Orewa and Auckland: Spending Time in the Big City

11/8-11/13

Our first day back in Orewa, we got up and went into town for breakfast once Jackson finally got out of bed. We drove to the Real Food Kitchen, where I got a chicken, brie, and cranberry toastie with fresh-pressed apple juice. I know it doesn’t sound very breakfasty, but it was delicious. Mom and I walked down to the library, where I got a book called Lyla about the Christchurch earthquake. After we went shopping, we headed back to the house, where I did math and science. We had rice cakes and broccoli for dinner before we watched the Voice.

On the morning of the Shawn Mendes concert, I had breakfast and then journaled in my room. I did Spanish and flute before I got dressed. Mom and I drove and took a bus into downtown Auckland. We went to Mexico Food and Liquor for dinner. We got esquites (street corn), a salad, a jackfruit quesadilla, and a pavlova. It was all great, but the pavlova was best. It came with strawberries and a delicious kiwi sorbet. Mom and I wandered our way to the Sparks Arena, where he was playing. When Ruel came out, the guy opening for Shawn, all the girls went crazy. He was like a young Justin Bieber. He was actually pretty good; I like his song, Painkiller. After an intermission, the lights went out and then the arena exploded. He jumped right into Lost in Japan and I couldn’t hear him at first through all of the “AHHHHHHH!!!”. He’s super talented; he can play the guitar and piano incredibly well, is an amazing singer, and is the best performer that I’ve ever seen. After the concert, Mom and I got a bus and Dad and Jackson picked us up at the station. Sorry about the audio quality and rotation of the videos.

Shawn Mendes: The Tour Auckland, New Zealand Spark Arena November 9, 2019

Shawn Mendes: The Tour Auckland, New Zealand Spark Arena November 9, 2019

The tenth was a completely lazy day. We watched the Voice in the evening after a day spent entirely at the house. The morning of the eleventh was the exact same but in the afternoon, we went to the mall, where I got black shorts for field hockey and we went grocery shopping. The game was so fun; it just felt so good to play in a game again with other people. On the twelfth, I watched some TV and then read. Mom and I got a new journal at Paper Plus. Back at the house, I did more schoolwork before and after lunch. I watched the Seahawks play the 49ers in the afternoon and then practiced flute until we could watch the Voice live. Dinner was burrito night: steak, rice, black beans, salsa, sour cream, cheese, and salad. Mom and Dad went on a walk and I did some dance strengthening before bed.

On the thirteenth, we went into Auckland for the first time as a family. I went on a run in the morning and then we drove into town. We had brunch at Marie’s, where I had a raspberry and white chocolate muffin and apple-pear-orange juice. We went into so many shops in the morning that I can’t remember and we slowly worked our way into the center of town. I got another Fleur Beale book at a bookstore and picked up a few Christmas presents. We stopped at a brewery for Mom and Dad to get some drinks, went shopping a bit longer, and then went to Giapo Gourmet Ice Cream. The menu was insane (go to giapo.com to see pictures of some of their more ridiculous items). I got a Yorkshire pudding (the closest thing they had to a cup: a pastry cup lined with milk chocolate). It had Giapo Bueno (salted caramel) and tiramisu ice cream in it. It was definitely the most outrageous creative ice cream I’ve ever had. We went to the fish market to hang out and watch cricket and I read my new book. I had chicken parmigiana at an Italian place and then we watched the Voice back at the House.

Bushfires in Australia

I’m sure all of you have heard of the bushfires happening in Australia. I had heard of them before I got down here too, but it’s a lot more personal down here. When we were in New Zealand, there were news reports of smoke blowing across the Tasman Sea and possibly effecting people with things like asthma and other breathing problems. That made it feel a bit closer to home, but a few days ago, we spent four days in Sydney. The main bushfires in New South Wales (the state Sydney is in) are directly west of Sydney. Our days there all had some smoke and visibility problems, but we went up into the Blue Mountains one day.

At our first stops closest to the city, you could see smoke in the distance over the mountains and you could tell the wind was blowing it towards us and Sydney. It really got bad after we stopped for lunch. We went to a lookout at the Three Sisters rock formation and you could see only a small portion of the bushfires in the valley beneath us. There was so much smoke in the valley and when you looked up, there was an enormous trail of smoke disappearing into the sky. Besides the obvious effects on the native forests and on the people and animals living nearby, these bushfires are releasing so much carbon dioxide into our atmosphere.

Our tour guide was a reserve firefighter. It was really encouraging when he said that he’d seen worse than what’s happening right now, but bushfires can get worse really fast. Someone once said that for people to care and donate to a cause, they need to have hope. There is hope here, but these firefighters do need help. They’re leasing out helicopters from American companies because they don’t have enough of their own.

Because of this, koalas have been losing a lot of their valuable habitat space. A lot of them also got burnt in the fires. If you can, please donate to the WWF fund. After the fires get put out, it will help with reforestation and in the meantime, it will give some of the money to koala hospitals.

If you can, please donate to one of the causes below. If you can’t, tell your friends or ask your parents. It’s really easy to think that things like this won’t affect you, but natural disasters like this are becoming more and more common and it is ultimately the fault of the human race.

Land of the Long White Cloud and Viti: Orewa and Fiji

10/31-11/7

On our first full day in Orewa, Dad and I went on a run down by the beach after oatmeal for breakfast. We had to kind of zigzag between the street/sidewalk and down on the beach. There was supposed to be a path, but it went in and out. Our new home is on the Hibiscus Coast Highway on the North Shore of New Zealand. It’s about half an hour north of Auckland in a town called Orewa. We’re really close to the beach and only three or four blocks from downtown. Mom and Dad went to check out a gym and Jackson and I did schoolwork. I had my first field hockey practice twenty minutes away in Albany. The practice was great and all the girls were really nice. Dinner was tomato soup and grilled cheese and then we watched the first hour of a Voice episode.

