South Island No.2 | Malborough Sounds

As soon as we got into the sounds there was an air of calm. Everything was still and the sun broke out. We stayed out on deck and I wondered about the people who lived or holidayed in the little bach's dotted along the hillsides and islands. The sea is a deep jade here. Te Wai Pounamu looked glorious that day.

Te Waipounamu

Last Wednesday we returned home from our almost 3 week trip around the South Island with our visiting Canadian family, a bit tired and laden with treats (cheese, fudge, rose petal mint tea, cider and the like) from the various farmers markets and artisans visited along the way. Someone commented on one of my Instagram photos that New Zealand is a landscape miracle, which really is true. I'm so glad we decided to do it as a road trip and driving through the alps or passing by seal colonies on the Kaikoura coast with snowy mountains to the right of us will be pretty enduring memories. We are lucky people in this little island country of ours.

I've taken approximately a million photos, so I'll take my time posting them on here along with a heads up on some of the favourite places we visited. For now, I'm so happy to be back in my own bed and getting back into a bit of a routine. There's also our Kinfolk Flower Potluck coming up this Friday so be  sure to get your tickets if you haven't already!

Southward Bound

Last Friday we started on our three week journey around the South Island with our Canadian whanau, via a couple of nights in my favourite - Wellington. We were only in the capital for a short while so I made sure to stuff myself full of veggie po' boys, curly fries and and a shake at Sweet Mothers Kitchen while making many plans of what we'll do when we get to return.

We then hopped a ferry across the Cook Straight to the South Island, which is just one of the most incredibly beautiful journey's I can think of doing. Such a proud kiwi. I took about a billion photos along the way, but here are a few Instagram snaps for now. Watching the water change colour as we went through the choppy open waters into the stillness of the sounds was mesmerising. After a quick lunch by the water on the other side, we drove down the coast with snow capped mountains on the otherside. Seriously, it doesn't get much better. That bottom right photo is the seal colony we stopped to watch along the way and if you looked really closely you can see the babies playing in the tide pool. As we drove off Richard sighed, 'I love nature!' So nerdy and so true. Take a look over here for a quick little video and injection of cuteness if you like!

Touristy

Richard's parents and sister arrived in New Zealand last week for a six week kiwi holiday so we've been tripping around the island for the last wee while, showing off all the parts we love the most.

It has been so nice to be a tourist in my own country, and especially so with our Canadian family who we have really missed being closer to. It's been a week of beautiful beaches, huge ice creams, cute farm animals, cafe's, cafe's & more cafe's. Easily some of my best New Zealand experiences! Matakana on the way to Tawharanui was one of favourite stops and I so badly would have loved this little op shop to be open. How sweet is that sign!

Bits & Pieces
- I love this double band chained ring, that colour is so good.
- How great is this 1945 Vogue cover!
- It's been so dry here and coming home to my aloe looking a little rough, so I should probably brush up  my plant knowledge with this beautifully photographed succulent parenting guide from The Treehouse.

Eastern Time

We're back! Four cities in just over two weeks. Much amazing food was eaten, buildings stood in awe of, stores browsed, friends bonded with and determination to go back and visit more when we left each place. We found a photobooth on our last night in New York and I love how happy we both look! It perfectly sums up how great it was to escape real life for a couple weeks. Getting to spend time with Richard and not be constantly talking about moving or making, and getting back to that child like wonder of travelling and visiting new places might just be the highlight of my trip. 

I have many, many photos and I'll try to use the rest of this week to spread them out over, maybe just the best ones. Each place was so great, I want to share it all! I initially tried not to look touristy, but by our last day in New York I had just embraced the camera/s as giant necklace look. You can't deny it. 

It's now 6.30am and I'm already dressed and ready to go (this is not at all normal), I'm trying to trick my body that it is still on eastern time for as long as possible (dark winter nights are very helpful with this) so that I can be all productive like. We shall see how long it lasts!

Hope you're well friends. 

xo

Rose City

Portland has been high on my list of places to visit for quite some time now and I'm excited that we'll finally be heading down there bright and early tomorrow! I have a few places in mind that I'd like to check out, Powell's Books, Voodoo Doughnut, many brew pubs, the Laurelhurst or Hollywood theatre and many other (surprise, surprise) food related places. I'd love to hear your thoughts on places to check out if you've been to or live in Portland, the more tips the better! Keep in mind we won't have a car, so easy-ish places to get to please!

Planning, dreaming and big decision making.

My friend Kate and I, sitting in one of my favourite NZ cafes Bazil the year before I left. Brazil, once an Auckland institution is sadly no longer there, but my lovely friend and her wee family is. Can't wait.

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a lovely Easter break, filled with chocolate eggs, spring (or autumn) time walks and the like. The weather has played a bit of a trick on us here in Vancouver, fluctuating between sun, hail, insane winds and rain I'm never totally sure what's going to happen next! We did get to go for a long neighbourhood photo walk on Saturday, eat lots of hot crossed buns, watched weird movies, made a fancy Sunday dinner, bought discount dark chocolate Lindt bunnies and did a bit of a Spring cleaning.

