, October has been chaotic!  I was warned that Term 4 would be like that.  It's like May/June at home but with a BIG end of year concert to add to the pressure!  Actually, I'm feeling really good about everything at home and at school right now which is excellent because we are able to really enjoy our last weeks here.

The boys and Howard are playing on 6 cricket teams and 3 touch football teams.  Add another 4 practice days and it's a pretty full week.  We also have a list of things that we still want to squish in before we go and we had better start working on those!  Time is flying!

The boys have been spending every possible minute with their friends at play days and sleepovers.  They are trying to fit a lifetime into a few weeks.

The Griffith citrus sculptures were on display a couple of weeks ago.  We took the boys downtown after school to snap a few pictures. 

There has been a lot going on at school too.  We have had an Aladdin performance, another disco, and several assemblies.  Colt and Khye are taking swim lessons every Wednesday, Cody golfs and Kent has games both on Fridays. 

Assessments have started and Colt loves to show his perfect spelling tests.  Khye's class is taking turns bringing home toys that they play with and then write about.  On Friday night, I was about to give him heck for not getting ready for bed but he was doing his writing and had already finished 4 sentences and a picture without any help!  Cool!

We've had a fairly relaxed weekend.  Kent's best mates were both out of town and we told the boys that there would be no sleepovers this weekend.  We've caught up on lots of jobs around the house and yard and are getting ready for our own little Halloween party this week.  We might even have Canadian company next week, so we're getting ready for that too.  Five Irma boys are playing fastball with Team Canada in Argentina.  We're going to be watching and cheering for them. 

And so, that's what's going on around here.  We are trying our hardest to slow down the clock so that we can fit in all our last minute plans.  Looking forward to all of the exciting events on our calendar and we're going to pack in as much as we can!   JJ

After a campfire lunch, some boys took a quick swim, a couple went back to the track and most just lazed around.  We parents tried to collect and sort the treasures belonging to our 13 overtired cherubs and then we relaxed with dessert and (more) drinks!  It was a super weekend (was it really only 20 hours?!?!)  and something that we should do more of at home in Canada with our friends.  We all talk about spending more time visiting but we all go about our busy lives and just never get there.  Maybe next year?!?

Thank you, Tiz, Glenn, Nicole, Lucas and Reece, for setting up tents, arranging food and hosting all 22 of us this weekend.  I'll be ready to host anytime you show up on my doorstep!  JJ

September 22-October 7 marked our last travel opportunity of 2012.  The debate was on....where should we go?  I voted for the west coast because we haven't yet ventured past the middle of Australia.  Howard voted for New Zealand.  Well, anyone who knows Howard knows that he never asks for much so.....New Zealand it was.  What a fantastic choice!

We arrived in Christchurch on Sunday, September 23, only 2 days after their most recent 2 after shocks.  We picked up our motorhome, found a campsite and bought groceries.  The most exciting part of the day for the boys was finding a Smiggle shop right beside the food court in the mall!  (Smiggle is a brand of children's school supplies.  Nothing fancy but it's over priced and all the rage with young kids in Australia right now!)  With little time to spare, we promised to stop back on Monday.

On Tuesday morning, we drove to the museum to take part in the Red Zone tour.  It is a bus tour that travels into the most earthquake damaged areas of Christchurch.  For 45 minutes we drove around in disbelief.  It has been 19 months since the worst earthquake hit Christchurch and they still have so far to go.  The general public is not allowed into the Red Zone and many shop owners have never been back to their stores since February, 2011.  We watched as a tall hotel began its demolition.  Other buildings that look far beyond repair are still standing because they are historic and, therefore, are the centre of debate.

After the tour and a quick run through the botanic gardens, we headed out into the New Zealand countryside for the first time.  Our destination was Akaroa (just southeast of Christchurch) and it was a beautiful but curvy drive.

We arrived in Akaroa much earlier than we had anticipated so were able to relax and even visit with the neighbours, David and Karen, from Adelaide.  The plan for Wednesday was to swim with the dolphins.  Once again, we paid hundreds of dollars (but only a quarter of the time) to discover that Mom gets REALLY seasick REALLY quickly!

