New Zealand 2017
We took our whole family to New Zealand, exploring the Eastern side of the Northern Ireland, flying to the southern island, and taking an RV all the way back to Auckland.
Butterfly Creek and the Flight Home
We woke up near the airport and had coffee and a crappy continental breakfast. We stowed our luggage, went to the mall, got sweets, ate sushi, and saw a Maori...
Returning the Van
We woke up at Clark's Beach, cleaned the van, and played on the playground. We headed out of town towards Auckland, stopping in King seat on the way where we...
Clark's Beach
We woke up at the rugby field and tried to go to the trains, but they only run on Sundays. We went to a cafe, then stayed at Clark's Beach campground, where we...
Bridal Veil Falls and the Hamilton Gardens
We woke up at Raglan, made coffee, and emptied the RV. Then we headed toward Hamilton. It was a rainy day, and also we could tell the scenery was different...
Kiwi Birds at Otorohanga and Raglan
We woke up at the Oasis. I tried to buy coffee but we were up too early, so I made it myself and cooked cereal for everyone. Then we headed to Otorohanga to...
Mt. Doom and the Oasis Hot Pools
We woke up at the Army Museum, got coffee from a gas station, and ate cereal. Then we drove north toward Auckland and decided to look for Mt. Doom. We went to...
Waitarere Beach and the Army Museum at Waiouru
We woke up at Jared's. I made coffee and he made us breakfast, pancakes. We took real showers in a real shower, and the kids jumped on the trampoline a little...
Wellington and Paraparaumu
We awoke to the distant noises of the city waking up. Spending so many nights in rural New Zealand made normal city noises seem pretty strange. I still found...
Picton, Bluebridge Ferry, and Wellington
We woke up on the Smith's Farm and talked to the proprietress about the rest of the animals. She had said they had lambs, but they had already eaten when we...
Abel Tasman and Smith's Farm
Having a whole campsite to yourself is a great experience. There's no noise, no people, not issues. We woke up, made breakfast and Eli took the kids outside to...
Nelson Doctors, a Gift, and Serendipity
When we headed to New Zealand, all of the kids had colds. They were all starting to feel better, though, so when we packed our medicines for the kids, we...
Holiday Parks, Your Home Away from Home
The next day we'd been going non stop for so long that I started pushing for some serious downtime. We drove a shot bit, ate some lunch on the road, and ended...
Pancake Rocks
We woke up and I made coffee for Eli and oatmeal for everyone, then we got on the road. With the choice to head south we had lost a little of our comfortable...
Driving Southern New Zealand
The flora and fauna of New Zealand is subtly different than Northern California. There's ferns literally everywhere. It's odd to imagine a place that gets snow...
Flight to Christchurch & RV Rental
We woke up knowing that we had to be at the airport by 1:30. That meant we had to return the rental van first, and we were more than an hour and a half from...
Hamilton for R&R
We've been going pretty non-stop for the last 9 days. We explored Auckland and got used to the time change, we visited craters, geysers, villages, and...
Hamilton and Waitomo Glow Worm Caves
The AirBnb we stayed in had an amazing kitchen, fully stocked with foods and appliances, so I figured, why not try to make something a little fancier for...
The Drive to Rotorua and Hobbiton
We woke up early and bid adieu to our little house, home for only two nights, and struck out on the highways. We had the option of three paths to Rotorua, one...
The Road to Taupo and Waitomo Thermal Wonderland
The next morning we gassed up the van, which was pretty good since it was the first time all trip. We said farewell to the stinky fart smelly town of Rotorua...
Rotorua and Whakarewarewa
The house we're in is super spacious, has more beds than we need, has two floors, a shower and a huge tub, and feels like it's made out of cardboard. Every...
Coromandel and Hot Water Beach
The airbnb we stayed in was a little chilly in the morning, so we slept in a little, I made some instant coffee for my wife, and we got ready to walk to the...
Auckland Day 4 and the Road to Coromandel
New Zealand isn't a very big place. We've been planning the first road trip and looking at the map and seeing that our first stop is completely across the...
Auckland Day 3
Our last full day in Auckland we decided should be less about hanging out with small children all day and instead be partially about things we, as adults,...
Auckland Day 2
One of my mother's oldest and dearest friends happens to live in Auckland, so it would be remiss to visit halfway around the world and not pay a visit to her...
Traveling to Auckland
We usually leave early in the morning on trips, so leaving at 8pm is a new experience for us. We had the whole day to pack, to plan, to relax and prepare for...
Auckland day 1
After a much needed nap, we woke up and wandered to a local burger joint for lunch. The food was unique--the patties being a combination of meat and green...
Getting Ready
We've been planning a trip to New Zealand for years. It's one of those things that seems so far out of possibility that you just talk about it saying,...