I’ve been fairly quiet over the past few days, and for good reason.

If you don’t follow me on Twitter then you’re probably unaware that I’ve been spending some time in New Zealand with my family. Recharging, relaxing and taking stock.

My sister lives in Auckland, but also has a ‘Bach’ – a weekend home up in the Mangawhai area of the North Island.

We headed up to the bach on Friday afternoon (the traffic resembling that of L.A and Melbourne), in my sister’s brand new Jeep. Just over an hour North, the city scapes fade away, and the landscape starts to resemble something out of Jurassic Park. Prehistoric trees mesh with newer ones, and everything is so green. It’s utterly perfect.

We spent Friday night gossiping, and drinking beers and eating great food, and looking out on this:

Saturday morning meant brunch in Bennetts, the cafe in Mangawhai village, a wander round the farmer’s market (more food), and a touch more relaxing before more family arrived.

(That’s creamy mushrooms, pear relish and parmesan on soda bread with a soy latte).

Saturday was spent in the hot tub, watching the sunset, and the moon rise and spotting moving satellites overhead. Super cool.

Sunday was a very early beach walk at Mangawhai heads (about a 10 min drive from the mountains), stumbling over lava rocks and chasing the waves. Lovely.

There’s a whole bunch of places in Mangawhai to stay, but I thoroughly recommend trying airbnb. Rent a car, get up there for a night if you’re traveling around. It’s the perfect weekend hideaway.