Dora & I in downtown Napier, enjoying the sun and passion fruit & blood orange gelato.
The gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers near Napier was incredible! Couldn't believe how close we were allowed to get, and the trip out there in an old tractor & trailer was great.
Aquatic Centre with Tia. Hanna loved it too, it was a day out with aunt Ildi & Uncle Dave.
Cape Kidnappers.
The tractor ride out, and Hanna's suspicious looks :):)
Uncle Dave, always the favorite!
Gelato after the Aquatic Centre.
Why are you in the boot aunt Ildi?
At the finish line of Tibor's bike race.
Baby gannet.
Three happy hikers: Phil, Tonya & I on the amazing Banks Peninsula 4 day backpacking trip. So much variety in scenery and wildlife. Amazing trip!
Uncle Dave and the girls.
The garden and bath house at one of our huts on the Banks Peninsula hike. Our favorite.
Looks like a rata or flowering eucalyptus, on the Banks Peninsula hike.
Too many gorgeous cliffs and clear blue seas, lovely grasses and sea birds...aaah.
Lots of sheep on the hike too, at the cabins we stayed as most of them were owned by farmers.
Little blue penguin being taken for a swim, she's blind and being rehabilitated at the wildlife center where we went kayaking on the Banks trip, day two of the hike.
The perfect lamb at the wildlife refuge.
Such a beautiful hike and we had perfect weather. Just an hour or so of misty rain.
One of the cows on the hike; we crossed lots of ranches.
Blue heron in Akaroa.
Project ReStart in Christchurch is shipping containers converted to stores and cafes in downtown on Cashel Street where all the stores were ruined by the earthquake. It's hip, fun and packed on the weekends. Dimitri's Souvlaki is there, which is why we went several times.
Fern trees and lush spots on the Banks Peninsula hike. Lots of beech trees too. Very pretty!
Star-gazing hut where Dave and I slept the first night of the hike. About the size of a dog house with only a large mattress inside. It was awesome!
Being taught proper croquet by an expert in Akaroa.
A wonderful group of people to share a house with in Akaroa for the week, we had a blast!
The first morning of our hike with Tonya. So luxurious, we ate steak like kings drank wine, slept on the softest mattresses, played cards and then saw the most incredible things ever.
View from the porch at the rental house in Akaroa. Spent most of our time on that porch.
A hike with the girls in Hanmer Springs. It was wonderful to spend the weekend there with Connie and Emily, waiting for our men to get out of Antarctica, meanwhile talking long forest walks, sitting in the hot springs and eating the yummiest foods.
The lighthouse near our rental home in Akaroa.
We had an incredible month in New Zealand this spring, a well deserved one and one which flew by rather quickly. I left Antarctica a few days early to celebrate my friend Emily's 30th birthday and to have a girls' weekend in Hanmer Springs. It was wonderful. When the boys and the rest of the crew joined us we went to Akaroa to the house we rented together for the week where we talked, ate so well and stared at the beautiful view. We then hiked the Banks Peninsula 4 day backpacking private hike which is near Akaroa, and took in the prettiest coastlines and bays, fur seals, penguins, terns, owls, super lush fern gullies, waterfalls, flowering trees, ranches with sheep and cows and gorgeous grasslands. It is definitely one of our favorites, and one we've been wanting to hike for a long time but hadn't gotten around to doing. We had a day in Christchurch to see the gardens before we went up to Wellington to see my family for 11 wonderful days. We spent time in Wellington but also had a lovely trip up to sunny Napier on the coast where we rented a house together. We took a trip to see the gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers, which was incredible, checked out downtown, took the girls out to the aquatic centre, went to the springs to soak, ate lots of ice cream and enjoyed catching up and reading. It was a blast, thank you guys so much for everything! We love you!!
Dora & I in downtown Napier, enjoying the sun and passion fruit & blood orange gelato.
The gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers near Napier was incredible! Couldn't believe how close we were allowed to get, and the trip out there in an old tractor & trailer was great.
Aquatic Centre with Tia. Hanna loved it too, it was a day out with aunt Ildi & Uncle Dave.
Cape Kidnappers.
The tractor ride out, and Hanna's suspicious looks :):)
Uncle Dave, always the favorite!
Gelato after the Aquatic Centre.
Why are you in the boot aunt Ildi?
At the finish line of Tibor's bike race.
Baby gannet.
Three happy hikers: Phil, Tonya & I on the amazing Banks Peninsula 4 day backpacking trip. So much variety in scenery and wildlife. Amazing trip!
Uncle Dave and the girls.
The garden and bath house at one of our huts on the Banks Peninsula hike. Our favorite.
Looks like a rata or flowering eucalyptus, on the Banks Peninsula hike.
Too many gorgeous cliffs and clear blue seas, lovely grasses and sea birds...aaah.
Lots of sheep on the hike too, at the cabins we stayed as most of them were owned by farmers.
Little blue penguin being taken for a swim, she's blind and being rehabilitated at the wildlife center where we went kayaking on the Banks trip, day two of the hike.
The perfect lamb at the wildlife refuge.
Such a beautiful hike and we had perfect weather. Just an hour or so of misty rain.
One of the cows on the hike; we crossed lots of ranches.
Blue heron in Akaroa.
Project ReStart in Christchurch is shipping containers converted to stores and cafes in downtown on Cashel Street where all the stores were ruined by the earthquake. It's hip, fun and packed on the weekends. Dimitri's Souvlaki is there, which is why we went several times.
Fern trees and lush spots on the Banks Peninsula hike. Lots of beech trees too. Very pretty!
Star-gazing hut where Dave and I slept the first night of the hike. About the size of a dog house with only a large mattress inside. It was awesome!
Being taught proper croquet by an expert in Akaroa.
A wonderful group of people to share a house with in Akaroa for the week, we had a blast!
The first morning of our hike with Tonya. So luxurious, we ate steak like kings drank wine, slept on the softest mattresses, played cards and then saw the most incredible things ever.
View from the porch at the rental house in Akaroa. Spent most of our time on that porch.
A hike with the girls in Hanmer Springs. It was wonderful to spend the weekend there with Connie and Emily, waiting for our men to get out of Antarctica, meanwhile talking long forest walks, sitting in the hot springs and eating the yummiest foods.
The lighthouse near our rental home in Akaroa.
