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NZ Christmas 2019
  • kateishandstanding

NZ Christmas 2019

A 17-day adventure by kateishandstanding Read more
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  • Trip start
    December 22, 2019
    kateishandstandingNZ Christmas 2019Traveler

    Settling in to NZ

    December 23, 2019 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We landed at 12:20am and got picked up from the airport, went home, and immediately went to bed. During the day, we went to visit Mike’s mum and had some afternoon tea. After a nap and some cups of tea we had mince patties for dinner and a delish fresh picked rhubarb dessert. Before bed we watched Bad Moms 2 - the Christmas one. Man it’s cold!!Read more

  • kateishandstandingNZ Christmas 2019Traveler

    Making the Rounds

    December 23, 2019 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We got up nice and early to go to the bank and then bought some Christmas pressies. We had to hurry home to go back to the airport to pick up the car. On the way back to the house we planned on visiting the cousins but no one was home at either house. We grabbed a quick bite and went back home to wrap presents. Before wrapping presents though, we stopped for Christmas wine and beer and I dropped a case on the ground breaking some bottles. Very generously, the Countdown didn’t make me pay for the $50 case of Speight’s. We went to Mornington Tavern for dinner and ate way too much before watching the Big Bang Theory and falling asleep on the couch.Read more

  • kateishandstandingNZ Christmas 2019Traveler

    Santa Photos and Last Minute Presents

    December 24, 2019 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    I got up early (9am) so that we could head to the mall for a haircut and Santa photos. 🎅🏻 We didn’t get out of the house until eleven. I went shopping at Farmer’s to help Santa give the little guy presents while the boys went into the mall for a haircut. I collected C from the haircut and took him down to Santa. Santa was feeding the reindeer so we got some Subway for lunch while we waited. In the line for Santa photos, a boy put his mum’s parking ticket in the mail to the North Pole and C went in after it. The boys dropped me at home to help Santa wrap presents while they went to Moana Pool and rode the Hydroslide. 💦 We had a nice family dinner and C got to sit in a milk truck. After Santa ate some cookies and put out the presents, Santa went to bed. 🥛 🍪Read more

  • kateishandstandingNZ Christmas 2019Traveler

    Merry Christmas Day

    December 25, 2019 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    We woke up about 8:30, had a bit of breakfast, and had a big long wait until 11am when everyone arrived at the house and we could FINALLY open presents. I gifted M a kindle and some undies (the undies he asked for). M got me an All Blacks beanie that I’ve had my eye on for 2 years (since the last time we were in NZ). C was pleased with his from Santa. He will have more gifts from Santa when they arrive in the post (due in Friday). We hadn’t beautiful lunch around 1 and were lucky enough to stuff our bellies full. Family left and before we knew it, it was dinner time already. After dinner we watched Moana and Wonder as a family (me, C, M, M’s dad and dad’s wife - with whom we are staying). It’s cold enough in summer here that we got to wear our ugly Christmas sweaters all day. Now we are relaxing in the couch watching the Big Bang Theory! Merry Christmas all. 🎄🎁Read more

  • kateishandstandingNZ Christmas 2019Traveler

    Taieri Mouth

    December 26, 2019 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    After getting out of bed at 10am and waiting for M to get ready for 3 hours; we headed to Taieri Mouth to visit Mike’s mum. We stopped at a “Night ‘n’ Day” for a coffee. When I found $5 in my pocket I decided to buy scratchy tickets for Mum and let C scratch them when we got to the house. We won $10! So we will reinvest the $5 I suspect. We made a frozen pizza for late lunch and had a bit of a play (Dos - a card game from Santa) and a sit in the “Crib” or “Bach” which is what they call the tiny holiday homes next to the sea. After burgers for dinner we walked the beach and got some really beautiful photos. We came home just in time before the rain and had a cup of tea before bed.Read more

  • kateishandstandingNZ Christmas 2019Traveler

    Visiting Cousins

    December 27, 2019 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    After getting organised slowly, we drove back to Dunedin to run some errands and visit the cousins and first cousins once removed. Next we went to the shopping mall and Mike bought a shirt and hat and I bought hot sauce. We traded in the $10 scratchy winner for 5 more tickets and only won $4. I think I’ll take my $4 and just accept a $1 net loss. We went back to Mike’s Dad and Dad’s Wife’s house for dinner. By the time we got back to Taieri Mouth, it was past everyone’s bedtime.Read more

