Wander & Nest

After recovering from Covid, we got back to our normal routine, which meant day trips were back! On a whim, we decided to take a quick trip to Quail Island. We really didn’t know what to expect, but when we got to the ferry pick up spot, we saw that 100% of the other day trippers also had toddlers in tow, so we were obviously in the right place. Mara had her first sighting of a daycare friend outside of daycare. Toddlers recognizing each other out in the wild is a real delight! We took the ferry and explored a bit of the island, and this shouldn’t be a surprise anymore, but it was absolutely beautiful!

The next week we participated in our first ever sheep day – perhaps the most New Zealand thing possible. We went to Wylie’s colleague’s farm for their annual lamb tagging and docking followed by a bring and share (aka potluck). I was worried about what docking lambs meant, I heard it was tail removal… but it’s literally just putting a rubber band on their tails near the base and eventually the tail will fall off. The tails can be a big source of infection, so they are docked to keep them healthy. The group got to help herd the sheep and snuggle up with some very cute lambs. They also had alpacas on the farm and Mara really loved seeing them, she wanted hugs, but the alpacas were not into it.

We’ve rounded out the last couple of weekends with hikes around Christchurch. Mara is getting used to the hiking backpack, which is really opening up options for where we can go! She also started swim lessons for the first time at one of the community centers. While she loves the water, she’s not too sure about the organized instructional activity yet. We’ll keep at it and she always gets the reward of playing in the toddler pool after her 25 minute lesson!

We are really loving Christchurch. Just about everyday Wylie and I talk about how something has exceeded our expectations. It’s just such and easy place to be, especially with a little one. It’s not lost on us that there is so much pain and devastation going on in the world. Here in New Zealand it is all too easy to feel disconnected from all of it, and admittedly it’s nice to be able to disconnect and feel present. At the same time we’re trying to stay informed and support in our way while being so far away. We are so grateful for the privilege to be here together as a family.