No More Campervan

Woohoo!

We're here in Christchurch. We came in mid-day yesterday after a beautiful ride thru Arthur's Pass. It was very foggy and there was a lot of low cloud coverage. It meant that we didn't get to see the full beauty of the pass. But it was still gorgeous as you can see from the photos, and it cleared a bit toward the end.

We dropped the campervan at the Apollo store. I noticed that those people picking up looked a bit perkier, happier and all around less haggard than those of us dropping off. Just sayin. Boy was that thing gross. Jason and I weren't sad to see it go.

Since we've missed posting last few batches of photos, you guys are getting three slide shows below.

The first starts with our visit to the Hukawai glacier center in Franz Josef Glacier. We read all about how glaciers are formed, the different types of local animals and a bit on Maori (native NZ) stories of how the glacier came about. The seaside town of Hokitika was next.

And the kids asked if Grandpa could build one of these



I told them we would ask.

Then we drove on to Shantytown - gold mining town from the late 1800's where we panned for gold. We got some too. Man we Cavanagh's are cool. Shhh...don't tell the kids that every pan had a bit a gold in it.

Jason was quite naughty



Then on to the Greymouth holiday park. We topped the day off watching the sunset on the beach.



This vacationing sure is hard work!

Yesterday we traveled through Arthur's Pass to Christchurch - those pics are in the second slideshow.



Today's pics are in the third. Not as many. The Antartic Center was a hit. Check out the kids in the snow room.



We hit a really, really great Korean restaurant to top it off. I was irritated with Jason for picking it at first because I just knew the kids would hate it. But they actually had fun, and ate (even if only a little). Didn't really matter because by the time they brought all the little bowls I was hooked. We left stuffed. Thinking about going back tomorrow.

Enjoy! And don't worry about us, we're having a blast.
A

Me and My Window...Again

It's raining. A lot. Even if we wanted to stop for photos (which we don't because it means we'll make it to our next stop at 5 1/2 as opposed to 5 hours), we don't want to get wet. It's cold in New Zealand. Cold and wet don't go well together. Cold and coffee...that works. Wet and sunny...that works (preferably with a margarita). Cold and wet...a no go.

So lots of window shots. But if you get past those, you'll get some people shots. And some really dirty, wet, crossing the road sheep shots. And then there are the lamb shots. They're everywhere. I want to bring them home with me.

I don't care where we retire as long as I can have sheep. I've decided. Nope, not gonna change my mind.

And just in case you're wondering, we're in Franz Josef Glacier now. The last few pics are of the glacier. Don't know what's in store for tomorrow. We'll figure that out when the time comes.

Love to all,
A

Jet Boats and Window Shots

Did you think we fell off the face of the earth….or the side of a mountain? Sorry, the past couple of nights we’ve either been too exhausted to pull out the laptop or they’ve wanted our firstborn for internet service. Since we’re fond of Cole, we decided to wait until the next stop.

We made it to Queenstown. Much smaller town than expected. But we had a blast. We rode the gondola, the luge , the jet boat and Jason bungie jumped!




How much excitement can a family fit into 1 ½ days? The Cavanaghs do it right!!! Jason said the bungie was the best back pop he’d had in ages – better than the chiropractor. The kids did the bungie trampoline. Mom did neither. The real bungie was way too scary. The baby bungie…well let’s just say that Mom couldn’t handle standing in line with all the 5 year olds. The jet boat was some kind of fun! We froze our butts off and loved every 360 degree turn. Since we couldn’t take pics (too fast and wet) you should google Shotover Jet Boats to get the full picture.

We left Queenstown and headed to Te Anau (pronounced Tea Anow). 2 ½ hour drive but we made it just in time for the Glowworm Cave tour. We caught the big boat, docked, ventured far underground into a cave with waterfalls in it, rode the little boat quietly in full darkness (so as to not startle the glowworms) just to see about 100 or so tiny pinprick size green lights overhead. Anti-climactic to say the least. But we still had fun.

We were disappointed to find out that the road to Milford Sound (which was to be our adventure for today) was closed due to rock slips/slides. If we wanted to go on the cruise we had planned, we would have had to pay $125 per person to be airlifted in. A no go. So we headed on to Wanaka. It’s situated on Lake Wanaka (or Lake Wannahockaloogie as we like to call it). Gorgeous town.

Visited Puzzling World on the way in and had a complete blast. The kids didn’t want to leave.



As for all of the car ride/window pics…I want ya’ll to enjoy the ride with us. And if I asked to pull over every time the urge to photograph hit me, Jason might kill me.

