This weekend was pretty phenomenal. We got out and did stuff :)
Saturday we went to the Knack. It's a small craft fair that was held at the Berhampore Elementary School (where Carly's been teaching the Montessori class). It was a very friendly affair. Most of the displays were from parents or local crafters, everyone seemed to know each other and there were quite a few very cool booths. In particular, Carly's coffee slinging students were there as well as few local seamstresses who make great clothing out of recycled materials.
Once we were done there, we decided to go on a bit of a driving adventure to find a new place to fly the kite. We started by driving down to Island Bay, exploring that neighborhood (quickly turning into a favorite with us) then we ended up in a nature preserve, where we got a chance to test out the All Wheel drive for the first time by driving through an old quarry access pass. Too rocky and narrow to fly a kite but a very nice drive overall.
Having reached the end of that drive, we decided to drive in the opposite direction out to the Kapiti Coast (western coast of North Island). We came across Queen Elizabeth National Park, with it's very inviting beach and got a nice flight in there. Sand and water aren't particularly friendly to my kite though... Heading home, we felt we'd made the right choice in buying a car.
We started Sunday by hoping a bus down to Thorndon (Ha! you thought we'd drive didn't you!) for the annual Fair. Not entirely sure of the details, but it sounds like it was started as a fundraiser for their elementary school (a decile 10 school... odd that they'd need to raise funds) but grew into a whole neighborhood engulfing street sale of sorts. There was probably 150 booths? They were expecting 25000 people and I'd believe it from the crowds we saw there. We went with our lovely Kiwi friends R&A and new friends C&R. Not much I'd actually buy (most was expensive kitschy stuff).
Thorndon is a gorgeous neighborhood (and priced accordingly) It backs the Parliament buildings, is delimited on one side by the mountains and on another the Botanical Gardens. Very quaint, turn of the century to about 1950s buildings.
Having done the stalls there, we headed up to the Botanical Gardens to see the roses. When last we'd gone, they were just at the bud stage. Not very exciting. This time it was incredible.
Came home thoroughly tired (we'd been out walking for 6+ hours by that point) and a little sunburnt. This is precisely why we moved out here :)
Here are a couple of links to the galleries if you want to see more photos.
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