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Matariki! Māori New Year and So much fun with Family! Days 1 – 4.
Last week was an epic one! Long post with lots of photos here so I will split it into 2! 🙂 Mason’s mum, sister and nephews came to visit last week and we did so many new things in NZ with them! They arrived Monday morning so we kept it pretty light on activities and…
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Fall Time in NZ! (Highlight: USA vs Black Ferns! Women’s Rugby Rocks!) (Lowlight: Mason’s separated shoulder)
It’s been a beautiful fall in NZ. The trees change colors and the day’s are about 60-65 degrees F, and the nights are anywhere between 35-55 (hugely variable) :). It rains really hard at times and then dries quickly, and there has been a tiny tornado near us in Hamilton that picked up a few…
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Play Hard / Work Hard
Greetings readers! Apologies for the prolonged silence. We have been in the season of working hard since we returned from our first exploration of the South Island in April. We have not been without some fun and newsworthy times though. And, we are finding joy in a bit of routine as well. (Yes, this is…
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Chapter 4: Windy Wellington, Te Papa, Weta Workshop, and Easter morning
I woke up Sunday morning for sunrise as I do – not nearly often enough – but enjoyed a quiet moment watching the sun rise behind the thick, fluffy and scattered clouds in the east and a rainbow showing off before the dark water-laden clouds in the west. Rain is coming in from the west…
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Leg 3 : Christchurch, Kaikoura and back across the Cook Straight!
We left Hanmer Springs and had only a short 2 hour drive to Christchurch Adventure Park. Throwing on pads and gear we bought tickets and jumped on the chair lift with our bikes. Mason had done some research on trails and we checked out the maps at the top of the lift and took off…
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Phase 2 : Picton to Abel Tasman and on to Hanmer Springs!
We arrived in Picton last night and stayed in a cheap little motel that was nicer than we expected. We have planned to both camp and stay inexpensively throughout this journey, and we love camping, but a warm bed was pretty nice as well. We set out this morning and drove 4 hours to Abel…
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Stage 1 of our first week south! Waiapunga falls, Hawke’s bay, Wellington, and crossing the Cook Straight!
We crossed the Maungaharuru mountains just east of Lake Taupo and drove thr 4 hours south-east to Napier for lunch. This is a gorgeous town on the east coast in Hawke’s Bay with the most beautiful long park along the esplanade. We’ll definitely be back for more Napier time, but this time we had a…
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Crosbies hut and Leif’s first tramping experience and some catch-up photos!
Tramping is the New Zealand term for Backpacking as opposed to the connotation implied by Lady and the Tramp. A lovely Physician Mom who moved here from the US about 5 years ago invited Leif and I on a Mom’s and kid’s hut hike. It was a fun group of awesome US physician mom’s –…
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Tutukaka and Poor Knights Island
The rest of last weekend with Joan and Juliana was incredible as well. Part of my goal in posting on this blog is so we remember everything we have done and seen this year in NZ – that and to share this adventure with our loved ones. I’m sorry for the delay in posts at…
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Swimming in the stars
Friday night was magical! The whole weekend was really quite Epic! Please allow me to set the stage. My aunt Joan and cousin Juliana came to visit NZ for Juliana’s senior adventure trip and after they arrived at our house on Thursday night, we all drove north on Friday. Friday’s first stop was Matakana, for…
The Ostrom Family Adventures
A small family embarking on a year-long adventure to New Zealand to meet new friends and learn about more of the world and ourselves.
Preparations are under way.
We started considering spending a year in New Zealand about 8 years ago, but it wasn’t the right timing and we spent 6 amazing years in Portland, OR suburbs making friends who became family. Moving to Olympia Washington just about 3 years ago, we embarked on the adventure of buying 10 acres and a farmhouse outside the city which has been full of beautiful times as well as a lot of challenges. We are so thankful for the community of friends and neighbors who have become like family here as well.
With Leif starting middle school this year and Mason taking some time to work on the farm and working on crafting his knife-making style and business ideas, and a job and work-family that I really enjoy, it has seemed like the right time to fulfill a dream and take a year in New Zealand with a home and community that we are also excited to return to – with great stories and experiences.
I’ll be doing my best to document our travels here and share our life with those who want to check it out.
One Step Closer
I have traveled overseas and worked in various setting way back when I was single. The biggest reason I think families don’t pick up and go try something new is that it is really really hard. I’m so thankful for the amazing man I married and his support and teamwork to help make this happen. As he has said – he’s the physical manpower and I get to be the dreamer and planner, but he has been doing so much planning and preparing for all of our belongings as well and we are excited to be seeing things come together.
We are currently in the “waiting for Visa’s” part of the process. My Medical License has already been approved. The Visa’s were submitted at the beginning of the month and once they are approved, flights get purchased and initial housing will be chosen. We will get an Airbnb initially for a couple weeks as we find our footing and decide where we want to live for the rest of the year. Global Medical Staffing has been amazing at connecting me to a clinic there and helping submit a lot of the paperwork.
I’m not great at waiting, but it is a large part of most adventures in one way or another and I’m enjoying the waiting as we connect with friends and family before we are off for the year.
The Ostrom Family Adventures 