After breakfast, I worked on some math and read through the morning while Mom and Dad went to the gym. We went to the library in the afternoon after lunch, where I got a book by a New Zealand author named Melanie Cellier, the Princess Companion. She and Fleur Beale are my favorite NZ authors I’ve found by far. Beale’s Juno series is amazing and Cellier does retellings of classic fairy tales (totally my jam). We walked down to the park and messed around with a basketball some. 

We watched some more of the Voice before going to dinner at an Asian place called Cheek & Chong. We got squid, prawn and corn dumplings, Chinese vegetables, pad thai, sweet-and-sour pork belly, and Mekong chicken curry. The dumplings had a bit of heat, but was great other than that. The curry had a good bit of heat and a really strong coconut taste; I didn’t really like it too much. The calamari was good, like all squid at good restaurants, and the Chinese vegetables were great. They were like collard greens, with a vinegary sauce/taste. The pad thai and pork belly were my favorites though. After more of the Voice, we got in bed.

On the second, we did schoolwork through the morning while Mom and Dad went to the gym. I read my new book from the library and caught up on journalling. We packed for Fiji and then had rice cakes for dinner. We had to get up at five to watch Wake play NC State, but it was worth it since we beat them by a lot, breaking Clawson’s losing streak after bye weeks. We had an early lunch at the airport at a Greek place, wehre I got a grilled chicken bun with parmesan mayonaisse. After we finally got to Fiji, we took a ferry to the resort island. After settling in at the house, we got dinner at Dick’s Place (the restaurant on the island). We got pork belly, bread, calamari, and tuna. 


On our first full day in Fiji, we had breakfast at Dick’s Place, with fresh fruit and pastries. We went down to the Activity Hut and got the Family Activity pass. Jackson and I went snorkeling, just right off the beach. The snorkeling was amazing; there was a coral farm, bright fish, and a drop off with lots of fish in it. While we were snorkeling, something bumped into Jackson’s leg and he kind of freaked out. It was a dog that had paddled out to us from the shore. She followed us around as we walked around the pool area and we decided to call her Cally. We had lunch at the cafe, where I got chicken pasta. In the afternoon, we borrowed three paddle boards and a kayak (kayak for Jackson) and went across the bay to the other resort on the island, Plantation (we were staying at Musket Cove). We came back and went back to our house to get ready before going to Dick’s Place for dinner. There was a Curry Buffet and it was delicious, even with a bit of spice. They had butter chicken, beef, green bean, fish, and some other things as well. Dessert was some samples of different things: mango cheesecake, doughnut holes, vanilla cake, and other such things. 

On the fifth, we got breakfast at the cafe instead of Dick’s Place, where I got buttermilk pancakes. We rented bikes for our last three days and then rode them over to Plantation. They had an inflatable water park in their section of the bay and we played on it some. It was kind of slimy from algae, but still fun. We hung out at the pool back in Musket Cove and then had lunch (delicious chicken chow mein) at Dick’s Place. Jackson and I borrowed two paddle boards and just took them out in the middle of the bay. It was so peaceful and surprisingly fun, just floating in the middle of the cove. We got ice cream at the island’s general store, hokey-pokey covered in chocolate (hokey-pokey is an amazing flavor that we found down here, vanilla with bits of toffee and honeycomb). After we reapplied sunscreen, Jackson and I played volleyball with some Australians and other Americans. At the pool, we hung out and talked to the family from Maryland. They were sailing around the world for two years; isn’t that so cool?! I wish I knew how to sail; it would be such a cool skill to have. We went out to the island bar to eat pizza and watch the sunset; it was so beautiful. We watched the movie, School of Rock, back at our villa and it was amazing. 

On our second-to-last day, Dad and I woke up before Mom and Jackson, so we went down to Dick’s Place for donuts and fruit. Mom and Jackson went down as well when they got up and then we went out on the daily snorkel excursion. We went out over a coral reef in a small boat and then snorkeled around there for about an hour. It was definitely my favorite part of Fiji; the fish were dazzling and the coral was much brighter colors than I had ever seen (orange and bright purple. The most memorable thing we found were a bunch of starfish on the seafloor; they were a bright indigo color, literally like the night sky. Back at Musket Cove, we retreated to our air-conditioned villa to watch the King’s Speech. Lunch was at Dick’s Place again (barbecue chicken quesadillas). Dad and I hung out at the pool in the afternoon while Jackson napped and Mom stayed out of the sun. Our last dinner was at Dick’s Place, where I got the mushroom risotto (I love risotto!) and the kid’s chocolate fondue with fruit and marshmallows. 

For our last day in Fiji, we hung out at our house until the cafe opened at eight. Mom and I split the breakfast burrito and I got a banana smoothie. We packed and then went down to check out the woodcarvers stall. It was so impressive; there were canes, bowls, plates, carvings, and traditional weapons, along with bone necklaces. I got a green hand-carved turtle necklace and got three Christmas presents for people (you will be left to wonder if it is your’s). Jackson and I decided to go on a bike ride around the area, but then it started raining. Our ferry took us to Port Denarau,where we got lunch at a traditional Fijian restaurant (chicken stir fry with rice). We went shopping some before heading to the airport. Dinner was on our flight and then I slept on the drive back to Orewa.

“Taking a break can lead to breakthroughs.”
— Russell Eric Dobda

Journey to Auckland: Nelson, Rotorua, Hahei, and Orewa

10/27-10/30

The day that we left Wellington, we went to Sweet Mother’s Kitchen for breakfast. We got beignets and I got the huevos rancheros again. We drove to Nelson and stopped at the hotel before going to lunch at the Gintrap, where I got a sundried tomatoes and feta flatbread. It tasted like thin-crusted pizza with feta cheese, but it was really light and good. We drove up to a lookout over the harbor in the middle of a garden. We walked along the waterfront and through the downtown, stopping at Lick This for ice cream (cookies n’ cream). We drove back to the hotel, where we hung out before going to bed.

