Kayaking in Taupo with Sweden Bella

21-23/11 Team Murumuru Limited went to the Ruahine FEI race, four of our horses walked proudly on the new horse truck ready for the race and the team looked just as happy when they drove from the farm. The kids and I stayed to look after the farm. 

We took a day trip to Whanganui to see "Planes 2 - Fire and rescue" at the cinema, it was really good.

I cant longer count how many times I have seen "Planes" since I came, the kids just love the Planes movies! We were lucky because it was the big Christmas parade in Whanganui the same day.

When I was traveling here to New Zealand I meet this Swedish girl Bella on London Heathrow ariport. We were both changing plane to Hong Kong. We started talking and you know how small the world is when you meet a girl on a airport that is from the same small town as you, and now to the funny part, she actually applied for my job here in New Zealand. She was now heading to Australia instead. A few weeks ago I got an email from Bella, She was now backpacking in New Zealand. So last thursday on my day of I meet her up in Taupo to spend the weekend with her. We visited the natural hot springs in Taupo and had a really hot bath. I only had Thursday, saturday and sunday of so she came with me to the farm on thursday night.           

On friday it was time for the 20 years celebration of Maori Culture Festival in Raetihi. The event encourages all surrounding schools and early childhood educators to come together at Raetihi School to celebrate the Maori language through kapa haka and preforming arts. So Bella came with me and the kids to Raetihi to see the show. 

Sacha had been training really hard to dance in the show with the other kids from school and she was really excited! The girls were wearing black dresses and skirts made out of horse hair. Their hair was in a bun, with two green feathers and on their chins they had painted tattoos. The boys had a kind of grass kilts and were painted on their face and some on their upper body. 

I am so happy that I get the opportunity to be here and experience the culture from another angle than the "normal tourist". I am so proud over you Sacha!      

On Saturday morning we headed back to Taupo, and I can soon call myself a professional sheep herder with car, try to pass like 2000 sheep running on the road in front of the car.. it's not that easy!

And when we passed Turangi we ended up in the middle of Taupo Cycle Challenge, a 160 km bike race around lake Taupo with 20,000 racers. Well in Taupo we went kayaking. I can definitely recommend kayaking there, so nice! We kayaked down the river towards the Huka Falls, so we passed under the Taupo Bungyjup. We saw two persons jump and it looks so amazing! Next time I hope its less windy so I can go the half day tour to the Maori Rock Carvings and do the bungyjump. We stayed the night at the YHA hostel, so we had a well-earned dinner and some vine at the Waterside Restaurant. We got a tip about a bar with live bands, so after a amazing dinner we went there to have a beer. 

Thanks for a great weekend Bella!      

Life is like a playground!

Friday 7th Novembre the kids and I took the car and drove down to the kids grandparents in Bulls, and of course we had a stop in Whanganui at the big playground! Such a cool playground based on children storys. The big dinosaur slide from ”The Flintstone” was very popular! There is also a train going around in a forest with a big castel and pirat ship.

The main reson we went down to Bulls was Stellas birthday party, Stella is the kids second kusin, she turnd 5. The party was at Inflateble World, a place filled with different type of bounce castels, in Palmerston North. The kids loved it, acually went crazy.. they wanted to bounce on everything at the same time. Sacha was running around with Stella and the other kids, Lauchlan did his own thing so I stayed with him and grandma Marie had an eye on Sacha.

After 2 hours of bouncing, pizza and fizzy drinks it was time to go. The best thing with kids birthday partys, they start 11.00am so we had the whole afternon to do more things. We drove to Shannon, about 20 minutes from Palmerston North, to visit Owlcatraz, a Native bird park. We got a very intresting guided tour and got to pet a Weka and see Morepork owls in the dark. Then we walked up to the farm of Owlcatraz. Ther we saw a big Kune kune pig, donkeys, ostrich, alpackas and deer. All of this animals we got to pet if we wanted to. But the best thing, the kids thought was that they had a big blue Thomas train were we had a ride. Lauchlan loves Thomas!

