Sunday, April 2, 2017

NZ/Aus Day 16: Chilllin' on the Coast


Two relaxing days on the west coast followed. We took a few trips to the beaches in the area, enjoying walks in the surf at Oakura with views of the sugar loafs. We watched the surfers at New Zealand's famous Stent Beach, and were thrilled with our view of Mount Taranaki when we stopped at the island's oldest lighthouse.






Even with it being off-season, we again couldn't get over the lack of people on the roads and at these gorgeous spots. We were the only people strolling through the expansive Pukeiti gardens, adjacent to (or possibly in) the national park..




It's been interesting to find a pace that works for us on this trip as it's our first one with a child. We need to ensure we not only provide ourselves with the down time we need, but Baby the chance to stretch and roll and play and most importantly, be awake, as she normally sleeps in the car and stroller. When our usual downtime is taken up by nursing, burping, bathing, and entertaining a little one, we also need to find downtime that's for ourselves. As such, we've tried to make "creative time" a priority on this trip.



This has included our regular writing and photo/video editing to keep up our blog, but also sketching for Craig and quilting for Erin. It's all a part of the learning experience of being the parents we want to be. We feel so grateful to have this time together as a little family, discovering new things in the outside world, and right here at home.





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