camp bentzon, kawau island

We spent the weekend at Camp Bentzon out on Kawau Island with our friends from Playcentre.

Friday evening, we drove about an hour north of Auckland and then took a water taxi out to the island. The sun was setting, and the view was beautiful. Max and Maya were thrilled with the 20 min boat ride (we found it ironic that they were so fascinated with the boat given the Mercer family's obsession with boating...if we lived in Utah, the twins would have been on a boat many more times than they have). They were also thrilled to find their Playcentre friends already on the island. After dinner and some running around, we put the kids to bed and enjoyed campfire conversation. We were even joined by three wallabies, which I was really excited to see.

Saturday morning, the sun was shining, and we walked up the hills and through the ropes course. Then we took a short kayak ride out into the protected bay and found a lovely little tree cave. We were impressed by the 10 (and some even younger) year old kids who were out in their own little sail boats. Max and Maya ran around with their friends and played. By the time afternoon naps were over, the rain came in and lasted most of the night.

Sunday morning, the sun gradually pushed away the clouds, and we were able to enjoy a little bit more time outside before hopping on the ferry back to the mainland.