On Sunday 9th we went to the A&P Show, Agricultural and Pastoral Show, something we all enjoyed a lot! Animals, tractors, shows, tivoli. They had everything even perfect weather! And of course airbrush tattoo! Sacha, Marie and me got one. So no my tattoo f New Zealand on my leg is a fake and starting to fade now. To bad because I kind of liked it. So one day it will be a real one!

 

Ashely and Ash bought a new horse truck, so instead of three horses they can now have six with them. Now they don't have to bring the truck and a horse float to a race! It’s a very nice truck! And it have everything you need. Now the right loggo is on the truck to!

Last week Diva one of our horses had her foal. A beautiful baby boy named Kahuna Bravo ME. Everything went good and now we have to colt foals at the farm. Kahuna Alpha ME is the one to the left and Kahuna Bravo ME is the one to the right. It's going to be so much fun to see them grow. We have Alphas full brother Moon and Bravos aunt Divo here at the farm and they are very nice horses!

Shantalle, the kids and I went to Taupo this weekend to pick up our new puppy Dennis. The smallest and cutest little puppy ever, his not bigger than a kitten. Lauchlan and Sacha loves him and so do I. Before I came here they had a dog called Frank, the same type as Dennis but he passed away. So they renamed Dennis to Frank or Frankie as I call him.   

Is it Fall or Spring? I'm confused..

Raining and more raining, this week it feels more like it is fall then spring here... It's colder again, windy and of course rain every day. But the kids seem to like it, there are many puddles to splash in. One was so deep that when Lauchlan jumped in it he fell over, many thanks to the creator of wet weather gear! We spend most of our days inside playing and baking. We made some gingerbread man yesterday with purple, pink and green frosting and Sacha have this board game with "My little pony's" called trouble (fia med knuff) that she loves to play, she is good, but also a good cheater...

We have many of the "feral" horses in training at the moment. They have all been out in the fields eating and just building muscles of their own walking the hilly fields. The ones we are working with right now is looking so much better now! What a change from this skinny horses without muscles to the horses they are now. Some of them have been ridden before, but we need to start all over with sadel and bridle training to gain their trust. I helped with one of the horses by sitting in the sadel while Ashely just walked around with the horse and me.

In school Sacha is training her writing and reading and she really likes it! the reading is still a little hard so we are working on that at home too. But she gives up a little to easy at home when she is trying to read after me.

Yesterday a very talented guy that make music instrument out of almost everything, and plays on them. He showed us some of them, everything from nose flute, snail shells and whales tooth to big instruments made of rocks and tree. All of them is native instruments and I wished that I could remember all of the Maori names, but I don't. But two of them was Pukaea, a wooden trumpet and Putatara a conch shell trumpet. We all got to make our own Putangitangi made out of clay. It's kind of the same instrument as the swedish "Lerduva". We also had to come up with a design to put on our Putangitangi and a story behind our design. I chose to design mine as the world, because I had to travel across the world to come here. It will be interesting to see on monday if I can play on it..!

Overgrown garden and "Big scary dinosaur"

Friday I helped Ashely preparing horses for Sunday's race, we rode on Divo and Starbow to feel so they felt strong and they did! Then it was time to give them a beauty bath, wash legs and tail and make them shine! Shantalle joined us and we took three other horses for a training ride. 

This time the race was just a 2 hour car ride from the house, so sunday morning I took the kids with me on a road trip to visit the race area! On the way we passed this place were someone makes sculptures from drift wood, this was so amazing to see and the kids loved it! or at least Lauchlan did, Sacha was scared of the animals so she stayed in the car while Lauchlan and I went out and had a look. We saw a big Dinosaur, ostrich, deer and a horse. We also stopped to see the Raurimu Spiral, a single-track railway spiral that was build because the terrain was to steep for a train to climb.

