Last warm weather trip to "the place"

Three weeks ago at approximately 2:30pm on Sunday afternoon - everyone was going crazy... and I was about to lose my mind.

We grabbed a few things for a picnic and got in the car for one last (warm weather) splash at "the place". It was a beautiful late afternoon and evening... totally worth effort and the drive.

Weekend Review - Day trip to Bridal Veil Falls & Raglan

People get sick all the time... so doctors work on weekends. Here in New Zealand Ben's weekend work is very limited... and for that (and many other things) I am thankful. But about once a month he has the weekend shift... and I try to make the best of it.

"Making the best of it" almost never means staying home... everyone wakes up at six and all of my creative ideas are used up by ten... cue the weeping and gnashing of teeth.

So, I usually pick a fun place to explore and we hit the road early. The idea of strapping my kids into their seats with a box of snacks and activities for five or six hours doesn't phase me (it beats a likely alternative - movie marathon).

We decided on another waterfall trip, near a town that I have been itching to see. Bridal Veil Falls just outside of Raglan. The falls were beautiful and after about 15 minutes in Raglan, I decided that it was my favorite New Zealand town (that we have seen thus far).

I'm not going to lie, the first leg of our trip was a bit brutal... "This is the dumbest day ever!" "Are we there yet?" "Why are we doing this?"... were among the choruses I heard for the first two hours. My cell phone (with the map) died and we had to make and emergency stop in Cambridge for a car charger. Attitudes were bad and I was seriously questioning my judgement...

But by the time we got in the car to come home, everyone was euphoric -drunk on the excitment of the day. We ate McDonalds in the car and sang American pop music (sin of sins). When we got home the big kids cleaned every inch of my car while I put Jonah to bed. Win.

I think adventure might be my love language... quality time doesn't quite do it for me - there must be a component of newness, excitement and the overcoming of a challenge. Nothing excites me more than sharing an adventure with people that I care about.

Weekend Review - Kuaotunu with friends

light

This past weekend we went away with other people... and it was wonderful. Making friends was one of the things I was most concerned with when we made the decision to move overseas.

lots of fishing trips

Ben and I have our own quirky personalities and drastically different needs when it comes to interpersonal relationships. Finding people that we both connect with (who can tolerate us and our brood of rowdy children) is nothing short of miraculous. I am sure all the extrovert/introvert couples can relate.

It can be a bit scary signing on for an extended get-away with friends... there is nowhere private to fight with your husband or yell at your kids. I have come to find (the hard way) that feigning perfection is futile and exhausting. Sooner or later, you (or one of your offspring) will do something to tarnish the family name... and everything could go downhill from there (insecurity, justification, finger pointing, guilt, blame, shame, and on and on)... UNLESS you (and your friends) are aware of (and comfortable with) your imperfection. If not... reference Brené Brown - she has some brilliant (and hilarious) insight on the topic of vulnerability.  

This little group of people that we meet with every week have become a safe haven for us here in New Zealand. The fact that they know how very imperfect we are, makes them better friends.

fresh snapper for dinner every night

Rosemary telling Maggie about there upcoming "OE"

Charlie and Jonah

We had a very loose agenda (including, but was not limited to) eating, drinking, napping, reading, fires, swimming, fishing, tennis, swinging, coffee, talking, laughing, legos, walking and sunsets. We were at a family owned beach house in a small town on the Coromandel Peninsula called Kuaotuna... it couldn't have been a more stunning setting for a weekend with great friends.

bath

there are swings everywhere you go in New Zealand... I love it.

 we took a girl's trip to the coffee shop and had a quick swing in "town"

beautiful evening stroll by the beach

Waiting for Ben, Max and Danny to return from a kayak fishing trip

rock

Solo Road Trip to Gisborne

Every now and then my kind and thoughtful husband will send me off for a blissful 24 hours to myself. It usually comes at the perfect moment (right before I lose my mind) and most of the time I come back happy as a clam and ready for another round of motherhood. It is a favor that we have reciprocated for the better part of seven years (since we started having kids). I am not an introvert... but these times away always leave me heavily questioning my extroversion.

This was my second "outing" in New Zealand... and I must say it is quite thrilling to choose a destination in a new country with so much beauty to explore. No car ride is too far, when there aren't fighting children in the backseat. I had several podcasts I was anxious to catch up with, so I opted for a long distance destination on the east coast with a nice looking youth hostel - Gisborne. It ended up taking me about 4 hours because stopped a bit to dip my feet in the water and take pictures (a luxury one can afford when traveling solo).

It was an overwhelming drive for me... traversing varying gorgeous landscapes across the New Zealand countryside and reflecting on how unsure I had been about our decision to move here. It was a leap of faith that I will always be thankful we took.

Feeling refreshed and thankful...

Erie Bay Christmas * a summary

For the past week I have been doing a series of posts on our time on the South Island (over Christmas). This is the abridged version (with links) for those of you that aren't interested in scrolling through a weeks worth of posts. You can read the complete series here.

