I don't think I have ever taken so many photos in one month!!! To think that there were months last year where I only had 10 photos to choose from and now ..... well there is a multitude of choice (sorry the collection below isn't in any particular order ). I can see that it will actually be hard to summarize everything we are doing, exploring, seeing and experiencing. One of my favourite things though is seeing themselves enjoying nature and interacting with new people so easily.
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| Leaving Killinchy - My Mum's |
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| Sunset at Fortrose, near Invercargill |
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| Experiencing colonial school life in Okains Bay, Banks Peninsula |
After beginning the month in Canterbury we have now finished it some 600km south in Invercargill. It has been a wonderful month to say the least! Some of the highlights include: Chinese New Year Parade in Christchurch, learning Chinese calligraphy from the Chinese community, Waitangi Day in Okains bay, seeing friends and family, meeting new people, collecting wild growing plums in Canterbury, apples in Otago and blackberries in Southland, seeing seals, sea lions and penguins in the wild, finally getting our composting toilet on board (no more stinking journeys!), petrified forests, fossils, caves, ship wrecks, museums galore and tuatara!
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| Huriawa Peninsula, near Karitane |
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| Fishing at Owaka Yacht Club, Clutha District |
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| Moeraki Boulders |
We will be in Invercargill now for a couple of weeks while Liam does a bit of work. Parking up at the local racecourse is a great spot which has us in walking distance to the laundromat, a community garden (which we volunteered at today and donated our compost collection to) and a playground. We are also biking distance to town and today the kids and I rode into the museum to see the tuatara. It is a great museum, art gallery and gardens. Thankfully themselves are developing good bike and road sense skills so it wasn't quite as nerve wrecking as it used to be cycling with them in Kapiti! :)
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| Peel Forest, Canterbury |
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| Bags full of free plums in Opihi, South Canterbury |
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| Ticking off the NZ monopoly board ... Dunedin Train Station |
There is a local Environment Centre here too, which is where we found out about the community garden, and the lady running it is homeschooling her nearly 8 year old so we already have an invite to join the local homeschool group for a farm explore/free-play this Friday. There is also a Chess club at the Environment Centre tomorrow which themselves are looking forward to as their skills improve on that front too. So nice to find connections with new people and feel included so quickly. Amazing how living in a bus opens doors for you!
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| At Slope Point the southern most point of the South Island. |
Until next month I hope this finds you all enjoying life.
Arohanui
Y
