Family, Otago Peninsula and Lanarch Castle

One of the reasons we decided to go to New Zealand is that my Aunt Mary K and Uncle Ross live in Dunedin. They moved along with my cousins, Angus and Isaac when I was 7 years old. My Aunt was at our wedding in Hawaii in 2005 but other than that it's been almost two decades since we've spent time together. They have built a wonderful life in Dunedin. They were fantastic hosts, tour guides and pseudo grandparents for us while we were in town. The girls loved going to their home to play and bother their sweet cat Abby. Addie was thrilled that my master quilter Aunt had taken the time to sew little Barbie clothes for her to play with! They hosted a delicious home cooked family meal for all of us including Angus and his girlfriend Sheryl. They drove us to some beautiful lookouts and showed us some pretty amazing restaurants. We can't thank them enough for their hospitality and generosity.On our first day in Dunedin we all caravanned to the Otago Peninsula and Lanarch Castle. We were in love with the country right then and there. The travel is just as spectacular as the destination. We were practically giddy to be driving on a gorgeous curvy coastal road that took us through the countryside and to the coast.I love this photo because it shows Bella's strong willed nature. She didn't like the wind (tropical baby) and she didn't like her car seat (nothing new there).
Sheep!!! Spring is the best time of year with all the lambs and ducklings! We also saw a ton of foals with their proud mamas standing watch while they napped.
The castle and gardens were amazing as well. I can't imagine weathering the winter in that big cold home but that's just what the Lanarch family did back then. William Lanarch was a real piece of work; marrying his sister-in-law after his wife dies suddenly and tricking his children into giving up their inheriting rights to the castle are a few of his accomplishments. I guess there were jerks all throughout history!The girls were really interested in this little male statue. "look Mommy, he has a tiny..."I couldn't stop photographing the gardens and the girls!My seriously hunky husband.Bean is super clingy to me when we are on vacation. You'll see lots of photos of the two of us. My biceps get a good workout when we are away.From the top of the castleTwo happy Grand-Aunt and UncleTwo princesses on the throneWe drove along the coast all the way to rocky cliffs that house the albatross. It was freezing! Bella was asleep in the car. Bless her heart!The ocean water really looked that turquoise.Adelaide, the puddle stomper and rock hunterCuties in the car. It was so nice to drive around on our own! Justin was a superhero driving on the opposite side like a champ.