When we arrived to the race area had Clay and Ash already finished their 40km race. Shantalle did 80km and were still out on here last loop.  Im still learning the rules but when you do a 40km, you ride 2x20km without a break and after you do a vet check. But when you ride a 80km, you ride 2x30km and then 1x20km, you have a 40min break between every loop and vet check. Vet check means your horse heart rate cant be over 65, if its over you are disqualified and you also have to pass a trot up. There is different levels on horses and riders; Novice, Intermediate, Open and FEI and Im still learning about this.

The rest of the week have been very calm here, the kids have been sick and it have been raining a lot, so we have mostly been inside. Shantalle took the kids to the doctor Tuesday morning so I helped out with the docking. Im not coughing anymore so I hope that I get to stay healthy this time! My ribs were starting to feel better and I can sleep without pain from them. But today in the car down to Ohakune I coughed and I heard something crack and break. It hurt so much and I had to stop the car and open the door to not faint. So I guess I have to endure my painful ribs for a while longer...

Me and the kids have a mission, to fix our greenhouse and start planting and growing potatoes, vegetables and other goodies. I will update you with this but we have some work to do before we can start planting! So if you have some awesome gardening advice, please do not hesitate to give them to me! I think I will need them!

Hard working = Muscle soreness!

Like I told you last week it's docking time at the farm, we have been docking about 300-500 lambs a day! My station is to lift the lambs up and then vaccinate them. I got a little curious about how much you lift during docking, and if I do 300 lambs a day, I lift about 6 tons of lambs!! No wonder you get tired after a while. So I'm glad that Clay can replace me when I need a break. The kids loves to be around during docking, especially Sacha she is usually in the sheepfold with me and helping by choosing the lambs she wants me to lift up next. Sometimes she even lifts them up if they are small baby lambs.



Last friday we had a cross country run in school! Sacha was probably the youngest there so she ran the level 1 with the 5 year old kids. there were about 200 kids from schools around in the area. Sacha came some were in the middle of all the kids that ran level 1. She did so good and I am really proud of her! She was a little upset that only the winner of each level received a medal and not her. But there is nothing an ice cream can't fix.


Me and the kids took a trip to Whanganui saturday morning, because their daddy, that I never meet, finally had some time to see his kids! So I got a day in Whanganui to do some shopping and went to the movies. I saw the movie "Let's be Cops", it was a long time ago I laughed so much at a movie!
Before it was time to pick up the kids, I filled my little Mazda with groceries from the supermarket. Shantalle and Ashely always pre-order online so I can just pick it up.  One of the things that was on the list were 35 long life milk cartons, the car was pretty full!

I have been riding almost every day this week! I have been riding out by my self on Zurim and it is an absolutely incredible feeling to just let everything go for a moment and it's just me, Zurim and this beautiful landscape filled with sheep. We have so much to explore together!




Yesterday the reggae artist Pa Pa Flava came to visit the kids in School! A very inspiring day for all of us. They had a lot of good questions for him and they performed together. The children danced and sang some of their native songs for him and he came up with some new beats for them.

Today I decided to go to the Waitonga Falls. I packed my backpack and after I left the kids at daycare I drove up to Mount Ruapehu. It was an "easy" walk to the falls, a bit steep but a very well-made path to walk on. The Waitonga Falls is 39m high a very beautiful waterfall. I jumped on the small rocks over the gushing river to get to the other side. Im very happy I did because then I saw the falls even better. I climbed up on the biggest rock I could find and I just sat there, enjoyed the beautiful view and ate my apple. It was a very peaceful area and I meet 12 other hikers during my hike.

New born foal, docking time and Im coughing again..!

Thursday 16th October


It took me about 5 weeks to get rid of my cough, I had one week when I actually started too feel like my self and then the kids got a cold and of course I got it too... so now Im coughing again! This time I lost my voice and I think I coughed one of my ribs of or something because it hurts like hell! Lauchlan got an ear infection so the last one and a half week have been kind of calm, we been home at the farm having picnics in the sun, painting and making our own toys!

When I woke up one morning, it was a beautiful morning with a clear blue sky and you could see all the clouds covering everything under our house. Even the house were the kids live was in the clouds. So I can now say that I have touched a cloud! ;)


October 7th was Clays birthday, but he insists that it's not called birthday when you are hatched from an egg. So of course me and the kids baked an suiting cake for him!


