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

Tag: friends

Outdoor loves from Martinborough

Posted on March 6, 2015April 27, 2015 by BritMumInNZ

Last weekend was spent with friends, in the beautiful countryside of the Wairarapa, at our Martinborough home. The weekend was full of special moments in the sun, made all the better for having good friends to share it with. Our three daughters each had a friend, their age, to buddy up with – which made for incredibly…

At home with my folks, Hampshire, England

Posted on August 17, 2014September 20, 2014 by BritMumInNZ

It’s been a fortnight since we returned from the UK to the US. We are heading back to New Zealand to live at the beginning of October, but for now we’re in limbo; between the two places we love. I haven’t felt like writing anything much, but have tried to fit in a little reminiscing about…

Our free wheeling 11 year old!

Posted on July 3, 2014 by BritMumInNZ

Our oldest daughter has just turned 11 and she celebrated in sunny California (her first ‘summer’ Birthday – as she was born in the middle of New Zealand’s winter – on a particularly wild day in Wellington!). She has grown tall enough to have her first proper bike, with gears and all that jazz, for…

My first half marathon – in the bag & for a great cause!

Posted on May 11, 2014September 11, 2014 by BritMumInNZ

I woke at 5am feeling nervous about whether my ankle was going to hold out for me to complete the half marathon in the beautiful wine country of Santa Barbara, California. I wasn’t just running to achieve a goal for myself, or to take in the beautiful scenery surrounding of the Santa Ynez Valley, but running…

Loving turning Forty in Santa Monica!

Posted on April 27, 2014August 21, 2014 by BritMumInNZ

My Facebook feed was flooded with lovely messages of ‘welcome to the club’ and ‘forties are the best’ this weekend. It’s been like reliving turning eighteen again, as I’ve watched friends slightly older than me party into their forties and then, last weekend, it was my turn. It was a fabulous weekend away in Santa…

Things I’m Loving | A Pirate Lunch that rolls on all afternoon…

Posted on March 1, 2014February 26, 2016 by BritMumInNZ

It started with a treasure hunt, through dinosaur den, bamboo forest and pirate hideout; before quickly rolling into pin the tail on the tic-toc croc and find the gold doubloons in the sand. There was blue jelly with orange boats sailing the high seas, a water melon doubling up as ship and a chocolate cake…

An English Wedding & a reunion of old friends (Part 2 of my trip to the UK)

Posted on February 5, 2014April 3, 2020 by BritMumInNZ

I have missed so many weddings in England over the past fifteen years living in New Zealand. My dearest friends from school, college and University days have met their sweethearts, walked down the aisle, partied like there’s no tomorrow, all whilst I’ve been wishing for someone to invent instant travel through time. Unfortunately, often laden…

Loving: A bunch of Kiwis doing Thanks Giving USA

Posted on November 29, 2013 by BritMumInNZ

With our NZ neighbours visiting us in our temporary home in the USA we had the perfect reason to celebrate and feast. So we spent a relaxed day at home, preparing the table, for a Thanks Giving feast. Young Miss 3 delighted in sticking cloves into oranges, Miss 10 made up some name-places for the…

LOVING our New Zealand neighbours being here with us in the USA!

Posted on November 23, 2013 by BritMumInNZ

They arrived today! Our wonderful New Zealand neighbours. Our children are ecstatic and it’s magic for us adults to see them all together. Their ages span from three to ten, but all five children (three of them being our crazy girls) are like a little family in their own right. They mix up play between…

Things I’m Loving

Posted on July 19, 2013July 19, 2013 by BritMumInNZ

In less than three weeks we fly away from our home of some fifteen years, New Zealand, to start an adventure living in Santa Barbara, CA, USA. Our new adventure may be for just a year, three years, or possibly more. In this past week we flew up to Auckland, from our home in Wellington,…

A poem to old friendships – Old friends are like gold…

Posted on October 18, 2012October 19, 2012 by BritMumInNZ

Yesterday I caught up with one of my dearest old school friends, today I’m visiting a friend I lived with at Southampton University, who now lives in the beautiful, historic city of Winchester. There are so many old friends I’d love to see in the short week and a half we are here in the…

Happy travels to our nine year old – first independent flight!

Posted on September 29, 2012September 30, 2012 by BritMumInNZ

Charlotte approached the international departure gate and was approached by someone waiting for her. She turned to smile and wave us a good-bye. I was aware of her Daddy saying, ‘Can I have a hug?’, whilst I grappled with young two-year old Alice in my arms – who was determined to make a run through…

Raw reality of my poor house-keeping, from the eyes of a friend’s son….

Posted on September 26, 2012September 26, 2012 by BritMumInNZ

A friend came round this avo, with her wonderful children and her 9 year old asked to have a go with the camera – amongst the blurry ones, there’s some really cool ones and also many that highlight my poor house keeping! There’s photos zoomed in on dusty shelves, the sofa with the carefully positioned…

Things I’m Loving… News with a silver lining

Posted on August 16, 2012August 16, 2012 by BritMumInNZ

There’s a hint of spring in the air this week in Wellington and it’s something to love. This time last year it snowed in Wellington, a once in fifty year event. At Wellington Zoo, vets took care of an Emperor Penguin discovered on Peka Peka beach, a very long way from home. It seems the…

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next
  • 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
© 2023 Catching the Magic | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme