Catching the Magic

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

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Author: Charlotte

I LOVE… [Kids Click]

May 23, 2010May 27, 2010 Charlotte 6 Comments Alice, Charlotte

Greatfun4kids blog is running a fun weekly photo challenge, ‘Kids Click‘, for children who love to snap photographs. This week’s theme is ‘I LOVE…’ And I love my baby sister, Alice. by me (Charlotte) age 6 going on 7 year’s old. For rules, and how to join in the fun, click here… UPDATE: Results are […]

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Scrumptious fairy cakes in the lunch boxes

May 23, 2010May 23, 2010 Charlotte 5 Comments Charlotte, Sophie

On Wednesday we made fairy cakes, which Sophie and I decorated. They made a colourful addition to the lunch boxes for the rest of the week! Recipe here! It was a scrumptious time. You’ve got to try the fairy cakes. We scoffed the fairy cakes from our lunch boxes at morning tea. Yah! They were […]

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The Magic Fart Day

May 12, 2010May 12, 2010 Charlotte 2 Comments Charlotte

One day in a city lived Mrs. Ratbag and Mr. Ratbag. They lived at number 99 Fart Bay Road. Their phone number was 297829694. Mr and Mrs Ratbag spent all their time farting. They were professional farters. Actually, they were the most professional farters in all the universes. Mr Ratbags favourite fart was a wet […]

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Descriptive Colour Poem by Charlotte, Age 6

May 6, 2010 Charlotte 5 Comments Charlotte

Red is the colour of an angry face, Blue is the colour of the wavy deep sea, Orange is the colour of a beaming sunset, Green is the colour of soft grass, Yellow is the colour of a flashing lightening strike. Silver is the colour of a shinning car

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The Shocking, Annoying, Crazy, Stupid, Disgusting, Tricking Test

April 15, 2010 Charlotte 2 Comments Charlotte

Charlotte, aged 6 and three quarters, here and I am loving Andy Griffiths books at the moment, illustrated by Terry Denton… these are the tests on the back of the book to find out if this is the right book for you! It took me a long time to type them all in (3 hours!). […]

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Charlotte’s Day at the Waterfront

April 11, 2010April 14, 2010 Charlotte 13 Comments Charlotte

Charlotte’s first blog post: On Saturday the 10th of April I went kayaking with my Dad. We saw lots of fishes in schools but best of all we saw a Giant Ray. The Ray was about as long as the paddle. We found it under the wharf near Te Papa. It was amazing. I was […]

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Attention Seeking Trike

December 21, 2006May 27, 2010 Charlotte Charlotte

Mummy humours my dozen requests a day to, ‘Tell story of how Trike went to scrapyard.’. I then intervene on her story telling with frequent direction to ensure the story is told to my liking. ‘Trike went to the scrapyard [the trampoline] having lost numerous races and was just about to be turned into scrap […]

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Charli Love Cars!

December 9, 2006May 27, 2010 Charlotte Charlotte

I am crazy about cars and today we visited The Southward Car Museum.

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Three and a Quarter

October 28, 2006May 27, 2010 Charlotte Charlotte

In the past month my life has changed dramatically, the reason being is that Sophie is now mobile (horrors!).

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Betty Crocker!

September 9, 2006May 27, 2010 Charlotte Baking, Charlotte

My baking adventures continue. This week I set about with Daddy to make beautiful blueberry muffins. Wowee! They almost came out as good as what they look like on the packet.

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Charli got to “Get Her Energy Up!”

September 2, 2006March 28, 2024 Charlotte Charlotte, Life in action - Videos

Family Lee have a new toy for the garden – a trampoline. Mummy and Daddy put it up in the living room, whilst Sophie and I were asleep

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Artist At Work

August 26, 2006May 27, 2010 Charlotte Charlotte

Mummy’s ‘Laundry Room’ is actually my ‘Art Room’ and some AMAZING creations are made there. Remember, ‘It’s fun to get messy AND it’s fun to get clean!’.

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Hey, It’s COOL Being Three!

August 11, 2006May 27, 2010 Charlotte Charlotte

It’s been a while since I ‘posted’ a note on the website, as I have been very busy organising our new house. Being three is very COOL.

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I am 3!

June 28, 2006May 27, 2010 Charlotte 1 Comment Charlotte, Special Days

I am 3 year’s old and the sun came out to help me celebrate my Birthday. I woke feeling grumpy, as I had a streaming cold, but when Mummy told me the magic word, ‘Presents’, I soon had a smile on my face!