On the 28, we got up, had breakfast in the hotel room, packed up, and drove to Lake Taupo. We walked around the small town and climbed on a playground. I had a berry smoothie for lunch. We drove to Rotorua, where we went to Whakarewarewa Thermal Village. We did the tour of the Maori village, where we got to see the hot springs and geysers, the thermal baths, and where they cooked the food. We got to see a cultural performance, where they sang, did the haka, and used poi (look it up). After the performance and the tour, I kept thinking how it must be nice to have culture. I have no idea where I came from; we have no traditional foods we cook, no stories passed down, no nationality or cultural identification. We went to our hotel room and then got dinner at Capers, where I had delicious pea and asparagus risotto. 


The next day was probably my favorite on the way to Auckland, when we went to the Hobbiton movie set. It was so cool!! With all the teeny, tiny details, you could easily imagine people living there, except for all the tourists and tour groups. For example, there was hobbit laundry hanging on lines and one of the hobbit holes that was probably in less than 15 seconds of the movie had a sign labeled Gone Fishing and had so many details such as a fishing rod and realistic dried fish on a table outside. We stopped at the Green Dragon (the pub in the movie), which actually works as a pub, where I got some of their ginger beer. I had a butter chicken pie for lunch on the road. We went to Hot Water Beach on the way to Hahei, where you dig holes and hot water comes up from underground. You let the ocean come in a bit to cool it and then sit in it like a hot tub. We got dinner at a pub and then played Scrabble for bed.

On the day we arrived at our last home, we got up early and walked the Cathedral Cove hike. It went along the beach for a while, going by some sheep pens, and then it went up and along the hills through the trees. At the cove, there was a hole through the cliff and the ocean was on the other side. We walked to the other side of the beach, where there was a cool little waterfall. The coast looked very similar to Abel Tasman. We packed up and checked out after fruit bread for breakfast. We stopped for lunch and I got potato, watercress, and garlic soup. The drive to Orewa seemed to take forever, winding along the Coromandel Peninsula and then getting stuck in the Auckland traffic on a highway. After getting settled and unpacking, Mom and Dad went to get groceries. Dad and I played cards while Mom made chicken skewers, potatoes, and asparagus for dinner. We watched the Voice before bed.


“A walk in nature walks the soul back home.”
— Nicole Reichert

Back to Te Waipounamu: Blenheim, Abel Tasman National Park, and Last Day in Wellington

10/22-10/26

On the 22nd, we took the ferry back across the Cook Strait to the South Island. We landed in Picton, drove to Blenheim, and then got pizza for dinner at the Yard Bar. On our one day in Blenheim, we had breakfast at the hotel before picking up our bike rentals. We rode around the countryside, stopping at different wineries along the way for Mom and Dad to do tastings. We went to Hunter’s and Hans-Herzog first and then rode along the riverside path. We stopped for lunch at Giesen’s, where Mom and Dad did a tasting and we got a cheese plate and a charcuterie plate. There was all the normal stuff, plus smoked salmon mousse, garlic butter, beetroot chutney, and even chicken liver pate. I tried everything, even the pate, and it was all delicious, like the lemonade. We went by Wairau River and Farmer’s (haha, yeah, just like our name; hilarious) for the parent’s last tastings. We freshened up at the hotel and then went to the Lemongrass for dinner, where I got chicken and steamed vegetables fried rice.

We woke up really early in the morning to finish packing our packs and had breakfast again. It rained on the car ride, but it had stopped by the time we got on the water taxi. The water taxi took us to Anchorage in Abel Tasman National Park. On the way, some dolphins fell in behind our boat. They would swim right behind the engine in our wake and jump out of the water so close to us. The skipper told us that it might be a superpod. It was like they were everywhere; if you looked out, you could see them coming up for breath in all directions. We started our hike to Bark Bay once we got dropped off at Anchorage. We took the low-tide track across Torrent’s Bay. We eventually had to take our shoes off to wade across some water, since the tide hadn’t gone out all the way. We got our boots back on and then the path steadily climbed up. There were some really great lookouts over the Cook Strait. We got to Bark Bay and hung out on the beach for an hour until the other water taxi came. It was a pretty rough ride to Awaroa, where the lodge was. At the lodge, Jackson and I played some checkers and Monopoly before dinner. Dinner was amazing Marlbourne salmon for me. We played a round of Hearts and then went to see a glowworm cave. They were bright blue, not at all what I expected, and looked like neon stars in the ground.

For our last day in Abel Tasman, we went to breakfast at the lodge, where I got the baked eggs and beans on toast, which was the perfect portion size. We went on a kayaking trip for the morning. We got to see a lot of NZ fur seals (kekenos), which are actually sea lions. One came right up and swam around, under, and between our boats. They’re so graceful and sleek in the water; our guide said that they feel superior and safe in the water, so they will let themselves be curious. There were a lot of cormorants and ‘tree penguins’ out on a point. We kayaked out to a beach to take a break. There was a large seal on the rocks next to the beach and some adorable pups behind him. Back at the lodge, we changed and had a snack of feta and herb scones. We caught the water taxi back to our car and then took off to make our ferry. We got to the landing and found out it was delayed, so we got dinner down the street. We ended up getting back to Wellington at around 11, so we got to bed soon.

On our last day in Wellington, we kind of just hung out at the house. I posted my blog for Christchurch and then got my hair cut. We hung out for a while and then went to Currizza for dinner. It was a curious combination of curry and pizza, but was actually incredible; it had some heat but was so different. We watched some of the Voice and then watched the All Blacks lose to England. 


“The poetry of earth is never dead”
— John Keats

Testing Out the City Life: Living in Wellington 10/7-10/21

Warning: I’m writing about all of Wellington, so be prepared for a long post. You may want to read it in pieces or buckle down for a long read. 

At the beginning of our second week in the Windy City, we watched the Broncos play the Chargers at our apartment. I couldn’t believe that we finally won a game, even if it was kind of ugly. I took a dance class at a studio down the street (En Pointe) and then we hung out the rest of the day, watching the Colts play the Chiefs, doing schoolwork, and blogging. We had broccoli-cheddar soup for dinner and then played some Hearts before bed. 

