The moment she stepped on the land, to check out the place where they will be potentially living, there was no turning back. She felt home. Yet she tried to deny it. As it was so very different from everything she has ever known from before. Tried to protest against it, even semi-faked a terrible bad mood to distract the attention. Semi, because she recognised it quite soon that it was just the programming. Automatisms. Fears. Excuses. To distract. To hold back. To keep everything under control... Haha, so pathetic. And so hard to recognise.

But eventually, she listened to her feelings... She's been practising it for some time now. They emerged with a supernatural power to help her win the battle of truth over her mind. They always show up in the right moment. And they are always right...

Hobbiton. It definitely rings a bell for every single Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit fan, right? :) Two trilogies that made New Zealand pretty famous. Filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson had an amazing vision, and not only for the story based on J. R. R. Tolkien's novel - some mind-blowing landscapes he picked! We went to discover the fascinating movie set, The Shire, maintained in its original form, and now probably one of the top tourist attractions in the country. And a little piece of magic.

So, let the real Middle-Earth adventures begin! :)

New Zealand is not about the cities. At least for us. It is about the breathtaking power of nature that can compare to nothing else in the world. But this time, the city was calling. So here are some impressions of the trendy, charming, compact, walkable, little treasure box of "Kiwilandia", the capital of New Zealand. Where the wind never stops blowing your hair - Wellington. Aka Windy Welly, probably the windiest city of the world. :)

Today is a special day. Santa in town! Excitement in the air. Boots polished and carefully placed in the windows, waiting to be filled up with chocolate Santa figures, candies, oranges and apples, small presents wrapped up in red Santa bags. Fingers crossed not to get golden twigs instead, that only goes for the naughty ones. Then it's bedtime. While everyone is sleeping their sweetest dreams, a nice, old man dressed up in red, with long white beard, with a big red bag full of presents, traveling from house to house, in the dark, in secret, distributes his little gifts that will make the day of many kids the following morning. Twinkles in the little eyes...

We love hiking! We love nature! Happily, we have friends who love hiking and nature, too. :) They took us to our 1st real walk since we are "back" to New Zealand, a really great 10km, the Te Henga Walkway just north-west of Auckland. It is incredible that within less than an hour’s drive, you can literally escape the buzz of a big city and find yourself in the middle of some of the wildest beaches of the West Coast, with some jaw-dropping vistas over the cliffs and plenty of green bush around you. Oh how much I missed this feeling! New Zealand, I love you, have I told you? :)  

Last weekend we discovered an amazing place by chance. In the heart of Auckland and with a breathtaking view over Auckland. It is one of the most beautiful parks I have ever been to. The grass is unbelievably green. Precious old trees lined up gracefully one after the other. Little forests of pohutukawa, eucalyptus, pine, and so much more, planted with love, care, vision and style. Magnolia trees and daffodils in full blossom. Flocks of cute sheep having a really good time. People relaxing, having a barbecue, a jog, wandering around or just enjoying. Come along for a walk in Cornwall Park with me :)