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Older posts
  • WAI2K 50km trail adventure, November 2024!February 20, 2025
    In November 2024 I took on the epic endurance event of the 50km WAI2K Ultra, from Woodside Train Station in Greytown, through the hills of the Wairarapa and Kaitoke Regional Park, to Tunnel Gully Upper Picnic Area in Upper Hutt. This mixed terrain course involves around 2,500m of elevation gain through dense scrub, beautiful native… Read more: WAI2K 50km trail adventure, November 2024!
  • Visits back to the UK aren’t always a holiday – when those you love aren’t well.February 6, 2025
    Life is never all sunshine and roses. When we have had the good fortunate of having people in our lives that we’ve loved deeply, and have felt their love in return, it is painful to see that person suffering. Life is all about beginnings and endings, hellos and goodbyes, first moments and celebrations, and also… Read more: Visits back to the UK aren’t always a holiday – when those you love aren’t well.
  • Celebrating our 25th Wedding Anniversary with a long weekend on the Gold Coast – June 2024January 6, 2025
    At the end of May 2024 my husband and I celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary and took the opportunity to grab a fix of winter sunshine, over the ‘King’s Birthday’ weekend public holiday (beginning of June), with a trip to the Gold Coast – on Australia’s East Coast. We were joined by our children, Sophie… Read more: Celebrating our 25th Wedding Anniversary with a long weekend on the Gold Coast – June 2024
  • ‘Last time’ moments on a spring visit to the UK, May 2024January 2, 2025
    After over twenty five years of living thousands of miles away from my birth country, and many flights back and forth, I am still in awe of the fact I can be on the other side of the world in 24 hours. I remind myself that jet passenger services didn’t start until the late 1950s… Read more: ‘Last time’ moments on a spring visit to the UK, May 2024
  • Race Tekapo 50kmSeptember 29, 2024
    Race registration on Friday night, by the shore of Lake Tekapo, was a ‘hold on tight to your bib’ or you won’t be going anywhere tomorrow affair. The bitingly cold air was a shock to the system, after my husband, daughter and I had driven from a sunny, spring like day in Christchurch. Our flight… Read more: Race Tekapo 50km
  • Running the stunning Motatapu Trail MarathonMay 30, 2024
    This was one of the most beautiful trail marathons I’ve ran and was a great way to celebrate a summer of running and see in the beginning of autumn (though the weather was still very much throwing the heat of summer on event day – which fell on the first Saturday in March). The 42km… Read more: Running the stunning Motatapu Trail Marathon
  • 50km for 50 years! How I saw in the first day of my fifties running the 50km Faultline Ultra!May 21, 2024
    I’ve been on a good running streak for over a year now (meaning no injuries, illness or troublesome hormones to slow me down – thanks to a mix of strength work, good luck and hormone replacement therapy!). When I saw that a new event was going to be held in the city where I live… Read more: 50km for 50 years! How I saw in the first day of my fifties running the 50km Faultline Ultra!
  • Six month catch up!March 9, 2024
    Time is literally flying away on me and blog writing is very neglected these days, but we are all well here and can’t believe our lovely Christmas and New Year festivities were three months ago! Spring and summer has raced by and now we are on the cusp of autumn here in New Zealand. Since… Read more: Six month catch up!
  • Ten blissful days in Rarotonga, Cook Islands.August 8, 2023
    With the days dark and short here in New Zealand we jetted off for some warmth and sunshine in the Cook Islands, just a three to four hour flight from Auckland. We have never visited any of the Pacific Islands and it was with great delight that we touched down on the runway in Rarotonga,… Read more: Ten blissful days in Rarotonga, Cook Islands.
  • Marlborough Food & Wine Festival Birthday CelebrationAugust 7, 2023
    Turning 50 is definitely a milestone birthday, but hubby Dan didn’t want a party so in February we decided to head away for the weekend to celebrate at the Marlborough Food and Wine Festival. Dan’s Birthday fell on the same weekend as the festival, in the sunshine summer month of February here in New Zealand,… Read more: Marlborough Food & Wine Festival Birthday Celebration
  • A few running events to kick off the year & a sub-4 PB at the Rotorua Marathon!May 10, 2023
    Round the Bays Wellington, held in February every year, is always an iconic event, generally bestowed with sunshine and an amazing turn out of people of all ages. The atmosphere for this event is like a festival, with entertainment lining the route of the first 6km, between Waitangi Park and Kilbirnie Park (where all the… Read more: A few running events to kick off the year & a sub-4 PB at the Rotorua Marathon!
  • Auckland mid-week break away for Harry Styles!April 4, 2023
    On Census night in New Zealand we were away from home, up in Auckland (along with thousands of other people from all over the country) to enjoy an epic night of entertainment at Mt Smart Stadium. We flew up first thing on Tuesday morning, giving us plenty of time to enjoy some sight seeing before… Read more: Auckland mid-week break away for Harry Styles!
  • Celebrating a Birthday with a Meerkat Encounter!March 30, 2023
    Our youngest turned 13 in February, joining her older two siblings in ‘teen hood’ (though our oldest will turn 20 in June this year!). Having started high school a couple of weeks before her birthday there was, certainly for me, a moment of nostalgia as I reflected on how grown up my ‘baby’ has become… Read more: Celebrating a Birthday with a Meerkat Encounter!
  • Summer holiday in Rotorua & TaupoMarch 29, 2023
    The last week of January, before the start of a new school year, we drove up from Wellington to the central region of the North Island for a week’s holiday. We’ve holidayed in this area many times over the years and never tire of the endless outdoor activities on offer in the most beautiful natural… Read more: Summer holiday in Rotorua & Taupo
  • Christmas and a Birthday in WellingtonJanuary 12, 2023
    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… Read more: Christmas and a Birthday in Wellington

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