On the Road

We spend a lot of time in the car travelling while in NZ. Here's some of what we get up to!




















I just had to put all four photos on as I love the way their expressions change depending on who is holding the chocolate Easter Bunny!



One of my favorite views of course, being a Taranaki girl, is the mountain. We always watch out for it the most on the way to Hawera, of course, but I tend to photograph it on the way back up north, a kind of farewell portrait. I also love the coastline in northern Taranaki. This is one of the Three Sisters at the mouth of the Mokau river. There are some photos of us playing on the beach there further down.

Erica not yet in her seat! She's good at sitting in it acutally, and would often climb in herself when she decided she was bored and we should go somewhere more interesting! On the right, Amy and Lena gingerly pose near a very scary Ronald McDonald. Whoever got the idea that kids would find this freak appealing??


One road trip was just to go shopping in New Plymouth. Here's Erica in the train outside my favorite shop, Sussan. And having a go at some very loong noodles in the food court.


At the beach mentioned above. We were stopping for some fresh air after Amy lost her stomach (again) over Mt. Messenger. Erica really took to the rock climbing like a bee to a flower, she really is a chip off the old block. I was also a champion rock and cliff-climber! On the right, we left our mark.

Lena wading in the river (right), and Amy picking her way through Taranaki's famous black sand. When Kanji first saw it, he thought it was horribly polluted or something, but no, it's just like that! It's also very soft and deep.


Trying to be Kiwi kids, only Kiwi kids would not even notice the sheep, let alone demand to take photos with them. This is in Te Kuiti, in a cafe we stopped at for a real cup of tea. They had a lovely garden out the back, and here is Lena playing at being a model by the fountain.


The photo on the left is actually a shop! It's a tiny cottage in someone's back yard, and it's full of craft items for sale. Mum bought me some spiced pot stands - you put something warm on them and the scent of the spices is released. On the left, an absolutely divine piece of cake! It's banana cake with thick chocolate icing, raspberry sauce and whipped cream. It was heaven!