  • kateishandstandingNZ Christmas 2019Traveler

    HP and Bday Dinner

    December 28, 2019 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

    We woke up late again, showered, and lounged around the Crib at Taieri Mouth again. This time watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I slept through most of it. We then drove back to Dunedin and had another nap before going out to birthday dinner for Mike’s Dad’s wife at an Italian place. Mike made me try Raspberry Coke - similar but better than Cherry Coke. I had delicious gnocchi and panna cotta dessert. We watched a bit of tele before bed as we planned an early start.Read more

  • kateishandstandingNZ Christmas 2019Traveler

    Roadtripping

    December 29, 2019 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Today was awesome. After getting up way too late we left Dunedin. On the way out we visited Mike’s Aunt and Uncle for a cup of tea. Mike’s Uncle is a taxidermist and we got see his workshop. We also met their black cat called Achilles. Then we drove through Balclutha and Cluntin and got Subyay at Gore before getting to Invercargill. Mike’s friends very nicely put us up for the night. We had dinner (got to try White Bait) and went to feed the horses. They also have a black cat called Blackie. Plus two others, Stripes and Misty. Then we played a game of touch footy in the back yard before dessert. The kids went off to play videos and the adults got heavily invested in game of Dos.Read more

  • kateishandstandingNZ Christmas 2019Traveler

    Eucher

    December 30, 2019 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We woke up and had breakfast made for us. They also had a real coffee machine and made my flat white with unpasteurized milk from the neighbours dairy farm. It was so tasty and I drank way too much of it. In the afternoon we went to Invercargill’s Bill Richardson’s Transport Museum. It was a bit boring for me, but someone who appreciates cars and history would be very happy there. All of there restrooms had difference themes that were very entertaining! Not too long after getting back we took C to his uncle’s housr where his mum was staying for the handover. His uncle has a massive ‘’man cave” with all of this hunting trophies.. no joke he could sell tickets to his man cave. We went back to the house and got freshened up before heading to Ziffy’s for dinner. It looked like a shabby place on the outside, but it had recently been refurbished and was delicious on the inside. I had half a blue cod dinner and half a chicken salad. Mike had the other half. Back at the house our friends taught us how to play Eucher. We were just about to win until I didn’t feel so good and I spent the rest of the time until bed vomiting.Read more

  • kateishandstandingNZ Christmas 2019Traveler
    Stirling Point Cafe
    View from the houseLook hard to see the bonfire.

    NYE

    December 31, 2019 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    I woke up with a sensitive tummy and regrettably had to pass on the amazing coffee. After some toast and lounging, we drove to Bluff est. 1824, the oldest town in New Zealand. It was used as a base for sealing and whaling for people from the US and UK. They nearly hunted seals until extinction which is when they turned to whaling. From the look out you can see Stewart Island, the third biggest island of New Zealand. Check the map, most foreigners don’t know that New Zealand is made up of 3 main islands and about 600 islands in total. There was a beautiful cafe at the south end of Bluff - Stirling Point - but they were booked out and walk-ins had to wait for an hour and half. We got take away coffee instead and walked down to Stirling Point.

    We went to a suburb of Invercargill called Windsor for lunch and I tried to find a necklace at a shop in the same town but they have since stopped selling it as it is now in the big NZ department store, H&J Smith. We also tried to get Mike his favorite spring roll from a Chinese take away shop but that shop was also closed for the new year holidays.

    To celebrate the New Year, we went with our friends to a beach town called Riverton, about 30 minutes west of Invercargill. We watched the kids launch water balloons at kids a couple of houses away which really was hilarious. We stopped by another NYE party a few doors down and played Otrio, a 3D version of tic tac toe but we tied every game. We went back to our friends parents house for dinner and by the time we finished up it was already 10pm and still light out. The kids had started making a bonfire on the beach and all the adults went down to join in the fun. I wasn’t feeling great so I watched tv and set my alarm for 11:55 to make sure I caught the fireworks before heading off to bed.    Read more

  • kateishandstandingNZ Christmas 2019Traveler

    NYD

    January 1, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    Everyone slept in until about 11am in Riverton. We had some toast and tea for breakfast before heading off. It was a rainy three hour drive back to Dunedin. Mike’s Dad’s wife kindly fed us dinner. She made Gooseberry Crumble for dessert. It was my first time having gooseberries and they were tart but tasty. Mike had the job of sorting through his old stuff and found some interesting old treasures like a comic book he wrote and his dad’s passport from 1982. We watched the Big Bang Theory and movies on tv until bed. Happy 2020 everyone!Read more

  • kateishandstandingNZ Christmas 2019Traveler
    Malt for beer making!Hop pellets.

    Attack of the Butterflies

    January 2, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    After getting out of bed at 11am and having some breakfast, we went to the Otago Museum. We didn’t really spend any time in the traditional museum but spent close to an hour in the Tropical Forest in awe of the butterflies. They LOVED Mike’s beard. One landed on the back of his neck and when it fluttered it’s wings, tickled him. Another one landed on his beard and would not leave. Even another joined on his beard. We saw some butterflies take their first flight after hatching as well.

