To celebrate 10 years of marriage, Mr. M and I spontaneously took advantage of an amazing $399 round-trip fare from LAX to Auckland! All the details of childcare and time off worked out; Grandma M came to watch the boys and Uncle M helped a lot. Elizabeth came with us and was a fantastic traveler.
We had direct flights both ways which were about 12 hours. Easy. Elizabeth slept most of the way in the fold-down bassinets in our bulkhead seats. Here she is, modeling a bassinet:
We rented a car for freedom to toodle. Driving on the left, with the steering wheel on the right, was an exercise in mental dexterity and required CONSTANT VIGILANCE.
New Zealand is stunningly beautiful. Everywhere we went, we saw green, green, and more green. There were huge tree-like ferns, sandy beaches, volcanic islands, rocky coasts, hot pools, bubbling mud, mist-covered mountains and forests...
The above 2 pictures are from Whangarei Falls.
Tear your eyes away from this gorgeous creature and check out the bubbling mud in the background. This is at Te Puia in Rotorua.
We ate really well: the best Thai food I've ever tasted, hot and salty fish and chips that I doused in malt vinegar (sooooo good!), a very tender filet mignon, a traditional cooked-in-the-ground meal, and lots of pineapple lumps. Here is some video commentary from one of my favorite lunches (this was on Waiheke island) :
In Rotorua, we went to a Mauri cultural night with warriors in canoes, a meal cooked in the ground, the haka, and a walk through the forest.
I felt really fierce making this face, but the photo just reminds me of what Elizabeth looked like when she had her first taste of zucchini.
We found that the people in New Zealand were exceptionally warm and very accommodating for travelers with children. There were special lines at the airport for us, special parking spaces, and lots of smiles and niceness.
Dean took us to the Bay of Islands, and we took a boat tour out to the Hole in the Rock. There were dolphins swimming with our boat!
Our boat went right through that hole!
We had a wonderful time, and I hope to return to New Zealand with the whole family someday!
We found that the people in New Zealand were exceptionally warm and very accommodating for travelers with children. There were special lines at the airport for us, special parking spaces, and lots of smiles and niceness.
The main reason that we went to New Zealand was to visit our dear friends:
Dean took us to the Bay of Islands, and we took a boat tour out to the Hole in the Rock. There were dolphins swimming with our boat!
Our boat went right through that hole!
We had a wonderful time, and I hope to return to New Zealand with the whole family someday!
2 comments:
Sounds wonderful!
how cool! I love the spontaneity! gorgeous pictures, looks like y'all had a great time :) thanks for sharing it!!
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