It’s taken me eight months to get up to Lake Okareka, which is unusual. It’s my staple visit when I go home to Rotorua, and there’s always something to see. The lake is quite full, the mudflats all underwater and Pied Stilts wading up to their bellies in the shallows. Dad and I had a calm evening there, watching Grey Teals chase each other as the light faded, anticipating a roast dinner when we got home! The air usually chills quickly when the light leaves, but the warmth lingers now that summer is on the way.