new zealand - part three:

Hooker Lake + Aoraki/Mount Cook

My last post from my little NZ collection and this is one is pretty epic, featuring New Zealand's tallest mountain, Aoraki/Mount Cook. 

Having not being in the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park for a very long time, Andrew and I wanted to have a closer look and complete some walks amongst the incredible scenery. 
Upon our arrival in the early evening we could not see a thing due heavy rain and fog. I was little worried, I must admit! However once morning broke, we were super lucky as the clouds started to part and the mountains began to reveal themselves.

The Hooker Valley track in particular was a stunning and easy walk (approx. 3hr return), allowing us to get up to Hooker Lake where we had a clear view of Aoraki/Mount Cook - and some icebergs that had broken off from the glacier. I highly recommend the Hooker Valley walk, as it is one of the easiest and most rewarding walks we have completed on our travels.

Later that afternoon we took a boat trip on the Tasman Lake and got up close to the Tasman Glacier (it's a bit of a touristy thing, but it was fun!), which was an amazing experience and one that I didn't think I could have unless we visited somewhere like Iceland.

That's it from that trip. In a couple of weeks time we are off to NZ again and will be visiting some new areas yet again. Stay tuned for that!

Next: Hello baby boy! An update on what's been happening and a nursery sneak peek.

Hooker Valley

Tasman Lake + Glacier

Lake Pukaki

new zealand - part two:

Aramoana Beach

Part two from our time in New Zealand earlier in the year, and I may have mentioned it before, but really do love a good moody beach scene. Most of the photos below were taken around the Otago Peninsula in Dunedin. Every time I visit this area, I have been greeted with fog and misty scenes which make for some lovely, moody images. We explored some of the beaches including Aramoana which had these amazing cliffs dropping straight down and the sea mist rolling in. It was quite a sight. 

I've also included a few snaps at the end there, from the little French town of Akaroa, which is up the coast near Christchurch. We try and see some different spots each time we visit NZ. And while I first visited here when I was a teenager when on a family holiday, Andrew had never been, so it was a nice little stop.

next: one more post from New Zealand.

Dunedin Harbour

Akaroa

new zealand - part one:

Yes, yes, it's been a little while, but things have been a little busy since the arrival of our beautiful little boy a few months ago (more on that soon, I promise!).

I did mention in my last post that I had some snaps from our trip to New Zealand from early in the year to share. So here we go, the start of a small series before we're off again in a few weeks time to visit family and introduce our little man to all his Kiwi relatives.

This post shows more from the family farm and our main base when in New Zealand. As you can see it's pretty stunning, being close to the sea and with lots of space. We were super happy to be back in our cabin after having not stayed in it for a while too. We didn't do any work on it this trip, except for revamping some old cane chairs and lounge for the deck area by recovering the cushions in a classic black and white look. I've gotta say, I think they turned out pretty great and they were perfect addition for afternoons in the sunshine (and around the fire-pit by night).

Next: a couple of more posts from New Zealand and then some baby stuff!