Konichiwa and away he goes....

A neat day travelling took our time 2 stops for food and drink a toilet stop 5 hours total motel OK, very handy to Airport 4 mins, nice nice PUB downstairs lovely pub meals early early to bed.

Up at 2am downstairs 3am Airport 3.30am check in brekkie coffee, they departed 5.30 flight 6.45am NZ Time arrive Tokyo direct 4pm NZ time 6.30pm Tokyo time, I went back to Motel had nana nap, shower then on the road traffic not too bad, 3 stops one nana nap at Hamilton university 45 mins, another stop at Putaruru at State Insurance Driver Reviver station, FREE coffee FREE muffin, FREE sausage sizzle that was nice arrived home 1pm, changed over vehicles re fuelled ready for return trip (I'm doing this all again in 2 1/2 weeks), emptied overnight bags, put washing on AND put my PJ's on and am NOW relaxing!!!!!!!! at 2.30pm.

Total amount of Trip after last night and refuelling $6412 AND NO muma did NOT cry, yay.

Have a very Happy Easter....

Ciao
Blondie

5 more sleeps yay.

BUT SAMUEL has the FLU/COLD he has been home Thurs/Fri and he is being dosed up with panadol lemon honey drinks strepsils, lemon ginger tea WATER and REST sleep and general slobbing he was sooooo upset he doesn't wan't to be sick in a different country I said unless your arms and legs are amputated YOU ARE still going!!".... Mean eh!

Well we are packed everything in the pack and day pack and a little room to spare, BUT I had to buy 2 more short sleeve polyprop tops $40 and a lightweight parker $30 (last years one too blardy short!) Snow has landed in Japan so they have to take polyprop or thermals !!!

Bought $20 worth of extra toiletries (tissues wipes hairspray and an umbrella first one too big!) they have to carry tissue packs FOR toilet paper there is no paper in the public toilets!!! Ewwwwwwwwwwww

so new running TOTAL $6292............... bought the presents Samuel got a $50 petrol voucher from friends and a 25c fuel docket so thats our contribution to travelling up costs.

Oh and on a side note Samuel is 188cm tall he has grown 5cm since December 4th!!!!!!! He also has new hair colour black fringe front and sides and bright red back and top and black base neck area and side tail LOOKS amazing!! Will take photos of that too today.

Nice

You know I will have loads pictures and that I will miss him terribly!!!

Ciao Blondie

18 days to go YIPEE

Well we are well in truly down to the last few days and I just need to get 3/4 pants and the medical letter to travel with.

Although there has been a few more earthquakes and little Tsunamis it is WAY WAY WAY up North far away from where they are headin.........

The original price per trip was around $$5437 now WITH all the incidentals and add ons and little things you dont think of ACTUAL COST of trip $5982!!!!!!

Samuels pack was paid for by my employers, he received $450 in donations from Whanau (extended family) ($200,$100,$150) we have had BBQ's every month for the last 10 months we have bought on special where we could, and the jandals and scuffs were half price the pack was 70% off the NORMAL retail shoes 20% off power adaptor money belt locks 60% off I got $490 NZD in yen was $30,000, 2 weeks later $490 NZD in yen now $33,000, we might get another $170 worth of yen to cover the first 2 days rail travel as they have moved there 9 day pass to encompass their huge rail trip down to hiroshima and the Shinto shrine ISLAND stay overnight with an old school japanese shinto festival, with only boys going the teacher is taking them to the Movie place where the REAL McCoy kung fu, karate and samurai movies are made (I have probably already said that), Samuel is beyond excited he has worked so damned hard for this trip and I KNOW he willl absolutely love it Tokyo has 68 MILLION people with 9 cities within TOKYO each city housing around 7.5 MILION 2 of the shopping centres have between 180,000 and 220,000 people EVERY DAY!!!!!

The breakdown is as follows
Trip acc/flight only $4013
Yen $980 NZD
Pack day pack cover $248 NZD
Travel uniform $115 NZD
Shoes $127 NZD
Power adaptor money belt pack locks $47 NZD
Presents host family $70 NZD (one gift per person thats how they do it!)
Robe and boxers $20 NZD
Acc AKLD prior to flying out $90 NZD
Dinner AKLD $70 NZD
Breakfast $20 NZD
Diesel travelling up $15 NZD per person
Medication Inhalers steroids and letter $40 NZD
Toiletries $18 NZD
3/4 pants $40 NZD
Socks $20 NZD
Jandals/scuffs $15
Folding umbrella $15 NZD

With the small amount of yen to pay for $170 TRIP now stands at $6152 NZD the tutor has said the MORE you buy here in NZ the better if you have to buy everyday things over in TOKYO it is hugely expensive!! Who is she kidding IT IS EXPENSIVE fullstop.

I do hope they thoroughly enjoy themselves and have a ball, what an experience eh!!

All I can say I am so glad BBQ's are over for this trip.

Ciao Blondie

Clever clever Boy

My gorgeous clever son has now tonight BEEN graded in Karate for his 2nd DAN BLACK BELT 12 months ahead of schedule and he is all smiles I am so very proud of him and he works tirelessly and puts 120% effort into his karate all the time, he has worked out now when school ends for him (college) he will be a 3rd DAN BLACK BELT!!!

