Food & Travel
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.
Urban Jungle Bloggers Planty Wishes
When Judith and Igor set the theme for us to share our Urban Jungle Bloggers Planty Wish for 2016, my immediate thought was for tolerance and compassion towards everyone sharing this planet.
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?
My Christmas Menu
I’m a little more organised this year compared to last, and spent Wednesday scouring the Internet to put together my Christmas menu. Wow, a whole two weeks before! This is something that I usually put off until the very last minute as I see to all of the other urgent things like – presents! I also don’t have the pressure to be super prepared because it’s usually just us on the day. I still like to do something special though, and the kids adore the pretty table and whole experience.
City Works Depot
There are a number of really cool precincts around Auckland these days. One of them is City Works Depot, home to an array of eateries, retail space and creative businesses. Many of these businesses have their workspaces overlapping and open to the eyes of the world. It’s a collective of space that I haven’t seen before and when you’re there, you can’t help but soak up the creative vibes and friendly folk.
Pompallier Mission, Russell
I love stepping back in time don’t you? I particularly appreciate seeing the practices of artisans of the time passed, so I was fascinated by my visit to the Pompallier Mission Printer in Russell, during my holiday in The Bay of Islands earlier in the year.
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.
