BEACH NIGHT
A chilly night with my boys at our favourite place.
Complete with diggers, rock skimming, fish & chips and kayaks.
I'm currently knee-deep in paperwork, trying to organize my New Zealand visa application. I thought it would be fairly easy, but there are so many documents I have to track down, organize, and print out. Basically, sort out a timeline of our relationship over the past 8 years! My head is spinning from filling out so many forms, so I thought I'd take a break to edit & share some photos from last night.
We spent the evening running around our local beach in Stanmore Bay. Tim and his brother were setting out on a kayaking adventure, while Max and I played on the beach. One of Max's favourite things to do is find the biggest rocks he can carry and throw them into the ocean to watch them "galllump" into the water. He'll do this for hours.
We walked up and down the beach, collecting rocks and digging sand in his new Tonka digger. We ended the night with some fish & chips and a play on the playground next to the beach. Evenings like these give me the motivation I need to finish all this visa stuff. As draining as it is, it's totally worth it to live in a place like this.
Well, I have about an hour left before I have to pick Max up from daycare. I'd better get some more paperwork organized! Wish me luck! I'll probably be writing a blog post about my journey with this application if anyone is interested. I've noticed there aren't many "real life" resources out there and thought it would be nice to share my experience.
And if ever you find yourself in New Zealand, here are a few of our
favorite beach spots:
Stanmore Bay - our local and personal fave, with super calm water and lots of sand for digging
Piha - the water is rough for swimming, but great for surfing. Oh, and climb up Lion Rock for stunning views!
Muriwai - a beautiful black sand surf beach on the West Coast
Tāwharanui - gorgeous white sand beach north of Auckland
Coromandel - about an hour from Auckland, some of the most beautiful beaches are here. It's also home to the famous Cathedral Cove! Be warned - it's about a 45 minute walk to get to Cathedral Cove from the carpark.
Oneroa - Take a short ferry ride from Auckland to Waiheke Island and spend the day at this gorgeous beach
Mission Bay - right in Auckland, close to lots of shops and cafes. There is also a playground here for the kiddos!
