dear-to-me: North and South

For our honeymoon, Lewis and I spent a week in Melbourne while Lewis attended to work commitments, and have enjoyed 2 weeks in picturesque New Zealand.

I am going to be brutally honest about our trip. The south island was the epitome of ‘scope for the imagination’ as far as scenery goes, but ended up being highly lacking in quaint towns. The residential buildings in the south island “towns” (more like, shanty, 2 commercial building pieces of land) were run down, and we found ourselves cruising through basically all of them, only stopping for fuel and food. Queenstown is of course, absolutely stunning, and I will always love it for the fresh, ‘big drink of water’ air and its' breathtaking view. We also love horse riding outside of Queenstown, as it gives you a different perspective on the beautiful land. If you’re going to do the south island, stop in at the better-known places such as Queenstown and Picton.

The north island, however, has so far proven to be much more soul satisfying in the way of small townships that have sweet little houses and boutique stores. Wellington is always brilliant – we know some terrific people in Wellington. We were lucky enough this trip to meet Dave, the colleague of a friend of ours’. Dave so very generously offered to take us on a scenic drive around the bays of Wellington, and it is on this trip that we were able to see what I have now dubbed my most liveable area in Wellington – Breaker Bay and Seatoun. Right on the “beach” outside of Welly, these suburbs proved to be rich in well cared for, quaint coastal/queenslander style homes nestled on the edge of mountains, that almost all had flowers wrapped around each of their outside awnings, adding a dash of colour to the creams and whites of the verandas. Most of these were rose bushes, which just added to the enchantment of the houses, along with tubs of lavender and hydrangeas. These just happen to be my most favourite flowers, so you can imagine my ecstasy at each little house. I was in home heaven as Dave drove us along the windy roads, gasping and calling out every second at yet another stunning cottage. I have never been one to want to live by the sea, however I could very easily imagine Lewis and I setting up home there - a simple life with small, not so quiet children.

Sadly, I did not take any pictures of these houses or the area. It was all happening so fast and I was having hard time registering the stunning little place, let alone tear my eyes away to get the camera out..

Upon leaving Wellington, we drove about an hour or so to Greytown on our way to Napier. We weren’t evening planning to stop in Greytown, however it it had a similar effect on us as Breaker Bay and Seatoun. This small town isn’t nestled into mountains nor is it coastal, but the buildings and homes are all so divine and well cared for. Each one looks like a fairy tale cottage, and again with the flora entwining the verandas and gardens. The main street had beautiful old buildings that had become cafes, boutiques, antique stores, the local vet and even a French patisserie. It would have been utterly stupid not to stop, have a wander and grab a coffee, and to not take photos, however the latter we did not. I have, however, found pictures of what this quaint town looks like. Thank God for Google!