Travels in New Zealand and beyond, going back to 2003!
The Paekakariki Escarpment Track, north of Wellington on the Kapiti coast, otherwise known as ‘The Stairway to Heaven’, is a 9.6km walk, comprising of lots of steps (more than 400) climbing to 220m above sea level, a couple of 40m swing bridges and a narrow pathway with some steep drop offs (not for the faint…
I adore the Kapiti Coast, but don’t often go there enough – even though it’s less than an hour’s drive from where we live in Wellington, New Zealand. When our fabulous dog groomer stopped working at a business in Wellington, to set up her own business – Raumati Stylez Dog Grooming Salon – from her…
Waitangi Day falls on 6 February every year in New Zealand. It’s a public holiday and fell on a Wednesday this year, making for a lovely mid-week break from weekly routines, and a nice chance to reconnect as a family after a busy start to the new school year. We drove up the beautiful Kapiti…
The mouths of babes can be very insistent and, after several weeks of asking, my two year old’s wish came true. It was a spur of the moment visit. The stars had aligned to make it all possible – sunshine, no school pick-ups, or rush to be back at any set time, my two year…
Obviously food, clean water and shelter (which I’m extremely grateful for every day) are the essentials that I can’t live without – and my heart frequently aches for the millions of people around the world that are struggling to survive without the basics. But, beyond those essentials, is LOVE. The love of my family is…
I’m writing this on return from seven wonderful nights away on the Kapiti Coast. The sleepy beach side settlement of Te Horo welcomed us with rural tranquility and bird song. For seven nights we forgot about work, school and house-keeping and focused on making every moment about spending quality time together. Time was the biggest…
It’s been just over a week since Grandma & Granddad flew into Wellington to join in our crazy family life for six weeks. We are so loving them being here and extremely grateful to them for making the long journey and being so ‘hands on’ with their grandchildren and the mess, noise and chaos that…
The past couple of week’s have been marred by lingering colds and days off school and Kindi. However the girls haven’t been so ill that they’ve lolled around at home all day, so they’ve still needed a run out in the fresh air by mid-afternoon. Thankfully, fine spring weather has given us plenty to smile…
Last weekend was a whirl-wind of action and sunshine. Saturday was filled with the school fair and voting, but still left time for some fun at the local ‘Spray Pool‘. Sunday morning was full on at the Recreation Centre’s family time, with Charli adamant she would roller blade. She has the most incredible persistence, strong…
A few Sunday’s ago we visited Stables on the Park again so that Sophie could indulge in her love of horses. Charlotte braved a 5 minute ride but decided, having tried a few times now, that horses are definitely not her cup of tea and that she would much rather stick to dancing. Meanwhile, Sophie…