On the eighth, we went to the Te Papa museum (the national museum). First, we went through the art section. The first thing we really saw was Finale Bouquet, a mind-blowing pattern of colored plastic hanging from the ceiling by fishing line. It was supposed to be a frozen moment of when confetti had been launched into the air and that’s exactly what it looked like. Indra’s Bow stuck out to me as well: a group of glass orbs in the shape of a bow hanging from rainbow string with different smelling herbs, spices, flowers, and other things in them. There were so many different types of arts in a non-art museum: Maori, modern, video, etc. There was Maori history, the founding of New Zealand, and even a small exhibit on women’s suffrage. New Zealand was the first country to give women the vote, 125 years ago. We went through the theatrical Gallipoli exhibit (look it up), which was designed by Peter Jackson and Weta Studios (who did the Lord of the Rings). Jackson really enjoyed it and I thought it was cool, though all the stats about how many people died and the awful conditions made me feel a little sick. We got to dinner at Mac’s Brewbar (spaghetti for me) and then went to Unity Books, where a really cool atlas was being signed (We Are Here). It had so many cool stats on population and other things that I would never thought have including. 

Video Art from Ada Farmer on Vimeo.

Te Papa Museum, Wellington, New Zealand


We chilled at the place until Jackson and Dad went to play golf. Mom and I went shopping downtown towards Cuba Street. Cuba Street is probably my favorite place that we found in Wellington; it’s artsy, small, has so many different shops, and other really cool vendors. We had sausages for dinner, watched the Voice, and went to bed. Mom signed Jackson and I up for Sporting Skills camp, where we learned how to play rugby, cricket, and floorball. We started with ultimate tag and some dodgeball, before we played TurboTouch rugby. Cricket was actually very interesting; bowling especially was fun. Floorball was last (basically ice hockey on a gym floor with a whiffleball). Dinner was nachos after schoolwork. 

I did schoolwork, journalling, flute, and then we walked to the Wellington Zoo. We debated going there or to Zealandia (with all native animals), but the zoo had a lot of native animals and others. We got to see: river otters, gibbons, capuchins, lemurs, a tiger, keas, a red panda, cheetahs, chimpanzees, meerkats, wallabys, an emu, a capybara, caracals, servals, giraffes, ostriches, lions, and a kiwi. The chimps were probably the coolest thing. At first, there was nothing visible in the enclosure, but they walked around a corner and all came lumbering towards us in a line. They all got in different positions like they were posing for us. They went inside to their play and eating area and we looked through the windows. It was hilarious to watch. They play-fought and swung around, so confident in the air, in themselves, that they wouldn’t fall. We got to watch them eat too; coconuts, fruit, corn, and other vegetables. The giraffes were almost as cool as them: they were down lower than us, so we were at their face level. Twice, one of their heads came right up, only a few feet away from me through the bars. The kiwi was really weird; we could only find it in the dark enclosure by its loud sniffing. It was much bigger than I had previously thought, like the size of a basketball. We stopped at a Mediterranean place for dinner and got two pizzas, one with white sauce, rocket (like spinach), and sausage and one with red sauce and buffalo mozzerella. Back at the apartment, Jackson and I finally watched Spiderman: Far From Home while Mom and Dad went to a Chris Christopherson concert. 


On the twelfth, Jackson and Dad went to the War Memorial, while Mom and I went to a flute lesson. We went out to dinner at the Flying Burrito Brother’s, where Mom and I split a chipotle chicken burrito, which was simple, but had one particular thing I couldn’t put my finger on that made it great. We watched the Wellington Lions beat the Waikato Bulls in rugby. It was really cool to finally watch a game in person, at least for the first half. It got a lot colder after halftime, so we left after an hour. Dad and I went on a run the next day out to the point and then came back and showered before the Wake game at 12:30. We were a complete mess, losing 28-7 to Louisville at the end of the first quarter. We played a little better in the second half, especially the fourth quarter. Kendall Hinton and Christian Beal-Smith carried us and Sam Hartman finally got to play because Jamie Newman hurt his shoulder. The refs made some really bad calls, but as my dad said, we can’t really complain about them when we put ourselves in such a tight situation by playing so awfully. Dinner was pasta with bolognese sauce from the Mediterranean place from two nights ago and then we continued our game of Hearts. 

To kick off our third week, we went across Wellington Harbor to Day’s Bay. After the ferry ride, we got breakfast at the Sea Salt Café. We took the bus to the bike rental place to get set-up. We went down the Pencarrow Coast Road. It took us a while to get used to riding on the gravel. It was a great view off the coast and the hills were covered in gorse and purple daisies. It was so picturesque and there was almost no one else on the trail. It was great; I don’t know how Mom finds all this stuff. We got out to the lighthouses: the one in use now and the historical one up on the hill. We rode past it and inland a ways, by some lakes. We ditched the bikes and hiked up the rest of the path to the historic lighthouse. The gnats were pretty bad in the valley, with the wet and stillness, but once the wind picked up, it was fine. There were some sheep up around the lighthouse and in the distance on the hills around us, but we accidentally scared away the ones near us. The lighthouse was really pretty on the hill with the ocean, hills, and Wellington across the Harbour. The architecture of the lighthouse was really pleasing; it had lots of sharp angles with the white paint. We hiked back down the hill to our bikes and got back out to the main road. We kept riding down the coast, stopping at a shipwreck on the coast before we had to turn around and head back. We got a late lunch at Chocolate Dayz Café and I got basil pesto linguine. We took the ferry back to Wellington and went to Bonobo, a kid’s gym with climbing walls, ropes, and other things just to stay active in a fun way. We caught the bus back to the apartment afterwards, where I had a salad and yogurt before playing Hearts. Mom was at 99 points and then she Shot the Moon. She almost did it two rounds in a row, but then Dad took two points and I ended up winning. 

