This is where we went....
This is how we got there...
We spent 9 days together touring the North Island of New Zealand. New Zealand is a beautiful country. Craig and I decided it has the bluest sky we have ever seen. The fresh air and green grass were such a welcomed sight after several months in Hong Kong. My favorite part of the trip was being together with really no plan in place. We had a general idea of what we wanted to see, but adjusted as the days went by. We spent a lot of time as a family playing games, exploring, and just hanging out. 9 days in a beautiful country equals lots of pictures. I tried to narrow them down - it was hard! Craig was an excellent driver and managed to not hit anything driving a huge car that was manual and on the other side of the road!
Campervan fun... We cooked most of our meals on the grill. The campgrounds in New Zealand are so different than the US. Everyone had a community kitchen that people could share to cook and eat in. We tried to eat outside as much as possible to enjoy the beautiful weather. Kay for the most part enjoyed riding in her carseat and watching the scenes go by. She took a lot of naps while we were driving and had lots of tea parties with her princess friends. She liked having a table at her carseat so she could play with her toys on it while riding. The top bed was a hit with Kay because she liked to sit up high. We did not have her sleep in it, but she did enjoy playing up there with us. We stopped at lots of roadside produce stands and enjoyed yummy fruits and veggies the entire time!
Whitianga, New Zealand (Cathedral Cove)
Our first stop was a hike at Cathedral Cove. This is a beautiful beach area. Unfortunately, it rained the entire time we were there. Kay still enjoyed the sand and water! The next day the sun came out so we decided to go to the overlook before leaving town to see what we were missing! It was beautiful (see the last picture in this set)
Rotura, New Zealand (Wai-O-Tapu)
Next, we headed to see Lady Knox Geyser and the Geothermal Area. The highlights for Kay were the Geyser, the crazy green lake (no, this photo is not edited) and the mud pits that spit when they boiled.
We have learned many things about traveling the world with a two year old. I must admit, I think we are getting pretty good at it! You have to have a lot of patience and "go with the flow". The flight was 11 hours with a 5 hour time change. Kay was a champ, but it definitely took some patience! A perfect example of "going with the flow" was when Kay decided she wanted to crawl across the wooden walkway. Craig was able to capture it! Although we did not get to see everything we wanted to, it has been fun to see the world though a two-year-olds eyes!
Taupo, New Zealand (Huka Falls)
This waterfall is pretty impressive. 200,000 Liters of water flow through every second. That is enough water to fill 5 olympic swimming pools every minute! That night we stayed in a campground that was close to some natural hot springs. We hiked down to one and enjoyed the warm water. We had to find where the hot water mixed with the icy river or it was too hot! There was also a great playground. Kay enjoyed sliding and Craig enjoyed the zip line.
Tongariro National Park, New Zealand
We spent two days at the National Park. The first day we took a snow ski lift up to the top of the slopes. It was a very cold, but beautiful view. The next day the sun came out and we attempted to hike. We were reminded again that traveling with a two year old is a little different. We set out for a hike that was supposed to take an hour total. After an hour of hiking we came to a sign saying we had completed 20 minutes of the hike. Kay liked to take her time and check out every rock, stick, flower etc. She also took a fall and scraped her nose and forehead. We decided that was a hike enough and never made it to the waterfall. It was very eerie to see the volcanos. The first day they were surrounded by clouds. The next day, you could clearly see that it was a volcano looming in the distance!
Waitomo, New Zealand (Glowworm Caves)
This was Kay's favorite part of the trip. We took a tour that led us down into the caves and then onto a boat ride on a river in the cave. It was pitch black and they asked everyone to be silent. I was so proud of Kay and how well she behaved. She loved seeing the glowworms! It looked like tiny stars above us. They did not allow pictures inside. Here is a picture just outside the cave.
Matamata, New Zealand (Hobbiton Movie Set, Lord of the Rings)
Ok, I admit... I have not seen the movies. Craig has only seen the first one. We had heard this was a neat thing to see in New Zealand and decided to check it out. Kay really enjoyed seeing all the little houses and especially loved when they let her go inside one. At the end of the tour they let the kids feed the sheep that were on the land. Kay LOVED it. That evening we stayed in Matamata. It was a very cute downtown and we found a restaurant that was celebrating St. Patricks day. Kay really enjoyed her green drink and the festive costumes that everyone had on.
We ended our trip with a day in Auckland. This city had a great downtown. The start of the Ocean Race (a boat race around the world) happened that afternoon. Unfortunately, we missed the start of the race. We were able to enjoy a concert and all the free activities they had going on. On our flight home we were on the plane with the Rugby Sevens team coming to Hong Kong to play in the games this weekend. Kay did a great job despite the plane leaving at midnight.
