#anettingnewzealandadventure: The Nettings Do NZ

I’m a little bit late writing this week because this past weekend was Labour Day weekend in New Zealand = long weekend! We had a pretty great week! Kensley and I had Julia and Lucy and Hannah and Isabel over for lunch one day. The girls are definitely noticing each other more and more each week. Mary came over for dinner one evening and another evening I went over to Tania’s. Tania’s husband is an orthopedic surgeon here and we met at a dinner a month or two ago. They actually went to Calgary for his fellowship and Tania absolutely loves Canada! She invited a few friends over, but only Helen was able to come. Helen and her husband moved here from Scotland in the past year so she is still meeting people as well. It was a really nice visit and I’m sure I’ll see more of them! We have been hit with some beautiful weather in Christchurch this past week. Ok, the weather has always been beautiful but now add some heat! The sun here is HOT! The sun and heat meant that on Friday afternoon, Caleb wanted to hit up a patio for a beer and fries with his gals – always such a treat!

On Saturday, we did latte bowls and then I went out for my long run. Afterwards, we packed up and ventured off for our weekend 2.5hr north of Christchurch in Kaikoura. Apparently they were hit by an earthquake a few years ago and there are still sections of the road that are down to one lane for both directions because of the damage (the road just fell down the cliff in parts). Kaikoura is known for it’s marine life (whales, seal colony etc) and is really a beautiful little costal town. We booked this last minute and feel like we completely lucked out with the place we found on AirBNB. Liz, the owner, has two places on her property that she rents out, the lodge and the cottage. We rented the 2-bedroom cottage. Of course, 2 bedrooms; no more forts next to my bed for Kensley. This cottage was so perfect, with ocean views from the front deck where Caleb and I would enjoy wine and pick-its when Kenz went to bed. We were out there for the scenery not because I was crazy and wouldn’t let Caleb eat or make noise inside :P. There is a pet pig and rooster on the property which were entertaining for us all. On Saturday we strolled around town, Caleb took a dip in the ocean and then we walked to a place for fish and chips. On Sunday, Caleb woke up early to hike Mount Fyffe. They estimated it was a 8 hour round trip, but once he made it to the top of the ridge in 1.5 hours he decided to come down along the river which proved to be more challenging with no specific trail at certain points. He had to cross the river about 20 times and ended up being a much slower decent. He said the hike offered a beautiful view of the Kaikoura mountains which can be seen even from Christchurch on a clear day. Kensley and I lounged at the cottage a little bit in the morning and once she woke up from her morning nap we walked into town. We visited some shops, had lunch and played on the grass and by that time, Caleb was done his hike and joined us. Again, we went for fish and chips and beer – so predictable! When we got back to the cottage I went for a little run on the peninsula trail, which was stunning. Caleb did the longer version the next morning but my legs and body needed some recovery from my long run so hopefully I’ll be able to check it out next time. This has been my favorite weekend away so far. Everywhere we’ve visited has been beautiful and perfect. However, I think this stands out, simply because we stayed for two nights which made things seem a little less rushed and much more enjoyable! Caleb agrees that two nights may be the way to go in the future! On Monday, we made a quick stop at the seal colony but there weren’t many seals to be seen so we just made our way home.

Kensley was a happy little trooper all weekend, napping on-the-go and sleeping well at night in her own room. She is working hard to move and is starting to pull herself forward. She is able to tuck her knees under her and extend her arms fully. She requires something done with her hair everyday now because otherwise her bangs are in her eyes. She loves to play with her shadow! She has figured out how to drink from a straw and loves it! She met her first pig and rooster. She loves to chew on anything and everything, other than her teething toys. And although this is a glimpse into next week’s blog, she has currently been napping in her travel crib for 1 hour and didn’t even cry when I put her in it (Yes, this is the first attempt since the failed attempts a month or two ago).

This week we enjoyed two pinot noirs from Central Otago. The first was Squealing Pig 2017 $21.99 (by recommendation!). I didn’t really love this wine because I found it a bit harsh. Caleb says it was a bit subdued, requiring more of an acquired taste and it was “less out there”. I give it 3/5 and Caleb 3.5/5. The next was Mud House 2017 $18.99 which I enjoyed more and give 4/5 which Caleb agrees with; he states it was very fruity, almost a bit sweet. Actually, a New Zealand store just did their yearly (I think) wine awards and I saw a program on the news saying that 10 of the bottles that were awarded were under $12 so I think I might be on the hunt to try some cheap but good wines!

This weeks successes:

A great weekend away

Caleb enjoyed a hike

Everything Kensley does!

My training starts tapering down