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  • Parental Leave Trip
    11
    Day 92

    Tokerau Beach and Gumdiggers

    May 9 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Visited Waitangi Treaty Grounds in the morning. Although nearly didn't as Rosie had a meltdown getting out the campervan, so we had to wait that out first. Was worth the wait though, beautiful views from the grounds over the Bay. Interesting to learn more about the war canoes, Russell and the treaty. The girls seems captivated by the cultural performance at the end too, which took place in a replica Maori meeting house.
    Camped at Tokerau Beach, near Coca Cola lake (which looks as it sounds). Campsite was down a unsealed road amongst the sand dunes but luckily it was all fine for the camper to drive on. Stunning long sandy beach. Matt made dinner (gurnard which he'd caught the day before) whilst the girls and I played on the beach. That evening Matt caught a big snapper, and then later his rod snapped! Maybe a sign that he's done enough fishing?!
    We drove over to the Gummdiggers Fields for a walk in the morning. Never knew about people collecting 'gum' (like amber) from the base of Kauri trees and digging huge holes in the ground to find preserved gum in the swamps.
    Staying at Houhora Heads campsite tonight. Lovely cafe here and enjoyed our snapper for dinner on their BBQ. Went back to the cafe to watch the karaoke competition in the evening but no one turned up! Luckily they didn't make us sing!    Read more

  • Parental Leave Trip
    1
    Day 90

    Bay of Islands

    May 7 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Went on a walk to Whangarei Falls, via the Kauri Canopy Walkway. Was really cool to be in amongst some huge Kauri trees. Rosie walked (and ran!) a lot of the way! When we got to the falls there was an empty picnic bench at the bottom, felt like it was waiting for us and our picnic :) Poppy enjoyed the picnic too, happily eating the cucumber and hummus.
    Played Grandmother's footsteps (aka statues) with Rosie on the way back to get her back to the van. She loved it! Especially when she got to be Grandmother and turn around quickly to check if we were moving. Poppy loved the walk back too and was happily facing out in her sling and playing along.
    We drove to Paihia after to stay at the Top10 there. Some beautiful golden beaches on the way. I went for a run along the coast in the afternoon then took Rosie into their heated (but still quite cold!) outdoor pool for a bit before dinner.
    Next day we walked to Paihia (about 1.5km along the coast) and got the ferry to Russell, previously a bustling and raucous port but now a pretty village.    Read more

  • Parental Leave Trip
    Day 88

    Auckland

    May 5 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Spent the morning at Hamilton Gardens on our way to Auckland from Raglan. Rosie really enjoyed walking through the doorways into different styles of garden. The Indian Garden was her favourite she said, because she liked all the bright flowers - see photo :)
    Then on to Auckland to meet Mariam - Matt's friend from preschool! We camped at Cox's Park Reserve so had a nice view over the water. Although the van was on quite a slope! Mariam picked us up and took us to the park for Rosie to have a play, then to a really nice food hall in Ponsbury where we had delicious Bento Boxes at a Japanese restaurant. Poppy took a shine to Mariam and they had a nice cuddle before we said goodbye.
    The next day we visited Mt Eden in Auckland on Mariam's recommendation. Really enjoyed the views of the volcano's crater and over the city. Rosie did great and walked the whole way round. Stayed at Uretiti (one of yeh Department of Conservation campsites). Such a beautiful sandy beach with loads of shells including lots of big scallop shells!    Read more

  • Parental Leave Trip
    21
    Day 85

    Raglan 🌊

    May 2 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Had a great visit to Waitomo Glowworm Caves. The limestone caves were carved out by an underground river. There were some cool stalactites and stalagmites, and a large chamber room called the Cathedral. The tour guide was very funny, so when he said the acoustics in the Cathedral were perfect for performances, and he was going to sing to demonstrate we thought he was joking. But he wasn't. Luckily he had a great voice and his rendition of the national anthem in Maori was very calming.
    The boat trip along the cave's river in the dark with glowworms dotted across the ceiling like a sky full of stars, was beautiful. Rosie and Poppy did well to stay quiet during that bit as (we'd all been asked to be silent and it did make the experience very special).
    We then made our way to Raglan, and decided to spend 3 nights here as there is plenty to do. The campsite is cool as it's by the beach, an awesome skate park, pump track and play park and next to the town which has loads of nice cafes and restaurants.
    Matt hired a longboard so he could go for a surf (Raglan is a famous surf spot if you're a non surfer like me and didn't know!). Rosie, Poppy and I played on the grass overlooking the wave and having some lunch. Rosie loved shouting "go daddy go" and "put your neck into it!".
    I went for a run one morning along the beach which was really nice. And we went for dinner at a fab japanese restaurant which felt more like a Jamaican restaurant in vibe! Rosie made friends with the little girl on the table next to us and she even gave Rosie one of her mochi which was very sweet.
    Matt tried another surf this morning but it was very busy (it's a Saturday). Rosie, Poppy and I had a lovely time hanging out. Rosie showed me how she can ride around the pump track. She's getting so good on her bike! And Poppy was very happy having a snack whilst we had a coffee.
    We all went to a different local beach in the afternoon to do some fishing. No luck there but the girls had a nice time playing on the beach. I picked some shells for Rosie from my walk with Poppy on the beach and she took each one and announced "beautiful!".
    Pizza on the beach for dinner this evening whilst watching the sunset.
    All in all we've had a really nice time in Raglan :)
    On to Auckland tomorrow via Hamilton gardens.    Read more

