Hey Blondie

How this is a regular Saturday afternoon for me  I don't know:

But this is my new life so I'm going with it. Could be harder things to get used to. I continue to be amazed at the magical wonders this country has to offer. Case in point:

These are all from our hike, or tramp as they say here, over the weekend. We went to Bethell's Beach and explored the Te Henga Walkway and the Lake Wainamu Scenic Reserve. Incredibly, all this is less then an hour from our house. Good thing all this stuff is free because I'm still in shock most of the time over how expensive it is here. Exhibit A:

I bought this exact sunscreen at Target before we left for $7.99. Oh Target, how I miss thee, let me count the ways...As you can see it is $22.99 at my local store and that is on sale! And yes I've already taken into consideration the exchange rate, it is still more then double then in the States. Other examples of absurd prices: $5.00 for a greeting card, and it didn't even sing or dance, $1.79 for one bell pepper (called capsicum in NZ) at the "cheaper" grocery store, and the list goes on. But a girl's gotta eat and protect her ageing skin so the show goes on, good thing the backdrop is so beautiful.

Since this is a blog about life in New Zealand, I'll give you a little flavor of Kiwi speak that came in the form of a recent text message I received: "Hey Katie! How are you?? Was thinking a girls road trip to my family bach in Whangamata could be a hot option for us. Let me know if you're keen and I'll check with Mum to see if the bach is free."

How cute is that? Probably not very special if you're from here but if you're not, like me, then it sounds pretty neat.  Perhaps I'll even bring some of my newest baked goods. I didn't go blonde but my brownies did:

For the recipe and many other delicious items, check out Once Upon a Chef(www.onceuponachef.com). I am pretty much making my way through her entire recipe index. Yum!