Catching the Magic

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

  • 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

random musings

Winter storms, sunsets and waves. Winter in Wellington

July 6, 2022July 6, 2022 BritMumInNZ Header, Seasons

Winter has started with its usual mixed bag in Wellington – calm, sunshine days that are moderately mild lull us into a sense of ease, before a sudden southerly change hurls us into an abrupt awareness that it is actually the season of winter. Gale force winds, heavy rain, and snow on the distant Kaikoura […]

Continue reading


A day out of the house makes a difference

September 21, 2011September 21, 2011 BritMumInNZ 2 Comments Alice, Charlotte, Dan, Sarah, Sophie

Yesterday I cleaned a lot (with a brief late afternoon escape to our local zoo). Today I had fun (except for a morning appointment to see the doctor for a warrant of fitness – but even that was plain sailing). The sun shone. The wind didn’t hamper my every step. Nature played ball (and threw in a real […]

Continue reading


Heaven is for Real

May 10, 2011 BritMumInNZ 10 Comments Sarah

On Saturday evening, as I sat writing a blog post on the futon in my bedroom, with Alice asleep at my side, Dan sent me a text, which read, I got you a little Kindle book I thought you might like. Go to your Kindle on your iPhone xxx So I go check and see […]

Continue reading


Coming Up For Air: A day like any other?

November 6, 2010November 11, 2010 BritMumInNZ 11 Comments Random Musings, Writing

Sometimes it feels good to dump down the activities of the day in words. To let everything go like a leaf at the mercy of the autumn wind or blossom raining down to carpet the ground in a spring shower. To come up for air. To appreciate the two forces at work in a strong […]

Continue reading


Tribal Wives Wellington, New Zealand

September 13, 2010September 16, 2010 BritMumInNZ 34 Comments Random Musings

I am bravely picking up the baton and going to give this post my best shot, where others have skillfully gone before me – inspired by the amazing mistress of words Vix of Vegemitevix blog and her ‘Tribal Wives in Britain‘ post. Here follows my offering and I’d recommend visiting ‘Moments of Whimsy‘ blog for […]

Continue reading


Walking back in time

July 22, 2010August 19, 2010 BritMumInNZ 7 Comments Sarah

‘Race you to the top!’ I shouted to my sister as my legs started at a run up to the summit of the hill. ‘See you up there girls. We’ll take our time and enjoy the scenery,’ my Dad said with a smile of pride and perhaps a hint of envy at our boundless energy. […]

Continue reading


Needing sleep

July 6, 2010July 6, 2010 BritMumInNZ 8 Comments Alice

And now she lies here blowing raspberries at me like it’s all a big joke. 1.32 AM my clock reads. She’s fed and slept, but I’ve snatched only pockets of twenty minutes sleep at a time. Third night in a row. Hubbie took her downstairs. He said kindly, ‘Get some sleep love.’ But as I […]

Continue reading


Changing seasons, unsettled minds

May 17, 2009November 27, 2009 BritMumInNZ 3 Comments Sarah

It really has been hard to get back into the swing of things since our amazing holiday in Nelson. So many times we’ve looked at the properties there and considered a move. We’ve been in Wellington for twelve year’s now and it is totally amazing, but something about returning from holiday and the change in […]

Continue reading


Thank ‘G’ it’s the end of term!

December 19, 2008December 19, 2008 BritMumInNZ 6 Comments Charlotte, Sarah

I am so full of emotions tonight. It’s been tough letting go of my first born to a system where, due to numbers, children are molded to doing ‘x, y and z’ when told – how else would it be possible to contain so many free spirits within one room! The end term heralds in […]

Continue reading


Scooting around Wellington on a sunny Saturday

September 13, 2008November 27, 2009 BritMumInNZ 5 Comments Charlotte, Dan, Sarah, Sophie

Wellington is such a compact city, encased in hills and geographically challenged when it comes to expanding (but of course there’s always the option of building up – and one look at the number of cranes on the cityscape exhibits evidence aplenty of growth to the sky). The compactness makes Wellington a neat city to […]

Continue reading


Random Happiness

September 10, 2008September 10, 2010 BritMumInNZ 5 Comments Charlotte, Dan, Sarah, Sophie

Being in the moment, totally at one with nature. Free of the monkey mind chatter and internal dialog. No ego to feed; just simple happiness from living in the present and being consciously aware. Every breath drawn from the centre of the Universe. Every cell in the body soaking up the warmth of the sun […]

Continue reading


Officially Spring!

August 31, 2008 BritMumInNZ 6 Comments Charlotte, Dan, Sarah, Sophie

It’s officially Spring – or so I read in the newspaper today. The weather was beautiful this weekend and we treasured every moment. It’s been a rough winter with news reports saying it’s been the wettest on record. After a magnificent six month’s of summer, this winter has been hard on everyone. I reckon treatment […]

Continue reading


What’s on your bedside table?

May 21, 2008November 27, 2009 BritMumInNZ Sarah

In my first year of motherhood my bedside table was stacked high with a wide selection of parenting books. The subjects of most interest at that time were sleep, health, breastfeeding and developmental milestones. My reading of parenting and child psychology books became a little obsessive. There was a time when the only other items […]

Continue reading


A little bench where I like to sit

March 30, 2008November 27, 2009 BritMumInNZ 1 Comment Sarah

I have a little bench, outside our backdoor. It’s sheltered from the wind and rain and it’s where I like to sit and think. I look up at the changing sky, the mostly ever-green trees and watch the season’s change. Listening to the cicadas in summer and the birds cavorting with one another. I think […]

Continue reading


Posts navigation

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

Art autumn Baking beach Birthday birthday party breastfeeding cafes christmas Country Kids family family time featured friends Garden holiday Holidays Lyall Bay Lyrical Sunday milestones motherhood New Zealand parenting photography poem poetry running Santa Barbara school school holidays seasons Silent Sunday sisters sleep spring summer swimming the gallery Things I'm Loving UK Walks weather Wellington winter writing

© Sarah A. Lee and Catching the Magic, 2003 to 2026 inclusive. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Sarah A. Lee and Catching the Magic with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Theme by Colorlib Powered by WordPress