Term 1 holidays

At the end of every term the girls have a two week break. It's really nice to change it up and take each day as it comes. We went on explorations around town and beyond.


Our favorite thing to do we call the Trifecta. A roller skating rink, a swimming pool and a library all in the same vicinity. We like to hit all three in one day. Note the triplet look.

Our American friends applied for a bonfire permit at Princess Bay. They invited a few other families for a bonfire night on the beach. It's the only place to have a fire in Wellington but surprisingly no one applies for the permit. There isn't the same culture of bonfire camping here, I think because fires are banned in most camping spots. We relished the chance to roast marshmallows and hot dogs over the fire. 

We also visited all the art galleries we could. I love that they are free. So we could come and go on different days and explore at will. 

Wellington Portrait Gallery. We walked around the small gallery to see all the portraits and then we could make our own. 

Wren's inspired portrait. Perhaps she was telling me she'd like some ice cream...

Quinn's portrait. She likes to add real details. Note utility belt we made at city museum.

Quinn's self portrait with sister and mom

We had many bike/scooter excursions on the waterfront, to museums and parks. Nice to leave the car behind and take public transport or hoof it. Why not? 

Hikes to old forests--800 year old Rimu tree at Otari Wilton Bush

Days spent exploring the Wellington Botanical Garden. They have a great playground and backpacks you can borrow with treasure hunts, binoculars and other goodies for exploring. Native plants in New Zealand don't change color so it was nice to see some signs of autumn at the botanical garden. 

Quinn on the flying fox (zip line) at the botanical garden

feeding the ducks at botanical garden

Disco trolley tunnel on the way to gardens

Our friends, the Dixons, invited us to their bach that is an a hour and a half north of Wellington at a little beach town called Waikawa. We packed up the car and dropped it off at Lucas' work and then the girls and I took the bus to the train to Paekakariki about 45 minutes up the coast. Lucas picked us up there after work, just as the sun was setting.

train ride with ocean view

Sausage rolls at Paekakariki park

The Dixon Bach is in a small coastal community. No grocery, no restaurants, no city water but lots of good 'ol hang out time. 

The natural wonders there were endless hours of fun for the girls. They spent the two days sliding down dunes, making mud/sand balls, carving the pumice we found in the sand from old volcanoes, looking for rams horns from squid, swinging on the forest rope swing, building forest shelters...A perfect place to be a kid. 

The big dune 'slide', Kapiti island in the background.

Pumice and rams horns

Quinn made a treasure hunt in the sand for Wren and Quincy and the treasure was pumice. Miriam told us a story of the bach she had as a kid up at Lake Taupo where they used to find boulder sized pumice on the beach that they'd carry home to carve into sculptures. Only with pumice could you carry home a boulder.

The caravan (trailer) in the backyard of their house was a private playground for the girls.

Lucas came up with us to Waikawa for the two day holiday (ANZAC day) and then got to join us for the weekends.

Introducing the girls to vectors and ball movement on the billiard table

  

Such a great break. We didn't go far but got to live by our whims for two weeks, letting the small adventures take us where they will.