New Zealand
Tongariro Alpine Crossing
Some of you may recall that Guillaume and I celebrated 15 years of marriage last month. It’s pretty huge, so we thought we should do something a little monumental to mark the occasion. My parents were visiting from Sydney and we took advantage of them here to look after the kids so that we could have a few days away. We both enjoy hiking (known as tramping here). We had heard so much about the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and decided that was what we were to do.
“The Piano Beach” Karekare
Do you remember the beach scene in Jane Campion’s The Piano? It was a cinema masterpiece and something that has always stayed with me. The scene where Holly Hunter’s character, Ada played the piano locked under a box for hours on the beach, was was filmed in Karekare, a spectacular black sand beach on the rugged west coast of Auckland. It’s only about forty minutes from the downtown and I’ve been meaning to visit there since arriving in the country four years ago! I’ve been to the surrounding beaches, the most famous being Piha and then there is Bethells Beach, where Taylor Swift just happened to film her latest clip.
Sailing the Bay of Islands
When my Dad and stepmother suggested that we hire a yacht and go sailing the Bay of Islands, I jumped at the chance. Then the doubt crept in. Seven people together in a small space for five days and three of them are little with real needs to run around. What if it rained the entire time? What if they fell off the boat?
Planning our Escape
School holidays begin this weekend and I’ve been madly working ahead of time so that I can maximise my time with the kids during the next two weeks. We’re not going anywhere these holidays, we’ll just hang out in our pyjamas a little longer in the mornings, go to the cinema and fun stuff like that.
Russell The Bay of Islands
I know that I only just got back from Australia, but I need a holiday already! Perhaps it’s the move, perhaps it’s the wet winter weather or all of the sunny holiday images from the northern hemisphere spamming my Instagram feed right now, but I’m dreaming of an escape. It’s an impossible dream, so instead I’m going to revisit my little getaway in Russell, The Bay of Islands from a few months ago.
1 Day in Auckland: Interior & Sightseeing
“I will have only one full day in Auckland, can you suggest a day of sightseeing mixed in with some interior shops for me to visit?”
This question was asked by Cyndi, a lovely blogger out of California who will be visiting at the end of the month. I’ve been asked this question a few times before and I have to admit, I’ve been pretty slack with my answers, giving only a few suggestions here and there. Earlier in the year I met up with another blogger visiting Auckland and took her on a mini interior and homewares tour which she enjoyed. We did get a bit carried away at lunch so didn’t manage to see everything intended, but it was fun all the same. So I’ve taken this and coupled it with a few sightseeing suggestions. I hope that by posting this, a few other locals or visitors might add their “must sees” in the comments. We can start a bit of a conversation here for Cyndi and future travellers to Auckland!
Our Queenstown Getaway
Queenstown: This is truly a very special place. I first went there many years ago as a child with my parents when we did the big tour of the two islands. Even then at a tender young age, it left an impression.