  • Parental Leave Trip
    11
    Day 84

    Mt Taranaki

    May 1 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    We camped at a cool campsite above a river and black sand beach at Kaupokonui Beach last night. Arrived with time for walks on the beach and some fishing. Caught three kawahi but released one as they're pretty big!
    Rosie helped Matt to wash the fish in the river.
    Borrowed some books from the campsite library which Rosie enjoyed reading to Poppy.
    This morning we headed off to Mt Taranaki, the volcano at the centre of Egmont National Park, for a walk in the 'goblin forest' to see Dawson Falls. We visited a tiny old hydro power station at the start of the walk. Then headed down the road into the forest. The forest was beautiful, trees were absolutely covered in so many kinds of moss and ferns. And we found some mushrooms in the forest too. We had a snack sat by Dawson Falls before heading back to the van.
    We're camped at Three Sisters Freedom Camping tonight. The weather turned this afternoon so Rosie did some painting in the van. Poppy was very happy having a walk with me in the rain though!
    Matt bumped into a penguin on the rocks after dinner and we can hear them outside the van now calling to each other.    Read more

  • Parental Leave Trip
    2
    Day 82

    Battery issues...

    April 29 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Woke up to feed Poppy around 4am and the leisure battery had gone flat which meant we had no lights and no heating. Luckily it wasn't too chilly. Same thing happened a few days ago and it was very cold in the morning!
    Very odd it happened as we'd charged up at a campsite the day before and had driven a bit as well, so the battery should have lasted fine. It lasted for 2 days previously without us having to plug in to charge it.
    Matt called thl who owns Maui and they said to go to an RV garage about 30mins away so they could see what the issue is. Bit annoying as we wanted to carry on heading up the coast and this was a detour, but if they manage to sort the battery it's worth it so we can camp in freedom camping spots, not just powered sites.
    We went to a cafe whilst the garage looked at the battery for us. They decided to replace it so fingers crossed it will be ok tonight!
    We're at a campsite in Whanganui now. Was a bit of a long drive but the girls did great and enjoyed playing on the black sand beach when we arrived. Poppy was digging in the sand and Rosie spent ages collecting what looked like walnuts to decorate our sandcastles. We chatted to a local family with 3 kids under 4yrs old who were really friendly. Matt got given a kawahi when he was fishing on the pier so we smoked that at the campsite for dinner. Bit of a late one for the girls as we only left the beach just after 5pm.
    Poppy has eaten loads at lunch and dinner today! Think she might be having a growth spurt!    Read more

  • Parental Leave Trip
    11
    Day 81

    Back to the north

    April 28 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Got the Interislander ferry on Sunday morning back to Wellington. We're hoping to head up to Auckland relatively quickly so we can hang out in Northland for a bit before flying to Tasmania.
    Rosie and Poppy both did great on the ferry. Although as soon as Rosie saw the indoor play area she just wanted to be there. Whilst Matt and I wanted to see the stunning views of Marlborough Sounds on the way out of Picton. We let Rosie have some time on her tablet so we could enjoy the view.
    After lunch we played in the kids area, Rosie got her face painted as a butterfly and had a balloon baby made for her (both pink of course) and we chatted to the family we met at Momorangi Bay Campsite the day before. They were from Bristol funnily enough and had lived in NZ for 4 years (unexpectedly) and were traveling around NZ to decide where they wanted to buy a house.
    I get why people love the outdoor lifestyle here, but Matt and I love where we live so much. We're definitely not planning to move out here.
    We arrived in Wellington in really good time thanks to the calm conditions, and headed 30mins up the coast to a freedom camping spot for the night. A lovely spot right by the beach. It was near the town so we had a takeaway curry for dinner that was delicious! Very flavoursome and aromatic. Matt and Rosie were fishing whilst Poppy and I got the curry. Poppy was doing her usual smiling at strangers and making friends :)    Read more

