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| Hobbiton |
Kia Ora from New Zealand! We arrived in Wanganui, on the North Island, in July for a year's stay. It has been an adjustment living abroad, but we have adapted amazingly well. We are treasuring all of our family time and enjoying this year of adventure!
Julia is five and a half and started at Aranui Primary School in July. She completed her first term of Year One in a small classroom of five new-to-school students and was moved to a bigger classroom for the final term of the year. She will move up to Year 2 when she returns to school in February and is looking forward to getting back to work. She has learned to read (with a NZ accent!) and is enjoying her maths too. Her favourite thing about school is playing on the playground with her new friends. She is taking ballet class down here, too, and was a "Star" in their production of Peter Pan. Her favourite things about New Zealand are: the Agrodome in Rotorua (a sheep and shearing show) and her new stuffed sheep named Lamb-y.
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| School field trip to Lake Virginia |
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| Our Star! |
Ben is eight and settled right into school in Year 3 and joined the Aranui Inter-school football (soccer) team. He even qualified for the Inter-school Cross Country team, too. Their school spends a lot of time outside running and exploring. There are many field trips and spend as much time outside as possible. A benefit to this great weather down here! He has enjoyed hiking and canoeing the Whanganui River with Mama and fishing around Taupo with Daddy and Boppa. He is really getting into all things Hobbit and LOTR. His favourite things about New Zealand are: the Embassy theatre in Wellington, the new Hobbit movie - The Desolation of Smaug, and frozen Cokes.
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| The Bridge to Nowhere |
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| The big all-city meet |
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| The sweetest Hobbits ever! |
Mimi, age 13, attended Wanganui Intermediate School for terms 3 and 4 in Year 8 and will move up to Year 9 in the new year. She'll join Ellie at Wanganui Girls' College in February when the new term begins. She enjoyed class trips to Lake Taupo and Hastings. She and her friends can be found downtown at the shops, the movies, or the beach on weekends we're in town. She's continuing her dance studies and has made great strides in the very formal and intense dance school in which the girls are enrolled. She was a mermaid and a flower in Peter Pan. Her favourite things about New Zealand are: Hobbiton, the Kiwi accent, and frozen Cokes.
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| Mimi found "the ring" on "Mt Doom"! |
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| Fun at the Agrodome in Rotorua |
Ellie, age 16, joined Wanganui Girls' College as a Year 12, which means that next term, as a Year 13, technically she'll be a senior?! (But thankfully, when she returns to Milbank, she'll be a junior.) She enjoyed her Fashion and Design, Food and Nutrition, Photography, and Geography classes at WGC, as well as her time in the Learning Center completing her online work for Milbank High School. She has also enjoyed time with her new friends at the beach and even ran in the Mud Muster with them. Ellie is also taking dance down here and has classes most nights of the week. She also was a mermaid in the recital. Her favourite things about New Zealand are: the friendly people, their laid-back ways, their comfortable fashion and frozen Cokes.
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| Fun run! |
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| Sweet as! |
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| Following in the footsteps of the wizards on a LOTR tour |
Cris has been working at Wanganui Accident and Medical (WAM), navigating the New Zealand healthcare system. He really likes the people he works with, but the high volume and fast pace make it difficult to get to know the patients very well. He's enjoying the sabbatical, no call, and travelling throughout New Zealand. His favourite things about New Zealand have been: learning about rugby, seeing the Middle Earth locations, and all the entertaining Kiwi slang!
I have been keeping busy getting everyone where they need to be, when they need to be there! With only one car for our family (a flash, blue Mazda Premacy - haha), I'm always driving someone somewhere. I've mastered driving on the left and know my way around this town. The grocery stores were interesting to figure out (many of the produce items have different names and even things with the same name are sometimes different) but I seem to know my way around there as well. I've enjoyed helping out with field trips at Aranui school. With all the kids at school, the days alone pass quickly by with travel planning and errands. I've even been able to catch up on some reading. My favourite things about New Zealand are: tramping (hiking), shell seeking on the beach, all the family time and the much, much slower pace.
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| Mt. Ruapehu |
Christmas blessings to all of our family and friends wherever you are this holiday season!!
Cheers!
Cris, Nancy, Ellie, Mimi, Ben and Julia