We chose to swim with the dolphins in Akaroa because they come into the bay and it is much calmer there......except for this time of the year when they continue to swim several hundred meters out in the wavy ocean!  The water was about 12 C so Howard, Cody, Kent and I were dressed from head to toe in a thick wetsuit.  (The little boys came on the boat to watch for dolphins but were too young to swim.  Turns out, Khye was again very nervous just being on the boat.)  Long story short, Howard was determined to get our money's worth and brave the icy waters to have the dolphins swim past him.  Cody jumped in, lasted a minute and was out again before any dolphins even spotted our boat.  Kent stepped in the ocean up to his knees and decided it was WAY too cold to jump in.  The little boys stayed inside the boat hugging a stuffed dolphin and drinking hot chocolate and Mom....well, I held up the windowsill, stared at the coastline and waited for it to all be over.  I am such a party pooper!  Grrr!

After swimming with the dolphins (or not...) we drove west and south to Timaru.  Dad, you would have been very excited to stay at our campground.  There was some kind of IH gathering/tour.  All of the men were about your age and were driving big, restored IH trucks with tractors, etc. on their flatbeds.  It was quite a sight and they looked to be having quite a good time!

From Timaru, we continued south along the coastline.  How amazing!  To our right were foothills, mountains and farmyards.  To our left were the paddocks of sheep or dairy cows and the ocean!  Everything was so green and beautiful!  We agree that this is what we imagine Ireland or Scotland to look like.  (An Irish lady in Dunedin confimed this but thinks that NZ is even MORE rolling, green and beautiful than Ireland!)  I could buy sheep and live here.......sigh.

Between Timaru and our destination, Dunedin, is an amazing little stop.  The Moeraki boulders are a strange and amazing creation.  Dozens of spherical rocks litter the shore with more being revealed as the cliff erodes away.  Bizarre but cool!

During the Easter holidays, we toured the Cadbury chocolate factory in Tasmania.  In New Zealand, we took another tour through Cadbury's smallest (but very productive and yummy) factory in Dunedin.  This time, we were actually guided through the production areas and saw the "roses", "snowballs" and Easter eggs literally rolling off the lines.  We were given heaps of samples and a cup of melted chocolate.  So delicious!

We really enjoyed the sights and beauty in Dunedin but it was time to move on.  On Saturday morning, we headed south and west to Te Anau.  We left behind the coast and dairy cows and were now surrounded by large lakes and fjords. 

No cameras were allowed inside the caves because the worms prefer dark and quiet.  The walk inside the cave was even more amazing than the worms.  There were waterfalls, whirlpools and amazing rock formations.  Deep inside the cave, we climbed into a small boat and journeyed in complete darkness and silence to the back of the cave where we found the glowworms.  The guide was gently pulling us along using a rope that was secured to the cave ceiling.  When we approached the worms, she brought us up super close and turned the boat round and round so that everyone could get a good look.  Later, we found out that poor little Khye was scared because he thought she had gotten lost in the dark and couldn't find her way out of the cave!  The brave little boy couldn't ask questions because he had been told there was no talking allowed!

Saturday was also a very important day in the sporting world.  It was Grand Final day for Australian Rules Footy and Cody's Sydney Swans were playing against Kent's Hawthorn Hawks!  Because we were in New Zealand, no one cared about the AFL game!  Unfortunately, our glowworm tour was booked for the same time as kickoff.......uuuhhg!  So, when the boat reached the docks back in Te Anau, we (literally) raced across the street to the Moose pub to catch the last 17:00 of the game.  Hawthorn was winning by 10 points or so.

The big screen TV was tuned to rugby (NZ's pride and joy) and no one was watching it!  Around the corner, there were many Aussie tourists watching a smaller TV.  There was no room left for chairs so we sat on the floor and stood in the corner out of the way.  As the time wound down, the Sydney Swans came on strong and won the game 91-81.  Cody was jumping around and hooting with the other Swan supporters and poor Bubby was slinking farther into the corner.  So happy for one boy and so sad for the other!  It was a great day!

When planning our trip to New Zealand, several people told us to go to Milford Sound.  It's a half day trip through the fjords.  It's also another half day of driving and we would have to double back to Te Anau.  Our camping neighbours in Akaroa had suggested that Doubtful Sound was even more beautiful, was a full day trip and was only 20 minutes from Te Anau so.....Doubtful Sound it was!  (And can you believe we're only halfway through our holiday!!)

Early Sunday morning, we drove 20 minutes south to Manapouri.  There, we boarded a boat and travelled across Lake Manapouri.  The weather was cold and very wet but made for countless amazing waterfalls!  We travelled over Wilmot Pass in coaches and then, at Deep Cove (pop. 1), we boarded the catamaran for a three hour cruise through Doubtful Sound to the Tasman Sea and back.  Back on the busses, we stopped to visit the Manapouri Underground Power Station and then it was back on the boat to Manapouri. 

