The Almost Final Journey

We’ve arrived in New Zealand for our first family RV journey. Calling this ‘almost final’ also acknolwedges the journey ends soon. We will stuff as many ‘firsts’ into this final journey as we can before skidding back to home :) It’s been a fascinating arc. In the beginning it was too big and unknown to fathom. Plus we were rookie family travelers so we didn’t know what we didn’t know. In the middle we were in a groove with so much behind us and so much ahead. Now we sit on the precipice of the end. It has forever changed us for the better and for sure in ways we don’t even know yet, as Will recently pointed out. It is bittersweet that this cocoon of time together will be no longer. This simple life. But somehow this time on the road has instilled a deeper acceptance on my part of the impermanence of everything. We are lucky to be here and to have shared this journey. We are excited about our chapters beyond this journey.

We’re lighter by two surf boards, one boogie board, two guitars, a basketball and more. With the bike however we’ve shamelessly graduated to two trolleys.

New Zealand is such a stunning country. It reminds me of so many alpine and rural places I love dearly all mashed up into one. Greatest Hits. The journey from Australia to NZ itself was a blur. I honestly felt like one minute I was running around a playground on the outskirts of Perth, and the next minute I was running around a playground on the outskirts of Christchurch!! My Whoop tells me what I feel in my body: the poor sleep absolutely destroys me. These overnight flights put me in a pit. It takes a few days to claw out. Body reset.

We arrived here with a very loose plan and no reservations. It works because it’s shoulder season :) It’s long past the frenzied summer rush and a bit before snow flies and the ski tourists arrive. We’ve decided to architect everything around hikes. We pick hikes and then we find RV spots nearby. So basically we hike, eat, sleep :) sometimes we move fast and the hike becomes a run. The RV itself and the bedding is ridiculously cozy. The days are short (Fall!!!), the nights are cold (outside!!!) and I love the family time nuzzled in our metal box on wheels. I thought we might be under-geared for late Fall but we’re golden. It’s not that cold. Here are some scenes from the road:

Big smiles as we explore the Mt Cook area in some wild winds. We should have put rocks in Hazel’s pockets. It wasn’t so bad really but some of the gusts were sheer insanity.

We stopped at a quiet stunning lake for stretching, running and eating. Will attempted to swim with a wetsuit, brave soul. It was too cold. Now we’re scouting New Zealand for great hikes AND indoor swimming pools.

After months and months of almost no eating out, we’ve gone to a few restaurants. For a long time we’d lost the desire and just wanted to eat Justin’s cooking at home. It’s been fun to eat yummy food cooked by others AND lots of Justin’s cooking in the RV!!!