Brooke’s a Dad, Sarah’s a Mom, Micah’s their Son!
Yesterday we heard some great news - our friend Brooke and his wife Sarah have just been greeted by their new son, Micah! He is a month early, but healthy and beautiful as ever! Many congrats to the new Riggio family - we miss you guys and can’t wait to come back and see all of you!

Cathedral Cove
A week has gone by since we arrived here in Hahei, and started working at The Church. We’ve gotten into the rhythm of the work, gotten to know our hosts, and explored the surrounding areas. On Friday we walked to Cathedral Cove - which took about an hour each way. The first half of the walk there was up a pretty big hill with great views down onto Hahei Beach. That gets you to the car-park (parking lot) for the actual trailhead. Since it was absolutely gorgeous out that day, it was quite busy. A few tour buses were parked, as well as numerous campervans, and lots of cars. Cathedral Cove is part of the Te Whanganui a Hei Marine Reserve, along with Gemstone Bay and Stingray Bay. There is an actual snorkel-trail, complete with anchored signs that you can do. After another thirty minutes we walked onto the beach and saw the huge limestone arch/cave/tunnel, which is really similar to an arced church ceiling. It’s pretty impressive, so of course there were dozens of people standing around taking pictures - ourselves included. We went north through the arch and went swimming. The sun started to go down, shading and cooling down the beach significantly - so we started our walk back to The Church.

The Church
Throughout our stay here we’ve had some lovely dinners with our hosts, Richard and Karen. Karen is an avid, talented gardener, and Richard loves to fish. Our first night here we had fresh snapper and garden vegetables - delicious! Two nights ago, I offered to cook for Richard and Karen, since they were preparing to go on holiday for the next week and we wouldn’t be seeing them before we left. We made stir-fry with tofu, vegetables, and peanut sauce (what else would I make?) and a side salad. Fortunately, it was well-received by everyone - even Richard, who normally does even like tofu! Yesterday, Richard and Karen left to take a holiday at their place on Great Barrier Island, so we had to say our goodbyes. There is another WWOOFer staying here as well - Priscilla, from the UK and we’ll be maintaining the place with two full-time employees for the rest of the week.

Other News
Other highlights of the week include the monarch butterfly caterpillars we spotted, one of which is now a chrysalis. Also, there is filming for the next Narnia movie going in the area - so there are lots of helicopters flying about, and the movie crew has booked all the town’s accommodation. The people we’ve met have been interesting - particularly some of the guests staying here. There are plenty travelers, both local and international. We have met three or four groups of travelers from the U.S. - California (Danville, San Diego) and Colorado. It’s just funny to be so far away and meet people so close to home!

We go to the beach everyday. The surf has calmed down a lot since our first swim, so its great for a swim and I don’t have to worry about losing my bathing suit to a wave! We’re on our way there now…

xoxo Claire & Whit