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Tag: walking

Trail goodness in the southern Remutaka Ranges

Posted on October 25, 2022October 25, 2022 by BritMumInNZ

It was a rare Saturday, in the recent spring school holidays, when my husband and I had an afternoon completely to ourselves, that we headed out to the beautiful native forest in the Orongorongo Valley, in the southern Remutaka Ranges of the North Island of New Zealand. It’s not that we don’t walk together often…

Summer holiday in North-East Cornwall (part 1)

Posted on August 30, 2022September 3, 2022 by BritMumInNZ

We left Fleet in Hampshire early on Saturday morning, joining the A303 and waving to historic Stonehenge as we drove on the stretch of single carriageway through the World Heritage Site at a moving pace (which was good, considering it was summer, sunny and often known to be a stretch of road that can see…

Walking the Paekakariki Escarpment Track

Posted on February 1, 2021November 25, 2021 by BritMumInNZ

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…

Catching Some Magic at the Martinborough Round the Vines 2018

Posted on April 4, 2018April 4, 2018 by BritMumInNZ

A 10km walk through vineyards, raising funds for a local school (Martinborough School), with a lovely group of ladies and drink stations serving wine along the way… yes please! On 17 March I headed over the hill from Wellington, with a couple of friends, and spent the night prior to the ‘Martinborough Round the Vines‘…

Xterra West Wind 18km trail run

Posted on March 27, 2018 by BritMumInNZ

I signed up for the Xterra West Wind 18km trail run on a post period high whim (hormones making me feel invincible and able to do anything!). I’d not ran much more than 10km in a while and my hill training consisted of walks on the trails around my home, along with my four legged…

Wanaka is so easy to LOVE! 10 things we did & loved in Wanaka…

Posted on November 9, 2017November 9, 2017 by BritMumInNZ

Wanaka is one of those places that I felt pained to leave. After a week’s stay, in beautiful spring weather, we returned to Wellington – and I sulked for a week. Don’t get me wrong – I do adore Wellington (after all it’s been my home for nearly twenty years!) but the holiday blues hit…

A hike in the Peak District National Park, from Edale to Chinley

Posted on May 30, 2017April 3, 2020 by BritMumInNZ

The day after arriving in the Peak District, at my sister’s house, we set out on a crisp spring morning (a chilly 7°C) with my parents and sister’s partner. We took the train, from Chinley to Edale, so we could hike back across the hills, covering nearly 400(m) of elevation gain in 12km (nearly 8…

Exploring the new Matairangi Nature Trail, Wellington

Posted on March 30, 2017March 30, 2017 by BritMumInNZ

I first stumbled across the enticing play areas of the Matairangi Nature Trail, along the ridge line of Mt Victoria, on one of my long runs. I couldn’t wait to grab an opportunity to bring my two youngest children to explore, climb and play. I’ve always loved walking and running the town belt trails of…

A day trip to Matiu-Somes Island, Wellington

Posted on March 17, 2017March 17, 2017 by BritMumInNZ

In February I had the pleasure of taking a small ferry to Matiu/Somes Island, in the middle of Wellington’s harbour. Matiu/Somes Island is a predator-free scientific reserve. It is also a historic reserve with a rich multicultural history. I took my youngest daughter with me, and joined a group of Wellington Home Educators. It was a beautiful…

Loves from ‘The Lake District’

Posted on October 21, 2016October 22, 2016 by BritMumInNZ

Staying on the shore of Lake Windermere, at the YHA Ambleside, we spent three nights, and a few wonderful days, soaking up the beautiful scenery. We enjoyed hiking the countryside, taking a boat across the lake and visiting Beatrix Potter‘s 17th-century farmhouse ‘Hill Top. Our hike took us about 6 miles, from Wray Castle to…

Reaching the summit of Mt. Snowdon, North Wales

Posted on October 12, 2016October 12, 2016 by BritMumInNZ

In the planning of our visit to the UK we’d set aside ‘Thursday 15th September’ for taking a walk on Snowdon – without setting any expectations about how far we’d walk (since our group of four included my 6 year old daughter, Alice, and we had no idea what the weather Gods would have in…

Walking the headland reserve of Te Raikaihau Point

Posted on September 4, 2016September 4, 2016 by BritMumInNZ

This beautiful reserve is such a special place and we feel very fortunate to live close by. As we climb up to the incredible viewpoint, over the Cook Strait, Wellington’s harbour entrance, Lyall Bay, and beyond to the South Island of New Zealand, we always feel like we are miles away from civilisation (when in…

Adventures in Pokemon Hunting (with my children)

Posted on August 22, 2016August 26, 2016 by BritMumInNZ

Pokemon Go hit New Zealand just prior to the winter school holiday break of 2016. The weather was surprisingly good and all of a sudden parents found that children were actually KEEN to GO OUTDOORS! Hubby and I were away in Australia with our three daughters, and found our phones suddenly turn into Pokemon Go…

Happy New Year 2016!

Posted on January 4, 2016February 29, 2016 by BritMumInNZ

It’s been well over a month since I last blogged, but Instagram has been a constant online ‘fix’ and brought back a few memories from the year with the ‘Best of nine’! The end of 2015 came around so quickly, with our three daughters finishing a great school year in early December (in a flurry…

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