Last weekend it was time for another horse race, 80km for Shantalle and Ashely and 40km for Clay and Ash. But last friday Summer, one of the horses, gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Kahuna Alpha ME, and she got some complications after the foaling. So Ashely and Ash decided to stay home because the vet had to do some visits. She is now feeling fine and is enjoying the beautiful weather with her baby Alpha.
Shantalle and Clay went to the race, so me and the kiddies had a sleepover. This time Lauchlan stayed awake so all
three of us could Skype with my parents and even my brother. The Horse race went very good for both Shantalle and Clay they qualified!

School started this monday and it was nice to see all the kids and teachers again after the holidays. Sacha had a great first day, but Lauchlan was a little shy in the beginning. Two weeks is like a lifetime for a two year old!;) When we came back yesterday to school he was as happy as always!
They have started to do some gardening in school and next week they are going to start planting all sorts of vegetables, Sacha loves it!
Tomorrow, Friday 17th, it's the school Trail running day. About 200 kids from schools in the area will participate. There is going to be three different levels on the trails and Sacha is going to run the level 1. We did a try run yesterday and she was awesome! she finished first on the level 1 trail and of all the 9 kids she was third over the finish line! Of course Lauchlan wanted to run so I ran with him. some part I had to carry him but then he ran himself.
Sacha is really exited for tomorrow so keep your fingers crossed for her!

Docking time is starting at the farm and yesterday when we came home from school they had brought home about 200 sheep and lambs. Docking time is when all the lambs get their vaccinations, ear marks and tail cut. I got to help with one of the vaccinations that you give them in their mouth. Their is about 6000 sheep on the farm and average all have at least on lamb, so we have a few left..! This is a new experience for me and Im so happy that I get the chance to be a part of this!  

   

It's snowing on my palmtrees

I woke up this morning of the children screaming just outside my hotel window, they screamed of happiness!
"It's snowing, It's snowing"
When I got up from my bed I looked out through the window, and yes 10 new centimeters of snow lay like a blanket on the ground. It's just to bad that this is my last day of, because if they open the ski area tomorrow it's going to be awesome skiing! I had planned to go skiing these three days, but I only got to ski one. Because of the strong winds and snowfall the two last days everything have been closed. I did get to try the new 2015 Solomon Q98 ski, and a really liked it!



The skiing area Whakapapa is located on Mount Ruapehu 2797m, this is an active volcano. The highest point you can reach by using the ski lift is 2320m then you have to hike. If you compared the slopes in Whakapapa with Åre, Sweden I must say that Åre wins! But it's so beautiful here and the terrain is so different. If you have the chance to come here, do it! I stayed at the Park Hotel Ruapehu, a very cosy hotel with good standard and very good food in the resturant. just a 20 minutes drive up to the ski area.  


Last weekend me and the kiddies had a sleep over down at their house when Shantalle, Clay and Ashely x2 went with four of the horses on a 40km race. We had a lot of fun taking care of the farm! Me and Sacha skyped with my wonderful parents that was up in Åre and moved out all my stuff from my apartment, THANK YOU for the help!<3 And thanks to Matilda and Lauri that helped!

The race went really good! Shantalle got first place in front of Ashely who got second place, Ash qualified so he can now ride in longer race. Clay had to retire as Zurim bruised his heel.

This week and next is School holidays, so no school for Sacha. Instead we enjoyed the beautiful sunny weather an had a lot of picnics and smaller hikes. Im starting to understand that the ozone layer is considerably thinner here and that your skin burns quickly if you do not use sunscreen. Clay told me that in summer time the burning time without sunscreen is about 11 minutes!! Thats crazy.

As Im writing this, I am sitting in the hotel bar in the National Park Village looking out of the window, it has stopped snowing now and the roads is starting to clear up. It's time for me to get on the road.
Im thinking to go to Whanganui to the cinema there before it's time to head back to the house again.