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  • About Penelope
  • Blog
  • Services
    • Travel Writing
    • Content Writing
    • Content Translation
  • Contact

Recent Posts

  • PUZZLING WORLD: A Fun Place for Young and Old & 7 Great Reasons to Go
    In NZ Travel, Entertainment, Road Trip, Travel Tips
  • New Zealand South Island Road Trip from Hokitika to Wanaka. Top 5 Places Where You Need to Stop.
    In NZ Travel, Nature, Road Trip, Travel Tips, Travel with Teenager, World Travel
  • Exploring Hokitika, The Amazing Coast’s Craft Mecca and Why You Should Go.
    In Nature, NZ Travel, Travel, Travel Tips, Travel with Teenager, World Travel

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  • New Zealand South Island Road Trip from Hokitika to Wanaka. Top 5 Places Where You Need to Stop.

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    I wished we had stayed a few more days in Hokitika. We got on the road near lunchtime. The distance from Hokitika to Wanaka is 418 km. The trip, including decent breaks, is possible in 7 1/2 hrs. We didn’t make the trip at this time as we did stop a lot. There is just too much to see. We decided to stop overnight in Fairlie and continue the rest of the trip the following morning. I will tell you a bit about the places we stopped and why you should too! If you have more time to explore, add other places on the way, but I definitely think you…

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    Penelope D.

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    New Zealand South Island Road Trip from Westport to Greymouth. How to Stay Safe and the 4 Places You Need to See.

    24 Great Hrs in Wellington

    Visiting Nelson, NZ

    Top things to do in Nelson and Best places to visit in Nelson Tasman Region in 2 days

  • Exploring Hokitika, The Amazing Coast’s Craft Mecca and Why You Should Go.

    / 6 Comments

    Continuing on Highway 6 from Greymouth, we arrived in Hokitika just before noon. We stayed at Mountain Jade Backpackers in a private room for my mom, daughter and I. Only a week before, the weather was chaotic with heavy rainfall caused a huge slip in the area, leaving hundreds of people stranded. The road between Hokitika and Wanaka was closed and unfortunately, this has been terrible for everyone working in the tourism industry. We had to change our plans as Franz Joseph was not going to be accessible. Hokitika wasn’t that busy as it should have at this time of the year. The day had cooled down and more rain…

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    Penelope D.

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    New Zealand South Island Road Trip from Hokitika to Wanaka. Top 5 Places Where You Need to Stop.

    The Great New Zealand Interislander Ferry Journey from Wellington to Picton.

    Wildflower Identification with Children

  • New Zealand South Island Road Trip from Westport to Greymouth. How to Stay Safe and the 4 Places You Need to See.

    / 14 Comments

    After a few days in Nelson, our plan was to continue to Greymouth stopping in Murchison, Westport, Punakaiki and finally Greymouth. A road trip can be very exciting but it can drain your energy when you fit in many activities in a short period of time. It is important to rest and be fit enough to drive. Make sure to take regular brakes and if you feel extremely tired, there is no problem with having a short nap in a resting area. Remember, it is better to get to your destination a bit later than planned than causing an accident when not fully alert. I will share with you some…

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    Penelope D.

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    Wildflower Identification with Children

    The Great New Zealand Interislander Ferry Journey from Wellington to Picton.

    New Zealand South Island Road Trip from Hokitika to Wanaka. Top 5 Places Where You Need to Stop.

  • Visiting Nelson, NZ

    Top things to do in Nelson and Best places to visit in Nelson Tasman Region in 2 days

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    It was a long drive. By the time we arrived in Nelson, it was getting dark. We stayed 3 nights at the Tudor Lodge Motel. The room was very spacious with a great kitchen. I love the fact that in New Zealand most hotels and motels have all the facilities and kitchen supplies needed to cook a meal. Upon our arrival, we went to get our keys at the reception. Staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming. Having limited time in Nelson and proximities, I will share with you what we did in 2 days and give you some recommendations of the best places to go when you are short of…

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    Penelope D.

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    Exploring Hokitika, The Amazing Coast’s Craft Mecca and Why You Should Go.

    Wildflower Identification with Children

    New Zealand South Island Road Trip from Westport to Greymouth. How to Stay Safe and the 4 Places You Need to See.

