Day 4

What a day we had! The campsite greeted us this morning with quite the surprise—a full-on lake right beside our camp site thanks to a torrential downpour overnight. But a bit of water never hurt anyone, right? As we set out to make the most of the day, I spotted not one but two four-leaf clovers by our site! I'm not one for luck, but finding them felt like a little bit of magic to start the day.

The boys decided it was the perfect day for a spot of fishing, so Neil and I grabbed his rod, the dogs, and headed to the beach. We hadn’t been out long before the skies decided to join the fun with a sudden downpour. No worries here, though—I’m certainly not made of sugar!

While the others settled down for nana naps, Neil and I took the dogs on a long, scenic walk. We strolled along the beach, crossed the bridge, wandered down the heritage walkway, and eventually made it up to Mokau, where we treated ourselves to classic Kiwi double-cone ice creams. Let’s just say, the dogs were in pure bliss when we handed over the cones!

On our way back, we ran into a charming chocolate Labrador named Milo. He was very friendly, but apparently, he’d earned himself a spot in the doghouse after eating an entire bag of bait—plastic and all! Thank goodness that cleanup duty wasn't on us.

Finally, just as we returned to the campsite, the rain began again—perfect timing for us to settle in, kick back, and enjoy a bit of well-earned relaxation.
Later on in the evening, we were so ready to climb into bed early, feeling all the wear and tear that comes with adventure. No sooner had we settled in than the skies put on a show for the ages. Lightning crackled, thunder rolled, and hail pounded down, turning the world outside into a full-on storm of epic proportions!

But while the world raged on, we stayed snug and safe under the covers, tucked in with our two furry companions. Neil was a little concerned that the dogs might get spooked by the storm. To our surprise, though, they didn’t seem bothered at all. Instead, they both snuggled close under Diesel’s blanket, seemingly as calm as ever. As the storm continued to rumble, we drifted off, feeling grateful for the cozy comfort of a night in with our little family – thunder, lightning, hail, and all. A cozy end to a memorable day!Read more