Travels in New Zealand and beyond, going back to 2003!
We touched down at London Heathrow early afternoon on Saturday. Our flight from Los Angeles went smoothly enough – after a delay boarding the plane due to a fatality on the incoming plane from New Zealand. Thankfully, we had access to the Air New Zealand lounge, which was so much more pleasant and peaceful than…
It was my first trip away in ten years, without wearing my mother and wife ‘hats’. An old University friend in the UK was the carrot and after ten years of at home parenting (mostly as an expat in New Zealand), with only one night away (ever; and that was when I had two daughters,…
We have seen in the New Year from the vibrant city of San Diego, where there is an abundance of attractions, activities and beautiful scenery. There is so much to do here that I already want to start planning my next visit. On the drive down we stopped a night at Legoland California, where all…
Less than an hour’s drive north of New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, is a stunning sculpture trail at the Brick Bay Vineyard. Nature and art combine to make a beautiful and fascinating walk. The sculptures entranced even the youngest of our tribe, Miss 3 – Alice, so that she happily walked most of the two…
Before we even got our helmets on for luging, we had the thrill of a ride in the Skyline Gondola to the top of the hill overlooking picturesque Queenstown, in the South Island of New Zealand. The views from the gondola ride were beautiful – but we were in for a lot more excitement. The…
Take me with your every breath, let me ride on your canoe, hide me from the dark shadows, and bath in your filtered light. Paint on my skin, like the sun, dipped in a heavenly palette. Caress my shoulders with air – that folds like a cloak around. I want to feel every sigh, the…
This was the way to start the last year of my thirties – taking a ride in a Gondola over Queenstown with my family. At the top we geared up for a little action… enjoying an absolute blast of a morning riding the Luge carts down the hill… again and again and again! Alice had…
Our family is home after a holiday in beautiful Picton and Nelson, New Zealand. We had a blast, especially with Grandma & Granddad over from the UK. As for an adventure? Well, perhaps not so much for us oldies (given we had young children stopping us from too many extended, wild adventures), but more of…
Set on the expansive landscape of the rural Wairarapa, where big skies, wide valleys and small towns full of character lie, is Stonehenge Aotearoa. A marvellous full-scale working adaption of England’s Stonehenge, located just outside of Carteton, an hours drive from Wellington. ‘It incorporates ancient Egyptian, Babylonian and Indus Valley astronomy, Polynesian navigation, and Celtic…
Beautiful nikau palms growing in a safe reserve on the Kapiti coast. The nikau is very slow-growing. Research conducted in lowland forests near Auckland found it takes 40-50 years to begin to form a trunk and about 200 years to reach 10 metres tall (ref. DoC). These beautiful palms, with rich green fronds and brightly coloured…
Loving the most INCREDIBLE sunsets on the stunning Kapiti Coast. Loving that so much pleasure can be drawn from NATURAL toys – pebbles, driftwood, flowers in the sand dunes. LOVING playing in the surf, a stone’s throw (literally) from the beach house we’re staying in. Loving the CREATIVITY that springs forth when time permits. This…
We walked with determined, weary legs, head-first into the wind. The sand whipped our exposed skin and scratched our eyes. The scenery was picture perfect (if we were brave enough to open our eyes and look). Laden down with bags of towels, togs and beach toys, we trudged along hoping to catch a boat out….
Holiday Essentials by Sarah A holiday to take the cares away, A break from routine, with a change of scene. We left the clutter of the house behind, Took just the basics, to restore the mind. Jandals and togs. Buckets and spades. Bats, balls and Some books to read. A sketch book to draw in….
This museum is a wonderful tribute to outstanding sailing skill throughout the ages and how people first arrived in New Zealand. From the arrival of the Maori and Polynesian, through the discovery of New Zealand by Europeans and migration, to New Zealand’s winning of the America’s Cup and a tribute to Sir Peter Blake. The…