Trip to Otari Wilton's Bush

Today the Little Kids and I went on a trip to Otari-Wilton's Bush. This is a forest which only has native plants, and is very beautiful, being in a lush valley, with winding paths, small grassy dells, and a picnic area beside a stream. This was an organised trip with Playcentre, and I only went because my friend had room in her car, including a spare child carseat (I have one only).

There was a guide who talked to the assembled group of adults and children about the trees, plants and some wildlife. The Little Kids and I mostly ignored this (along with the other small toddlers and their accompanying big people), and spent out time examining fallen leaves, plants and trees which they could reach, and so on. Lovely sound scape (tuis, etc), and really peaceful ramble through the forest, with both girls happy to trot along at their own pace, stopping to look at things when they wanted.

There is an important rule when going on outings with children: always scout out the trip thoroughly beforehand. This is where my friend and I miscalculated. We mis-remembered just how far down the hill it is to the picnic area, and we thought there were steps, so I didn't take the double buggy. As it happened there were no steps that couldn't be avoided, and it was a looong walk back up the hill to the car after the picnic. I carried each child by turns, and carried both of them towards the end (which I knew I could do in a pinch). It made me think, though, that the sensible thing would have been to have our picnic on a grassy area nearer to the car park (of which there were several). Hindsight eh!!!

Photo is Google Images again.