Wednesday, December 24th, 2008

Christmas Eve was another beautiful and fun day. The boys got surf while the girls took an epic hike in Paihia and was finished off with a successful scallop dive. The water was pretty cold as you can see by the thick wetsuits and hoods, but worth every minute for a dinner of 52 legal size scallops. We moved the big boat up the coast a ways to an Island called Urupukapuka and Seonagh treated us to an amazing turkey dinner and our first experience of traditional British pudding, delicious and heavy with brandy. The 10 of us spent Christmas morning leisurely drinking champagne, having brunch and enjoying each other’s company. The clouds parted in time for an unbelievable hike to the top of Urupukapuka with breathtaking panoramic views and that afternoon we headed back to Russell to have Christmas dinner with Stormy, Cindy, and Lauren. We are still counting our blessings.