One great thing about travelling is that each and every Xmas turns out to be special. This year we had Ben and Sam with us and were joined 
by Dick, Sarah and their children Henry, Maria & Tom.
The morning we had to ourselves. We opened the presents we had for each other and generally relaxed. I popped round to a few of the boats we knew nearby to wish them a Merry Xmas.
Dick and his family arrived around 1pm staying until around 6pm. Dinner wasn’t ready for then but that was the time Helen had decided things would be more or less on the go. The turkey, which we cooked in the newly renovated grill, turned out to be the juiciest and tastiest we’ve had in a long time. We really enjoyed having them aboard and sharing the day with us.
We polished off the day by watching a James Bond movie which seems to be traditional although I understand from folks back in the Uk they’ve not had one in three years. I was able to call my family in South Africa before going to bed. We had to remember that we were way ahead of everyone else so Xmas calls had to be timed.
On Boxing Day morning (day after Xmas for those of you who don’t have this) Helen called her family in England. Later on in the morning we headed off in the car to the Tangihua Forest to walk off all the food and 
chocolate we’d eaten the day before. Although there were no spectacular views the hike turned out to be pretty interesting. At one point we found what looked like an army assault course which Ben and I sampled parts off.
Apart from the first/last 20 minutes to and from the car park, the walk took us through tropical forests typical of the area. All in all it took us about 3 hours which left us feeling worked out, particularly due to some steep climbs and descents along the way.
We’ve made a collective decision for the rest of Ben and Sam’s stay. They’ve stated a preference to more land touring rather than heading off in the boat towards the end of their stay. So after our stay in Auckland for New Year, we will spend around 10 days camping and hiking south of Auckland. That means that today we’ll be heading out for a new tent (which Helen and I were thinking of getting as our current two man tent is just too small for us) and sleeping bags, etc.
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