One of my top 5 positions for summer 18/19 on my local beach
Oh, I forgot how fun December in New Zealand is! Sure, there’s limited mulled wine and less opportunities for a European Christmas market escape, but there’s after-work swims on the beach, Christmas celebrations with friends and families, and after the head-long dash to the end of the year, a lot of relaxation time. Bliss!
Just part of an excellent Christmas spread with friends – feat. fantastic decorations
A weekend escape to beautiful Raglan for surfing and chilling
The nearby stunning 55m drop of the Bridal Veil Falls
Pohutukawa is known as New Zealand’s Christmas tree as it flowers in December – pretty festive, right?!
Cheers to your rosé matching the sunset – and to great conversations with fantastic friends
Tucking into delicious ebi yaki – prawn balls – at the Atrium on Elliot night market
Auckland’s Franklin Road is famous for the Christmas lights that each house parades in December – this Kiwi Christmas was definitely my favourite!
Christmas Day on Takapuna Beach – it started out so sunny (if storm-tossed)…
Although the day had deteriorated quite a bit by the time we took the traditional late-afternoon digestive walk at my parents’ farm. Still an awesome Christmas!
The amazing view from our New Year’s holiday home in the Bay of Islands
Beautiful Russell, one of the earliest European settlements in New Zealand and a gorgeous day-trip spot
Sunset on 2018 at Waitangi
Favourite posts of December:
- 5 Awesome Things to Do in Lake Bled: one of my favourite adventures last year, this is such a beautiful area and there’s lots of different ways you can explore it
- #My2018Alphabet: inspired by Expat Edna, I posted a different picture from my 2018 travels for each letter of the alphabet. I think this is the first photo-challenge on Instagram that I’ve completed and while it was at times challenging (hello K, Q and X!) it felt super creative and fun too!
So what does the first month of 2019 hold… and how futuristic does 2019 sound!? I’m lucky enough to have a big break from work over Christmas/January, so I have until the middle of the month to soak up the sun, swim and read as many books as possible! Today we’re off to one of NZ’s classic beach-town destinations, Mount Maunganui, to do just that. Later in the month I’ll be tripping my way around the Hawke’s Bay at the Bridge Pa wine festival, before finishing up at Raglan again for a long weekend with friends at the end of the month. Whew, what exciting times!
What does January hold for you?
