Recipe for a Great Family Adventure

Instructions:
Take one city-bound TV-overdosed family; put them in a people-mover crammed with gear and stick them on the highway heading north for a weekend at the beach, far removed from civilisation.

Holiday weekend adventure with Gail from Delightfully Diva-ish and family {+dog!}

Add one cyclone and some blocked roads.
Mix together with some great friends, a sense of humour and a large dose of flexibility.
{if possible make sure these friends come equipped with at least two great kids. If they also own the smartest dog in the world, even better}

Make sure to have well-charged cellphones and plenty of credit.

Keep driving north on the back roads, avoiding floods and landslides. Use camera regularly.

To keep things interesting while stuck in tailbacks, you can try playing snap, i-spy or having backseat fun fights (warning - wiggly teeth may be lost in the scuffle)

  

After baking in crowded vehicles for four hours, release some steam with the help of the smartest dog in the world and a pet-friendly motel.

Thanks to Kristy (PaisleyJade) for being willing to open her home to us at short notice! And yay for getting to meet Jacksta B as well! (PJ was meant to come to the beach for a BBQ, but the cyclone dashed our plans)

Take the city-folk and mix well with some locals.
Make sure they are flexible and also have a great sense of humour, so that when you phone and say, Can nine people and the smartest dog in the world come over for dinner at your house? they are likely to say, "Why certainly!" and invite some more friends as well.
It helps if these locals are well-loved crafty bloggers with sociable husbands, a collection of cute kids and the best backyard in the world.

{Carefully avoid mixing the dogs.}

When the roads clear the next morning, proceed to the coast as soon as you can wipe the sleep from your crusty eyes, and stock up on last minute provisions.

Carry seventeen loads of paraphernalia down 160 steps; try to avoid tripping over any toddlers. Or dogs. Dress the kids in their swimmers, slap on sunscreen and send them to the beach with their daddies.

Throw open the doors and windows of your classic kiwi bach and take in the view.

Breathe in deeply and make a cup of tea. Or two. You made it. Now let the fun begin...

You can flavour your beach weekend with your favourite combination of...

 Al fresco dining... {BBQ'd prawns, steamed mussels-from-the-rocks and wine}

 Hanging out with your favourite people... in the most beautiful spot on God's Earth...

 Chilling. Swimming. Crab-hunting. Rock-pooling. Rock-fishing. Musseling. Reading. Sand-sculpturing.

Enjoy the stunning beauty of a classic kiwi beach...

{if some annoying people set up camp right below your deck, you can send your daughter to climb the tree they are sitting under and sing Miley Cyrus really really loud... but they probably won't take the hint...}

Top off a great day with a sunset walk on the beach... with the smartest dog in the world {warning - your children will once again start begging you for a dog...}


Leonie from KiwiatHeart, recently returned to NZ from living in Oz... how great to meet her and her lovely family!


And just when you think it can't get any better... the cherry on top. More bloggy friends wander up the beach and join you for brunch. What a lovely surprise. The kids make friends for life. Little Bloggers just starting out come face-to-face with other kid bloggers... ex-pats rediscover the joys of being back in Kiwi Land... and how easy it is to make friends... {and I got to splash Leonie!}

Some Do's And Don'ts for making the most of an Adventurous Weekend

• DON'T go back home when the phone rings and you are warned "Don't leave Auckland" - stay on the road and figure something out.
• DON'T forget your crochet coffee cup sleeves. You never know when you will need them.
• DON'T think taking the dog on holiday is too hard. A dog makes a wonderful beach companion.
• DON'T forget the sunscreen. Or the mozzie spray.
• DON'T lose your cool when your toddler upends a bucket of sand over your head. It will wash out of your hair. Eventually.
• DON'T get too upset when your kids are making you wonder why you had them  brought them after just an hour of landing at the beach. Talk to your wise friend. She will remind you that they are kids and we all have them.

• DO make another cup of tea and sit in the sunshine. Soon the sounds of happy laughter will drift up and reassure you that your friend is so right.
• DO buy more orange juice than what you think you'll need. And lemonade. And bottled water. You never know when you might have unexpected guests.
• DO plan a menu that requires as little time in the kitchen as possible. BBQs. Hamburgers. Popcorn.
• DO keep your cool when your child has a tantrum when the other kids are asleep and you have settled in for a nice friendly non-competitive grownup game of cards...
• DO consider a dog.

Best weekend EVER!