  • The Great New Zealand Interislander Ferry Journey from Wellington to Picton.

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    The Interislander ferry trip from Wellington to Picton. Is it worth it? From Picton we hired a car with the intention to stay in Blenheim, but drove to Nelson. Read about the options you have and our experience on this ferry.

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    Penelope D.

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    New Zealand South Island Road Trip from Westport to Greymouth. How to Stay Safe and the 4 Places You Need to See.

    New Zealand South Island Road Trip from Hokitika to Wanaka. Top 5 Places Where You Need to Stop.

    Exploring Hokitika, The Amazing Coast’s Craft Mecca and Why You Should Go.

  • 24 Great Hrs in Wellington

    / 2 Comments

    We had a couple of days to settle into NZ time after arrival, trying to adjust to the new time zone. When going through 4 time zones or more one expects to feel the effects of jet lag. I always do. New Zealand time is GMT + 12 hours. According to researchers the brain and body are able to adapt to a new time zone of about one hour per day. This means for us over a week of jet lag. Our plan was to travel to the South Island. First stop, Wellington. To get to Wellington from Auckland, there are several options depending on the time and budget you have…

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    Penelope D.

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    Wildflower Identification with Children

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    Travelling with your dog (road trip edition)

  • In Transit Adventures On Our Way To NZ

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    On our way After getting organised for this journey, I thought this time our schedule was not that bad. Only 4 flights to catch this time. This could be fun. We had plenty of time in between flights. Taking the first flight to Edinburgh with Logan Air the night before was a good idea before the long trip to NZ. We had a hotel booked ages ago and ended up not going on the original date but managed to move the booking for this purpose. We stayed at the Holiday Inn, located next to Edinburgh Zoo and just 15 from the airport. Upon arrival, we took the Airlink Express. You…

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    Penelope D.

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    Travelling with your dog (road trip edition)

    24 Great Hrs in Wellington

    PUZZLING WORLD: A Fun Place for Young and Old & 7 Great Reasons to Go

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WRITER & BLOGGER

Cross-culturally adept, Penelope was brought up in multiple countries.  She is an Ecologist, a teacher and a writer. With a polyglot personality, Penelope shares her passion for nature, wildlife, culture and travel with her nurse/musician husband, home schooled teenage daughter and a daft Flat-Coated Retriever.

