Catching the Magic

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

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island bay

#MySundayPhoto – Fun in the sun!

February 14, 2016February 18, 2016 BritMumInNZ 4 Comments photography, Sarah, Silent Sunday Photographs

A beautiful sunset, on a summer’s evening, in Island Bay, Wellington and our Sophie takes the plunge, as two kayakers glide past the island. Our dog, Cocoa, watching on, but didn’t follow her lead. Hubby paddled into shore, on his stand up paddle board, and our youngest, Alice, ran around in the shallows, skipping over […]

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Winter fun on Wellington’s south coast

June 15, 2015June 15, 2015 BritMumInNZ 2 Comments Country Kids, Learning & growing, Life in action - Videos, Lifestyle, Our pets

The past couple of weekends have given us some calm, sunshine weather to get out and enjoy the outdoors, despite it being the onset of winter here in New Zealand. We live near the south coast of Wellington and since getting our puppy, in October last year, we have good reason to get out for […]

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My Sunday Photo | Winter’s sunshine in Island Bay

June 7, 2015June 7, 2015 BritMumInNZ 12 Comments Silent Sunday

It’s been a beautiful winter’s weekend of sunshine here in Wellington, New Zealand. Yesterday I fitted in an awesome 6 mile run, but today was all about family. We enjoyed a gorgeous stroll from Houghton Bay to Island Bay and back. A visit to the playground and marine-education centre was an absolute must for our […]

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The last night of the summer school holidays

February 2, 2015 BritMumInNZ 2 Comments Country Kids, School hols

It was a perfect evening, with not a breath of wind (rare for Wellington). The sun’s heat was still present, even as it began to set in the sky. The warm evening was too much of a temptation to play. It didn’t feel like the night before the first day of a new school year. […]

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The Photo Gallery | Two… Masts arrived in a storm

June 5, 2013June 5, 2013 BritMumInNZ 14 Comments photography

‘Two’ is the theme this week on ‘The Photo Gallery’ and this morning, on World Environment Day, 5 June 2013, an amazing sight met my eyes as I drove along Wellington’s south coast, on the way to my oldest daughter’s school. The wild storm of last night trapped a waka crew anchored in heavy seas. […]

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Silent Sunday

March 17, 2013March 17, 2013 BritMumInNZ 21 Comments photography, Sarah, Silent Sunday

~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~ What is Silent Sunday?

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Little Miss Explorer – Wellington’s South Coast

January 28, 2013 BritMumInNZ 3 Comments Alice

Every Sunday, throughout the summer, there’s a special place in Island Bay that we often visit. Its flags flutter, in the almost certain breeze, and giant fish kites welcome passers by into the old bait house that is now a treasured centre of marine education for locals and visitors alike. Located on the shores of […]

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Summer Saturday on Wellington’s South Coast with family

January 26, 2013January 27, 2013 BritMumInNZ 2 Comments School hols

Today was all about water. It started with a bath – when Miss 2, Alice, discovered an old Thomas Tank Engine bath toy (in much need of a scrub) and persuaded me to run a bath (and scrub the toy), which we then wallowed in for half an hour. After the bath she wondered into […]

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Swim Home Carpet Shark! You are free!

June 5, 2012 BritMumInNZ 4 Comments Alice, Learning & growing, Sarah

The old bait house in Island Bay is home to a wonderful little ‘Marine Education Centre‘ that provides the children of Wellington the opportunity to get hands on with the creatures that live along the South Coast. On Sunday we popped in to give Alice and Sophie an opportunity to say hello to the rocky […]

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Silent Sunday

June 3, 2012 BritMumInNZ 8 Comments Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday | The rules: Use just one photo in your post. You must have taken the picture. Use a photo taken in the week leading up to your post. You don’t have to do it every week. No words in the post OR the title. ________________________________________________

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Do what you love, one day a week: Paddle boarding!

February 8, 2012February 8, 2012 BritMumInNZ 4 Comments Alice, Charlotte, Dan, Loving & Not Loving, Sarah, Sophie

After my last attempt, in less than calm waters and with a few adrenaline pumping wipe-outs, I went out on the board again this week. It was beautifully calm in Lyall Bay on Sunday. Barely a ripple of a wave broke on the shore. I found my feet quickly and plunged the paddle deeply into […]

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Sunday snippets: Enjoying the sunshine

October 10, 2011October 11, 2011 BritMumInNZ 4 Comments Alice, Charlotte, Dan, photography, Sarah, Silent Sunday, Sophie

After a week of rain and cold winds, with just a few snippets of blue in between, it was with great relief that we woke to sunshine this Sunday. We did the chores, mowed the lawn and then got out together and dosed up on Vitamin D to fight our snuffly noses. Here’s a few […]

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Catching ourselves some friendly ions

July 3, 2011July 4, 2011 BritMumInNZ 12 Comments Alice, Charlotte, Dan, Sarah, Sophie

Wind and madness come hand in hand, it’s scientifically proven… ‘The Evil Wind Wind puts people in a bad mood as studies have shown that more fights, crimes, heart attacks and other ills occur when there is an ill wind blowing. The reason is the positive ions produced by these winds. In the case of […]

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Wardrobe Wednesday: First day of Spring

September 1, 2010September 1, 2010 BritMumInNZ 11 Comments Random Musings

The first day of Spring was glorious and I spent the whole day far away from the house & the chores. The morning was spent walking up and down the beach with Alice sleeping for most of it. I was browsing blogs on my phone, whilst taking photographs of the beautiful waves and decided to […]

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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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