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A New Zealand mountain, a sunset and a cafe

Where were we up to?
……..oh yeah…… one of us had climbed a mountain and was ready to rest weary bones and relax for the evening.
And the rest of us were still full of energy.
(Read I’m pathetic on the peaks of Mount Pirongia)
but it was getting late and we had thoughts of dinner in our heads.

So we decided to go park up the Kiwi Blog Bus for the night and down the road in Pirongia village we found just the place.

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I’m pathetic on the peaks of Mount Pirongia

New Zealand is a land of volcanos, extinct or otherwise. 
They are especially prominent in the North Island where many of the striking landscape features are due to several million years of volcanic activity.

The highest mountain in the Waikato is the extinct volcano, Mount Pirongia, situated just 25km from my home town of Cambridge.

The Kiwi Blog Bus stopped there last weekend and todays post is about that part of our Easter trip. Read More…

Lake Ngaroto, a simple but enchanting place to get back to nature

Close to Hamilton, Cambridge and Te Awamutu is Waipa’s largest peat lake, Lake Ngaroto, and this pleasant destination was the first port of call for the Kiwi Blog Bus on its recent Easter weekend jaunt.

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Just to wet your appetite

My goodness what a weekend.

We had the most amazing weather (it’s Autumn here in New Zealand) but someone pulled out all the stops for the Easter holidays and we’ve had blue skies, fluffy white clouds and temperatures around 23c.

We’ve only had three nights away but we crammed in loads of awesomeness and New Zealand managed to stun me once again.

So much to post about over the next few days but for now I will leave you with this one picture that for me sums up my great weekend.

My Girl and My Guy in My Beautiful New Zealand

Hope everyone had an awesome Easter!

The Easter Bunny managed to catch the bus

We are away in the Kiwi Blog Bus in deepest Waikato/ King Country (at a secret location I will post about in a few days time)… And… good old Easter Bunny has managed to find us!

image

Happy Easter everyone.

Are you a muggle or a seeker?

And I’m not talking about Harry Potter.

Although you may have been pottering through a park when you spied a seeker; a modern-day treasure hunter partaking in the popular activity of geocaching. Read More…

Meet you at The Mount?

Mount Maunganui is a small town in the Bay of Plenty that takes its name from the extinct volcano that rises above the popular resort.

Situated on a peninsula to the north of Tauranga the area and its beaches are known to most North Islanders as The Mount.

Pilot Bay, Mount Maunganui

Long sandy beaches along with the mild sub-tropical climate that the town enjoys, help ensure that New Zealand’s “Surf City” is one of the most popular summer holiday destinations in the country. Read More…

Take the waters in Te Aroha

Old bath houses in Te Aroha domain

Te Aroha is less than an hour away from Cambridge and we often drive through en-route to Thames, Waihi or the Coromandel.

Although we have not stayed there overnight (yet) I thought I would feature Te Aroha in my post today because it’s a pretty little place and I like it! Read More…

Nine years ago…. and …. What to look for in a family van

I graduated today.

No cap for my Diploma in Journalism but definitely a gown.
Great fun to wear on what must be one of the windiest days in the Waikato this year!

So in honour of my celebration of success (and because I’ve had little free time to write a new blog post) I am going to flashback to my very first piece of published writing; an article about motorhomes! Read More…

How we came to be honorary kiwis

Today’s post recognises the beginning steps of our life in New Zealand, which ultimately led to the adventures and travels we are now able to make in the Kiwi Blog Bus.

It’s an anniversay day for us.

Three years ago today we got very valuable blue stickers inserted into our UK passports – we were given permanent residence in New Zealand.

We had been here for five months (out of the six allowed as a tourist) and although Sam had a current work visa, myself and the three children were all due to leave the country if our permanent residence didn’t come through in time.

The relief, as you can imagine, was immense.

Especially as we’d already bought a house and shipped over all our personal possessions!

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