Last week’s installment of the Patch was delayed due to a lack of internet. We stayed out in the country near the middle of the North island. The house listed that it had wifi, but their definition of having wifi meant a very inconstant slow connection for only one device at a time. Each night before we went to bed Alex would connect to it to download email from the day throughout the night. It made keeping us on Aresa’s school work impossible as that is all online. I know, it makes us sound like a bunch of city slickers.

 

The guest house we stayed in had a few other hiccups for us. We discovered upon arrival that it didn’t have a stove or a washing machine. Just a hot plate. The irony is that we stayed there the longest. After searching for a place to wash clothes myself in the nearby town of Cambridge, and coming up short, I gave up and took two bags of dirties to a fluff and fold laundry service. All of you who live in an apartment are now laughing at me, I can take it. I’m spoiled.

 

On the bright side, the property was gorgeous and our good friend Lisa flew into NZ to join us on the journey. She has done her best to whip us into shape, getting us up and out at a reasonable hour. We drove out to The Shire to see Bilbo’s house in Hobbiton (Hobbit and Lord of the Rings films shot all the hobbit village scenes here.) It is a giant working farm in addition to being a tourist destination. They have preserved the set and it was truly lovely. All the set dressings were well done and the detail was incredible.

 

Next up was Rogue One, because no matter where you are in the world you should not miss an installment of Star Wars (or Star Trek for that matter. Geeks.) It was opening weekend and at home I suspect theatres were sold out, people waiting in line to get in. Here there were maybe 15 other people in the theatre with us. We showed up half an hour early, which felt like we might be cutting it close. We sat alone in the theatre for 25 minute until the locals sashayed in five minutes before it started.

 

Next up was a trip to Waitomo to experience the Glowworm caves. We toured through massive limestone caves created by rushing rivers over millions of years. The caves were discovered by a Maori chief (native people of NZ) and many of his descendants work at the caves giving tours and protecting this incredible spot. At the end of the tour, we boarded boats in the dark and in complete silence floated on a river—loud noises harm the worms. All we could see were pin pricks of light, almost like a night sky, there were so many glowworms on the roof of the cave. It was glorious.

 

By this point in the week, I have to admit I was wearing out. In part because of so many hours traveling to unknown places and the roads here are twisty. All of them. The combination of motion sickness and my usual car neurosis put me on edge. You know how NYC used a grid system for roads? NZ used the letter S and made sure every kilometer curved multiple times preferably without a shoulder and in a spot where the road narrows. Seriously, even Alex has complained, and usually he thinks roller coaster roads are “fun.”

 

We rented navigation equipment along with each car rental here and have taken to calling the female voice guiding us Kiwi Sirri. She is our constant companion in the car and seems to take us on the most scenic route possible. It’s as if she is an over excited local guiding us through all the backroads so we see ALL of New Zealand.

 

On our drive south to Rotorua, we spent the day walking through an area where Echo Crater erupted in 1917. There were many similarities to Yellowstone except we saw everything Yellowstone has to offer and more on a 90 minute walk instead of a multi-day traffic jam. And because it’s New Zealand they expect people to behave, so visitors get to stand right at the edge of hot volcanic lakes and boiling streams. We were all fascinated. Even Eliot.

 

On our last full day based out of Cambridge, we drove back to Mt. Manganui where we first stayed. It was surprisingly comforting to return to someplace I knew. We went up to see Molly and Charlie the local sheep we met a month ago. When we called their names they practically flew down the mountain to us and let us pet them far more than our previous visit. The Mount definitely holds my heart, we all agreed tonight at dinner that it was our favorite location of the places we have stayed.

 

We had several points this week that showed each of us losing our energetic luster. Nothing major thankfully, just the normal results of trying to overpack a short period of time with as much as possible. The kids made me so mad the day we left Christchurch that I banned screen time for the rest of the trip. The wailing and the tears took a while to subside, but once accepted there was a great deal less whining. Life was no longer spent waiting for or complaining about the lack of television and video games. It’s been really wonderful to see their eyes again.

 

The last leg of our trip is upon us. Part 2 of this update from our final location and NZ adventures will be along shortly.

 

I hope you are all well, near a heat source, and enjoying the holidays.

 

Aroha (Maori for love),

Heather