KEY POINTS:
My favourite summer holiday getaway is ...
Tairua in the Coromandel at my Uncle Kelvin's bach. We've been going there since I was a kid and now I take my children there too.
I love it because ...
I have many happy memories of surfing and being dumped by big waves with my brother and cousins. From the bach, it's a short stroll to the beach and a 10-minute walk to town ... so while you're there, you can forget about the car. Excellent.
Summer means getting out and about to ...
Various playgrounds around town, at some hideous early hour on Sunday morning. It's a good burnout for my 2- and 4-year-olds and we sit and nurse our heads and takeaway coffees.
Or just lying in a deck chair, enjoying ...
a book or newspaper.
But get real ...
I rarely get past page two before I'm up again.
It's not a proper Kiwi summer without ...
Jandals, hats, togs, sunscreen and a glass of New Zealand sav.
Holiday food means ...
barbecues most days.
This Christmas was special because ...
My 4-year-old is beginning to understand the joys of it all.
We put out the biscuits and milk for Santa and a bucket of water for his reindeer. It was pretty cool to see their excited faces on Christmas morning.
