Happy New Year to you all!
Our group started the year with an awesome meeting themed "Bush Camping in New Zealand" - to celebrate the holidays, the Summer and the country that we all love and chose to live in - our beloved Aotearoa.
And what better than show New Zealand through its beautiful nature and a day camping in the bush? The weather was also on our side and we all had fun in a sunny hot summer's day! The day started with a picnic for lunch and followed with a walk through the bush where Aki guided the children through different types of Ferns and other native trees. My son Ben still remembers and found very useful the information about the "bushman's friend" scientifically known as: Brachyglottis repanda (rangiora or bushman's friend) - "a small, bushy tree or tall shrub endemic to New Zealand. It grows to a height of 5 to 7 metres. The large leaves with a soft furry underside have been referred to as "bushman's toilet paper". Other common names in Māori include kōuaha, pukapuka, pukariao, puke-rangiora, raurākau, raurēkau, whārangi, or whārangi-tawhito. Māori used the plant for a number of medicinal uses. The leaves were used for wounds and old ulcerated sores, and the gum was chewed for foul breath but was poisonous if swallowed.[1] It can also be used as note paper."
Among all nature around us the kids found themselves immersed in the bush climbing trees, sucking leaves, searching for bugs and even playing Tarzan with the trees branches (And some adults too!!). Check out the photos below.
Thank you Aki and Ivor for having us at the camping site.
Cheers,
Renata
Great fun at the stream!
Families relaxing at picnic
Our walk through the bush
Ben and his silver fern shirt.
And we found a real one in our walk too!
Yiupieeeeeeeeeee!!! 
A cricket game!!
Can you spot the Eel?
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Fun in the pond!
Great day for relaxing too....
