Top 5 Moments and Places of 2017
Hey guys, because I'm totally jumping on the bandwagon of the "new year reflection" blog posts, todays one is going to be about my top 5 places and moments of 2017. I hope you get some inspiration for future adventures out of this post, or even just to inspire you to take time out of the (already) busy year and reflect on the amazing things you seen and done last year.
Wellington: I went to Wellington with my partner in Feburary of 2017 and to this day I still reminisce on what a cool adventure it was. Luckily for us the weather was absolutely perfect the entire time we were there and we could explore all the outdoors we wanted to. We went to the botancial gardens which was absolutely gorgeous and such a lovely walk, as per the gardens are spectacular and had an amazing lookout over the city.
We also went to Somes Island which you can go visit that has New Zealand's rare native species, remnants from both of the World Wars, with quarintine buildings, the lighthouse and lots of artefacts from the islands history. It was an absolutely stunning place to go visit, I would highly recommend if you are going to, or live in Wellington. (Just make sure you wear lots of sunscreen as we both got very sunburnt..) It's amazing to see how well our rare native species thrive in places like this and makes you realise just how important maintaing pest free places like this is for New Zealand, and the only way we can do this is if people care enough to visit and take care of such places.
Raglan: Raglan is the cutest wee beach town with a hippy vibe and a really beautiful beach where lots of people learn how to surf, and many families spend time in the campground over summer. It’s such a relaxing place, everything is very easy-going and there are a few very beautiful shops such as Atamira that you need to check out. Me and my boyfriend go out there quite often as it’s only around an hour from our hometown so it’s so nice to be able to pop out and go for a swim at the beach after work as the sun is setting. That is living.
Harry Styles Concert: We all know the feeling of anticipation going to a concert of one of your favourite artists ever, the excitement, the wonder and that happy feeling bubbling up inside you till you feel like you might burst. Concerts are such an incredible experience and the fact that everyone experiences them differently is also amazing. There's nothing better than hearing your favourite song straight from your favourite artists mouth, feeling the music and beat vibrate through your chest, and see everybody's phone lights dancing and bobbing around as people move with the music. Ever since Harry Styles brought out his solo album I have listened to it god knows how many times, and let me tell you it is even better live. He has incredible stage presence, he actually chats to the audience and just has the voice of an absolute angel (yes, yes I am a huge fangirl of Harry and have been since the first of the One Direction days.) After having not gone to a concert for years and years before going to this I remembered how much I miss the feelings I described above and although concert tickets are very expensive, it is so damn worth it for the memories that you get to take away forever! Here's a photo of my makeup of the night that I wore to the concert (if you want a tutorial comment down below or hit me up on instagram or Facebook ) (I didn't take any actual pictures of the concert because I promised myself I would live in the moment and actually be fully aware of the concert and actually listen to the singer + not hear myself scream/singing in the background)
Wairere Falls: This is another hike thats a fave of mine. When me and my boyfriend went we didn't realise how hard it was actually going to be, so definitely wear hardy shoes and workout gear for this one. On the way up there is lush greenery and little mini waterfall pools to swim in on your way up or down (warning: these are freezing cold, you may be hot and you may think there is going to be nothing better than swimming in these beautiful pools but be very aware they are next level cold. Do it for the gram) The view from the top is absolutely stunning as well, so as much work it is to get up there it is well worth it.
(We went in the summer so we got to sit at the top of the waterfall without any water rushing arund us and possibly carrying us to our deaths LOL)
New Plymouth: I do have a whole blog post on New Plymouth and what we did and how amazing it was so I wont babble on about it too long, if you want to read a more in depth chat about New Plymouth take a peek at this blog post. It was such a nice easy going city, it wasnt too crowded and the walk along the boardwalk by the water was so great, a time to unwind and look at the pretty views. We seen an amazing sunset with Mount Taranaki in the background, so so stunning. The food was great, the views were great and the weather was wonderful. Makes for a great adventure.
I know this post is quite late as we are already into Janurary, but I am determined to get my act together and post at least once a week on the blog. Thanks so much for reading, I love writing blog posts so I genuinely hope you enjoy reading them.
If you have any feedback, feel free to leave me a comment down below or chat to me on my socials. Lots of love, Hayley