Father's Day in Wellington/Mother's Day in Queenstown

A great quote:

We all (except Ellie who was in Taupo with friends for the weekend) travelled to Wellington before splitting up.  After dropping Nancy at the airport, Cris, Mimi, Ben & Julia stayed in Wellington for the weekend...

After breakfast, the kids & Cris headed to the harbour & found this great interactive art exhibit at the City Gallery and then crossed the street to Te Papa.

After Te Papa, we took the bus out to the Wellington Zoo...

The Emu personally guided us through the Australia exhibit

This giraffe was running around its enclosure!

Prickly Porcupine

silly monkeys

As my Mother's Day gift from my sweet family, I was able to visit my favourite town in New Zealand, Queenstown, one more time before we leave this country.

I flew out of the Wellington airport
(but not on an eagle, unfortunately…)

 Some amazing views from my flight:

The Southern Alps

Kaikoura

Waimakariri River

Lake Tekapo

Aoraki/Mt. Cook
New Zealand's highest mountain

I arrived in Queenstown to WINTER!

I spent most of my weekend hiking and running around this beautiful lake town.

View from the trail up Queenstown Hill

View from the top of Queenstown Hill

Sunrise on a lakeside trail run

My other favourite thing to do in Queenstown is eat!

The only place in NZ where you can
get warm, freshly made CookieTime cookies

The world famous Fergburger
Truly the best

Meanwhile, back in Wellington, the next morning was spent in the city shops...

The candy kitchen at Kirkalde & Stains

...then touring this sweet quad cycle along the waterfront...

Mimi is an awesome driver!

 Finally, a scenic drive around the Miramar peninsula & Lyall Bay before meeting Nancy at the airport.

the view of the South Island from Wellington's Island Bay

It was a great weekend enjoying the beauty that is New Zealand!