Hittin' the Slopes

Ok...so technically Drew & I didn't go anywhere near the slopes, but we still got to partake in a great weekend away with some friends (who actually did hit the slopes!)

Last Friday, we packed up and hit the road with the Bruffys (including baby Elliot) for the 5-hour journey south of Auckland. The area we went to is called Mt. Ruapehu which is near Lake Taupo. It is a great area for skiing apparently and a very scenic drive indeed.                

We arrived in time to have dinner at a local bar with Mike & Taylor. After dinner, we drove just around the corner to our weekend bach. It was a great house with 5 bedrooms and tons of space...but, of course, NO HEAT! Now, when you're talking about being in a ski town at the end of winter, heat is definitely something that is needed. We cranked up the heaters that they did have, but Drew found it necessary to wear his beanie to sleep that night to keep his ears warm.

 

                                      

The next day, we woke up and had breakfast at the house with everyone before they set off for their day of skiing. Drew had a bunch of work to finish so we set up shop in the rec room downstairs (where the big-time heater was) and began our* morning of babysitting.


(*by 'our' I mean 'mine'...Drew wasn't so much with the babysitting)

Luckily for us, Elliot went to sleep about 5 minutes after everyone left and stayed asleep in my arms for 3 hours straight. Drew finished up work and headed into town to get some stuff from the store and pick up lunch for us. About that time, Elliot woke up and had a slight meltdown but he just wanted some lunch, too! Not long after that a carload of people returned from their ski day and we just enjoyed lounging around.

We started preparations for dinner and waited on the rest of the guys to get back. We played a rousing round of Catch Phrase and gobbled down some pastry-wrapped brie which was a new delicacy for everyone in the group surprisingly enough!



Then we had a feast of lasagna, baked ziti, salad, garlic bread and lots of wine, beer and champagne! After dinner, we played Quelf with everyone and it was as entertaining as I remembered. See for yourself...













Sunday morning we all slept in a little bit, had a huge breakfast and then cleaned up the house.




Everyone packed up and hit the road. We eventually made it back to Auckland and were exhausted! It was a great weekend away, but we'll have plenty of time to catch up on sleep later!

Cheers,