Our two weeks in Nelson, New Zealand are coming to an end tomorrow and none of us are ready to move on. Luckily, we are not leaving New Zealand but rather moving to another location.

Our journey from leaving the hotel in Japan to arriving at the rental house in New Zealand took over 26 hours and included two flights, an almost 4 hour layover in the middle of the night in Fiji, running through Tokyo trying to catch buses and trains and a long drive through rural New Zealand! But we got some good views along the way and were so so so happy to arrive at the house and see this view from the living room.

Though we are not saying goodbye to New Zealand yet, we will miss Nelson specifically because it really has been the perfect town. Just the right size, with plenty of restaurants and shops and affordable activities, while having very accessible nature nearby. It was a 5-minute walk from our house down to a beautiful beach and large park that had playgrounds, running paths, a small zoo and a “Fun Park” (with mini-golf, go karts, trampolines, etc).

checking it out our first afternoon here

The first few days, we took life slow. We did schoolwork, enjoyed having more space so the girls could craft, paint, bake and relax, and I tried to go on a few runs. The views were enough motivation to get me out the door!

That afternoon, per Luisa’s request, we visited the library. We then drove into Nelson proper to check it out. We looked at the cathedral and then walked through the downtown, marvelling at the cute shops and the fact that they are all closed by 5:30pm! We found some delicious pizza, went crazy at the grocery store buying all the familiar foods we have been missing and then went back to the house for movie night. It is nice to be able to integrate some of our favorite routines while still experiencing new places.

The next morning, I decided to run another route, this time along the water towards downtown. My pace wasn’t very quick because I stopped so often to take photos! The water is mesmerising.

I got back to the house and said, we’re going to the beach! And to the beach we went. Afterwards, it was time for a quick dinner and then a trip to the movies! We saw “Wicked: For Good“, and it was amazing to drive 10 minutes to see a movie in English for 1/2 the price as in Germany. 🙂

The next morning, I was up early for my run. Another glorious day.

That afternoon, we drove to Nelson Lakes National Park for a swim and short hike. Only Hannah was brave enough to fully swim, but everyone had fun. We then came home, and Charlotte, Olivia and Luisa made sushi for dinner! What a treat.