The Ostrom Family Adventures

Matakana Farmers Market and Omaha (yes, Omaha) Beach.

We had a lovely Friday with a morning mountain biking session at Pukete Farm Park – with 6kms of winding twisting fun single track with easy and hard trails. Leif had one good wipeout with some abrasions and bruises and a wrist sprain that he didn’t really recognize until that night, but he got back on the bike immediately and wanted to keep riding which was cool.

This momma heart is missing the days of cuddles and kisses for booboos when he would fall though. He’s pretty tough these days and a good thing too – he’s trying jumps and tricks and other crazy stuff like his dad does.

Grabbed a bite at a proper English restaurant and pub – the Cock and Bull.

That evening I was able to walk around Hamilton lake with Meghan, another American Doctor here, while her boys and Leif rode bikes and played and she graciously had us back to her house for a homemade pizza night and the boys all watched a movie. It was lovely.

Saturday, we got up earlier than we have been and drove about 2.5 hours north to Matakana. Mason had met another knife-maker online and he had shipped some of his knives to him, as opposed to taking them through airport customs. We met James and his father, Michael, at the gorgeous farmers market in the village of Matakana, where they are the busy knife sharpeners of the day. We even bought a hand made kitchen knife by James. (Airbnb kitchen knives make Mason itch to sharpen them ;).

Then we went the way traffic was flowing to Omaha beach and fell in love with this community.

It was a 3 hour drive back to Hamilton and next time we’ll just stay north of Auckland for the night, but we made it back and had a relaxing Sunday, with a little working out around the lake, a little bike pump track action and then all rode bikes to the Gourmet in the Garden Sunday evening event in Hamilton Gardens and listened to great music, ate delicious food and relaxed in the shade watching and listening to all those around us.

I start work orientation tomorrow at Anglesea Urgent care and am excited about seeing patients again after a couple weeks off. I’ll be able to walk or bike to work and Mason and Leif will have the truck. 1 more week at the lovely Airbnb house we have been enjoying by the lake.