Vacation #1

One of the reasons we came to New Zealand was to travel. Having the opportunity to move to this part of the world opened up possibilities that we could never effort unless we won the lottery. New Zealand itself has a lot to offer, but being so close to Australia, Asia and other parts of the world presents a lot of options for us to go and see. Due to our little bun in the oven we did have to miss out on some trips this past year, but still managed to get away for two weeks for the Holidays. This time we have rented a beach house with some friends just north of Auckland called the Northland. It is about 4-5 hours drive and has breathtaking beaches, untouched land and lush forests. The vacation itself reminded me of my childhood vacations. My parents each year would choose a destination either in Italy or Austria, booked an apartment or house close to some type of water, packed us up in a car and spent ten to fourteen days with us. Each day the agenda included: Spending time by the water, afternoon snooze, lots of great food cooked by my mom and eating out for dinner maybe every other night. Oh, and let’s not forget Gelato, Gelato, Gelato. We made friends while on the beach even though we could not understand one another, went home with lots of amazing memories and a tan that stuck with us for months to follow.
I think that is exactly what we gave Bug this time. She loved “family time” spent on the beach, hanging out on a deck overlooking a fantastic beach and eating with everyone after cooking the meal. We have found beaches to surf, to snorkel, to swim or just wonder around. Spent 2 weeks totally cut off of the “outside” world. No TV, no internet or radio. Just a lot of spending time together!