venison – Mr & Mrs Hale

Birthday Present!

Kim was excited to give Curtis his birthday present, so she did that when we woke up.

The present was a bunch of snacks from all the other countries we have lived in or will live in, so the UK, New Zealand and Norway.

Curtis loved this gift so much and is looking forward to tucking into the snacks with Kim.

Breakfast!

We woke up around 10:00 and got ourselves ready.

We then headed down to a cafe we had walked past yesterday and got ourselves some breakfast.

Kim got herself a croissant with tomato and goats cheese along with an iced caramel latte. Curtis got a breakfast wrap and a flat white.

We headed back to the hotel to eat our breakfast and then finished getting ready to go out for the day.

Train Wreck

We drove for about 10 minutes to get to the Train Wreck, which is exactly what it sounds like! This is a train wreck from the 1950s which has been used a graffiti spot for artists as well as a trick/jump spot for mountain bikers!

We walked through a forest and across a cool suspension bridge to get to the wreck and a beautiful river to boot!

We got some great photos in and around the Train Wreck and learned a little about what happened and what they are used for now.

Rainbow Park

We left the wreck and took another drive to Rainbow Park.

We didn’t spent too long here, but we walked around for a bit and took in the peacefulness of the park and the beautiful (smokey) view.

Delicious Dinner!

We went out for a dinner at 17:00 to a restaurant not far from us.

This is the first time we have been in a proper restaurant for dinner together since COVID-19 hit the world, so it was a little strange but we were outside and very distanced.

We got some wine to share and then for food Kim got duck breast whilst Curtis got some venison!

For dessert, Curtis got a lemon tart and Kim got a chocolate fondant!

This arrived with a candle and ‘happy birthday’ on it from the staff at the hotel for Curtis’ birthday, which was very kind!

We finished our food and then headed back to the hotel. It turned out that we had been our for about 8 hours, though it didn’t feel like it!

When we got back, we watched The Social Dilemma and then played some Connect 4, which was included with Curtis’ birthday present.

This Time Last Year!

Mr & Mrs Hale

After waking up at a similar time as yesterday, Kim went out to McDonald’s to get a breakfaost from there and we sat and watched videos in bed for a while. The perfect Sunday morning.

Kim went out early afternoon to see if Danielle’s mum had any shoes she could borrow for the last week of work. Turns out that she didn’t, but Kim still got to see Danielle and even went for a milkshake!

Today, it is apparently 1 year since we arrived in New Zealand, which is odd because we arrived on the 18th, not the 16th!

Once Kim was back, we waited for a bit and then we drove down to the city to meet Colten and Sarah at a Belgian cafe/pub.

The Belgian cafe is somewhere we’ve walked past a few times and really wanted to go in, so we’re glad we got to go! This place does remind us of Europe.

We had to wait a little for a table, but Colten & Sarah hadn’t arrived yet either. There were way too many beers to choose from, but the food looked incredible!

Once we got a table, it was time to order! Curtis got the Venison Pie which had a cinnamon gravy and Kim got the lamb shoulder. Curtis’ was tasty but the peas and carrots were cold. He’d give his 6/10. Kim’s was OK but a lot of fat and just nothing special, she gave it 5/10.

After we finished up there, we went for a walk to the Sky Tower where there was a small christmas market.

Curtis and Colten got a coffee each and Kim got a chocolate sundae from McDonald’s. Colten and Sarah got their portrait drawn and we had a bit of a walk around.

We had a chat for a bit and then it was home time. We walked back to the cars, said goodbye and went home.

We got home and Kim had a chat with her mum and dad before we went to sleep.

This time last year!

Poroporoaki!

– Mr & Mrs Hale

Tag: venison

Place 49 – Day 365: Auckland – Belgian Cafe Dinner, Mini Christmas Market Walk & 1 Year in NZ!