#ccstaycation Sheila from New Zealand

Today, we have a special guest! Sheila Christensen is our Puzzle Mystery Quilt designer.

Hi I'm Sheila and I've been with Cotton Cuts for 4 years. I'm joining the #ccstaycation and would love to introduce you to my home –Masterton, New Zealand.

Masterton is a small town located on the North Island of New Zealand, about an hour and a half from the capital city of Wellington.The town is famous for the annual Golden Shears event, at which shearers from around the world compete to shear sheep as fast as possible. We are also home to the Brian Lochore Rugby Stadium ('BJ' was a famous All Blacks rugby player and coached the team to win the World Cup). We have lots of schools and activities for kids, like the Queen Elizabeth Park which has a mini railway, kids' playground and a cricket pitch.

Masterton is mainly a service town for the wider region, which is called the Wairarapa (Maori for Land of Glistening Waters). This area is sandwiched between the Tararua mountain range and the Pacific ocean, so we have access to mountain walks and beaches all within an hour's drive. One of my favourite activities is to go walking in the 'bush', though I'm not a big fan of the suspension bridges!

The region is great for wine growing, and Martinborough is home to a whole lot of wineries, and a fun day out is to hire a bike and ride from one to the next to have a taste and also eat at the beautiful winery cafes and restaurants.

Castlepoint is our local seaside town, it's like something out of an Enid Blyton novel, with one store, a lighthouse and lots of fun rock pools. This photo was taken on boxing day with my niece and daughter in law.

Best Places to Visit:Pukaha Mount Bruce Wildlife Centre (for native birds, kiwi viewing and eel feeding)

• Greytown for boutique shopping

• Martinborough wineries

• Castlepoint beach

• Aratoi Art Museum

• Queen Elizabeth Park

• Mount Holdsworth Forest Park

Best Local Quilt Shops:

• Quilters' Lane –my shop (and the only one in the Wairarapa)

  In Wellington:

• Busy Bee Quilt Shop

• Stitchbird Fabric

Fun Facts:

• The Kids Own Playground was funded and built by the community, you can see all the railings with donors' names on them.

• The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies were filmed in lots of NZ locations. Peter Jackson, the director, has a home near Masterton where guests stay in 'hobbit holes'.

Check back next week for our last #ccstaycation feature!