Milford Beach and Belgian Beer Cafe, Takapuna

Unfortunately Dan had to go to work (difficult to take time off when you've just started). So after a morning of card and present opening, balloons, sing songs and a fry up he headed off to work. The boys and I busied ourselves by collecting a chocolate cake from Eve's bakery (best cakes ever), and decorated it with some sea shell chocolates.

The boys were desperate to check out the rock pools so we took a walk along to the left of Takapuna Beach. The first little section was full of lava rock pools, a fossil forrest in a lava flow none the less. About a 100,000 years ago Lake Pupuke which was once a volcanic crater erupted and the lava and ash surrounded a forrest of trees including the giant Kauri. The trees either burnt or rotted away leaving their imprints in the lava - quite fascinating. Along the walk there was one hole which was covered up with a grill as it was over 3 metres deep. This was obviously a popular walk as we passed many people enroute, the end of which led us to another long stretch of white sandy beach -Milford Beach.

Once Dan managed to escape work we sampled a slice of the chocolate cake and headed out into Takapuna to the Belgian Beer Cafe for a birthday meal, steak as requested by Dan, yum.

Attempting to blow out the candle under the cooker extractor fan so not to set off the sprinklers in the apartment.