Life Lately #14

Saturday was the Ironman New Zealand 2026, which happens every year in Taupo. The town had been buzzing for days leading up to it. Accommodations were fully booked, and there were traffic diversions and road closures everywhere.

I actually love it. Taupo is such a small, peaceful town most of the time, so it’s fun when something like Ironman rolls in and suddenly there’s a bit of chaos, lycra, and very determined-looking people everywhere. So thank you, Ironman, for bringing a little extra energy into town!

That said, we did have to take the long way just to get into town. John had a haircut appointment on Saturday morning, and since I was curious to see what was happening around town, I tagged along. While he was getting his haircut, I wandered off to the library.

I’m currently reading Project Hail Mary because the movie adaptation is coming out on March 19 here in New Zealand. The book is ridiculously funny—I’ve been snickering to myself like a lunatic half the time—and I can’t wait to watch the film with John.

Afterwards, we went for breakfast at Robert Harris. We intentionally avoided the cafes along the lakefront because they were packed with tourists and Ironman spectators. Instead, we had a quiet little breakfast: a custard blueberry muffin, a big breakfast to share, and of course, coffee. Because mornings without coffee are simply poor life decisions.

John, being the sweet man that he is, also took me shopping. We really haven’t bought much lately aside from furniture since we purchased our house—we’ve been trying to behave like responsible adults and watch our spending. But then John bought me a beautiful white cardigan from Huffer… just because.

Then we wandered into Paper Plus. I usually browse the displays there so I can take mental notes about what to borrow from the library later. But this time John bought me a copy of The Book Thief. I asked if it was an advance birthday gift. He said no. He just wanted to buy me something so we could slowly fill up the bookshelf at home. Honestly, I don’t know what I did to deserve this man.

In the afternoon, we headed to the lake to paddleboard. I didn’t get to write a “Life Lately” post about it, but we actually bought a paddleboard the week before because our local Torpedo7 store was closing down.

I had tried it once when we first bought it, but John wasn’t feeling well that day so he just watched me from the shore. This time, though, we finally got to take turns.

Emma from Taupō Pedal Boats saw us wobbling around like baby giraffes trying to stand up and kindly offered to help. She gave us an impromptu lesson and even held the paddleboard steady while showing us the proper way to stand.

Do we still suck at paddleboarding? Yes.

But there was noticeable improvement, which felt like a small athletic victory.

My hubby wearing my pink life vest 😆

We ended up spending almost three hours at the lake. We got a bit of sun, a bit of exercise, and the kind of happy exhaustion that only comes from being outside all afternoon.

By the time we got home, we were starving. Dinner was simple: grilled tilapia, grilled corn, and slices of fresh tomatoes and cucumber on the side. Nothing fancy, but honestly the perfect way to end the day.

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Sunday was church as usual. Then, we made fried chicken for lunch. John took a nap (as all respectable husbands do after fried chicken), while I continued reading my book.

In the evening, we headed to Lionel's for a proper date night. It had been a while since we’d done one of those—made a reservation, dressed up a little, and went somewhere slightly fancy.

Time to dress up!

Ravioli, sweetcorn ricotta mascarpone, tomato water, basil, grana padano

Market fish, peperonata, green lip mussels, garlic & saffron whipped potato

Burnt basque cheesecake, lime curd, strawberries

My handsome husband!!

As I sat across from John, eating good food and thinking about our silly paddleboarding attempts, our breakfast muffin, and the cardigan I absolutely did not need but now love… I couldn’t help but feel grateful.

A good life rarely looks dramatic. Most of the time, it’s simply a series of very ordinary days—books, small surprises, lake water, grilled fish or fried chicken, and someone you’re happy to sit across from at the end of it all. And honestly, I wouldn’t trade that kind of ordinary for anything.

No Rhyme, Just Reason is a Taupō, New Zealand–based blog by Ariane about books, good food, long walks, and unapologetic naps.