Coming soon….what I love most about New Zealand. Here’s a hint…they’re tiny and fuzzy, they bounce around their Mommies all cute-like in the fields, and they taste like lamb chops.

Off to see glaciers tomorrow!
Love to all!
The Five Travellers

PS - if the slide shows don't show up, I'll try to link them later.

Dunedin's done it!

Bringing this guy home with me...



Now Jason really, really wants to retire here. And I don't blame him. There's nothing that's not pretty about this place. Even the ugly parts are pretty. Dunedin (pronounced with the long e sound)was unbelievable! As all New Zealand seems to be, it's very hilly. Made me think of San Fransisco...not that I've ever been.

We started the day off with the drive in from Timaru, arriving sometime around lunch. The holiday park where we stayed was very nice with a great kid's play area and heated pool, so that made the munchkins happy. We then went trekking around town in search of stuff. Fortunately for you, the batteries for our camera weren't charged so we were only able to get a few pictures. Otherwise this batch would have been just too much. It also means we missed a few good shots.

Pictured are the Railway Station, Cadbury World and the bar where we ate lunch. We were going to do a late tour of the brewery and dinner at The Ale House but decided we were too tired. Of course the kids loved Cadbury World. Just one big chocolate-fest. The girl running the tour gave extra candy bars to each person in the group who asked a question. It didn't take long for our kids to catch on. Jason and I didn't think we would ever make it out of there.

Check out these fashion statements:




This morning we got up and drove the Otaga Peninsula out to the edge of nowhere. There we took a tour with Natures Wonders on an eight wheel ATV.



We got some great shots of seals, birds and the sea. We were able to see some endangered Yellow Eyed Penguins but they were too far away to take pics. Our tour guide was one of the family owners who have been doing this for generations. They are working to fence in their 500+ acres of land to maintain a predator free zone for all of the wildlife. It was stunning and so far the most enjoyable thing we've done.

Next came Larnach Castle, also on the Peninsula.



Beautiful but the inside is museum-like. Made it a little tougher with the kids.

Then we drove 4 1/2 hours to Queenstown. Here's what it looked like on part of the drive.



We finally made it to the campsite after a treacherous drive on Gorge Road. A name that's perfect for the crazy ass road we had to travel to get here...in the rain...in the dark. What is it with this country's love of one-lane roads that hang off the side of mountains? It's been raining all day so the grounds are soaked and squishy. Jason says we get to sleep in tomorrow. Woo-hoo! Mr. Timekeeper has had us going full out this entire trip! But that's ok, we love him and we've had fun.

Will write more tomorrow. Got a 24 hour internet account!

By the way, just got through eating 2 of these



Perky Nanas. New Zealand banana candy bars. Angie's new favorite food. But the correct name would have been "Perky Naners". It's a southern thing.

Lindy, I'm gonna send you a box. You'll love these things.

No longer Bertha Bad Belly.
Love to all,
Nana (Naner) Girl

No, seriously......

Excuse me while I go throw up…again. Whale watching on very rough seas with a severe seasickness warning. Just say NO!!!

This was one of the most anticipated parts of the trip for us. Unfortunately the beauty and fun of it pale when you are seasick, and you’re taking care of two other seasickers, and people are tossing their seasick cookies in barf bags left and right. The good news is we saw 4 whales. At least most people saw four whales. Some of us only saw 1 and ½. I missed the tail on the first when he dove because I was on my way to the upper deck, to get a better look. He was close too. With the third, I made it just in time to see and photograph the tail – but he was far, far away. Fortunately Jason and Brady were able to get some good shots while the rest of us hung our heads low and moaned in agony.

Cole, Grace and I started feeling sick soon after our first sighting. Let me tell you. That’s one bad, inescapable feeling! By the end of the trip we were just praying to make it off without actually having to use the bags. And Cole was literally green. No exaggeration.

Jason and Brady were quite the perky pair. Lucky for us. It means we got some of our money’s worth!

All the kids zonked towards the end of our three hour tour. Most of us sick grownups just sat around wishing we could sleep like them.

Check out the bag under Cole’s chin. He fell asleep like that.



One gorgeous five hour drive later and here we are in Timaru. Not much going on here, so bright and early tomorrow we hit the road to Dunedin. More cool stuff to do there that thankfully doesn’t involve a boat!

By the way, Jason says we’re going to retire here. He’s checking out land prices.

Will write more later!
Yours truly,
Bertha Bad Belly

Excuse me while I go throw up!

