Weekends seem to come and go these days. Occasionally we get time to sit for 5, sometimes 10 minutes to relax, but more recently weekends are becoming increasingly full-on. Last weekend was no different, and I'm sure our social butterfly of a daughter is going for some kind of world record for consecutive weekends attending kids parties!
Saturday started off with the hungover Dad's club, or more commonly known as going swimming at 8am. Bethany and I meet up with Richard and Daisy most Saturday mornings at the pool in Porirua, then float around while the kids generate noise, small waves and probably a few warm patches too. After that we headed to The PepperMill coffee shop for a flat white and a chance to gather our senses before going home and actually starting the hectic day.
Marrisa had planned to take her friend Jo out for the afternoon, as it was her birthday. Off they went to a spa in Wellington for some pampering and a break. Marrisa did try to convince me that it's not all fun and games, and it's hard work going to those places, but based on the photos I found on the camera, I find it very hard to believe!
Now I'm guess the wild hair has something to do with the stress of the spa life, but I'm guessing it was probably more likely the head massage.
With a couple of hours to fill until the ladies returned, and a Bethany and a Denver to entertain, we decided to head out for a walk. Richard and Daisy were in a similar position, with Stef being out in town also going for retail therapy, so they came along for the walk too. We were also joined by Jeremy who was also in the mood for an opportunity to walk off a hangover from hell.
We drove to Johnsonville and parked at the bottom of Mt KauKau and began the 445 metre climb to the summit.
The track up starts through a forest, but soon opens up so you can appreciate the view. At the top there is a viewing platform, and from there you can look over to the South Island and see the (still) snow-capped mountains.
We had a bit of lunch at the top but the weather was starting to turn, the wind that had already blown Bethany's hat off twice was picking up and if we'd hung around much longer I could have probably flown Denver like a kite instead of walking him down. The walk down was made just that little bit harder by someone with tired legs. That lasted only a few minutes though before being recharged and ready to conquer the steps down.
Both the girls did really well considering the distance and gradients they had to walk, I only wish I had someone to carry me when I get tired! 
After that it was to Jeremy's for a coffee so Bethany could torment the cat, Denver had a sleep and then we headed back into town to collect Marrisa. Both the dog and Bethany slept well that night I can assure you!
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