new zealand, north island

we brought in the new year on a plane to new zealand's north island.  shannon and i had planned an action-packed trip for the kids and us.  we landed in auckland, collected the car and we were off, despite the jetlag and lack of sleep, on our adventures :) 

first stop was cathedral cove which was a gorgeous, picturesque spot for a swim and a picnic, followed by hot water beach where you could dig to get to warmer water under the sand. we spent the night in coromandel and were all sound asleep before 8pm!  the next day, we headed down to matamata to see hobbiton, the exterior set for the lord of the rings movies. this was isaac's highlight for the entire trip and was pretty cool to see. 

we headed over to rotorua where we visited the geothermal park, went jet boating and visited some waterfalls before heading onwards to taupo to see the worm caves, play in some snow at the top of mt tongariro and get some much needed laundry done before heading to the northern end of the island. we stopped off at goat island and took the kids snorkeling for the first time which they both enjoyed and then we headed up to bay of islands for kayaking and waterfall seeking adventures. finally, we headed to auckland to see the museum and watch hannah do her first bungee jump off the auckland harbour bridge - she was a pro!

since returning from nz, i've been super busy putting the finishing touches on a new rewards credit card product i've been developing for the last 12+ months. for me, it's been a pretty exciting moment in my career and it's great to see it live in the public domain. 

i hope everyone's enjoyed the first month in 2017!

hugs,

s  

p.s.  i finished sewing my first dress before we headed off to nz and i've worn it a couple of times and have gotten compliments on it every time. it's not 100% perfect but i think it turned out pretty well for my first go and the compliments are inspiring me to make more which is good as i've gone a small fabric/pattern buying spree! :)  

Coromandel Cove

The family

Geothermal park

Jet-boating goodness!!

Rolling down the snow - Such fun!

Snorkeling