If it feels like it’s been a while since you read an actual blog from me, that’s probably because it has been. We finished our magical trip through the Mackenzie country, arrived in Christchurch to find work. Then life just got busy, not a we’re off having amazing adventures can’t wait to write about it busy. But that every day run of the mill busy. Wayne’s job here is the most full on he’s had on our travels, it includes a few nights away and he is back to working lot’s of hours. Which as any parent whose partner travels for work will know means that there’s more on the plate of the one left behind. I look back at those days when this was our normal. When it was me at home with a new born baby and Wayne away every week at least five nights a week. Every, single, week. I look back and I marvel that we all survived those years so well. This time I know it’s a short term thing and most weeks he’s only away one night. But even so it has been an adjustment.
I have to admit it took me a minute to get used to being based somewhere as big as Christchurch in the bus. It means a bit of a shuffling around approach to where we stay which has actually been nice. There’s nothing like a change of scenery every few weeks to keep things interesting. We have settled on two favourite spots where we spend the majority of our time. One beside a beautiful river and the other that has something equally as beautiful. Showers! Showers without a timer that are included in the nightly cost of $10 per vehicle. When you have to make your water tank last all week your showers are as short as you can possibly make them, having this as your everyday reality makes the simplest of things feel like a luxury.
Of course we’ve been doing as much exploring around Christchurch as we can fit in to Wayne’s time off. It’s a beautiful city with beaches and a great assortment of walking tracks to choose from. This has perhaps only added to our busyness as we have no shortage of places we want to go, things we want to do whilst we are here. We were lucky enough to arrive in Christchurch just as the spring flowers bloomed so we got to enjoy how beautiful the city was with all those gorgeous flowers. Wandering through the daffodils at Hagley Park will be a lasting memory of Christchurch for me. Oliver and I have had a few adventures into the city via public transport and his highlight is the Margaret Mahy playground, which if you visit here with children in tow is a must do. Heck even if you come without kids the slides here are big enough for adults to join in the fun. I also don’t think it will surprise anyone that we have explored the beaches a number of times. Our favorite spot is Corsair bay with New Brighton a close second.
With all this wonderful living happening 2019 just sped to a close for us, as I know it does for a lot of people. In that rush it’s easy to loose sight of all you have done and experienced over the year, to feel like it’s all just passing you by to quickly. But for us this year it doesn’t take much searching to find some great memories we’ve created together. I think because it’s the end of a decade I have done a fair bit of looking back lately. Ten years ago I was in the midst of planning our wedding, we had lots of plans and dreams and so much hope for what the future was going to bring our way. Some of them came true, we had an amazing honeymoon, brought our first home, had a child together and a million other little moments to go with the big ones. Some didn’t come true and then there were the things we never even dared to dream of at that point. All this looking back makes me wonder what the next ten years will bring our way. For now all I know is it will involve a few more adventures in a bus.
My Wandering Kiwi Family 