However, most of our weekend was spent making lists. Many, many lists. I've mentioned before that I am a list girl (and have you seen these notepad printables? Love!). I absolutely love the planning and dreaming stage, and this past week and weekend Richard and I have had to make a pretty big decision fairly quickly, hence the many lists. I think most of you know that I'm originally from New Zealand, I've been living away from there for a bit more than 3 years, first in London and now in Vancouver. I really, really love Vancouver. However, I do miss home and Richard has lived here all of his adult life so the idea of moving home either for a bit or for good has been in the back of our minds for awhile now. Last week my Dad very generously offered to fund a trip back home for my sisters wedding next March and after much discussion we've decided that instead of just a holiday we're going to be heading back indefinitely. Naturally, I'm already looking at places to live despite the ridiculousness of it being one whole year away, I just can't help myself!

To be totally honest, it has been quite the bittersweet decision. There are things we could do in New Zealand such as buy a home, live right by the sea, have a huge backyard, etc that we're unlikely to ever be able to do here. Also, all my family is in either New Zealand or Australia (no, there is no bridge in between the two. yes, I have been asked this a number of times before) and of course there are tons of friends I can't wait to catch up with. The thing is Vancouver has also become home to me. I have met fantastic people here, and what's not to love about living on the Pacific Ocean under the shadow of the Coast Mountains? When I left New Zealand, I couldn't wait to get out. As much as it is a wonderful place, it felt small and claustrophobic to me. Since leaving, like most of us do in our twenties, I feel like I have done a ton of growing up. I'm now at a point where, while things aren't perfect by any means, I feel really happy with my life. I have a job that I love, I live with my best friend and we get to work creatively together, there's a farmers market within walking distance from us in the summer, we live in a co-op, and there's a place with 200+ gelato flavours only blocks from my apartment. I am more content and happy than I have ever been, and I feel like I have figured out who I am (or am at least close to it, and yes I realise I'm saying this as an almost 29 year old with much more life to live). There is a part of me that fears moving will up end all this, if only because I still associate New Zealand with myself as someone who was feeling unhappy and trapped.

This is not to say that I'm not excited, because I really am. It's more that there is this war of feelings going on inside my head about it all, and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed! This is not unusual though, there is often a war going on between my homebody self and my anxious world traveler self. And like I said, there is excitement. I'm so looking forward to seeing my friends and family, to eating fruju's*, taking a drive out to west coast beaches, eating fish and chips (ok, just chips but it still needs to be called that) out of newspaper on the beach, road trips like this, late night bulk bin lolly runs and looking at this as a next step, not a step back. So, you should all start saving and getting ready to pack your bags, because there is a spare room waiting for you all in Aotearoa.

I wanted to do a New Zealand music mix, but 8tracks didn't have most of what I wanted so perhaps I'll save that for NZ Music Month next month. For now, here is a song and video from one of my most favourite people in the world, Dave Dobbyn, that makes me bawl every time I watch. I hope you're all having a great start to your week, or extra day off as the case may be. Thanks for listening to this long and hopefully not too indulgent post. I'm off to search out left over Easter candy and check things off my list!




*I was obsessed with this ad as a kid. Still one of the things I'd love to do before I die!

Resolution Number Seven: Explore

via Shaun Sundholm

My (Our) seventh and final resolution! Thanks for coming along with me on this little resolution journey, I've really enjoyed all your comments and insights, and of course getting to know you all a little better.

Oh, how I love to explore. Waiting at the airport or train station is probably one of my all time favourite feelings, the anticipation of knowing I will soon be some place new. In saying that, I constantly seem to find myself flip flopping between wanting to settle down and buy a house right now, and planning our next trip abroad (I'm also well aware that part of my love for both these things is the planning itself. You'd think this would also mean I was organised. Sadly, this is not the case). I'm sure I give Richard whiplash at times with how quickly I'm onto the next thing, haha.

Like I mentioned in my previous resolution post, we're likely going to leave Vancouver for New Zealand at some point, and I would hate to leave Canada only having seen a small part of BC and only one other province. New Zealand is so far away, I really want to make the most of North American while I'm here! It is really easy to get caught up in all the fantastic places around the world to visit, but there is a wealth of places to get lost in this country, province and city, and I plan to take full advantage of them this year!

Some ideas we have brewing are...

- Ok, so this has moved past the idea stage. We're off to Salt Spring Is. this Thursday for Richard's birthday and a wee mini-break. I cannot wait! We're staying in a little beachside cottage with a fire place and everything.

- A holiday in the mountains in Spring with some of our besties (that always looks like beasties to me).

- After being inspired by Elizabeth's trip and incredible photos, we're hoping to spend a few weeks or so WWOOFing around Ontario and Quebec at the end of the summer-ish. I've wanted to WWOOF for awhile now, and venture out east to Toronto and Montreal, so perhaps we can do it all at once!

- Become a tourist in my own city. This is something I've often thought about, but never made time for. It's so easy to fall into familiar patterns of places to stroll and hang out (and part of me really loves that) but the idea of exploring Vancouver and going on little day-cations really appeals to me, especially after reading this post. What a lovely idea!

Any plans to explore, be it near or far, in the works for you all this year?