Ciao
From one very proud Muma!!!
Blondie

Kapa Haka photos

Well photos yay and the mens haka scored 99.7/100 so they were wrapt WHY? because all the other teams had 20 MEN or more our TuWharetoa had 7!!!!!!

For competing as a senior team member he got 12 credits NCEA level 1 if they had made it too finals (Te Matatini 2013 Aug that gets 40 credits!!!!!)

I am lucky enough to have found some Tuwharetoa festival photos from 2011 will post another time of the whole group.

Ciao
Blondie

Kapa Karate Kapa Karate

Some weeks I don't know where I'll be when Samuel goes to Japan in less than 6 weeks I know one thing for SURE I will be sleeping!.........

We have well Samuel has had Kapa Haka practice 3 times a week for the last 6 weeks, and yesterday the Competiton day loomed, we stayed at the Marae Friday night cooked for 45 for dinner after alterations practice (one final time) got to bed midnight I was up at 5am, had shower PITCH black and foggy everyone quiet well some snoring. I then tackled breakfast for 50 people sausages bacon eggs hashbrowns spaghetti baked beans! Kids and adults dressed in Kakahu (costume traditional Maori costume) and on the road by 9am, lucky competition was only at Rotorua!

I am officially Kapa Haka'd out, we saw some AMAZING Senior teams and the sweat blood and tears, BODIES muscly glistening with sweat and the energy FAR OUT! we all had an awesome day and got home at 10.30pm... they came 10th out of 28 teams and that is just Te Arawa region not the whole of NZ, if you make Top 4 then you go on to Nationals (Te Matatini 2013 and Teams will practice for 18 months right up to competition Day).

I don't have photos of actual performance official photographers were there and had all rights but I will get some off the others before they went on stage, but here are some photos from the Parachute weekend and the MOST recent Sports Day at school Feb 10th Samuel of course RED HOUSE their theme was fire.......

We have one or 2 more BBQ's to do and we are only $350 away from $5457 NZD (Accommodation and Flights $4015 NZD, Food $480 NZD(30,000 yen) Pack and covers and day bag $248 Shirts $115 Shoes $140 Spending money $400 NZD Auckland Motel and Dinner $150 NZD , it hasn't been hard work just long and arduous at times, and I get to spend time with my son that's always nice alot of people comment how mad capped we are dressing up joking and fundraising and how committed Samuel is to his fundraising efforts I say to them whilst Samuel wants to do all these things then fundraising WE MUST do.

It has taken 10 1/2 months to fundraise and we are done, I just have to get a power adapter for Samuel's Ipod (he bought his friends old one for a bargin price too).

NEXT weekend Feb 25th 26th Samuel has his Black Belt Training in Turangi and we will stay the night there so we can have dinner with the club members and a catch up and Samuel gets to catch up with the other teenage club members, ALSO of course Samuel awaits to hear if he goes up to 2nd Dan Black Belt!! 9 months ahead of schedule. Takahashi also will hopefully announce or pick the NZ Team for the World Champs, ( If Samuel is chosen then more fundraising! BUT this time we will approach Businesses and Business friends for Sponsorships! and sports funding grants).

Oh and also NOTE the RED HAIR Samuel had his hair dyed before school too bright red, before he goes to Japan he will get black tips on the faded red, to jooch it up a bit. He loves his red hair wonder what colour he goes next little monkey!

Hope everyone is keeping busy WHO am I kidding we are ALL BUSY!

Ciao
Blondie

4 very tired teenage boys one very tired Muma!!

Oh boy where to start huge pack to go large trailer (forgot to take photo of that), one very very very BULGING packed car!!! bags clothes shoes and mostly food, left Taupo 1.30pm arrived 4pm after a couple of food stops, then vendor set up from 6pm - 8pm home to house by Mystery Creek, up at 6.30am and back to stall by 8am and wait THE weather FRIDAY atrocious and EVERYBODY that came through gates was soaked to the skin themselves there bags there tents the works it was slow going and not hugely successfully but we raised about $300 and thats better than nothing and the boys had HUGE HUGE fun.

They bought a singlet each Tshirt each dog tags each and bracelet each, I took the crockpot and made spag bolognase one night for dinner it cooked all day while we were at event, butter chicken another night and corned beef the third night we took breakfast stuff, we took most of our own lunches and only bought one lunch each and the final night dinner each, WE were so so so tired I am still not quite caught up on my sleep, the boys made new friends saw some of their school friends there and I made some new contacts for markets and things so some of the negatives were hugely outweighed by fine weather good food and with all the thousands of people there not one fight nasty word or even agro behaviour it was fantastic, the music actually was really good I got to see my fav performer of the moment Bella Kalolo she is gorgeous and has the most sryupy voice...... all acts are either christian based or church affiliated we will go again next year but just as spectators and ENJOY ourselves more!!!!!

It is very nice to be home we having BBQ fundraiser this weekend Sun/Mon so back into it Samuel has work, then Friday sat Sun is Kapa Haka practice 3pm-11pm then 9am-9pm and 9am-9pm they are 14 days away from competiton so it is all on...... We can't post pics or video of what they do as OTHER groups poach your ideas!!!!!!!! it's very hush hush I don't even think I can type THIS!!!!! hahaha

Ciao Blondie