day seven - this week.

this week has been a big one, having spent the entire thing in new zealand. it has been so great and i'm quite sad to be heading home today. i'd so love to spend more time here as i feel like i still haven't seen as much of the north island as i'd like to, and we didn't even get to the south island!

i hope we're back here really really soon, but in the mean time, let me share some pictures!

an afternoon well spent among the hobbit holes, learning lots of crazy things about the lord of the rings and hobbit movies.
the commitment to the creative process explained was truly remarkable. hours spent to create images from the books, that sometimes only got a few seconds of screen time, and sometimes then, only in the extended versions released on dvd!

our tour of hobbiton ended with a quick drink in the green dragon pub.

rest assured, bb and i could have spent all afternoon there, fireside (even though it was quite warm!) with our beverages in beautiful ceramics cups, and me with my knitting!

we had a fantastic walk through the waimangu volcanic valley, learning all about the history of the place, and how things have changed with the volcanic activity under the earth.

this was the inferno lake, an absolute beauty to behold. not so much fun for swimming in though, the temperature can get above 80C and the pH is an acidic 2!

our accommodation in wellington was right in the middle of the city, and there was a wee french crepe stand just outside the door.

nutella and strawberry crepes are a suitable breakfast food right? right?!

and when in wellington? you weta. the weta workshop was amazing!

and the trolls don't mind posing for selfies...

we had a quick, one night stay in otaki when we were both too tired to drive any longer.

it was a pretty sweet little place, and right on the beach!

and then comes the animal portion of our holiday...

a SIX HOUR OLD cria. and i'm hugging it!
we made an impromptu stop off at nevalea alpacas when we saw a sign from the road. best random stop ever!

closely followed by our second random stop off, at sheepworld. we paid a dollar for a bag of food, and got to hand feed a whole bunch of animals.

including BABY CHICKENS! they were so cute and teeny and were very happy to come and eat out of our hands. they weren't so happy when i picked them up to give them hugs... but they didn't hold it against me ha ha!

and a holiday wouldn't be complete without a little kitty love...

i befriended the resident cat at our airbnb accommodation yesterday. i ended up covered in cat hair and drool but it was worth it!

and finally, the best reason to head to a whole different country, to celebrate!

such a beautiful wedding of two very awesome people. in idyllic settings to boot!

and is perhaps one of the reasons why there was no post yesterday... too busy catching up with folks!

how has your week been this week?