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Crankworks Rotorua!!
Last weekend was an awesome weekend in Rotorua again! This little town was started in the late 1800’s as a touristy spa town and has quickly turned into one of the adventure capitals of the world. Lake Rotorua and Mokoia Island in the middle from somewhere up Mt. Ngongotaha in the Skyline adventure grounds. I…
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Rotorua, Hamilton Gardens, Rugby, and Hobbiton!
It’s been a big couple of weeks in the Ostrom Adventure log! there has been a lot of work, school and fun, but also we are intentionally trying to find this balance between temporary expats and tourists. It’s easy to fall into a rhythm of life around work and school and forget to appreciate and…
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Kayaking through the Stars and Worm Poop!
As promised, I wanted to write about our kayaking trip last weekend. This was our first really touristy thing we have done so far. 🙂 and this does not do the experience justice. We went with a river guide and group out of Karapiro and left around 6:30pm and explored part of the lake that…
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Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls! Or Do!!
(And some medical updates) We found a bit of a rhythm this week I think. Leif had a mild cold but survived (and thrived) in the 2nd week of school. They have a lot more focus on art and he is finding he might be an ok artist after all. They did self portraits including…
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Happy Waitangi Day!
And welcome to the family our adopted vehicle whom Mason and Leif have lovingly named, Gnar Gnar MitsubiSon! (like “MasonSon”) Leif started school this past week in Year 8, the oldest grade at Hamilton West school. He road his bike to school Monday – Wednesday with his buddy and our neighbor, Theo. It was both…
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Tauranga and Mt. Maunganui!
It began as a summer stormy day, cloyingly humid and warm but overcast and threatening downpour as we ran the pups in the park and drove East out of Hamilton toward Moana (the Sea). We saw two huge herds of big but delicate-appearing redish deer off the side of the road – one in a…
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Phase 1 complete!
It’s been quite a week of getting oriented to a new workplace. I have worked in a medical role in Swaziland (now Eswatini), Belize, Mexico and now New Zealand and it’s always fun and a challenge to learn different medical phrases, medication names, different processes, and my favorite – the way that patients describe their…
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First Weekend!!
Matakana Farmers Market and Omaha (yes, Omaha) Beach. We had a lovely Friday with a morning mountain biking session at Pukete Farm Park – with 6kms of winding twisting fun single track with easy and hard trails. Leif had one good wipeout with some abrasions and bruises and a wrist sprain that he didn’t really…
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Raglan and Bridal Veil Falls (seriously check these photos!)
We were waiting for verification of our Real Me accounts today so we can get the bank accounts finalized and were waiting to hear back officially from the house we are hoping to rent, sooooo, we went to the beach! Ok, it was straight-up raining when we got to the beach, we were all soaked…
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Bikes, noodles, phones and banks, Oh My! (Never mind the octopus)
Yesterday became a fun mission down to Cambridge (gorgeous little town about 22km/14 miles south of Hamilton) to check out a cool Specialized mountain bike off Facebook marketplace. And then we stopped in a the Velodrome – a cycling paradise and then back up to northeast Hamilton to look at some mountain bikes for Mason…
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 