Travels in New Zealand and beyond, going back to 2003!
We landed back in New Zealand on the 16th January, after an incredible six weeks of travel. The first part of our adventures started in snowy Canada, which were simply magical and so much fun. We landed in Vancouver, on 7 December, and drove north-east, straight to Sun Peaks, some 407km / 235 miles. It…
The suitcases are packed, filled for six weeks of travel in the northern hemisphere. We are forgoing a chunk of our southern hemisphere summer to journey north for a festive winter and time will be spent with family and friends. It’s the first time our three daughters will have experienced Christmas in England, like the…
My youngest daughter and I flew down to Queenstown, in September 2018, to visit a friend and support her with an art exhibition. It was a wonderfully long weekend of fun in the snow, sight-seeing, great food, wine, company and art! A few days before our visit my hubby had flown down with our oldest…
Ever since my Mum was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease I’ve felt the impact of living on the other side of the world from her in a deeper magnitude than any time in the past twenty years. Seeing my folks visit us in New Zealand this recent Christmas and New Year was absolutely amazing, but also…
Wanaka is great in all seasons and after our wonderful winter holiday in 2017 we decided to revisit Wanaka – but in the summer time with my folks, visiting all the way from the UK! We had a week’s stay in Wanaka and needed activities to keep a mix of ages, abilities and personalities happy…
The drive from Wanaka to the Blue Pools Track, in Mount Aspiring National Park, is stunning. There are so many perfect photo stop opportunities. We just had a day to explore and that teaser made me want to revisit for a lot longer, to enjoy the many walking opportunities. To get to Blue Pools, we took State Highway…
Our summer holiday with my parents continued on from Lake Tekapo to Wanaka (the journey starts here), driving via the Lindis Pass. It was a murky day, not the best for stopping and taking photographs, but nevertheless the Lindis Pass had a hauntingly desolate beauty about it. The Lindis Pass links the Mackenzie Basin with…
New Zealand is experiencing the hottest summer in 150 years! It’s been the most incredible summer in Wellington too (which can be hit and miss). We’ve had temperatures in the high twenties and into the thirties, the beaches are crowded, the sea is being swum in (normally only for the brave or crazy) and sales…
So little time to reflect and review, and so freeing to not have to either! We really have been living and loving in the moment for most of this year, what with new adventures in horse riding, skiing and an early summer making us yearn for sea dips and boogie boarding, but as it draws…
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…
We’ve had such a blast this winter! For the first time we bought ski season passes for Mt Ruapehu for the whole family – giving us freedom to ski on both sides of the mountain, at Whakapapa and Turoa ski-fields. It’s really great to be able to access the snow in under four hours, driving…
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…
The second part of my visit to family in England (part one here) was spent in the Peak District, with my folks, sister and her partner. In a short three day, four night visit we enjoyed an 8 mile hike from Edale to Chinley (blog post here), I ran my first fell run at Herod…
Mid April I took off from Wellington, New Zealand, flying over the great Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, to visit my folks in England. I was keen to see my Mum, who’d turned seventy on the 2nd April, and to spend some precious time with her, my Dad, sister and partner. I flew solo, for…