Paua Hut for Guy Fawkes in 36 lines

by

Date: 5 November 2011.
Trip type: Family.
Location: Paua Hut, Rimutaka Forest Park .
Author: Mike Gilbert .
Trampers: Mike, Angela, Toby, Beth, Taylor, Carly, Christian, Constanze, Gustav, Moritz, Rowena, Erika, Mary, Rex, Tim, Max, Richard, Hamish, Nick, Marg, Iona, Charlie.

What happens if you take a whole lot of comments from everyone on the trip and just mash them together?

Paua 2jpgPaua 1There were so many favourite parts:

  • fireworks
  • having left over pudding for breakfast
  • everyone gathered round the bonfire
  • roasting marshmallows and damper
  • fireworks display and sparklers
  • sleeping in the tent
  • jelly beans
  • the company
  • kids being busy mucking around
  • having a blast building dams
  • playing “families”
  • counting bridges
  • my kids being exhausted enough to sleep in a tent!!
  • my kids really enjoyed the river crossing
  • singing songs (badly and loudly)
  • the swing
  • the scenery and weather
  • Gustav’s admiration of Taylor (who was playing very hard to get!)
  • Carly (2.5 yrs) walking almost all the way in and all the way out and announcing to those behind her “follow me mateys” in her best pirate voice
  • the kids all taking turns in the buggy racing over the midway bridge (fun with baby buggies!)
  • watching the boys make the dam in the river
  • everyone helping each other out with carrying gear, pushing (and carrying!!) the buggy, carrying kids over water
  • weather forecast coming true
  • I can bring my 3 year old next time
  • the fire, dam building and fireworks. I am fairly sure even some kids enjoyed it (not just the dads)
  • sleeping in til 7.30!
  • the dinner and dessert – there was plenty and it tasted mighty good
  • that all the kids seemed happy to be around anyone – I saw little of Hamish when we were walking, he had a great time walking up ahead at his own pace.
  • we had a great time, thanks all for a neat weekend
  • it was a constant cute-fest with pirate-Carly demanding I’M THE MATEY
  • I’m still stunned that Beth made it both there and back with that buggy and didn’t once collapse with exhaustion.
  • it was the first time I’ve ever seen bread baked on the end of a stick and over a fire
  • I realised the true and never-ending power of jellybeans
  • I also realised how a simple  game of ‘Hide the Hat’ could keep kids enthused for quite some time
  • basically, the weather rocked, the company rocked and my back held its temper.

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