44/52: Rock climbers

A portrait of my children once a week every week in 2014

The other weekend we went to Taranaki to see my gran and your great-grandma who we christened 'Gee Gee' once you boys came along thinking it would be easier to say than Great Grandma - and the name has totally stuck. You really love going to spend time with her and she spoils us all. We are so very blessed to still be able to go and stay with her in her own home - she's nearly 89, and doing so well all things considered!

One thing we hadn't yet done in the local area was climb the famous Paritutu rock - it juts quite spectacularly out of the local landscape and is a short, very sharp climb to the top. I'd only done it once myself in my early twenties but we thought what the heck! we would give it a go.

It wasn't an easy climb by any stretch of the imagination and there's a very good reason why they have rope chains to give you something to hold onto on the way up. When Dad asked you on the way up Mylo if it was fun you said 'no it's not because I can see far down below' - it's clear you're not a big fan of heights! Once we moved onto another section with rocks on either side, apparently you told Dad that 'this is much better because I have rocks on each side of me'.

Looking up - and whatever you do don't look back down!

 



 We made it!

 Worth it for the sweet views!

 From the bottom looking up

 



 From down at the marina it's hard to believe we were even up there,

and it looks so small from down below!

We were so proud of you both for tackling such a tough climb with such energy and no complaints!
The views from the top were pretty sweet and Noah you quickly spotted a few seals playing down around the other Sugarloaf islands.

And now every time we visit New Plymouth in the future, seeing that rock on the horizon will be a constant reminder that we nailed this bad boy together, or in Sir Ed's words - 'we knocked the bugger off!'