Treehouse Tales: That time we took a wee winter break and it rained and rained and we all got sick but it was fun anyway.

Explorer and sidekick.

A week or so back we headed away to Rotorua for a wee winter getaway for 4 nights. We rented a house on the lakefront, so much easier with the kiddos and it was such a beautiful setting. Everyone had their own rooms - HUGE bonus.

Five daily minutes of sibling harmony.

It was an absolutely idyllic spot and we are contemplating when we will be able to go back in summer. Isla and Lachy loved having their own beach, even if it was freezing and raining for 90% of the weekend!

Winter. They don't care. Then they were sick.

They loved running into the freezing lake and then jumping into the "sparkle" (Lachy's name for the spa pool) which they used about 12 times over the weekend.

Saturday was Francis' birthday and we braved the rain to visit Hell's Gate and I was surprised at Isla's level of interest in the thermal and volcanic activity. She soaked it up like a sponge and was busy explaining to Lachy how a geyser blows out water.


Just because I love his little mug in this one.

We just about drowned going up the gondolas and luge, but the kids wanted to go time after time. We took turns with both kids and dad was definitely the favourite with both of them telling me to "Find another hill Mama", "Go faster, catch Daddy Mama". Ha, probably the first time in my life i've been told to drive faster.

We celebrated Francis' birthday with an ice cream cake which the kids thought was fantastic, never having had one before. And as Nana Linda and Grandad Rick had joined us for part of the trip we managed an evening out and a lovely meal sans kids, something we haven't done for a very long time.

Cheeky kea, cheeky child.

On Sunday, the rain continued and we ventured out to Paradise Valley Springs to pat some lion cubs before the grandies headed home. I love to see the kids experiencing and seeing the animals but am always torn about how i feel about zoos and wildlife parks.

Nevertheless, we got to see and pat some 10.5 month old lion cubs. Even though they were babies themselves they were very keen on the children, and lunged at them several times with teeth and claws.

I just like this one because it looks like that enormous lion is going to eat our son.

More rain the next day, but we visited Rainbow Fairy Springs anyway. The three kiwis were out, easy to spot and really active - probably the most I've even seen of a kiwi in my entire life so that alone was worth the visit.

Again braving the rain we went for a walk through the Redwood Forest and then through the park in the centre of town to see some more bubbling mud and water.

I love this shot. At first glance, our cute wee guy crossing a bridge in the Redwood Forest. However, when you zoom in he is crying his head off because we walked off and left him to his tantrum. Ah little guy, we'd never leave you. For long.

Tuesday, the only fine day of the trip dawned and we left early for Ruapehu. It was an absolutely stunning day on the mountain, no wind at all in Happy Valley. The kids had a blast after an initial terrible two tantrum from the little guy. They ate snow, built a snowman (WAY harder than i thought it'd be), had a great time sledding and throwing snow balls.

We left the mountain mid-afternoon and both kids dropped off relatively quickly. Two hours later Isla woke up and was very upset, sitting in the back holding a sodden ball of tissues. We asked what was wrong and she replied "I wanted to bring a snowball home to remind me of the snow but it melted and it's not even sunny in the car".

I have such fond memories of winter trips to Rotorua and the snow when I was a kid and it's so neat seeing our two enjoy it just as much. Actually, the best part of their weekend was probably me telling them they could make as much mess as they wanted and wouldn't have to clean it up until the day we left.