  • Parental Leave Trip
    Day 79

    Seals, Kekerengu and Marlborough Sound

    April 26 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We visited the seal colony at Kaikoura Peninsula and saw hundreds of seals, including lots of pups playing about in the sea and growling (?) at each other. Rosie thought the seals were amazing and loved pointing out all the different ones she could see and what they were doing.
    We headed on to our next campsite, further up the coast. Spotted a crayfish cafe on the coast road so stopped there for some lunch. Had to try the crayfish of course! And some fish and chips. All delicious but I reckon our lobster at home is sweeter and even tastier!
    Just as we went to get back in the camper from the cafe, an old fashioned steam train went past. Rosie was very excited and waved at everyone in the carriages. She was so pleased when the driver tooted the horn.
    Kekerengu was a cool campsite, right next to the beach, with a nice cafe at the top of the hill. There were lots of driftwood dens on the beach. Matt set up his rod and him and Rosie played on the beach whilst Poppy and I went for a walk.
    Matt nearly missed dinner as he spent about half an hour reeling in a huge fish, which got off the line at the last minute. At the same beach he also caught a rig shark and an octopus! Luckily both were released and were fine.
    We had a chilled morning there on the beach, playing and doing some errands before heading off to Momorangi Bay Campsite - the first place we stayed when we arrived on the south island. Passed many vineyards on the way but didn't stop for tours or tastings. I think we were spoilt by the beautiful old vineyards in Lanzarote!
    Momorangi Bay and Marlborough Sound was as beautiful as we remembered. The bay is so sheltered and the water so calm there.
    Rosie rode her bike to the park (she's so fast on it now!) and tried to make friends with some older kids. It's interesting trying to teach a 3 year old how to start a conversation with strangers. Makes me realise that I find it hard too!
    That evening Matt did some more fishing and caught two skates, a starfish and a spiny dogfish! We're not having much luck catching dinner but it's interesting to see what's in the sea!    Read more

  • Parental Leave Trip
    1
    Day 77

    Gore Bay & Kaikoura

    April 24 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    After a day in Christchurch, we stayed at a lovely camp in Gore Bay last night. Nice being back by the sea and the warm weather that brings 👌 We caught fish for dinner and a 7 Gill shark, which I couldn't bring myself to eat! The Bay was full of dolphins, which were surfing the waves right in front of the van. We then drove to Kaikoura, where we pulled over in a lay-by over looking the sea just as hump back whales jumped numerous times close to the shore! There were also fur seals and pups, plus more dolphins than you could cout. We ended up having lunch in the lay-by to watch the action. I didn't know so much marine life could exist in one place! We're now parked on the headland in Kaikoura and are staying here tonight. There's a jetty nearby where Rosie caught lots of fish with her pink fishing rod 😁Read more

  • Parental Leave Trip
    23
    Day 76

    Lake Tekapo, Fairlie and Rakaia

    April 23 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    We visited the cafe at Mt John Observatory for a (very expensive) sandwich and view over the lake and mountains. The land there was so brown - the region is in the midst of their longest drought in decades.
    The girls loved the hot pools at Lake Tekapo. There were several different pools with shady areas and waterfalls. Poppy was splashing us all on purpose and happily showing us her new skill! And Rosie managed to float on her back without being held for 10 seconds! Think she was most excited about getting an ice cream for doing so well.
    We drove on as there wasn't much at Lake Tekapo and everything looked so dry and brown. Stopped at Fairlie instead where they had a great play park next to the campsite. We put a wash on, ate dinner outside, borrowed a story to read to the girls and had a nice chat with the owner.
    In the morning we headed off to an Animal Park nearby. Rosie really enjoyed feeding the animals, but she fell in love with the three baby guinea pigs they let her hold. And I fell in love with a 5 day old lamb called Noodles who loved cuddles! Poppy was really happy to have cuddles with Noodles too.
    We're staying at a campsite in Rakaia tonight. The river here is meant to be one of the best salmon fishing rivers in New Zealand, but we've just missed the season for it sadly. Had a nice walk through the fairy trail in the woods and down to the river though. This afternoon Rosie painted a rock to add to the fairy trail and helped me make a bread and butter pudding. When Poppy woke up she joined us for dinner and was very excited to have sweetcorn, peppers and sweet potato!    Read more

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