Visitors & Castlepoint

As the days are getting longer and the sun seems to be coming out a wee bit more, it's hard to think about sitting at home on the computer. This weekend, however, has proved to be the perfect day to stay indoors. 130km/h winds are definitely enough to entice me to curl up in a blanket with a hot cup of tea and go through all the photos that I've accumulated over the past few months (except for when it sounds like the roof is going to blow off...).

In early October, we were blessed with a visit by my favourite maternal aunt and uncle (okay, okay, I only have one maternal aunt and uncle, but that doesn't make them any less my favourite!). They were heading to Australia on a corporate cruise and decided to stop off in New Zealand along the way. Now that Kevin and I have established ourselves in Wellington, it is really nice to show people around the city we call home (for now).

Since it was middle of Spring in Wellington, the weather tends to be a bit unpredictable. Kevin and I spent a day driving with Alex and Shirley out to Castlepoint, a small beachside town just over 150km north-east of Wellington. It was a gray and cloudy day in the city but we were pleasantly surprised that the clouds stayed south of the Rimutaka hills.

The peak of the Rimutaka hills, looking towards Wellington.

Castlepoint

Shirley, Alex, & myself

We parked the car, ate our picnic lunch, and took a stroll out onto the beach and up to see the infamous lighthouse. The view was spectacular! On the other side of the hill, there was a man propped up on the side of the cliff fishing--we saw him catch a small shark (and throw it back, obviously).

Kevin then got excited with the prospect that we could drive Sophia (our station wagon) onto the beach. We spent some time in the sun, observing a single surfer taking in a few waves. This is what I call paradise!

Little nooks and crannies like Castlepoint are what I love about New Zealand. We can drive out of the city for an hour or two and be in the middle of nowhere. It's days like this that make it so easy to stay here. For now.

Meet the Family

How rude of me. I realised that I haven't even introduced you all to our new home and family. In January, Kevin and I moved into a new flat literally steps away from the equivalent of Granville Street for all you Vancouverites or 17th Ave for all you Calgarians (or whatever the equivalent of the main downtown street in the city you live in, for all you global readers). This isn't even the best part. We decided, after living just the two of us for a number of years, to acquire some roomflatmates. Meet Paul and Natalie! He works as an engineer with Kevin and she is a former teacher turned NZ government employee from Michigan. The four of us make up the fam-jam in the North American Scum flat.

And it would also be quite inconsiderate if I didn't give you a photo-tour of our fantastic new abode. We live in a two-storey-warehouse-turned-offices/residences. It is tucked away down a creepy alleyway that provides us with a bit of privacy from the 5am bar-hoppers. While we have no yard, we have a lovely communal patio space for relaxing and BBQ-ing. Come inside!

This is our main living space, which includes the entrance way, dining room, lounge, spare bedroom, and kitchen. We don't have any windows other than on the front door, but we get ample natural lighting from a few electronically powered skylights overhead. This is a perfect setting for hosting parties! 

Down the hallway is a coat closet, laundry room, and two bedrooms with ensuites. I'll allow Paul and Natalie some privacy from all my nosy family and friends, but I'm happy to show you around our bedroom. We've got a big living space, a GIANT closet opposite the photo-filled wall, which leads up to a second-floor mezzanine. We've turned this space into a yoga/meditation/art sanctuary that doubles as a great place to dry our laundry.

I feel so lucky to have nabbed such an incredible place to live and wonderful people to live with. Family dinner night has to be one of my favourite nights of the week!

Filling in the Gaps

Alright. I've sifted through the 700+ photos taken by both sets of parents and pulled out the best ones to help fill in the gaps from our trip together. The chronology looks like this: Elaine and Dean arrive in Wellington for five days prior to us flying out to the Cook Islands to meet up with my dad and Juanita. We spend eight days in paradise and all fly back in New Zealand. Kevin and I fly home while Elaine and Dean spend a few days in Auckland before going back to Canada. My dad and Juanita take a few days to take a bus tour down to Wellington where we spend a few days showing them around before moseying down to the South Island. You with me? Enjoy!

Phewf! Did you get through them all? And I'm actually in a few!

I've got a few good blog posts up my sleeve for the near future. I hope not to be as neglectful to this as I have been in recent weeks. But the weather is cooling off, we have one less hour of sunlight each day, and we are hunkering down for another Wellington winter. Until next time...