Month: March 2017

Our weekend in the Blue Mountains

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Blue Mountains and Jenolan Caves, NSW Australia (July 2016)
Jenolan Caves (July 2016)

This was a short trip, much closer to home on the outskirts of Sydney.

During the winter school holidays in July 2016 I took a Friday off work so our family could take a long weekend break away from Sydney. Together with hubby, Steve, and the two children (then aged 12 and 8) we drove up to the Blue Mountains and Jenolan Caves. The weekend was balanced perfectly with activities, site-seeing and quiet down-time.

The Blue Mountains is about a 90 minute drive west of Sydney (2 hours if you are coming from the northern beaches like us). Its breathtaking landscape and scenery spans approximately 11,400 km² and offers an array of attractions, including bushwalking trails, waterfalls and ancient limestone caves.  Aside from its world heritage listing, its many towns and villages also offer a delightful experience with their guesthouses, galleries and gardens and there are plenty of dining options from fine dining restaurants, to cafes, coffee shops and tea houses.

As a family we have been to the Blue Mountains a couple of times, but usually just for a day trip.  However Steve and the children hadn’t been to Jenolan Caves before and I hadn’t been since I was a small child, so we were looking forward to discovering this part of the mountains.

This was how our weekend went: Continue reading “Our weekend in the Blue Mountains”

Nine days in New Zealand

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Auckland to Wellington, New Zealand  (July 2013)
Taupo, NZ (July 2013)

It’s strange how I seem to be drawn to foreign places far, far away, despite the fact that living in Australia we have some fantastic holiday destinations on our own doorstep.

However, in July 2013 I did arrange a trip closer to home. I had some work meetings scheduled in New Zealand’s Auckland and Wellington, so decided to take this opportunity to make a family holiday of it. We spent 9 days on the North Island, starting our tour at the top in Auckland and finishing up in the windy city of Wellington. The children were 10 and 6 at the time and loved this trip. They still talk about it today and ask when they can go back (and my daughter does a terrible NZ accent).

This was our itinerary:    Auckland (2 nights) to Waitomo (1 night) to Hobbiton to Rotorua (2 nights) to Wellington (3 nights)  Continue reading “Nine days in New Zealand”