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When suddenly you realise your baby is 16! They say that life passes really fast. While I realise that human life might not be as long, especially if you want to try new things throughout your journey, I do think ones life is definitely not enough if you want to continue learning. However, I do disagree that life passes quickly. If we count all the adventures throughout the journey and all the different lives, travel, experience and wisdom one accumulates (if we choose to get wiser that is), then I would say that time does not pass quickly at all. We have done so much together that it does seem like 3 lifetimes but it is so amazing to see when children grow up to be such an amazing person. I cannot wait for all the next travels and adventures together ahead. Happy birthday DD! 💜🎂🥳 Geen Kabouter meer... • • • • • • • • • #16yearsold #sweet16 #birthdaygirls #bestfriendforever #momanddaughter #travelduo #secondlockdownbirthday
A very cold and crisp evening walk. Enjoying our local landscape. • • • • • • • • • • #scottishlandscapes #orkney #orkneyislands #thisisscotland #discoverunder500 #localtreasures #travelgram
Finally some snow! It’s been hard to be on IG lately. These past weeks have been beyond crazy trying to get work done, study, starting to plan DD’s transition back to the local institution AKA High school after nearly 2 years of homeschooling. Living with the stress of many homeschooling moms that GCSE’s and now Edexcel IGCSE’s are cancelled due to COVID-19. Many thanks for that. Lovely surprise over the weekend. 🙈 Cambridge IGCSE are still on but who knows, they might be cancelled too. So from all the exams she was going to do, only 2 left actually confirmed so far. We are trying thus to get her qualifications at the local school. Hopefully all good as we have so much evidence of studying as COVID didn’t stop us from continuing school. For those who don’t know GCSE, IGCSE, Edexcel vs Cambridge, not to mentIon National 5s! You really don’t need to know. It’s a bloody nightmare of education system aimed at confusing the nation. It took me a while to get the whole difference. They are just exams you would take at high school but There are many types. So, after feeling like the best homeschooling mom on the island (no offence!), I am passing the baton back to the institutions. For those who are seriously studying while being homeschooled, I come to realise how little, if any support is available to us. So in Between all this, lack of sleep and happy puppy duties being able to fit in a run and I realise how lucky I am in between all the chaos around us. I realise that I have really missed the snow. It has been a year since we haven’t left the island. For me, having a serious travel bug was challenging at first, and while I still want to travel, I am also grateful because we have been very lucky as Covid has not hit the community like other parts of the UK. We might be one of few places in the UK with the gym open? Maybe it’s the Orcadian wind? 😂 But I also guess we have no problem with SD. I didn’t see a soul today. My motto this week is Tired but grateful 💜💪😴 How are you doing with the third lockdown? How are restrictions where you live? How has not being able to travel make you feel? #homeschooluk #lockdown2021 #grateful #reflectionphotography
This is the expression behind the term PUPPY LOVE ❤️🐶❤️ • • • • • • • • • #puppylove #puppylove❤️ #lovemyflattie #lovemyflatcoat #flatcoatedretriever #flatcoatedretrieversofinstagram #puppiesofinstagram
Best home office ever. Swipe for cuteness overload. 👩🏻‍💻 🐶❣️ • • • • • • • • • • #homeofficelife #writinginspiration #blogginglife #blogginggoals #puppyofinsta
This image just made the end of 2020 so beautiful. For a moment I have forgotten all the difficulties of this year. After 5 intense work of hard Labour, sweet Mama delivered 7 very healthy puppies. 🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶 I can now look at 2021 with renewed hope and live in puppy heaven. I love these babies so much! Wishing you all peace and health this New Year. 🐶🥂🎉🧘‍♀️💝 • • • • • • • • • • #newyearpuppy #puppyoftheday #flatcoatedretrieverpuppy #flatcoatpuppy #flatcoatedretriever #gratefulthankfulblessed #ukblogger
Sinterklaas 🎄🍫🎁 While most countries knows December for the celebration of Christmas, in the Netherlands have their own way of celebrating and punishing kids during the festive period. The feast of Sinterklaas celebrates the name day of Saint Nicholas on 6 December. He is thought to be the one based for Santa Claus as we know him today. The culmination of the event is pakjesavond ( giving of gifts on 5th December) in the Netherlands and on the morning of 6 December. Intocht Sinterklaas season starts with the arrival of Sinterklaas (with his white horse and zwarte Pieten) into the Netherlands, called “intocht van Sinterklaas.” This usually takes place in mid-November. And he only comes to visit, because he probably doesn’t like the cold and lives in Spain. 😉 He visits schools, hospitals and if lucky your house! Children leave their boots and good children will get sweets such as letter chocolates, pepernoten and mandarins (at least that’s what was in my boot). And of course coal for the naughty ones. Sinterklaas poems are a big thing where you have to write your own poem and exchange a small yet thoughtful gift. So today after all the festivities, Sinterklaas leaves. Thank you so much for all the treats you sent @julia_birding, You have made us all very happy today. #sinterklaas #sinterklaascadeau #sinterklaaskapoentje #sinterklaasabroad
Home made Vegan Gyoza (Jiaozi) are Japanese Vegetable Dumplings You can easily make them gluten-free, using rice flour like mine if you can’t take gluten. Filling: mushrooms, cabbage, spring onions and ginger. 🥟 🥟 🥟 ❤️😊 • • • • #homemadefood #gyozas #vegetarianglutenfree #vegetariandinner #livingthedream #bloggerleben #veganfriendly
“Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.” ~Dalai Lama • • • • • • • • • • #orkneyislands #scotland #simplyscotland #nofiltersneeded #scottishnature #travelgram #safarnature #contemplations

Recent Posts

  • PUZZLING WORLD: A Fun Place for Young and Old & 7 Great Reasons to Go
  • New Zealand South Island Road Trip from Hokitika to Wanaka. Top 5 Places Where You Need to Stop.
  • Exploring Hokitika, The Amazing Coast’s Craft Mecca and Why You Should Go.

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