Bloggers Unite at MacKay’s Crossing, Paekakariki

Drawn together at the playground, both with British roots and with no extended family in New Zealand, little did they know how much they had in common. Without a ready supply of babysitters on hand, the Dawes and Lee family spend their evenings affixed to the computer blogging about their lives.

Today the blog loving families united at MacKay’s Crossing, Paekakariki, on the Kapiti Coast for some Sunday morning fun at Queen Elizabeth Park.

We enjoyed a scenic ride on the tram through the sand dunes of Queen Elizabeth Park to the seemingly endless Kapiti Coast beach. The beach is a driftwood collectors dream and a favourite picnic spot for families overlooking the captivating Kapiti Island. A nature reserve steeped in history and populated by people for over eight hundred years.

At the end of every month tram lovers, model airplane enthusiasts, pony trekkers, craft folk unite for some family fun. Music, face painting, a bouncy castle and wickedly delicious food (fair-ground style filth!) provided plenty to amuse. The tram museum provides a glimpse into Wellington’s past and present (with the tram used for the 2005 King Kong movie on exhibit).

All this only a 45-minute drive from Wellington City. All the fresh air sent dear Sophie into sweet slumbers on the return drive. Charlotte was happy to play car-bingo, spotting ‘kite-surfers’, trains, Kapiti Island (alas no dolphins today) and plenty of sheep!