Just a quick post of some sunny cheer before we finally head off. It really was magnificent today and with the clocks having sprung forward we really are embracing the lighter evenings and warmer days. We joined the celebrations of the Spring Festival at the Botanical Gardens today. Poor ‘ole Charli still isn’t A1 and […]
Holidays
Off we go!
We’re off on Monday for seven night’s driving round the middle of the North Island. First stop is the carrot capital of New Zealand,Ohakune, where we’ll spend two night’s just outside the town. The weather forecast for Mt Ruapehu isn’t looking wonderful for Tuesday, but there’s sun forecast for Wednesday. With a bit of luck […]
Pony Trekking in Nelson
A Beautiful Nelson Weekend
Finally, a break from the washing to report on the fantastic Birthday weekend that Dan and the girls treated me to. We sailed on the Interislander to Picton on Friday and had a wonderful calm and sunny crossing. The beauty of the Marlborough Sounds never fails to impress. I have particularly fond memories of this […]
Thank you Grandma and Grandad
Thank you for… All the cuddles, kisses, tickles and love; Grandma for gentle combing of tangled hair (a purple comb would be brilliant!); Grandad for his jokes, tickles and crazy fun in the swimming pool; Grandma for story telling and messages of love from the heart; Grandad for taking photographs of a nursery-web spider’s web […]
Each Day is a Gift, That’s why it’s called The Present
Whilst my dear parents were in the South Island they came across this… They experienced so many natural wonders in the South Island and brought us up to appreciate the gift of nature. Nature therapy surpasses retail therapy any day!
An incredible few days to cherish till the next time…
My parents, aka ‘Chicken’ Grandma and Grandad, arrived back in Wellington from the South Island on Monday afternoon. They said not to worry about picking them up, but how could we resist! To see the look on their faces as we surprised them on arrival was a moment to cherish. On the way back to […]
Tongariro Crossing: Grandma and Grandad had an ‘awesome’ time!
Last week we left Grandma and Grandad in the Central Plateau to walk the Tongariro Crossing. It is a spectacular one-day walk (taking around seven hours). Dan and I have walked it twice and on one occasion took the extra side-walk up Mt Ngauruhoe. It took us about an hour and a half to reach […]
Garden Tranquility in Taupo
We spent a wonderful hour (or so!) getting lost in the Taupo Botanical Gardens whilst on holiday. The gardens consist of winding pathways; twisting and turning in such rapidity that orientation skills are seriously put to the test! Fortunately, the road which winds through the gardens is never too far from the tracks; so that […]
All in a morning at Taupo…
From experiencing a simulation of the Edgecumbe Earthquake at the Volcanic Activity Centre … and watching the awesome power of water flooding through the Aratiatia Rapids… to learning how honey is made at ‘The Honey Hive’ and sampling locally farmed prawns at the Huka Prawn Park for lunch. Our holiday in Taupo was over a […]
Orakei Korako Geyserland
Seventy year’s ago people crossed the waters of the Waikato River to the thermal wonderland of Orakei Korako on a narrow-wooden canoe – otherwise known as a ‘waka’. We were relieved to be crossing in a small-motorised, river boat! We’d visited this wonderland many years ago and it was brilliant to return with the children […]
Sailing on Lake Taupo
There are numerous ways to enjoy Lake Taupo. When the girls are older we’ll look forward to taking our own vessel out on the water; but in the meantime we enjoyed a sail on a yacht named ‘Barbary‘, once owned by Errol Flynn. It was an extremely peaceful way to enjoy the lake. The girls […]
A Wild Way to Get a Fix!
After an afternoon’s walk around ‘Crater’s of the Moon‘ we thought we’d fit in a visit to Huka Falls. The gates to the carpark close at 6pm and with 10-minutes to spare we raced to the viewpoint. On our way we spotted some adrenaline pumped kayakers and couldn’t believe our luck! Dan and Grandad promptly […]
A Special First in Taupo
Our first day in Taupo was pretty special. The girls were so excited to see their Grandma and Grandad and gave beautiful, heart-warming, unprompted hugs. We spent a lovely morning at the delightfully quaint Lilliput Fun and Animal Park. It was here that Grandma and Grandad enjoyed a rare treat to experience a first for […]