Travels in New Zealand and beyond, going back to 2003!
We had our first public holiday to celebrate Matariki this year, a celebration of the Maori New Year and an occasion we have enjoyed marking for years, but this year we had a public holiday to really make the most of it! It’s a time for coming together, reflecting on the past year and planning…
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…
It’s been a time for adjusting, with our oldest daughter moving to a different country to start University in Melbourne, my Mum dying in December and my thoughts very much with my Dad and sister, miles away in the UK. In the wider world there’s turmoil, with the pandemic lingering on, the atrocities of what…
I was freed from the confines of MIQ (managed isolation and quarantine) nearly two weeks ago, on Friday 21 January, having spent 10 days in a room, with no opening window and only 30 minutes of fresh air a day. It was a strange experience to be on my own and between the two families…
It’s day 5 of my 10 day quarantine (MIQ) here in New Zealand. I’ve had 3 covid tests so far (all negative) and am hanging out for my freedom day and to be reunited with my family on the south coast of Wellington. They sent me this gorgeous photo of the sunset, on their evening…
Before they rest for winter the deciduous trees glow with such awe inspiring beauty, the leaves giving a grand finale before preparing to stand stoically through frosty nights and bitterly cold days. Leaves turn from green to golden yellow, copper and red, hanging onto the branches till the wind carries them down to carpet the…
MUSHROOM On the edge of the forest path, defiant to the shortening day, the fungi’s startling colour stood, bold red, with white spots, under which a fairy ought to play. It stood in stark contrast to the greens and browns, tree roots, rotting leaves and muddy ditches. Autumn could not be ignored and the mushroom warned not to…
It’s officially spring here in New Zealand (meaning lots of gorgeous flowers and lambs, trees in bud and time to get busy in the garden!). Our last few weeks of winter weather in Wellington were actually really kind to us. We have had mostly mild weather, not much rain and the wind hasn’t been so…
I’m so glad I made the decision to start my forties with a half marathon, as I haven’t looked back in the past two years – only forward to the next challenge. Thankfully New Zealand has an ever-growing array of organised races to participate in, with various distances and terrain. It’s fast becoming an addiction…
The days are shorter, closing in, I DEFY them to dampen my mood, (shouting loudly to the sun, setting earlier each night). After all, the weather is still fine, outdoor pursuits remain inviting, I just need to better manage my time, (or start wearing a head torch). I fill my house with candles, repeating an…
Everyone is well in the family again and all the girls have been back at school for a good week and a half. It was brilliant to get some sunshine this weekend to really keep those feel good vibes swinging! We headed out to Worser Bay to take our puppy for an off lead gallop on…
It’s nearing the end of winter in New Zealand, with the days getting noticeably longer and more fine days in between the cold fronts, but still, when the southerly whips up from Antarctica, we need a little hopeful reminder of spring and summer to come. This weekend, whilst away in our holiday home in Martinborough,…
The rain wasn’t going to stop us getting to Martinborough’s Mid-Winter Affair. We set off at midday on Saturday, picking up our friend Cyndi (aka ‘Latte Junkie‘) on the way. Traveling over the Rimutaka Hill the children in the back-seat played spot the waterfalls in the mist (of which there were many – albeit small…
Oh my, what a day of weather! In Wellington, today, it was almost possible to forget it was winter altogether. The sun shone gloriously and the calm air let the warmth shine through, without the usual wind chill factor bringing it down. The tide was super high and the waves rolling in, from far out…