What do we do when we aren’t working or studying? There is so much fun stuff to do around Palmy. There are lots of new holidays to celebrate. And a wide variety of activities on the main square.
Waitangi Day
We got to experience our first Waitangi Day on February 6. This is a major holiday that commemorates the 1840 signing of the Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi) by the British Crown and Māori rangatira (chiefs). The Treaty is considered New Zealand’s founding document and remains the cornerstone of the legal system. The primary celebration is on the treaty grounds in Northland. But towns and iwi across the country have local events that include cultural performances, concerts, food, and family. Apologies for poor documentation – this is the only picture we took! But we had a lovely day taking in New Zealand culture that was very new to us.
Rural Games
On a completely different note, we attended our first New Zealand Rural Games. It featured events like gumboot throwing, sheep dog trials, and the Timbersports lumberjack challenge.
Lucky for us it is held in Palmy every year. Next year we’ll have to try our hand at the gumboot throw!
The Great Outdoors
New Zealand is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. There are so many hikes just a short drive away. Our to-do list of great walks and treks is incredibly long. Expect to see many more pictures like these in the future!
Abel Tasman
We had our first visitor – Dusty’s colleague from Memorial! He loves to travel, especially to this part of the world. So he and Dusty picked out one of the great walks to tackle. Lauren stayed home to attend classes and take care of Poppy. So it was just the guys!
Our New Normal
We have gradually found our favourite restaurants, the best wine store, and a local movie theater. It feels like life is normal again. And that includes meeting some really great people and making new friends. More on friend group trips in the next post!
A quick update on Poppy. She is growing fast and graduated her puppy training class. I foresee many more training sessions in our future!
Thank you for reading! More soon!
It’s great to see pics of you both and your friends. Palmy looks like a nice place to live. Lauren, I hope your schooling is going well. And Dusty. I hope you’re settling in to your new job/hospital. I know we only saw y’all a few times a year, but you being so far away is different. Take care! Lots of love, Aunt Tammy ❤️