Fishing with Nanna


Visiting Puhoi


Snow Planet

It is now nine years since Sonia passed away and we are all doing great. Lydia is now 14, and Emily is now 12. The girls are looking more and more like Sonia as they grow up.

This was the last year for Emily at Northcote Intermediate and next year she will be at Northcote College with Lydia. It will be the first time in four years they are at the same school.

Over the summer holidays we spent time on the Boat and at the Bach, spending time on the beach and in the sea. Lydia and Emily enjoy fishing and snorkling, and they both love swimming. Lydia is such a keen fishergirl that she gets up at 6am to go fishing with John and Dylan to catch snapper. Then she will put a line out at night and fish into the evening.

For the last week of January, we took the girls to Cambridge. There was plenty to do. We visited the Hamilton Gardens, and saw the amazing displays. We took the girls Kayaking on lake Karapiro, and also tried horse riding.

During Easter we went in search of the Whittakers Easter Eggs around the city, the ones we discovered looked great.

Dad and I took a trip to Wellington to meet our MP Jonathan Coleman at the Beehive for dinner at Bellamys. It was very enlightening to see the MPs in the debating chamber.

As it was the 100th Anniversay for Anzac Day, we took the girls to the dawn service at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. There was a huge turn out and it was very moving.

On the Boat


Getting towed at the Bach


Kayaking at the Bach

Exploring AH Reed Kauri walks

Hamilton Gardens

Hamilton Gardens

Hamilton Gardens

Hamilton Horse Riding

Miriana, Lydia and Jessica

Whittakers Easter Egg Hunt

Lydia's Last day with Braces

Lydia Card Making Skills

Uncle Tom Bayer turns 100

Nanna and Dulcie


Emily shopping up a storm


LACMA Art Sculptures

It was also the 100th birthday for Mum's Uncle, Tom Bayer. His party was held at the Bayer homestead. It was incredible to imagine that in this small homestead 10 children were raised. It was very interesting to hear stories about how hard these early settlers had it.

For the July school holidays we went to Los Angeles, Washington DC and Club Med Punta Cana, with the entire family. Mum, Dad, Donna, David, Katie and Zack, and Harry, Mary, Booke and Ben.

We spent 4 days in Los Angeles. While there was a fair amount of shopping, I took girls off to the LA Country Museum of Arts and the J. Paul Getty Museum where we saw an bewildering array of fine art. I would have liked to have spent more time at the Getty, as the buildings and collections were too numerous to see.

After LA there was 4 days in Washington DC, where we did a massive amount of walking visiting all the iconic places we had read about or seen in movies. There are actually 19 museums that make up the Smithsonian, so we only managed to cover a few. The Natural History museum and the National Gallery of Art were stand outs. We saw paintings from Matisse, Picasso, Monet, Rembrandt, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh and even a Da Vinci. It was spectacular to see such master pieces.

Then it was onto Club Med at Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic for 7 days of relaxing. The kids had a great time in the pool and trying the various activities. I took Lydia out snorkling to the reef and we saw heaps of colourful fish.

After Club Med the girls and I headed back with stop overs in Atlanta and LA to get home for the start of term, while the rest when on to Miami and Las Vegas. In Atlanta we visited the Georgia Aquarium which was fantastic, and breath taking when we saw live whale sharks swimming overhead.

The Bayer Homestead


Thomas Jefferson Memorial


Smithsonian Vincent Van Gogh

Albert Einstein Sculpture DC

Lydia at the White House

Lydia snorkling at Club Med

Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta

Live Whale Sharks

Bowmaker Brothers

Bowmaker "Kids"

Bowmaker Grandkids

The Bowmaker Clan

View of the Opera House

Girls with Robert in Sydney


Emily planting Trees for Survival

In the September school holidays Christine and Graham took the girls to Sydney for a week. As all the Bowmakers were meeting up at Jan and Geoff's place at Wollombi for a family reunion. This gave the girls an opportunity to meet all their Australian relatives.

There were 16 grandchildren, 6 "kids" and their partners and the 3 Bowmaker brothers and their wives. There was a table tennis tournament between the grandchildren which Lydia ended up winning.

After the weekend at Wollombi, Christine and Graham headed with the girls into Sydney along with Richard, Michelle, Ava and Max. Where they visited the Zoo, Luna Park, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Robert took them into Google HQ to see where he works. Christine told the girls about Sydney and showed them places where she grew up.

Christine also arranged for her sister Frances's granddaughter Isabel to come down from Rockhampton to meet the girls as she is the same age as Lydia.

Christine and Graham were full of praise about how helpful the girls were and what great travellers they are.

The girls have started spending a Sunday once a month helping Christine and Graham with the housework and gardens.

Christine showing the girls Sydney


Up the Sydney Tower

Emily's Friends at Planting

Emily's Group at Tiri

Saddleback at Tiri

Lydia and Paige at AC/DC

AC/DC Western Springs

Intermediate Foundation Ballet Exam

The Pitch Dance Show

Lydia and Emily after the Show

Emily ready for Graduation Ball

Emily and friends having a Ball

Lydia playing Tennis


Tennis Plate Winners 12u and 14u


School Prize Giving


Lydia's Painting

The girls are still quite busy dancing with Emily doing Ballet and Lydia doing Ballet, Pointe, Jazz and Contemporary. So there are a lot of trips back and forth to the dance studio each week. Next year Lydia is going to cut back on classes as there will be more study required for NCEA. Over summer they both play tennis. The girls entered the single champs and both ended up winning the Plate competition for their age groups.

This year I helped out on two of Emily's school trips. The first was for Trees for Survival, where a group from school goes to a farm and plants the various plants that have been grown at the school. The second trip was to Tiritiri Maitangi to explore the island and see the native birds.

The girls are still doing very well at school, and continue to excel. Lydia received a Certificate for excellence in Art and won the Parson Cup for Art, and Emily received Certificates for Room 10 Top Achiever and Outstanding Effort and Attitude in Science. I was again a very proud dad of my girls achievements.

In December it was the dance schools show. Lydia and Emily were in all five shows. Emily was in one dance, but Lydia was in six dances. The Pitch was another incredible show put on by the school, and seeing Lydia in the senior dances brought tears to our eyes as she was so beautiful and graceful.

As part of Lydia's Christmas present, I took Lydia and her friend Paige to the AC/DC concert in Western Springs. It was a great concert and the girls really loved it.

Well I hope that gives you a bit of an insight into our busy year.

Emily playing Tennis


Emily's Science Experiment


School Prize Giving


By the Christmas Tree