A Taste of Pinehaven

Now that Andy and I have been in our house for four months (what?!), I think it’s time everyone gets a glimpse of our neighborhood, Pinehaven, especially family and friends who aren’t near enough to have visited yet. Don’t worry, we’re saving the spare room for when you buy your plane tickets. Higgs is keeping the bed warm.

Let’s start off with the house itself.

“Tranquility amongst the treetops” was the tagline on the real estate listing, and I can’t argue with that. It feels like our very own treehouse.

We have plentiful stands of native beeches surrounding the house, and most of them (11, to be precise) are protected by the council. It suits us nicely, as we’d never dream of chopping these beauties down.

They provide just the right amount of privacy, while still letting the sunshine through.

The views of the neighborhood from our upper floor aren’t at all bad, either. Higgs especially loves feeling like king of the street from this vantage point. Other dogs or delivery vans, pass at your own risk!

Higgs is also a fan of our trails in the back, which get him even higher up so he can survey his domain.

And we can’t forget our favorite spot, the deck!

“Dad, please! Just one chocolate!”

As you can see, it’s not a bad spot for a drink in the sunshine.

Since we back onto a nature reserve, there’s a lot of native trees and plants on our property, which is great. This also means lots of native species, like fantails, kererū and NZ’s only native owl, the morepork. You can hear them calling at night just outside, and it’s really cool being right up against the forest.

In spring, the back is a mix of fabulous colors.

And we can’t forget our other winged visitors who keep everything in order.

As long as Higgs doesn’t try to eat them, which he has at least twice. Not the smartest doggo sometimes!

Now, going a bit further afield, come along on some of our favorite walks around Pinehaven.

It’s a pretty quiet neighborhood with lots of families, so there are paths and sidewalks everywhere. Bonus, lots of doggos to meet!

One of our main destinations is the park. Great for a game of chase, and it has the perfect stream for a little dog to take a dip.

Can’t forget drying off!

Not a bad place to watch the sunset, either.

There’s some lush forest to cut through on the way home.

And of course some logs to hop on!

About a five minute walk down the road from our house is Ecclesfield Reserve, filled with stunning beech trees and some great trails.

If we’re in the mood for a longer walk, the Hutt River Trail is only about 20 minutes from ours, and you can follow it for hours.

The best part is all the doggy cool-off spots (when toxic algae isn’t proliferating thanks to a drought).

Pure bliss!

Other walks, like the Witako Scenic Reserve, offer views like this, looking up the Hutt Valley.

Or this view from an old logging track in the Akatarawa Forest Park.

That’s only a fraction of what the Hutt has to offer, so the moral of the story is, COME VISIT US NOW.

I’ll leave you with Higgsy’s park photoshoot for the NZ Swedish Vallhund Club 2018 calendar. He’s representing April as Taurus.

Yes, many treats were needed throughout this photoshoot.

Have you ever seen a cuter bull though? One could even say adora-BULL.

Stay tuned for some epic hikes as Andy and I make the most of our two weeks off for Christmas. I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday, and enjoy yourselves for New Year’s Eve. Cheers to a great year!