Christmas is a time for opening gifts and enjoying a fine roast dinner with the family followed by lounging around all day watching old TV shows... Not in our case. Our day started off in a tent on a camp site in the sub tropical city of Whangarei. First thing in the morning we treated ourselves to home made pancakes on the camping stove with no cares in the world, we practically had the camp site to ourselves. After our breakfast feast we headed out to the local Abbey Caves, a popular spot for glow worm enthusiasts. The cave was pretty spectacular, within 10 minutes or so of treading through shallow waters we where gifted with a full arched ceiling of glow worms, being the first time seeing these bright little creatures I was amazed, it was a magical moment. The cave was a great experience and I felt like our adventurous day had just begun, so why not climb a mountain too! Later that day we headed out to the city's top mountain attraction, Mt Manaia. The short drive to the mountain was pretty nice as you swerved in and out along the rocky coast line. The walk up the mountain is a steep climb up never ending stairs but the views at the top make the effort all worth while. After an hour or so of intense leg work you reach the peak and views of the surrounding area mesmerize your eyes.