Australia: Great Ocean Road

After a warm welcome at church we left for the Great Ocean Road.  We stopped at for a short break and hike at Shelly Beach.  There were beautiful views along the road, and at the beach.

 We had a nice evening and morning at Seahorse Villas.  The kids all had to have their picture by the "pineapple tree" we also found a great branch for some pictures.  What cute kids!!

After a great rest and some photography sessions, we left to see some of the famous sites on the Ocean Road: Twelve Apostles, The Grotto, and London Bridge.  The pictures do not show the absolute power of the ocean.  I have never seen the ocean so majestic as along the Great Ocean Road.

 

 

Australia: Day 1

Our first day in Australia was long and fun.  We left Wellington 6:45am, we arrived in Melbourne at 8:30am and started our fun.  We visited Federation Square, ate some good hamburgers from Mr. Burger, visited the Aquarium, and saw the city.

The Melbourne Aquarium was fun.  One room you could color your own fish and then scan it and it showed up on wall as part of a virtual aquarium.  We also saw penguins, sharks, rays, a giant crocodile, and a 4D Ice Age video. 

Cape Palliser Lighthouse

  Conference Sunday we listened to conference in the car, to and from Cape Palliser Lighthouse.  It was a winding road to get there, but the kids all made it just fine.  It was a beautiful drive, and a beautiful destination.

We were also able to see the largest colony of seals on the north island.  hey really blend into the rocks they play and lounge on.  We thought we saw one so I went for a closer look and there were a lot!  It was fun to see the little pups jumping in the water, while the older seals just looked on.

 Finally a few shots on the drive back home.  The sunset was beautiful, and of course the picture does it little justice.

Hyrum is 5!!

  Happy Birthday!!  Hyrum had a great day.

 Hyrum was counting down the days to his birthday and when it finally arrived it did not dissapoint.  Chocolate cake and presents made sure of that.   He is such an energetic little man.  He loves being active and has an amazing imagination.  He can entertain himself with a story and legos for hours.  He also likes to play Mario on the 3DS.  His speech is coming along and it is easier for people to understand him, he is also getting better at giving clues when a word is not understood.  My Hyrum is growing up!!!

  

 The other exciting thing about a 5th birthday in New Zealand is the start of school.  Here you can start as soon as you turn 5, so Monday Hyrum put on his uniform and scooted to school.  He claims to enjoy school, but it gets him tired.  He said it is going to take 10 days for him to get used to it.