with love: New Zealand! (1 of 2)

Good morning! Before I dive into our latest adventure, let me officially share our wonderful news...

We couldn't be happier! Today I'm 23 weeks and 4 days and feeling pretty darn good.

Now... let me tell you about the "babymoon" we just returned from. Two words: New Zealand. Y'all, it was incredible. We made the very most of our short time there and explored as much as we possibly could. We took a million and four pictures so buckle up and get ready to scroll! J actually had some work to take care of so I explored Wellington on my own for the first couple of days. It's referred to as the "coolest little capital in the world" and it definitely kept me busy. I enjoyed the bohemian vibe of Cuba Street, rode the historic cable car, strolled through the Botanic Gardens, hiked around Mt. Victoria (where parts of the Lord of the Rings were filmed), and wandered for hours through Te Papa Museum.

windy city!

the vast majority of Wellington homes are scattered on the hills like this

Tui- a native New Zealander

view from Mt. Victoria

After meeting back up with J, we headed to the northern part of the north island where we stayed on a farm outside of Rotorua. This area of the island is famous for all the thermal activity. At Te Puia we saw a real live geyser blow and watched mud pits boil and steam. At Wai-o-Tapu we wandered around the most incredible caves, mud pits, waterfalls, and pools. We also made our way over to Matamata and drove around the sprawling farmland used as the shire in LOTR films. The scenery was absolutely spectacular. Our visit was at the perfect time to see all the baby animals. I'm sure J got tired of me pointing out all the precious lambs. What can I say? I have baby fever!