We had a non-traditional Christmas this year, in a very special place. It was difficult getting there and back with lots of packing and food to think about. But it was worth the effort. Wonderful memories were made... hunting for treasures, building ramps and rock castles, making forts and doing lots of boring every day things in a beautiful place. We did some fishing and experienced some authentic kiwi hospitality.

It is unlikely that we will ever make it back to this corner of the world - but shots like this will forever be in my mind.

Weekend Review - "the place"

This weekend we went to "the place" and it was amazing. It isn't actually called "the place" - but over the years this gem of a family destination has done a pretty good job of maintaining a low profile on the internet. The secrecy adds a bit of magic... doesn't it?

Best part first... it is free. An unbelievably generous family started developing their land some 50 years ago and they make it available to anyone that wants to come explore. In addition to the BBQ pits, swimming holes, hiking trails, stream tubing, waterslide... they also maintain several campsites, chalets and a primitive bach for rent at very reasonable rates. 
 
We (minus Ben) went for an afternoon with our neighbors in October... a few weeks later I took the kids for an overnight trip. On Saturday we took Ben for the first time and it was a great day.

Come to New Zealand and I will give you a personal tour of "the place" - our new favorite family destination. God bless the visionary who dreamt this place up... and then decided to share it. Send me a message if you want a few more details.

One of our unspoken family goals for our time in New Zealand, is to see as much of the country as possible on a moderate budget. The {weekend review} highlights some of "efforts" towards that goal.

 

 





















 




















 





















 



















 

Weekend Review - Coromandel Peninsula

Beautiful drive to the Coromandel Peninsula

We visited the Coromandel Peninsula in August on a particularly cold and rainy weekend. Despite wet weather and hazy vistas, I was absolutely shocked and delighted with the beauty of it all. Almost as soon as we unpacked our bags I started thinking about how we could get back in warmer weather.

"Bach"
In New Zealand there is a huge network of homes that you can rent for holiday (they call them "baches"). Bachcare is the site that we have used - but there are lots of other options (Bookabach, Holiday Homes, Holiday Houses). In the states the only equivalent (that I know of) is vrbo - vacation rentals by owner.

Whangapoua - rocks going to New Chums Beach

Budget
One of our family goals for our time in New Zealand is to see as much of the country as possible on a moderate budget. There are obviously cheaper places to stay (youth hostels, DOC campsights, freedom camping) but right now, renting a house is the best option for maintaining sanity and getting sleep. We have found the best way for us to cut back on spending is to pack as much food as possible (note the bins). Eating out is really expensive here and most of the smaller towns have tiny overpriced grocery stores.

Whangapoua

Whangapoua- low tide

So back to the houses we rented... the first one we stayed in was perfectly fine. Nice and comfortable in a really great location - Whangapoua. The highlight for Ben and the Max (as always) was the fishing. Maggie loved finding starfish at Opera Point - there was also a fun little rope swing that kept everyone entertained  for an hour or so. My favorite part was the rocky walk to the secluded (and gorgeous) New Chums Beach.
 

We didn't bring a highchair and quickly realized that Jonah is at an age where it is confinement is critical. We rigged up a nice little device with a chair, pillow, luggage strap and cutting board - it worked.

The Waterworks

Whangapoua - New Chums Beach

We left Sunday morning and took a detour to visit The Waterworks - a quirky little "museum of sorts" that a friend recommended. It was worth the drive and the money. It is kind of hard to do it justice with words... a bunch of recycled materials put together in fun and creative ways to teach and entertain - all using water. They also have a great "kiwi style" playground with lots of "not-super-safe-but-really-fun" equipment... including a great zip-line (which is called a "flying fox" in NZ).

Hot Water Beach

Coromandel Town - The Waterworks

Whangapoua - Opera Point

Next stop Hot Water Beach... and my favorite "bach" ever. It's one of those places you never want to leave. The house is modest - the view and location is extraordinary, phenomenal, breathtaking, priceless... choose a word and add an exclamation point. I actually cried a few tears of thankfulness when I woke up to the sound of birds and waves on our first morning... it was short-lived moment - followed by the shrill screams of noisy children who wanted breakfast and an immediate trip to the beach.

Hot water beach is a natural wonder... and the fact that we could literally walk out our door with our shovel and be digging our own sandy hot tub in less than 5 minutes was amazing. We were able to hit low tide in the morning around 6am and in the evening around 6:30pm. I had a special evening soak with the big kids and we went back in the morning with the whole family.

Cathedral Cove - aka Narnia
We took a twenty minutes drive to visit the Te Whanganui-A-Hei Marine Reserve - also know as Cathedral Cove... and Narnia.

Picnic and lantern lift off

On our last night I packed a quick picnic and we ate dinner on the water right below "the house". The kids caught a few fish and released them into the deep tidal pools. After dinner we walked up to the house and had a "light the night party" before bed. It was special. 

One of our unspoken family goals for our time in New Zealand, is to see as much of the country as possible on a moderate budget. The {weekend review} highlights some of "efforts" towards that goal. 

Hot Water Beach - evening trip to with the big kids

Hot Water Beach - with the whole family

Cathedral Cove... where Prince Caspian was filmed

Dinnertime picnic - collecting fish in the tidal pools

Lantern lift off on our last evening