We made it to Mackenzie country, this place about 1/2 an hour from Timaru.  One of Luca’s chores there was feeding the orphaned lambs, he was pretty happy about it!  🙂 The property amazing, very Kiwi, even the beds made up in the traditional Kiwi way ,(lots of wool blankets an flannel sheets), made me …

We drove to Reefton via lots of little communities that we wanted to check out like Murchison, Inglewood etc.  Rich biked a lot of this back in 2002, he reminisced, pointing out backpackers he camped at, hills he struggled up and all the pies he had eaten along the way  🙂 Reefton is a town …

We spent the last day  in the Waiarapa  up in the Eketahuna area, in the Pukaha Mt Bruce National Wildlife Centre.  The highlight of there being the Kaka birds, who although wild, are super friendly, these ones easily within arms length! Luca was up the next morning at 5am for his birthday!  All his presents …

Mount Taraniki is an incredible sight as you drive anywhere around New Plymouth. Some days you can see the top, some days you cannot… We went on hikes right up to the base. Rich really wants to climb to the peak if we end up staying in NZ. This was Dawson Falls: The hike through …

It is 3 weeks since arriving in NZ. It is still a little surreal for me that I am back home. I am seeing NZ in a whole different light. Such a different perspective on things after having been away for so many years and coming back with my family. The parks we have encountered …

When Rich was last in NZ he took the train from Wellington to Auckland. Ohakune, (just down the road from where we were in Raetihi), has a hike through to one of the bridges he went across on that train trip. You can stand on the old original bridge and look at the bridge that …

The farmers market in Gisborne was not to be missed, so much yummy food We explored a little more around the town, and then hit the road to look at some properties we have been eyeing. Along the way making friends… Each place of interest to us we are checking out the property market, schooling, …

Our time in Auckland flew by! Catching up with friends and family and sorting things like car, banking, phones made for busy days. Luca spent time with my Mum and Dad while we did all the mundane things, and had an absolute blast. This was our last afternoon/evening spent with my brother and his family. …

Here we are in Aotearoa! It all feels a little surreal have to say, I think mainly because it all came together so quickly, there was not really much of a lead up. We blinked and here we are 🙂 I woke the first morning to the sound of the birds, familiar tunes I have …

Luca on one of the legs of our journey… The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind to say the least! The Vancouver and Vancouver Island week seemed to disappear. The first stop was at the vet to begin the 6 month process of getting Pica ready for NZ ,(if we decide to stay …