kapiti island trip

We finally made it to Kapiti Island.

....Finally...

as in I had one place I really wanted to visit on my list of "MUST DO BEFORE WE LEAVE NZ" I figured one place was a reasonable goal. I also say finally because my friend Susan and I had been talking about doing this for months, and my ability to book a trip was a bit lack luster. But it was lovely.

The native birds come right up to you

.
We went for a guided walk and learned all about the plants, Maori history, animal life, and DOC projects.


There were paths by the sea...

and through the grassy flat lands....And up through the forested steep hills...
And plenty of places to just sit and wait for the birds to come and share some space with you...
The younger set did get a tad restless of sitting and waiting for birds to dazzle them, so we got out my camera and played around with its high burst setting. I had no idea how fun this can be!




We finished up the day playing in the warm sea water.
It has been said that once, in the not so distant past, the water between the island and the mainland -- all 5 km -- was so full of whales that it would keep you up at night!
And the trees were in bloom!
Better still we got to share the experience with our dear friend from Australia!

The Hill Road

There is an infamous road near here. It is one of my favourite spots. I never miss an opportunity to drive it. Today our friends ventured on it for the first time .... perfect timing as the sun was setting over the South Island and illuminating Kapiti Coast with that magical light the occurs just before sunset.


It is a place begging for proposals, tourist photo opps, date night drives, and in this case a bit of stand up comedy.
But this is the photo that captures my world at the moment.
There is a possibility of a move in my future and it is weighing me down. I can barely look forward into the future. I just want to stay here in the home that I am building for myself. But everywhere I look, all the people I love here are eagerly looking toward their own futures.. they are growing up, shifting house, changing jobs, building families, moving on... I know that staying still won't allow me to have any extra time with them or here, because it all will change. It always does. But I am just not yet ready to shake up my world at this moment. I just want to quietly be in it for awhile, a good long while, after all it took to get myself here. But the future freaks me out so much that I can barely even experience the moment any more.

and now for the under 6 crowd...

During thinking time, I did a bit of investigation on the fun aspects of the Queen Elizabeth park on behalf of Luke, Emerson, and Duncan. The three people in my world I think would be most excited to learn that there is a tram that takes you to the beach.

but first... you must drive over railway tracks, that had trains crossing both when I arrived

AND when I left!

There are also horses if you are into that...

And of course the beach... if you like sand and water and mud and sticks and wind and birds...


but really, life is pretty good when the old city trams have been give a second lease on life to bring joy to the youth of NZ.