I was so excited for our Weta Workshop tour the next morning. We got there early and looked through their gallery and shop. They had Theoden’s armor, orc weapons and armor, and all of Legolas’ weapons (bow and knives). They had actual weapons for sale; Legolas’ knives and the ring-wraiths sword were copies of the props, except made of actual metal and actually sharp. They also had a copy of the One Ring in gold with the elven runes enscribed in it for $1500. The tour was one of the coolest things ever. The guide walked us through how basically everything is made, from the original design, 3-D design, prototyping (making it out of cardboard), the master prototype (basically made out of cement), making a mold from the master, making copies with the mold out of whatever material is needed, painting them, and putting on the final touches. One of the coolest things was the swordsmith, who literally makes swords for fantasy movies. I asked where you can train to do that and the guide said that their current smith was self-taught, but that he has an apprentice. The last place was a guy who sculpted things out of aluminum foil and covered it in a moldable play-doughish concrete. He was kind of wacky, but was really cool to watch. He showed us how he made models and other things with the concrete. We went back to the house, where we had potato gnocchi with sage and broccoli, which was surprisingly amazing. 

We took the bus downtown before our Parliament tour so we could go shopping. The Parliament tour was actually really cool, but it wasn’t the facilities or buildings or history that I was interested in, but the politics of it. I wish it was easy to decide what you want to be/do; I have so many things on my mind. It’s so frustrating!! We went to the grocery store and then back to the apartment for dinner, delicious barbecue chicken tostadas. My next dance lesson was the next day and other than that, we just kind of sat around until dinner at a crab shack. We got gelato on the way back to the place. 

The next couple of days were spent mostly in the apartment. I practiced flute and did schoolwork before dinner (cheesy rice cakes) and watching the Return of the King. More of the same happened the next day, though I ventured out for a flute lesson and dinner at Leroy’s. Jackson beat me at pool when I hit in the eight ball (I know, shocking!) and we got three Lucy Has Dragon Breath burgers (one for Mom and I, one for Jackson, and one for Dad). It had some heat, which we probably should have expected from the name, but was really good and came with barbecue chips and creamy onion dip. 

We walked to the market on Sunday morning and looked through all the food trucks and stalls. Everything was so tantalizing: bakeries, Asian, Greek, crepes, waffles, and so much else. I think I could literally eat every meal there every Sunday. We ended up getting donuts to split: one chocolate and one regular. The chocolate one was surprisingly good, especially with the not-to-sweet chocolate cream/custard, but the vanilla/regular was better. I also got a spanakopita with it, which had a little less cheese and more spinach than I would have liked, but was still a good choice. We walked back and lounged around until Wake played Florida State. It was a stressful game, coming off our first loss against Louisville, of all teams. But we ended up coming through with Kendall Hinton having a GAME, with a one-handed catch and some much needed conversions, and Sam Hartman handling the pressure like a pro and pulling us through. Cade Carney pulled what Jackson told me is called a ‘Wildcat’, where he took the snap like a QB (he’s a running back), faked the handoff, and ran it, for a touchdown and a much-needed third-down conversion near the end. Dinner was sausage, potatos, and salad before we continued our game of Hearts. 

Jackson and I had a Yahtzee! Marathon on the twenty-first, playing eight rounds. My luck was awful, but I still had a really great time. I had my last dance lesson at En Pointe, which was great. Thanks so much to Katherine for taking me at such short notice!! Dinner was tomato soup and grilled cheese. 

Thanks to everyone who made it this far!! I know this has been an agonizingly long post, but I had to catch up and I couldn’t bear to cut any of this amazing stuff short. I miss everyone at home and hope you’re all doing well. XOXO from New Zealand, Ada.

Fare Thee Well, Wanaka

Football, Rugby, and Crepes: 9/22

Our last four or five days in Wanaka were really sad; it was almost worse than when we left home. When we left home, we knew we would be coming back in three months. We have no idea whether we’ll ever come back to New Zealand, much less Wanaka. We made a list of the new places we wanted to go to and the old ones to revisit. Our first day back from Milford, we watched Wake play Elon in football and then walked into town for brunch at Charlie Brown Crepes. Jackson and I split a Classic (egg and cheese) and a Pomme D’Amour (caramelized apples, caramel, and whipped cream) and they were both really good. The apple one especially was complete genius; simple, but amazing flavor. I did some schoolwork back at the house and then Jackson went across the street to the park to play with the rugby ball. We kicked and threw the ball around for almost an hour and a half, almost until dinner. After dinner, we watched about the first half of Batman Begins. My dad brought seven movies with us: Iron Man and Iron Man 2, Batman Begins, the Dark Knight and the Dark Knight Rises, the Goonies, and To Kill a Mockingbird. So far, we’ve watched Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Goonies, and now Batman Begins. It was great; I especially love Rachel. I am a huge Marvel fan, but Wonder Woman and Batman Begins are the only DC movies I’ve seen and they’re both amazing.

9/23

We hang around the house all day. We watched the Broncos vs. Packers game (I can’t believe we’re 0-4) and the Rams vs. Browns. Mom and Jackson went into town to shop while Dad and I stayed at home to read and for me to do schoolwork. After dinner, we finished Batman Begins, which is one of the best superhero movies that I have ever seen. We had some banana split and cookies and milk ice cream from Patagonia Chocolates that Mom and Jackson had brought back.

Roy’s Peak: 9/24

The moment we’ve all been waiting for, hoping for, and possibly dreading: the awe-inspiring, intimidating Roy’s Peak Track. With 6.8 miles round-trip and a daunting 4000+ ft. elevation gain, we’d committed once we heard of it, but had been waiting for a good weather day. I hated it and loved it at the same time. The path never flattened out and wound back-and-forth across the front of the mountain, so it was very challenging, which I enjoyed. I had to limit my picture-taking on the way up, as the view was increasingly better as we kept climbing. It was very picturesque if a little smelly from all the sheep. You may have this image in your head of cute, white, and fluffy animals, but let me tell you: sheep are dirty and smelly animals. We’ve seen plenty of them while we’ve been in New Zealand, and though I have to admit that the lambs are really cute, the rest of them are kind of disgusting. We ate lunch at a lookout about forty-five minutes from the top viewpoint and then powered on up the last 1.5 kilometers. From the top, we could see all of Lake Wanaka, Mount Aspiring, Glendhu Bay, many other mountains, and even Lake Hawea in the distance. For those of you who know my dad, you can guess that he was a little nervous at the top, but he was very resilient and even allowed us to turn our back on the edge for some selfies. I know that going uphill is always seen as being hard and downhill as being easy, but I would much rather climb the mountain twice than have to go up it and then back down. Going down hurts everything in your legs: your knees, ankles, thighs, calves, hips, and everything in between. I probably sound like an old lady complaining about all of my aches and pains, but it was true. The day after Roy’s Peak, we were all a mess.

