HAPPY VERY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO MOM! - New Zealand.
Mom/Avis: For my 40th birthday I wanted to go to New Zealand. Andy went heli-skiing that year for his. But in the end I decided I wanted to go with the kids and wait until they were older so they could really enjoy all it has to offer. So nearly 8 years later...Happy Birthday 40th to me!
Now back to blogging...the kids tell the stories but they write in third person mostly. And Andy or Avis type if they are tired. Cheers Mates! Off we go....
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It was a long flight.
We got on the plane and went to the back, coach. There were lots of crying children. But there were TVs with a larger movie
selection than we have ever had before.
So naturally, we began to watch.
Our goal was to eat dinner and watch 5-6 hours of TV then sleep. The time difference would only be 3 hrs
behind California, but we were a day ahead (21 hours ahead). We sat 4 across in the middle, so at least we
had each other to lean on. The flight
went surprisingly fast and we woke to one more movie and breakfast before
landing in Auckland.
We made it through customs…as much as we have traveled, we
must admit we can’t believe we are saying this about New Zealand…slowest immigration line ever! One agent assisting
one very long line. Had Alec been 13 we could have gone through the ePassport,
but we could not. We got to our
connection to Christchurch just in time.
Christchurch airport was really modern with neat art and
spacious areas. Our favorite place was
outside…there were turf areas covered with bean bags for you to wait for your
ride. Our ride was a van to our RV
pick-up where the kids sucked down cups of hot chocolate while Mom and Dad learned
the rules of the New Zealand road (especially important was how to read the
single-lane bridge signs).


We took Highway 73 or the Great Alpine Highway/West Coast
Highway cutting across the country to the west coast. We saw A LOT of sheep before climbing into
the mountains. We definitely believe the
fact there are a lot more sheep than people in New Zealand. The streams were crystal blue from the snowmelt. Dad did good driving on the opposite
side of the road in VERY WINDY conditions.
Finally, we took a break at Arthurs Pass for Dad to destress. We rolled into Greymouth just as it got dark
with the kids asleep. A quick dinner and
off to bed for everyone at 11PM.

Today would be a slow day with a 40 minute drive to the town
of Hokitika, a small art town on the coast.
Which also was a “gold rush” town, which felt a little odd being from
California. We visited the National KiwiCenter. The staff was nice and
kind-spirited per Ally. The first room
was native reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Then as the clock neared 12 we
gathered around a huge pool full of freshwater longfin eels. An employee brought in a plate of cow heart
bits where visitors two at a time were allowed to feed them. We learned the eels lived to be 200 years old
and only mating once in their lifetime.
Then we saw the feeding of a pair of kiwis who are part of a breeding
program. They are nocturnal, so we had
to be quiet and not use any cameras, but they gave us pictures when we left to
remember them by.
After leaving we had lunch at Porky’s a recommended take
away where we tried to local favorite, whitebait fish fritter and fish and
chips (which is still wrapped in newspaper). Mom and Ally walked through jade shops while
Dad and Alec hit the grocery for a few items, including the first lamb for the grill. Back on the road for 2 hours we came to Franz
Josef, where we could see the helicopters coming and going from the glacier, which
we will be doing tomorrow.
We are staying at Top 10 RV Parks…thus far they have been
GREAT! Clean shower rooms, lots of
amenities, and really nice staff. Greymouth & Franz Josef
2 comments:
This is amazing! We love following your journey! keep the “artsy” photos coming ;) xoxo Liv
Great write up Alec! Can't believe you kids are so tall! Glad you still all travel together and get to see the beauty and opportunities travel brings. The best way to learn about all the different people culture and stuff is to be there! :-) Happy 8years later Birthday Avis! Love, Aunt Kathy
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