It was a very full day.  The waters were fairly calm except for the 10 minutes travelling at the edge of the Tasman Sea.  The boys played cards and looked around.  Howard took pictures and looked after everyone.  I sat fairly still and enjoyed the sights.  When the water was super calm, I was brave enough to walk outside and take a few pictures.  For hikers and outdoor enthusiasts, the fjords would provide a lifetime of adventure.  We were lucky to see them on a wet day because many of the waterfalls dry up one or two days after the rains stop.

Queenstown is THE place for adventure in New Zealand.  Bungy jumping, jet boats, free falls/swings...you name it!  We are a pretty cautious bunch and have very young kids so our idea of adventure is a little tame!  We took the gondola to the top of the hill overlooking the city and then took the chair lifts even higher.  At the top is a luge track on cement.  We raced down the hill and around the curves.  It was so much fun that we had to buy more passes and go several more times!  The weather turned cold and it started to rain again so that added to the adventure.  I came into "the pits" a little too quickly and did a little hydro-planing.  That was enough excitement for me!

We walked our little gang downtown for Thai food for supper and then went to the movies.  That's as adventurous as we get!

Our destination on Tuesday was Franz Josef with a stop at Wanaka to visit PuzzlingWorld.  So much fun!  There were pictures to look at, rooms to walk through, mazes to explore and puzzles to try.  One of the rooms even made some of us nauseous because of its trick floors and activities! 

The drive to Franz Josef was long but beautiful.  The scenery changed completely several times. 

Wednesday had no real plans.  We drove farther up the west coast to the northernly town of Westport.  We made one stop at the village of Punakaiki.  They have an amazing, unexplained coastline with "pancake" rocks.  On a sunnier day, I imagine they would rival the stops along the Great Ocean Road.

On Thursday, Howard was suspicious when I again signed us up for a tour that required wetsuits!  This time it was at UnderWorld Adventures in Charleston.  Colt, Khye and I spent the day on a 3km hike through an amazing cave system.  I was glad we had our guide because, even with rope sidewalks, I was completely turned around in there.  While we walked only 3km, there are 8km of trails in this one cave!  At the back of the cave was another glowworm grotto.  This time, instead of being in total darkness and silence, we marched right in with our headlamps on and talking all the while.  When our guide instructed us to turn off our lamps, we were shocked to see the millions of glowing blue/green lights of the glowworms right above our heads!  This made the Te Anau glowworm cave look like a little night light! 

Howard, Cody and Kent took almost the same route as we did into the cave but they were dressed in thick wetsuits and they had to carry innertubes!  Instead of following us into the glowworm grotto, they dropped their tubes into a river in the cave and floated silently through the darkness staring up at the glowworms.  It looked like the Milky Way!  At the end of the cave, they made one more little hike and then dropped their tubes into another river and rafted back to our meeting spot.  Looks like the wetsuit adventure was worth the money this time!

After a full day of hiking, caving and tubing, our group was tired.  They all slept for the majority of our drive to Hanmer Springs.  The town of Hanmer Springs has a facility with 15 hot pools, 3 waterslides and a kids' play area.  The plan was to spend the entire day there on Friday.....but once again, plans change!

Thursday's drive was wet and Friday proved no different.  We used the hot pools from 10:00-1:00.  They were great but the freezing cold wind made it hard to enjoy the kid areas of the park.  We left to get some lunch and buy a few souvenirs.  Howard took the boys mini golfing while I got a few minutes to shop on my own.  The rain had stopped but the wind was outrageous!

When we returned to the hot pools at 4:00pm, the ladies were just closing the doors.  They were closing the facility due to the high winds and now rain.....something they only have to do on very rare occasions!  Seriously!?!  So....back to the campsite for hot showers and a movie while the rain continued to pound down on our rooftop.

Saturday was the day to pack up and head back to Christchurch.  We dropped off the motorhome and spent the night at a really great apartment hotel.  It was bigger than our home in Canada!

The boys enjoyed the quiet, relaxing time and I was able to wash all the clothes, repack for our early flight and finish my 3rd book.

We were up at 4:15 am to catch our flight back to Sydney and then drove the 6 hours home after that.  With the time change, it made for a very long day!

We travelled only 2100km around the south island of New Zealand but we feel like we really were able to "see" it.  Parts of the west coast did resemble BC but other parts were more like the Albertan foothills or Ireland or Scotland.  It is an amazingly beautiful country and it has so many long hikes and high adventure activities that I am sure we'll be back when the boys are older.  It was an excellent way to spend our last big travel opportunity of the year!

There are heaps more pictures under MORE.  JJ