School and Recovery: 9/25

Most of the morning and afternoon was taken up by figuring out a new system of schoolwork now that we’ve lost access to Powerschool and all the time in between was spent lying in bed with our sore legs. Mom and Dad went out on date night and Jackson and I stayed in with Domino’s pizza. I know it doesn’t sound super great, but seeing how we’ve barely had an hour apart from each other, it was a relief to get away from two out of three (Still love you, Mom and Dad!!).

Final Day in Our Home

We walked into town for our last day in Wanaka. We walked into all the shops and got souvenirs and reminders of our amazing time here. We took our sweet time walking through the town we’d come to know and took the long, scenic way to the house, along the lakeshore. Back at the house, we packed our bags, I practiced flute, and we hung out. We had potato and sausage scramble for dinner and then got in bed relatively early so we wouldn’t be tired for a long day of traveling to Christchurch

“Home is truly where the heart is.”
— Anonymous, with some help from me

Whirlwind of Car, Glaciers, Hotels, Lakes, Waterfalls, Mountains, Sounds, and Everything Else in Between

9/18-9/21

Franz-Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier - 9/18

We got up early, ate breakfast, and drove to Franz-Josef. We ate our packed lunch in the car and then began our hike on the Robert’s Point Track. As far as the hikes we’ve done so far, it was kind of a combination between the Likeke Falls one in Hawaii and the Grinnell Glacier one in Glacier National Park. It was like we went to South America, somewhere in the Andes, Peru or Chile. We were in the middle of a temperate rainforest and it was very damp everywhere. Everything was green, with a little bit of brown. There was a lot of moss and ferns all over the trunks of trees and on the forest floor. I can definitely understand why ferns are such a symbol of New Zealand: they are everywhere. The first part of the hike was actually a hike; mostly gravel with a bit of an uphill climb. There were a lot of suspension bridges, waterfalls, creeks to cross, and climbing to do. About a third of the way through, it became very uphill. It was very rocky and a little slick. It was really fun, even though we had to climb with our hands and feet sometimes. I could tell that Mom and Dad were a little nervous about us going up slick rocks, especially Jackson, but it was worth it. By the end, we kept thinking “We’ll be there any minute now… any minute now...any minute now!?!” We didn’t end up making it to the top of the viewpoint, but the hike was very enjoyable. It was okay though because we could see the glacier from the parking lot and it was really beautiful. 

It was really sad too though; the glacier used to fill the valley and now it’s just sitting in a crevice. I can’t believe that some people don’t believe in global warming. There is so much evidence staring us in the face. Global warming, endangered animals, it’s all so depressing. It’s such a big problem and it’s rooted in people’s heads. The movie 2040 comes to mind. It’s a realistic outlook on what the world would look like in that year if we only implemented what countermeasures already exist. We already have the plans, the technology; we just choose not to use it. It seems like such a big problem and it seems so hopeless. My dad says that our generation is the one that will fix it, that will restore what previous generations have done. Of course, there’s no pressure; being the one that must fix it could also mess it up even worse. I don’t want to finish this crazy rant with a cheesy “But we have to try.”, but it’s true. If we don’t, what are we leaving for future generations? I’m sorry for that cliche rant/speech, but I had to say something after mentioning the glacier shrinking. 

We had to turn around because it was getting late and we wanted to be off the trail by dark. It was not a moment too soon; we got back to the car at four minutes to six. Going down took a much longer time. It had been drizzling most of the way up, so all the rocks were pretty slick and it was muddy too. We had to really take our time going down the steep parts and use our hands as well. Once we got back to the car, we drove to our hotel in the small town of Fox Glacier near Fox Glacier. We got dressed and walked into the little downtown for dinner. I got delicious creamy potato soup. We got pavlova, our first in New Zealand. Both New Zealanders and Australians claim to have invented it. I put stock in the New Zealanders’ story; they have much more delicious food that they’ve come up with and have a better culinary history. For those of you who don’t know, pavlova is a meringue-like, creamy dessert that’s usually served with lots of fresh fruit. It was the perfect size and not too sweet. 


Lake Matheson, Mounts Cook and Tasman, and Fantail Falls - 9/19

After sleeping in a little, we got up, got ready, and drove out of Fox Glacier to Lake Matheson. We stopped at an amazing lookout on the way to the lake and breakfast. We looked back towards town and had a great view of a bunch of mountains. We could see Mount Cook and Mount Tasman in particular. Mount Cook is the tallest mountain in New Zealand and Mount Tasman is the second. They are right next to each other and were really breathtaking from a distance, in combination with all the other mountains around it. We could also see Fox Glacier (which was bigger than Franz-Josef) beneath Mount Douglas.

We stopped for breakfast at Lake Matheson Cafe. I got the smoked salmon Benedict, which was a-mazing. It had an interesting combination of pesto with the bagel, egg, and salmon. I had a really interesting infusion of strawberry-kiwi tea, which I had never seen before. It was really good, but tasted almost like hot juice instead of tea. We walked back to Lake Matheson and the Reflection Island lookout. It was a mesmerizing picture: the mountains, the trees on the other side of the lake, and the flawless reflection. The only difference between the reflection and the actual picture was that the sky was lighter than the reflection in the lake. It was a much longer walk than expected, but it was definitely worth it. The forest around the trail was like the one at Franz-Josef, a temperate rainforest. That’s how it looked from on the trail, but on the other side of the lake, it looked exactly like some landscapes in America, with the snow-capped mountains, the pine trees, and the lake. The only exception was that I had never seen anything like the reflection in Lake Matheson. It was unbelievable, completely undisturbed by any ripples or waves.

