The Misadventures of Kai and Pixel »

For an adventure on my birthday, I took Kai and my two nephews on a pirating adventure — at least that’s how I sold it.  We walked from Haruru Falls (where Rachel and Shonty live) to Paihia on the Waitangi Track, a 6-kilometre trail through a mangrove swamp and forests.  My tough little nephew Vinnie managed the whole rocky, gravelly, uneven trail with no shoes (he doesn’t wear them), but when we got to the golf course at the end of the trail, he decided the grass was far too prickly for his feet.  Nothing a little ice cream couldn’t fix.

From Paihia, we took the ferry to Russell, and the pirates helped to sail the ferry across to the waiting pirate ship, aka the R. Tucker Thompson, a tail sailing ship.  The scary pirate captain got the boys in line, and they helped with the rigging and ate all of the pirate food.  After a beautiful two-hour sail, we returned to Paihia.  Facing exhaustion, Kai and Vinnie chose to run around like mad men while the adults had a drink.  Sure enough, pirate day ended with a bloody nose and fat lip for Kai as he stumbled against a wooden chair.

Other photos include the feast for fake Christmas — our early Christmas dinner.  On the big day, we’ll be camping on an island away from modern conveniences like ovens.