Tuiscope page header graphic showing Mt Pirongia, some hydrangeas and two Tuiscope logo tuis.
The bird who inhabits my business cards.(Te Pahu Outdoor Pursuits Centre)

Our home is often referred to by our friends as the TPOPC. This is because they come for weekends of manic outdoor activity including mountain climbing, mountainbiking, road cycling, bush running, wandering around in the wilds (probably suffering from hypothermia) camping on the lawn, etc etc. In between they eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and eat.

Victor arrives by flying fox


Extended Family at Pirongia Forest Park Lodge - 4th, 5th, 6th February 2011
There was horse-riding, bike riding, fox flying, frisbee golf, rock climbing (Greg), trampolining, stilt-walking, tug-o-war, volleyball, a burma trail in the pitch dark, stream swimming, off-road skateboarding, mountain climbing, star-gazing and much face-to-face socialising with the local tame moreporks. There was also a huge amount of food consumed. This time the emphasis was on ginger crunch which went down in vast quantities. We baked all week to make sure there was enough to get us through the weekend. Its official - the Allen family eat more ginger crunch than the WAMOs and the Paintrain put together.

These are cropped miniature photos of the family weekend at Pirongia Forest Park Lodge

Click them to see the complete picture full size.

 Photos and processing by Tui
Heather sits on the outdoor table singing and playing her guitar with a glass of wine beside her and the open countryside shining green behind her Heathersmiles out from the drivers seat of Augustus. "GE Free NZ" sticker visible on car. Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear.
Victor upside down
on the flying fox		 Deryn flies
starfish style		 Mike intercepts Greg
on flying fox
Jack on flying fox Joy flies one-handed Paul arrives . . . to
Betty's amusement		 Flying fox
and platform
Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear. Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear. Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear. Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear.
Catching the flying
pink thing.		 Cuzzies On the platform Senka in charge
Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear. Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear. Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear. Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear.
Victor completing
a somersault		 Sleeping on
the tramp		 Jeff and grandkids Three at the
Kani stream
Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear. Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear. Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear. Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear.
Nathan and tyre Megan and tyre Nicole leaps Stepping stone adventurer
Photos below by Deryn Tucker
Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear. Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear. Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear. Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear.
Sorting Betty's stirrups Jack all aboard Keely and horse Megan heads for
the hills
Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear. Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear. Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear. Heather Simpson's van Augustus with the words saying "Life is about the journey - not the destination" painted in brilliantly coloured letters all over the rear.
Tui and Diba
 Refuelling in the Lodge Mr Morepork
poses for Deryn		 Granny, Aunty Toots,
Tui and Joy

The extended family were in the Waikato for an epic weekend but because there were too many of us for home to cope with, we booked the Pirongia Forest Park Lodge up on the mountainside. It has more space and beds than even we needed. The occasion was three-fold; Granny's one year anniversary of her heart attack, Jeff's 64th birthday on the Saturday and Keely's birthday on the Monday. We had Joe and Steph's family (except Joe himself), Joy Adams's family, Paul Tucker's family, Anna Boyd with Greg and Senka, Mike Allen's family, Jeff and I. Peter, Granny and Aunty Toots came along on Saturday afternoon and evening.

There was a terrifying visitation from the famous "Mountain Ghost" who was still searching for his golden hand throughout the hours of darkness. His voice was vaguely reminiscent of Mike with a severe flu.

The only normal Allen activity notably absent, was sailing. One group of Allens felt lost to find themselves sleeping on dry land which didn't rock them to sleep as they are accustomed to boats doing. They got around it by sleeping on the trampoline which rocked whenever they breathed.

The Burma trail was a journey through dense bush in pitch darkness, holding onto a rope which led us through every kind of obstacle and terror Mike and Joy could devise to scare the tripe out of us, wet blankets, ghostly apparitions, groaning dead bodies, tangles of vegetation, ghosts, ghouls, gargoyles etc.

The horse-riding was a lot of fun and fortuntaely Deryn kept her camera on task. We rode over high hills where the whole world was spread at our feet, through shady bush trails and alongside rushing snow-fed mountain streams. (They weren't really snow-fed but Deryn wanted me to describe it that way)

The highlight might have been the flying fox, which was a beauty. . or was it the food, and what about the ghost . . .


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