I Don't Tramp!
This is what I have been telling my daughter when she has been trying to convince me to don a pack and sleep in the wilderness. Don't get me wrong, I love the great outdoors. I just don't like sleeping on the ground. Her beautiful photographs however, did inspire me to immerse my kids in the beauty of the country we live in. Usually a family holiday involves planes and passports but not this time. I am ashamed to say, my kids had never seen the glaciers that are a days car ride from where we live so this was the reason for our trip. I booked the motels, and gassed up the car for our wilderness adventure and joined the throngs of camper vans driving up and down our wild west coast.
I was surprised to see snow at the top of Arthur's Pass in October! See my feathered friend in the background.
My youngest son was surprised to see a Kea (New Zealand parrot) in the wild up close!
We were all surprised to see our reflections so clearly in Lake Ianthe!
I was not surprised to see my teenage son posing under a waterfall beside a glacier!
The kids were surprised to see this majestic ice flow so close to home!
We marvelled at the power of the ocean.
We marvelled at the ingenuity required to access such a rugged place.
We collected treasured mementos before the sun set on our adventure.
I am already planning the next road trip!
I was surprised to see snow at the top of Arthur's Pass in October! See my feathered friend in the background.
My youngest son was surprised to see a Kea (New Zealand parrot) in the wild up close!
We were all surprised to see our reflections so clearly in Lake Ianthe!
I was not surprised to see my teenage son posing under a waterfall beside a glacier!
The kids were surprised to see this majestic ice flow so close to home!
We marvelled at the power of the ocean.
We marvelled at the ingenuity required to access such a rugged place.
We collected treasured mementos before the sun set on our adventure.
I am already planning the next road trip!
You live in such a beautiful country so I`m glad you are getting to those places now .
ReplyDeleteI have seen most of New Zealand but it is nice to be able to share it with the kids and see it through fresh eyes.
DeleteNZ is such a beautiful country - especially the south island, it's just sooo different and spectacular.
ReplyDeleteIt is beautiful. Sometimes I think it is easy to take our own back yards for granted and it is nice to see what our overseas visitors see.
DeleteWow! You live in a wonderful place! No wonder you and your entire family is inspired with this beautiful place. Beautiful pictures!
ReplyDeleteThe area I live in is bordered on one side by the Pacific Ocean and the mountains on the other and is flat so is quite a contrast to the photos you see here.
DeleteHi, I'm a non-blogging sewer who started following your blog a few weeks ago. I wanted to come out of the woodwork to let you know that I've gotten a lot of inspiration from seeing your creations. Seeing your beautiful photos reminded me of why NZ's South Island is my favourite place in the whole world to holiday. You're lucky to be so close to such amazing things. Thank you for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteKatherine in Sydney
Thank you for our comment. It is really nice to know that my blog inspires people and makes an interesting read.
DeleteThanks for sharing your holiday - I remember New Zealand quite well from our family holiday there when I was in about year 7 (so an extremely long time ago) and it truly is spectacular. We hope to return with our kids within a few years. Those glaciers - spectacular!
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons we went is because of reports that the glaciers are retreating and they have changed a lot since I saw them last about 15 years ago. I was surprised how much my 9 year old got out of the trip. He now has a fascination with all things mining.
DeleteLoved following along with your family trip, the West Coast is really unique, isn't it? Water everywhere! I'm not a tramper but the rest of my family are... DH often does stints for DOC over the summer holidays and takes the kids into the wild with him.
ReplyDeleteWater everywhere....I have seen the new add campaign as well. I definitely want to go back in summer and explore some more.
DeleteI did my first trip to New Zealand backpacking when I was about 20 and loved it.It was the first time I saw glaciers and I was amazed, thrilled and raved about it. 12 years later I was a travel agent and I went many times again of course (ended up living in Auckland for 12 months too) but I never failed to push the NZ drive holiday as I think it is one of the most fascinating, accessible and truly wonderful holidays you could ever want. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThe beauty of driving in New Zealand is you don't have to drive far to get anywhere which especially appeals to families with kids who have short attention spans!
DeleteWow, that just looks absolutely stunning. You are so right that we don't make time to explore our own backyard. I am also guilty of this. I would love to explore the north of Western Australia, but I have to say I'm a teeny bit scared of the remoteness...and the crocodiles!
ReplyDelete