Christmas 2019 Hamilton

On Thursday 19th December we did the road-trip up to Hamilton. As has become customary, we stopped at Lake Taupo for a fish and chip dinner.

We weren't the only family heading back home for Christmas. My brother and his wife Norshidah and their wee daughter Nadia also had travelled from their home in Singapore a few days earlier.

We definitely made the most of our time with Nadia (and mum and dad, and Warren and Norshidah, obviously!). Nadia enjoyed plenty of Auntie time...

And Uncle time...

As well as Grandad time...

And Grandma time...

Nadia also enjoyed lots of new experiences on her first trip to New Zealand. Things like walking straight out the door onto grass, which is a bit different from the 18th floor apartment they live in back in Singapore. She also hadn't encountered much carpet in her short life to date.

Bush walks, beach visits, a petting zoo and playground visits were also on her itinerary.

One of the highlights of any trip back to Hamilton for me is a visit to the Hamilton Gardens. Several new gardens had been completed since we were last there, so we enjoyed a good half day of exploring.

Another great day out was an excursion to Raglan where we got in the first sea swim of the summer.

No trip to Raglan is complete without a feed of fish and chips on the wharf...

It was busy times in the Baumberg household, because as well as us and my brother's family, Warren also had several friends visiting from Hong Kong and Singapore, most of whom were also staying in the family home. It definitely made for a large and multicultural Christmas!

All up we had 10 days in Hamilton. It was lovely having that long to potter around, visit all the friends we wanted to see, and do everything we wanted to do without feeling rushed. I think mum and dad also appreciated the extra help in the kitchen with so many extra mouths to feed! On the 28th December we headed off to Tauranga for the next leg of our summer break.