    We drove through Mike’s old university town and he showed me a couple of the places he used to live and pubs that use to be the best student bars on the way to Emerson’s Brewery. The tour was a big boring and we didn’t really enjoy the beers but it was a cool activity. For dinner we picked up food from the Fish & Chip shop. Our four meals cost a total of $23 dollars - probably the cheapest meal I’ve had in ANZ since I came here 4.5 years ago. We watched some more tv before bed!    Read more

  • kateishandstandingNZ Christmas 2019Traveler

    Little Blue Penguins

    January 3, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Before we left Dunedin we spent time with family and then began the drive to Oamaru. On the way, we stopped at Moeraki, known for their boulders. Once we made it to Oamaru, our “house mum, Agra” at “Swaggers Backpackers” got us in her car and gave us a tour of the town. We went to Scott’s Brewery for dinner and made some friends from Dortmund, Germany who were dining at the table next to us. We rushed through our last beer to make it in time to see the Blue Penguins, also called Fairy Penguins, come in from their long day of fishing to their nests. These Blue Penguins are actually blue as their name suggests and are less than 1 foot tall. Its quite remarkable considering they swim up to 50km in a 25 km radius from home to fish every day, leaving at sunrise and returning at sunset. They came in 3 “rafts” and totaled 148 penguins that arrived to the colony. After the show we went exploring the town in search of more penguins. We found a few but I felt like we were disturbing them so we went back to the house.Read more

  • kateishandstandingNZ Christmas 2019Traveler

    Riverstone Kitchen

    January 4, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We were still in our room when Agra yelled through the door “Mike! It’s 9:20 and at 10 you’ll be somebody I used to know.” We were ready to head off at just about 10am but I had to ask about the Steeler blanket. Agra explained that a man from Pittsburgh met a woman from Oamaru online and sold everything to come visit her. It didn’t work out and the woman dropped him on Agra’s doorstep at 10am. He left the blankets and Agra gave him some t shirts.

    For breakfast we stopped at Cusine Magazine’s Restaurant of the Year Award 2010 called Riverstone Kitchen. On the property is over 4000 cows and a castle that the woman who owns the land lives on. Yes, there is a moat surrounding the castle. If you zoom in on the map you can see it.

    It took 5 hours to get to Hanmer Springs. On the drive we bought some raspberries and black raspberries from a farm selling them on the side of the road. Yummmmm. We got sorted in our hostel and headed to a friends house. We stayed there for dinner and then way too many games of ping pong, pool, and darts in the man cave.    Read more

  • kateishandstandingNZ Christmas 2019Traveler

    Hanmer Springs Hot Pools

    January 5, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We set our alarm for earlier but didn’t get out of bed until 11am. We got brunch with our friends and then did some afternoon shopping. We didn’t buy much but it was nice to cruise around. After a nap in the afternoon we went to the Hot Pools.

    According to the website: “The water in our thermal pools starts as snow and rain falling on the Hanmer Springs mountains almost 180 years ago. It seeps into the Greywacke basement rock and comes to rest in a reservoir some two kilometres underground, where it is warmed by heat radiating from the earth’s core. Today, we draw the water to the surface and use it for bathing and heating purposes.” The pools range from 28-42° C. We also went down the two big waterslides and the kids laughed at me screaming!    Read more

  • kateishandstandingNZ Christmas 2019Traveler

    Another BBQ

    January 6, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We woke up, got packed, and drove to Christchurch. We stayed at our friends house who were still in Hanmer. We had a nap (of course) and then went to the shopping mall for some gifts and the supermarket to grab a steak. We got to catch up with a friend we didn’t expect to for a bbq. It was awesome to see them! We went back to the house and got some things packed.Read more

  • kateishandstandingNZ Christmas 2019Traveler

    See you later NZ!

    January 7, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We got out of bed at 10:30am and scrambled to get the rental car returned by 12pm. We were silly and booked to return the car at 12pm even though our flight wasn’t until after 6pm. So, we spent most of the day at the airport. We bought business class seats (which were cheaper than economy on the way over to NZ) and therefore had lounge access. We couldn’t use the lounge though because we had checked luggage and the bag drop didn’t open until almost 4pm for our flight... Anyway, business class is seriously luxurious compared to economy. We got Moët upon arrival to our seat and I think I had 5 Bloody Marys from the bar throughout the flight. The appetizer (entree) for dinner was salmon and shrimp (prawn). Yum.Read more

    Trip end
    January 7, 2020
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