We walked back to the car and drove back to Wanaka. About halfway home, we stopped at Fantail Falls. It was the shortest walk ever and we came out of the forest to see this protected little valley with a blue, blue creek and a petite little waterfall surrounded completely by pine trees. It wasn’t nearly as impressive as glaciers or huge mountains, but it was just such a perfect picture that it really stuck with me. The water was a deep turquoise and the waterfall made a quiet rushing noise in the background. Once we got back to the house, I changed for field hockey at the rec center. As usual, it was really nice to get to practice with other people again. We had dinner at the house, packed, and went to bed early in preparation for another early morning.

Cardrona and Te Anau: 9/20

In the morning, we finished packing up the car. We drove to Cardrona Resort for skiing and reached the exit road in about half an hour. The road to the top of the mountain was 12 kilometers, but it took so long because it was A) twisty-turny, B) uphill, C) gravel, and D) had a very steep drop-off at the edge of the road. It was very bumpy and my nerves were half on-edge the entire way up. At the top, we checked in, got our lift passes, and went to rentals. We got our helmets, boots, skis, and poles. 

Before I describe the skiing, I want to get one thing straight: I am no amazing skier. I am completely average and we only go skiing once or twice a year. I can do greens and blues pretty easily and have been wanting to try a black for several years, but I can’t find someone to do one with me. We did a few Greens to warm up and then did Blues the rest of the time. There were amazing views off both sides of the mountains. You could see Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown off one side and the entire valley with the town of Cardrona off the other side. I had some close calls where I almost wiped out on easy slopes when I was caught off-guard staring at the view. We got lunch at the cafeteria at the bottom of the slopes: butter chicken pie and rainbow salad.

After lunch, we went to the other side of the mountain and did some more Blue slopes (Shaun’s Way, Highway 81, The Longest Journey, and some others). I took a little detour over some moguls on one of the Blues twice and it was a new challenge. It gave me a little practice with turns and it was really fun. Dad went inside to take a break (his ankles were sore) and Jackson said he wanted to try the miniature terrain park. I did the first obstacle (a little drop-off after a flat sheet) and skipped the rails. I did the last little jump (very slowly) and landed okay. Jackson skipped all the obstacles and Mom said we could only do it again if he tried one of the tricks. I did the first thing again and decided to try one of the rails because I knew if I fell, I’d just get back up. Here’s where my only average skiing comes in. I made it almost over the rail, but then my ski slipped. I wiped out, which I knew would not feel great the next day and was my first real fall of the day, so it was rather disappointing, but that doesn’t mean I won’t maybe try another terrain park next time.

We returned our rentals and drove down the mountain. We stopped in the town of Cardrona for snacks and drove to Te Anau. We got settled in our hotel, got dressed, and walked to dinner at the Fat Duck. I got cheesy risotto balls and Jackson and I split creme brulee. Back at the hotel, we got ready and got in bed. I’d been thinking a lot and that night, I decided that my biggest character flaw is that I am not a brave person. I’m kind of shy with people that I don’t know, I can’t get up the nerve to go on big roller-coasters, and I could barely make myself try the miniature terrain park. 


Mirror Lakes, Pop’s View, The Chasm, and Milford Sound - 9/21

We got up early in the morning to drive to Milford Sound for our 12:45 cruise. We got breakfast at the Sandfly Café, where I got a banana-berry smoothie and a mini sausage roll. We stopped at three places on the way to Milford Sound (refer to title). The Mirror Lakes were like miniatures of Lake Matheson. They’re tarns (mountain lakes) and almost perfectly reflected the Earl Mountains. It was very quiet and peaceful, with a few ducks, lakes, mountains, and a flat plain of reeds in between the two. Luckily, we left right as a tour bus pulled up and unloaded its cargo of tourists. At Pop’s View, we had an amazing look over the Hollyford Valley at an unknown mountain. The mountain looked like a professional picture: the clouds surrounded the peak, but the sun was shining so bright on the very top of the mountain and the snow and ice reflected it beautifully. Our last stop was the Chasm, that the Cleddau River ran through. There were some picturesque holes in the walls of the gorge with ferns growing in them. The water spun the pebbles around so much and so fast that it ground holes into the walls. It was so far down from the suspension bridge that you could barely hear the rush of the water, but the shadows and light on the water were gorgeous. We got to Milford Sound about an hour early and sat in the lobby, doing random things until the cruise started. It was breathtaking, close to too much so for words. There were beautiful mountains in different shapes, covered in ferns, moss, and trees that somehow found purchase on the steep stone slopes. The sides of the mountains were many different colors: silver or brown in most places, but there were many deposits of copper, oxidized or not. The splashes of bright bronzy brown or copper or moss green added to the whole experience, especially when we got close to the walls. The cliffs and mountains went deep and steeply into the waters of the Sound, so we could get almost a couple of yards away from the cliffs several times. It was awe-inspiring, with waterfalls, trees, clouds, and mountains (I could continue that list for a long time). It was almost too unreal; I couldn’t completely grasp the scale of the whole thing. The second time that the captain took us close to the shore, it was near Pixie and Fairy Falls. We got close to the Fairy Falls and without warning, he took us underneath the falls. We were on the front of the boat and Mom and Dad joined the stampede to get inside. I just stood to the side of the boat and enjoyed the show and I didn’t even get that wet. There were more beautiful mountains on the way to the entrance to the Sound from the Tasman Sea, in between New Zealand and Australia. The water was very calm out in the sea, from what I could tell, but I’ve heard about how rough the waters can get in that channel. We got to see a penguin in the water (no one could tell what kind) and a bunch of kekenos on a rock. They were just relaxing, most of them asleep. On the way back to the dock, we went under one big waterfall, but the captain gave us a warning beforehand. Some people intentionally stood underneath and got completely soaked; it looked like they had just jumped in the sound, but I doubt it was as cold. We got snacks at the Visitor’s Center and drove through Te Anau on our way to Queenstown. We got dinner at FergBurger, with a venison burger for me and Mom. We drove home to Wanaka and got in bed as soon as possible. 


