The Great Lake Escape

We're not very good at holidays.  No in fact that's an understatement, we're shocking at holidays.  We get to about day two before confiding in each other that we're actually pretty bored and would rather be at home.  To be fair we have a knack for picking the coldest, windiest days and questionable accommodation.  Not this time though my friends!  This time we got lucky on all counts and wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the summer lazing on the edge of the lake.

Friday got off to a hectic start as per usual.  Due to house sitting we hadn't been home in a month, the dogs had to be sorted out, the house cleaned, the car packed, last minute nappies changed... you get the idea.  By midday we finally hit the road, high-five to that!  After a brief stop at the Pink Pig (a well known, crusty pink truck stop diner that I've always wanted to go to) and our bellies well greased from the fries and cheese toasties, we cruised down the winding country roads until the undeniable stench of sulfur told us we were nearing our destination.  Now I don't mean to sound like a terrible cliche, but this place took my breath clean away!  Native birds were nesting in the marsh near the entrance, an old wooden dingy bobbed at the end of the long jetty, the water was clear and forever glistening... ahhhh, I could feel a years worth of stress just melt into the lake and drift away.  This was bliss, this was what we had been needing for such a long time! 

Our incredibly lovely hosts (and friends) were both natural medicine students so arrived laden with exotic vegetables (purple carrots, Chinese radishes, crispy kale), nuts, seeds and mysterious powders from faraway lands.  We ate so well, it was like a detox of the delicious kind.  In the mornings our little early bird had us up before dawn so we sat on the deck over looking the lake and waited for the sun to rise and the birds to wake up.  On the Saturday (and the actual purpose of our trip) we attended Nic's cousins wedding in the teeny tiny holiday town of Ngongotaha.  Ayana immediately got absorbed into Nic's huge extended family and lapped up every little bit of attention she was given.  She was such a trooper and made us realise that she really is incredibly adaptable and there's no reason we can't start getting more adventures with her in tow.
On Sunday evening we all agreed that we had no desire to go home yet and treated ourselves to one more evening in front of the fire after sunset.

Coming home was weird.  The house had been locked up for so long, we forgot something in the fridge so were hit by the pungent smell of an unidentifiable furry object, a small mouse family appeared to have moved in and our half unpacked bags littered the lounge.  We're slowly getting back on track and are about to throw ourselves into a huge Spring clean. 
xx
P.S I am such an incredibly lucky girl to be able to call these two clowns family!