Sunny Otaki

Otaki has a great selection of parks for the kids, and this little spot located on the main highway, near all the shops is a fantastic place for a quick stop. Whether your other half is shopping at Otaki's outlet stores or your taking a quick break before getting back on the road, the kids will love having a run around in this sweet little park.  There are plenty of picnic tables and park benches to sit down relax and the kids will enjoy playing on the round-around, red tractor, giant rocking horse and swing. This park is also known as the Otaki i-Site playground.  The big red tractor My little boy especially loved the big red tractor and spent most of his time " Driving the Farmers Car ". Look out for further blog posts on the other great children's parks in Otaki and Te Horo. 

Otaki Beach, what can you say, it's the most beautiful beach on the Kapiti Coast. It can be wild and ruggered with an amazing collection of driftwood or smooth sand and seashell collecting.  Kapiti Island There are always fantastic views of Kapiti Island and a great place to swim with the family or your friends. (remember to always swim between the flags!)  If your taking a long stroll with your pooch across the sands or dipping your toes in the water, so much to love about Otaki Beach. And then there's also the stunning sunsets which are always different and always spectatular. So whoever your with, enjoy the view.  #Paperpeople      

My First Fishing trip at Otaki River Mouth with Nanna and Poppa, it was pretty successful, I managed to find two sticks, five rocks and Nanna and Poppa caught a bucketful of fish for my dinner. I wasn't aloud in the water, but Nanna did give me a bath when we got home, I was covered in sand and shells.

What is Summertime and Christmas without a yummy, scrummy ice cream and in Otaki we have the best ice cream in the whole, wide world!  Ice Cream, Gelato, Sorbet, in so many of your faverite flavours, Chocolate, Strawberry Ripple, Peanut Butter, Ginger Crunch, Coconut, Mint Choc Chip, Rocky Road, Blackberry, and any kind of berry, if you can dream about it, then you'll probably find it in Otaki at Koru Ice.  

I love Christmas, it's a great time of year to spend with your family, relaxing, eating yummy food, having a few drinks, and exchanging some presents, all in the beautiful surroundings of Otaki and that warm summer sun.  Using social media, I found my faverite photos that to me represent Christmas in Otaki.

My last blog post, Around the World in Otaki  was so popular, I thought I would create a part 2.  Otaki and Te Horo have some beautiful landscapes, varying wildly from sunsets, kite festivals, forests, rivers and churches which rival that of other locations around the world and you can visit some of the most famous locations around the globe right on your door-step! Check out Around the World in Otaki Part One here .

Otaki has come along way, the beautiful Rangiatea Church was destroyed in a horrific fire, but rebuilt by the community, there is amazing shopping on the main highway and on Main street, the Beach Pavillion is still used the by public.   It may not be a post office anymore, but it's a well used and well loved building housing cultural art work. We've put togther a couple of then and now photographs. What do you remember from this wonderful town ?

Pavola, the traditional Kiwi Dessert, no party is a success without one!  Te Papa, New Zealand's national museum in Wellington, celebrated its first birthday in February 1999 with the creation of the world's largest pavlova, named "Pavzilla", which was cut by the Prime Minister of the time, Jenny Shipley.

Mr 3 1/2 discovering Te Horo Beach for the first time, what an exciting time, a wild and ruggered beach full of drift wood to climb, shells to collect, stones to throw into the puddles and waves to jump and plenty of treasures to find. A very exciting afternoon playing on the beach followed by a picnic in Nanna and Poppa's caravan.

One mum, one uncle and two nephews, our walk in the Forest at Otaki Beach near the Otaki Health Camp.  It was a beautiful day and the boys loved exploring the forest, running through the pine needles, playing in the trees, Mr 8 Months had a great time hanging out in the baby pack, first with Mum, then with his Uncle.

The Long Walk Home – day two Day two started very early for me and I was soon on the train to Mana ready to do it all again – a hot bath and a good night’s sleep had ensured that I was still raring to go.  My walking partner was not quite so raring to go as was suffering from a sore ankle but she had strapped it up and joined me at the start. The words of encouragement on the second day were from Porirua’s mayor and we were soon on our way. 

I am a relative newcomer to New Zealand (Jan 2013) and while I was aware of the risk of earthquakes before we boarded the plane at Heathrow, to be honest I hadn’t really given the reality of earthquakes and their aftermath a second thought.  That changed for me in August 2013 when I started work at the Joint Centre for Disaster Research (Massey University and GNS) as my first task was analysing interviews from Christchurch GPs about their earthquake and recovery experiences.

Every country develops its own slang, which can make it difficult for overseas visitors to understand. New Zealand is no exception, often the same word, for example "True" can have three very different meanings.

It's the age old problem, should I eat that Pineapple Lump? Well never fear, Zilchoo is here to help you, with our scientific flowchart we'll help you take a journey of Pineapple Lump goodness.  Follow the flowchart and discover if you should eat that delicious Pineapple Lump. Pineapple  [ pahy-nap-uh l ]  noun  The edible, juicy, collective fruit of tropical bromeliaceous plant . Lump  [ luhmp ]  noun  A piece or mass of solid matter  without regular shape or of no particular shape

A year at Otaki Playcentre Friday, July 4th, 2014 Playcentre for my family started out as a choice borne out of convenience - it was the nearest early learning centre to our house - but over time came to play a large part in our lives,

Our Shopping Day to sunny Otaki!  So many shops and so little time, we love a day of shopping at Otaki Outlet stores so many lovely things to buy! Dad heads to the SciFi and Geek store, Hunting and Fishing while Mum and I always make sure we visit the Bendon Store and Pumpkin patch to pick our bargains! Check out all the Otaki Shops here . Enjoy your shopping trip!

Do you love the beach?   Spend all day there? Why not, Otaki Beach is fantastic, and Zilchoo have put together 25 signs you love Otaki Beach, do any of these look familiar? We'd like to know if any of these signs match your beach going activities...or if you'd like to any any more to the list!  Don't forget, Slip, Slop, Slap!

Otaki Zilchoo is a website dedicated to Otaki and Te Horo and finding all things to see and do for free! This website was inspired by my parents Chrissy and Brian Anderson.