February 5th - Day spent with the Rodriguez Family

Spent the morning out by the pool - yes - we have our sunshine back!

I then joined Karine, Robert, Charlotte and Axel for a day out with the
family.

We drove over to Painapo Beach and had a lovely time enjoying traditional
Polynesian food while sitting on the beach. The food was delicious and the
views of the water beautiful. It definitely attracts tourists, and it was
fun watching the children play.

Next we stopped at the Tropical Gardens. Such an abundance of flowers and
color (I was in heaven). My gardens have never looked this good. They also
have a large vanilla greenhouse. It is a very profitable crop, shipped all
over the world. We enjoyed banana and pineapple ice cream and I sampled some
homemade jams. These were so light and delicious - they tasted more like a
good sorbet. We then decided to take a trail and find the waterfalls (see
the cascade sign). We gave up after a while, as none of us had on the proper
shoes for this path. The views of the bay from the gardens were fantastic.

Next up on my tour was a trip up to Belvedere Lookout and the restored stone
marae. Many parts of this road were 4-wheel drive. From the Lookout Point,
one has stunning views of both Cook's Bay and Opunoho Bay, which are
separated by M.Rotui.

We then continued on along the "Pineapple Road" where we saw pineapple
plantations and Karine pointed out all the different types of fruit bearing
plants and trees along the way. We even stopped and helped ourselves to
some passion fruit that had fallen from a tree to bring home.

Thanks to the Rodriguez family I had a super day, spent with wonderful
people.

Lastly - tomorrow is my brother John's birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY John John!