The view from our property's window, each and every sunset was beautifully unique

On the journey to and from the property we took a dusty gravel road along the coast

My favourite photograph of my boyfriend and I

The firepit featuring my boyfriend's older and younger sisters

My boyfriend's sisters running off to the beach for one last swim

Quote from my boyfriend: "have you taken any photos of your boyf in his undies to show the internet that you've been outside?!"

Last weekend I was invited to go away on holiday with my boyfriend's family to a small farm rental property along the western coastline outside the small town Raglan. Even though my boyfriend and I could only join the rest of his family for four days (out of their three weeks) it was a wonderful time. I have been living in the city for two years after leaving my rural hometown, it was fantastic to "go back to my roots" and stay at this tamed retreat.

On the Thursday we took a bus from the city up to another city just outside where we were staying, an entire nine hour journey took up most of the day so all we got to do was to have dinner and watch the sunset from the lounge window. The location of this place was stunning, down a long windy road across farmlands and streams, it was picture perfect.

On Friday, us kids (my boyfriend, his older sister, his younger sister and myself) took the car out to the town. It was a very cosy township, reminding myself of a more populated version of my hometown. We went to a lovely pub reataurant and ordered a couple of bowls of chips, then sat outside and pondered as we people watched. We then went to a tiny icecream store and I ordered a homemade fruit icercream (with fresh, frozen strawberries, raspberries and blackberries). We then wondered down to the beach and walked along the black sand, by the time we got there it had cooled down considerably so we could get away without wearing shoes and not burning our feet.

Saturday was my boyfriend's younger sister's birthday, so she planned our day's activities. The night before, my boyfriend and I decorated the lounge with streamers, draping them along the exposed ceiling beams to give the place a cheerful feeling. The morning began with exchanging of presents on my boyfriend's Mum's bed, which has been a family tradition for as long as they can remember, I felt very privileged to join in on this. Following, we all got dressed in our togs and sat on the deck in the sun, playing the family's favourite board game Articulate. We then went down to a small beach near the property and set up a tarpaulin tent and played in the surf. Not being a very "beachy" person myself, I really had to "let go and have some fun" (quote from the boyfriend, aw) but soon I got very into it, so much that the boogieboard I was using to jump over the waves with snapped in half! After a few hours of beach fun, the other girls went back up to the house to prepare dinner while the boyfriend and I stayed watch over our makeshift tent. When the others rejoined us, we built a small fire pit in the sand, then for dinner we made kebabs (using ham, lamb, chicken and beef) and roasted them over the fire. It was a fantastic idea and really went down a treat! Lastly, the girls went back into the water for one last dip as the sun set then we went back to the property.

Our last day away was a very boring one, consisting of cleaning the property for the owners then we began our trip back to the city. We stopped off at Waitomo Caves and had a tour inside the historic Maori glowworm caves, which was both amazing and quite romantic (apparently they have a few weddings there and I took a mental note) I love glowworms a lot, they just seem so relaxed, and the caves themselves were really a work of art.

It was honestly a fantastic trip, it was wonderful to spend time with my boyfriend's family who I get along with incredibly. We have already planned to go back the same time next year, and we decided on taking tents (one for each couple) which will make the trip even more rustic and enjoyable.

Have you been on a holiday this summer holiday? Where did you go? Who was it with? I love to hear holiday stories especially photos.

- Louise x