The Hogans are on a Mission

Sometimes it feels a bit like we are in ‘The Amazing Race’, an old TV show we used to watch. We face constant challenges (good and bad); change and travel is always on the cards, often these things are beyond our control. Yet we do all this while meeting some awesome people and seeing and experiencing some priceless things. Pitstop Pirongia We started this leg of the race with a ‘Pitstop’ in Pirongia. Pirongia feels like a ‘Pitstop’ as this is where life slows down to our speed a little more. We have our own space, all of our ‘stuff’ (which we are still constantly and slowly getting rid of in a plan to one day emigrate to Fiji), and our own timetable. It is nice to have our own routine, some downtime and a chance to rest here. We live in an intense world, where information and needs are constantly thrown at us. It is nice to intentionally slow down and breathe a little. The bouncy pillow at Totara Springs Soul On our way home from Tairua in September we stopped in at Soul . This is a ...

It feels kinda surreal to be leaving this place. As I look over the photos of the last couple of months we have had so many adventures here, met so many amazing people and done so many things. It’s going to be sad to leave.  When we travel, we don’t like being tourists; we love getting to know and live like the locals and I think we have achieved that here. We have explored this area well and returned many times to some of our favourite spots like Sailors Grave. We have also had the chance to check out a fair bit of the Coromandel including Whitianga, Coromandel town and Broken Hills in the Coromandel Forest Park. In our original pre-COVID plan, we were meant to be in Fiji now on a month long trip checking out what will be our home one day and to help decide what we need to take there, whilst also helpin g out on a couple of local jobs. Instead we have been able to slow down and enjoy an extended stay in a small beach town in the winter. Sailor's Grave - a favourite local beach to ...

They say that the only thing that we can be sure of in life is change and that pretty much sums it up for our family right now. It has been about 6 weeks since I last wrote and we have slept in 6 different places in that time. The last 6 weeks have been so jam packed, we have done so much and seen so many places and people. They have been good, crazy, busy, chaotic, exciting, fun, but also at times, kinda hard and full on. Ignite Sport project, Lower Hutt Our first project on the road away from Pirongia was meant to be in Auckland in June, however due to Covid-19 this job was cancelled. Around the time I heard this, I read a newsletter from ‘Ignite Sport’ in Lower Hutt. They have a building project converting a football clubrooms into a purpose built venue for their organisation. “Ignite Sport is a volunteer-based youth development organisation offering a unique delivery style. Using sport and recreation to engage, Ignite Sport encourages young people to consider character, values, bal...

Well we did it, we made it to the start line. Here we are, in Pirongia, officially Full Time Volunteers with MMM NZ . The start of a new season. The beginning of a new marathon to race and it totally feels like we have just stepped into a different world, a new adventure. We found our new home in Pirongia at the end of the rainbow As we look back over the last month, it is crazy how long ago lockdown now seems. We are so grateful that we live in a country that has been able to control Covid-19 so far. We have so many freedoms, that so many around the world can only dream of. When I think back to lockdown, the thing I found hardest was losing my village. The people that I have done life with for the last 5 years, that have helped me through some crazy times and just everyday life. I had to do life without them, and that was hard, did I mention that 4 year old boys are not made for lockdown?! Trip 1 = All the big stuff fits! I am so thankful that we were able to leave in level 2 where th...

What a weird time we live in right? We are totally living history… even if there is another pandemic in our lifetimes, countries and governments will be way more clued up (well maybe some more that others) and likely respond a lot differently - you’d hope so anyway! Yet here we find ourselves having just survived 8 weeks and more (the kids had colds before level 4 so weren’t allowed at school) with 3 kids in lockdown - what a surreal experience.  Throughout this time I know different people have had to deal with a huge range of different thoughts, feelings and situations, whether it be boredom, anxiety, loneliness, financial pressure, work stress, exhaustion, or a desperate need for a rest or some time out. While others, like Josh, have loved every moment to take a break from the busyness of life and enjoy some time out. Some may have felt all of these feelings on different days at different times… either way, everyone was living it out at the same time and now we need to work out ...

Sounds like a fiction book for kids, not a reality. However, here we are in this state of ‘pause’.   Our teddy bears in the window I know for a lot of people life has just got a whole lot more complicated, how do families juggle 2 parents working from home, while also having 3 kids to manage? Or for others the struggles are that you no longer have a reliable income for your family and the uncertainty around what exactly that looks like. I have other friends and family right now stuck in isolation alone or single parents alone with their kids or managing co-parenting in an isolated way. I have family and friends in essential services, having to regularly go out into the community and be prepared to make themselves invincible to the virus. I know it is a scary time for those that are immune-compromised or with family who are. Then there are others who are learning to live with family in a closer way than they have ever had to before! Whatever the situation, we ar...