Golden Bay

We spent last week over at Golden Bay, which is at the top of the south island on the west side. My cousin got a bach from a friend and we stayed there for 4 days. The location couldn't have been better. The beach was our backyard! We could use the kayaks whenever we wanted. Gemma had her first ride in the kayak and loved it! She sat really still and just watched Mom and I paddle around. Then a huge wave came and soaked us all with the freezing cold water and she pretty much just cried until I got her warmed up in the house.

Wednesday was my Mom's birthday and my Nan and Pop, along with my 2 aunts both came up to the bach to spend the day with us. We went for a nice wander along the beach. Gemma is quite fond of Pop and always wants a cuddle from him. He always manages, even when it isn't easy!

We stopped for a family picture down the beach.Enjoying another rest out on the deck in the sun....Did I mention that I want to move here?

The view down the beach from the bach. Nelson, where my mom lives is around the bay on the furthest piece of land that you can see. It was about a 2 hour drive away.

Gemma was smiling at her cousin Izzie while she was eating some lunch.

Where we stayed in Golden Bay is in a calm bay on the northern coast of the south island. There is long, skinny piece of land that separates where we were staying from the west coast. The topography is so different just by going over the hill to the other coastline. The water is colder, there are seals everywhere and the coast is rocky, rough and windy. We took a day to do the hike over Farewell Spit to Whareriki (Pronounced Fara-re-key.) There are sand dunes on the west coast too. This country has everything!

It was so windy down on the beach on the West side, but we ran around the sand dunes and saw a couple of seals. What a blast! The scenery and bush on the island are amazing. Every hike we have gone on is better than the last. This hike was only about 30 minutes. We basically walked over a hill and then down to the dunes. Through sheep paddocks, through a bit of bush (forest) and then the dunes. After the hike, we stopped at a couple of unique roadside cafes. Every road side cafe is full of character here!
Back at the bach after the day out Gemma enjoyed a splash around in her kiddie pool. Daddy would be proud of her holding a Rugby ball!

The beach provided most of our entertainment while we were at Golden Bay. I played my first Cricket game with my cousins. I loved it! I think it's a bit like baseball...really fun to play but I would never want to watch it on TV! We also found a few paua on the beach that we fried up for a snack one day. Another day, the kids all went digging for pipi's (a bit like a clam and pronounced pipees). Then we brought them inside and soaked them in some clean salt water, fed them wheat bix for a snack, which makes them spit out their sand. Then we cooked those up too and made pipi patties for lunch. I love that about New Zealand. Everything is so simple- "oh, you're hungry, ok, let's go dig some pipi's up and make some lunch."

On the way back home to Nelson, we stopped in Motueka, it's a special family spot. My ancestors settled there and it's where my Nan and Pop met. I love that it is only about 45 minutes away from where everyone lives now. This part of the country is very natural. Most everyone grows their own veggies and lots of them have their own animals for food too. Most people use cloth diapers for their kids, because it makes more sense financially and environmentally, they aren't caught up in materialistic things. There are no fancy cars because people don't care about that kind of stuff. It's incredibly laid back. Living in an American community in Germany has been great in many ways but unfortunately has also caused me to completely lose touch with reality and what's really important in life. It's been such a blessing for me to be in New Zealand, surrounded by family in a place that makes it so easy to focus on the important things in life: faith, family, friends, health and food (OK, I just added that last one for fun!). I feel so much healthier since I have been here!

Just one more of Gemma because she is so darn cute!