Odd title for a “We’re Here” post. Well, I’m all about giving you guys the real nitty gritty. I’m not sugar coating a thing. Nope. I want you to feel the good and the bad with us. So here it is…

Good: We had a smooth flight from Alice Springs to Sydney and drive to hotel (very short).

Bad: The first restaurant we chose for dinner in Sydney had no kids menu, a very busy happy hour and a Barcardi poster with two chicks touching tongues. We split quicker than most people can say “tongue touch” but not before Brady and Grace noticed and made a few choice comments.

Good: We actually made the airport shuttle on time, got seats (they thought it would be full) and arrived close to 2 hours early at the airport to get checked in and eat breakfast (they have a Krispie Kreme in the international terminal – woohoo!)

Bad: Missed the Krispie Kremes and almost missed our flight because Qantas couldn’t figure out how to process an entire family on government orders.

Good: We did make the flight to New Zealand.

Bad: To make said flight, we had to run full speed to the gate, screaming like mad men while they announced all five of our names over the loud speaker. Then we had to endure the “looks” from fellow passengers who actually made it on time. To top it all off, our very hungry children were rewarded for their sprinting prowess with breakfast an hour later consisting of cold bread, scrambled eggs with green flecks and beans.

Good: New Zealand is one gorgeous place.

Bad: Apollo took about an hour to process our campervan. By 3:30 when we drove out, everyone was starving and grumpy. Didn’t get to shop for groceries. Ever try to park a 6 Berth campervan?

Good: Campervans are way cool. Ours is even cooler because we're in it.

Bad: A campervan smells after a few hours with a stressed family of five who have been eating junk…well, who have just been eating anything for a couple of days. You can see how they lose their luster!

Good: We made it safe and sound!


After we picked up the wheels, we headed out to Kaikoura. It’s about a 3 hour drive. Since we weren’t going to arrive until after dark and we weren’t quite sure how to hook up the electricity on the campervan, we didn’t stop to take photos. But never fear! I would never forget you, my loyal fan base of 3, maybe 4 people. I took all of these photos through the window just to give you an idea of the beauty of the place. With the exception, of course, of the first few where the kids decided to take photos of each other in the hotel room last night.

You will notice that there is a break between the last few pictures where it suddenly goes from light out to dark, blurry and on the sea. That’s because in-between I couldn’t unclench my jaw or my fists enough to even consider taking pics. We drove up and down some of the most beautiful mountainsides…….with narrow winding roads and absolutely no guardrail. I feared for our lives. But my man of all men got us here safely…despite my bitching and constant warnings to slow down.

But, as I told Jason, if either Lindy or Cheryl were with us, we probably would have needed to have an ambulance meet us in Kaikoura! No offense ladies, but I pride myself on the fact that I was less of a wreck than the two of you would have been…kind of.

And just think – we get to drive it all over again tomorrow!!!!

Excuse me while I go throw up.
A

IOU...

Photos from the big 0.6. - Brady's birthday. Photos from the OLSH Fete (carnival). Stories of Gracie throwing up and Cole and Brady getting awards in school. I owe you stories of nits and embarrassing neighbor moments. I owe you explanations of "fair dinkum", Brady's use of the word "proper", and Grace's use of the word "cross". I owe you video of a bunch of Australian kids (with some American kids mixed in) singing a catchy little tune that goes "Sing, Sing, La, La, La, La" that I swear will be stuck in your head for a week. And stories (designed to make you feel sorry for me and say "Wow that Angie sure is great!") that involve me organizing affore mentioned carnival and preschool raffle, toting as many as 7 different children back and forth to school every day, babysitting for friends, attending RCIA classes and being all around Super Mom and wife!

I owe you all these things because I suck and haven't posted anything lately. But you aren't going to get them. At least not yet. Because we're leaving Alice Springs tomorrow!

Well, not for good or anything. Just for a couple of weeks. And we're not going across state line. We're not going to the Redneck Riviera. We're not even going to Cancun. We're going to a whole country!!!!!! (well at least the south island)

New Zealand!!!!!!! Yay for us!

After I got over the coronary from the cost associated with a two week trip to New Zealand, I was able to plan our itinerary. Since it will take too long to type it all in, I decided to just scan in my notes. This way you can all follow us around on Google Earth!




Note:
19th - O/N in Sydney
30th - O/N in Christchurch
1st - O/N in Christchurch
2nd - O/N in Sydney
3rd - O/N in Sydney
4th - Home

O/N = Overnight

Taking the laptop and camera (with cord this time). May be able to post and put pics up as we go. Be sure to check back.

Love you guys!!!!
A