Catching the Magic

Travels in New Zealand and beyond, going back to 2003!

Menu
  • Home
  • About
  • Blasts from the past
  • Country Kids
  • Motherhood
  • Poetry
    • 2011 Poetry
    • 2012 Poetry
    • 2013 Poetry
    • 2014 Poetry
    • 2015 Poetry
    • 2016 Poetry
    • 2017-2018 Poetry
  • Travel
    • Auckland
    • Fiordland
    • Kapiti Coast
    • Nelson, Tasman, Marlborough & Canterbury
    • Otago, Queenstown, Wanaka & Southern Lakes
    • Taupo, Rotorua & Tongariro National Park
    • Wairarapa
    • Byron Bay and the Gold Coast (2005 and 2016)
    • Californian Adventures, 2013-14
    • Canada, Dec. 2018
    • Cook Islands
    • Copenhagen, July & August 2014
    • Japan
    • Singapore
    • Sydney
    • UK Visits from 2014 to 2022
    • England via Santa Barbara & San Francisco, 2012
    • England via San Francisco – July 2007
    • NZ to UK, with our 9 month old, 2004
  • Running
  • Special Days
Menu

Christmas and a Birthday in Wellington

Posted on January 12, 2023January 12, 2023 by BritMumInNZ

Sunshine was gifted to us on Christmas Day this year in Wellington and we had the most wonderfully relaxed day together (well, almost all together, as our oldest currently lives in Melbourne and so we video chatted and were delighted to see them having an awesome time with a friend and their friend’s family).

We had a leisurely start to the day and after opening gifts we spent the day playing in the garden, doing a jigsaw puzzle, taking a stroll before dinner and soaking up the sunshine.

It was so wonderful to see families out enjoying the gorgeous weather, many gathering at the beach to swim and play beach games.

Sunshine isn’t always guaranteed for us at Christmas, just like snow isn’t always for our family in the UK. Some years we have rain and wind, and gather around to play games, enjoying the flickering of the fairy lights. Whatever the weather we are always thankful for the time together and the memories we’ve shared with loved ones over the years.

After an amazing day and so much food I needed to get out for a run in the evening, so headed out as the sunset and enjoyed the cooler temperatures.

  • Princess Bay
  • Island Bay

Over the Christmas weekend we managed to connect with our folks in the UK via video chats and it was wonderful to know my dear Dad was happy with his older brother and family. My hubby’s folks were all well too and we chatted with them on our Boxing Day morning (their Christmas Day evening), which is also our second born daughter’s birthday and they all sang a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday to her (amply fuelled by a day of indulging in much food and wine!).

Sophie had a lovely Birthday morning, relaxing at home and playing a new game we’d got for Christmas, called ‘Kubb’. We heard that Orca had been spotted near the Miramar Peninsula and were delighted to spot them close to shore on a drive around the peninsula! Later in the afternoon we all headed to the beach for a swim, where Sophie met up with her boyfriend and then he joined us for dinner later that evening. There weren’t many places open on a Bank Holiday Monday, but thankfully ‘Dragons’ Chinese was. We had a lovely meal, followed by gelatos at Kaffe Eis.

  • Orca in Wellington Harbour
  • Miramar Peninsula
  • Birthday games in the garden
  • Playing Kubb
  • Dan and Alice at Lyall Bay Beach
  • Beautiful Orca

On Christmas Eve morning we had a blast at Worser Bay in Seatoun, on the Miramar Peninsula. A giant inflatable had been set up and we met with friends for a fun hour. Later that day it was a friend’s 50th Birthday, so we headed into town to meet up for lunch and drinks, which made for a very relaxed and jovial afternoon!

The weather really did bestow us with the best weather for the holiday season! We had a visitor arrived the day after Boxing Day and it was wonderful to be able to give her a tour of Welly with it looking its best in the sunshine!

Wellington city from Mount Victoria

Leading up to Christmas the streets of Wellington looked beautiful, with festive flags and the bloom of Pohutukawa and Northern Rata trees (which I posted photos of in a recent post). I doodled a little painting in my nature journal (which I’m trying to do more of in 2023!).

Related posts

  • Festive greetings from Aotearoa!December 23, 2020 Festive greetings from Aotearoa!
  • Happy New Year 2016!January 4, 2016 Happy New Year 2016!
  • December reflections | Christmas, a Birthday & holidayingDecember 28, 2014 December reflections | Christmas, a Birthday & holidaying
  • Things I’m Loving this Christmas Holiday Week in New ZealandDecember 29, 2012 Things I’m Loving this Christmas Holiday Week in New Zealand
  • A scorching Christmas for Wellington, right out the box (along with melted chocolates!)December 27, 2012 A scorching Christmas for Wellington, right out the box (along with melted chocolates!)
  • Our Boxing Day girl turns 6!December 29, 2011 Our Boxing Day girl turns 6!
Category: Header Sophie Special Days

Post navigation

← Summer highlights from the Wairarapa
Summer holiday in Rotorua & Taupo →
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Archives

Recent Posts

  • A holiday in paradise – ten blissful days in Rarotonga, in the beautiful Cook Islands. August 8, 2023
  • Marlborough Food & Wine Festival Birthday Celebration August 7, 2023
  • A few running events to kick off the year & a sub-4 PB at the Rotorua Marathon! May 10, 2023
  • Auckland mid-week break away for Harry Styles! April 4, 2023
  • Celebrating a Birthday with a Meerkat Encounter! March 30, 2023
  • Summer holiday in Rotorua & Taupo March 29, 2023
  • Christmas and a Birthday in Wellington January 12, 2023
  • Summer highlights from the Wairarapa January 8, 2023
  • A long weekend with friends near Goat Island Marine Reserve January 6, 2023
  • It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas – southern hemisphere style! December 23, 2022
  • Wellington Lantern Festival – in the spring rain December 18, 2022
  • Toast Martinborough – Wine and Food Festival December 16, 2022

Things I Write About

Art (100) autumn (42) Baking (37) beach (67) Birthday (51) birthday party (31) breastfeeding (29) cafes (46) christmas (70) Country Kids (59) family (115) family time (57) featured (34) friends (38) Garden (43) holiday (36) Holidays (131) Lyall Bay (47) Lyrical Sunday (68) milestones (62) motherhood (37) New Zealand (38) parenting (36) photography (39) poem (69) poetry (92) running (57) Santa Barbara (32) school (75) school holidays (49) seasons (45) Silent Sunday (51) sisters (29) sleep (35) spring (38) summer (60) swimming (28) the gallery (62) Things I'm Loving (118) UK (30) Walks (47) weather (34) Wellington (137) winter (42) writing (50)

Poetry

Follow Sarah's board Poetry by Sarah Lee on Pinterest.
20 Of The Best Expat Blogs To Follow In 2017

Related posts

  • Festive greetings from Aotearoa!December 23, 2020 Festive greetings from Aotearoa!
  • Happy New Year 2016!January 4, 2016 Happy New Year 2016!
  • December reflections | Christmas, a Birthday & holidayingDecember 28, 2014 December reflections | Christmas, a Birthday & holidaying
  • Things I’m Loving this Christmas Holiday Week in New ZealandDecember 29, 2012 Things I’m Loving this Christmas Holiday Week in New Zealand
  • A scorching Christmas for Wellington, right out the box (along with melted chocolates!)December 27, 2012 A scorching Christmas for Wellington, right out the box (along with melted chocolates!)
  • Our Boxing Day girl turns 6!December 29, 2011 Our Boxing Day girl turns 6!
© 2023 Catching the Magic | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme