The last 3 months...

Just over 13 weeks since our last post, the arrival of our gorgeous daughter Evie Dee certainly keeps us busy! 

So, a summary of the last 3 months before we get back to regular blogging again as we travel around New Zealand in our big car!

Jan 12th, Evie arrived at 8.55pm. Her entrance into the world was fantastic, indescribable.

However, it's the weeks that followed that really challenged us both.

Evie Newborn

Evie is growing at an astounding rate and easily tops 13lbs since her arrival at 7lb 6 oz.

The first few months have been great fun for her.

Meeting Grandma and Grandad McIntosh at 10 days old and Granny Fisher at 4 weeks ensured visits to several places in the North Island and her first hotel stays – some more successful than others! 


Some of the adventures included Andy and Bernie (Evie's Grandad) white water rafting, 

And some hilltop walks with Granny Fisher during a weekend away to Whitianga...

As Evie reached 6 wks, we said our goodbyes to Waihi beach for a move along the coast to surfing mecca Whangamata for Andy’s second Locum posting.

All this moving means Evie is very much at home in her car seat, from the first day we left the hospital, 3 hrs after her birth.. 

To all the adventures we inflict on her whilst here in New Zealand, she's happy still 3 months on ...

So, the move to Whangamata; a coastal holiday town that boasts a fantastic beach.

Particularly seen here at dawn (of course we'd never get up at this hour before Evie came along).

Dawn walk on Whangamata beach

Exploring around Whangamata needed to include Evie and accommodate regular 24hr on-call shifts for Andy, nevertheless local cafes were thoroughly frequented as well as delighting in the stunning scenery. Highlights included the crazy BeachHop weekend (50's and 60's car/rock and roll festival), walks on the beach with Evie and challenging waves for Andy to progress his surfing.

Cooks Beach Cafe, Evie 10wks

Another beach, Onemana after lunch

The move from Waihi beach to Whangamata was not an easy one. Evie was no longer a sleepy newborn and Andy embarked on a more demanding working life.

It took a while to see that enjoying our gorgeous girl and adapting to motherhood is a lesson in taking everyday one step at a time and fully appreciating the good times.

Hence, we reconsidered why we’d come here initially and with that in mind we’ve taken the opportunity to travel across NZ for longer and enjoy Evie as a family. Andy quit work and our 3 month tour of New Zealand has begun, hoping to post our adventures with more consistency!