“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
— Taoist Proverb

Settling In and Venturing Out: Wanaka and Dunedin

9/9-9/17 (N-Zed dates)

On the ninth, we got up in the morning and drove to Dunedin. On the way, we stopped at Tunnel Beach. It was a long, very steep downhill hike down to an overlook off some cliffs. It was really awe-inspiring. Dad made this remark to me the other day about it being easy to imagine fantasy creatures living in a place like this. I can easily imagine hobbits or dwarves living up in the mountains in hidden caves or Ents hidden in the big forests. The Lord of the Rings especially comes to mind, but it just seems to be too beautiful for just humans. It looks like the roaming grounds of giants, elves, centaurs, without all the houses and power lines, of course. It makes me wonder if places like this and the national parks and other wild places are what whets the imagination of fantasy writers. Anyway, we went down some stairs in a tunnel to a small sheltered beach. The previous owner of the property had the stairs carved so his children and the rest of his family could reach the beach. We got a lot of pictures and began the long trek back up the slope.

We drove from Tunnel Beach to the Penguin Place, a preserve for yellow-eyed penguins. When the tour began, there was a small lecture beforehand. Yellow-eyed penguins are only found on the west coast of New Zealand and some small islands around that area. New Zealand has no native land-based animals except for bats, so every squirrel, rat, mouse, rodent, farm animal, and predator in this country is an invasive species from another place. Many native birds and reptiles were not used to the increased competition and predators, so many animals that belong here have become extinct, endangered, or threatened. Along with the invasive species, human expansion has caused much more damage to native populations: overfishing, habitat destruction, introducing new invasive species, et cetera, et cetera. There are just around twelve hundred yellow-eyed penguins left in the whole world. After this dispiriting information, we went on our tour.

They had constructed tunnels throughout the preserve so we could see the penguins in their native habitat without disturbing them. We could see them through gaps about three inches tall. This made us appear much smaller and less threatening if the penguins spotted us. Right before we went out, the guide told us not to expect too much. We would be lucky if we saw two penguins, very lucky if three, very, very lucky if four, and so on. We ended up seeing six, five close up!! It was definitely too bad that we weren’t residents of New Zealand, or we would have bought a lottery ticket. We also saw some fur seals, which were humongous. Nothing I had ever done before quite compared, except for the orca tour near Victoria. It was really cold but definitely worth it. We saw two penguins coming in from the ocean, two in their nesting box, one in his lone nest box, and one more from a distance in the ocean. We also saw plenty of little blue penguins in their nest boxes, right next to the trail.

We stopped in Portobello (yes, like the mushroom) for hot drinks and food. We stopped by our hotel and then went to Luna’s for dinner. Mom and I split a pumpkin, spinach, and feta risotto. It was so, so good!! It was sweet from the pumpkin, but the feta balanced it out with some saltiness, making it perfect, with an amazing flavor.

The next day in Dunedin, we ate breakfast in town at Nova’s, where I got banana bread french toast. It was delicious and a genius idea. We headed down to the historic train station, Dunedin Railway Station. It was really attractive from the outside because it wasn’t completely symmetrical. We went to the New Zealand Sport’s Hall of Fame, where I got an All Blacks toboggan. The most shocking thing was a display of the long jump record set by Yvette Williams at the 1952 Summer Olympics. It was so far; I couldn’t even jump half the distance.

We went back to the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. My favorite painting was one of three polar bears (I can’t find anywhere online what it was called). There were two landscape paintings of places we had been: Lakes Wanaka and Hawea. We went by the rugby store after that and we got a ball to play with at the park. We drove to the Otago Museum, which was like a national history museum. The creepiest thing was these moa birds that were the size of dinosaurs. It was so creepy: their claws were the size of my face. They’re the only birds that ever evolved to not even have wings. After the Otago Museum, we drove to a fish and chips place for lunch, which was pretty good. On our way out of the city, we drove up to Signal Hill, which had an amazing view of the whole city of Dunedin.

Back at Wanaka, we had leftovers and played Scrabble. The next day, we hung around the house, catching up on schoolwork, and went to the park across the street. The twelfth was more of the same, but I had field hockey that night. It was really fun again, hanging out with kids my age for once. We got dinner at Trout’s with a charcuterie board for the table and I got a small thing of grilled risotto. We got to take a break from schoolwork the next day. After hanging around the house through the morning, we walked into town and got gelato from Black Peaks (salted caramel for me). After eating dinner, we watched the Goonies, which my dad brought with us. It was such an amazing movie and so hilarious. We watched the UNC vs. Wake football game. It was tense the whole time (rivals), but we finally won!! I had been cautiously optimistic beforehand, us being favored and having the home-field advantage, but it’s always fun to watch anyway. We drove by a brewery and a winery in the afternoon for drinks, views, food, and conversation.

The next day was the Sports and Recreation Festival at the Rec Center. They had a bunch of booths for all different kinds of sports, popular and diverse. I tried a rowing machine, did a 1K run, and played flag and touch rugby. Back at the house, we ate lunch and then dropped Dad and Jackson off at the golf course. Mom and I went downtown and walked through a bunch of shops. I got some dangly silver fern earrings; silver ferns are the national symbol of New Zealand, and they represent the national women’s rugby team. We dropped by the house to get dressed and went on a short run by the lake. We picked up the boys from the course. Dinner was ham and egg cups with salad. We played Hearts afterward and I Shot the Moon in our last round of the night. It was lucky but still felt great. The Broncos played the Bears on the sixteenth. It was never close, but when Jackson and I put on our Bronco’s shirts, we scored a field goal and touchdown to make it 12-13, us down one. We were going to go for two, but then a delay of game penalty moved us back and we were going to kick the extra point. But then, one of the Bears went offsides and we got the yards back. We went for two and scored with some finally good passing. The Bears made a field goal with one second left in the game, which made me kind of mad after our comeback, but it was okay. We hung out at home and played Hearts after dinner again. I won, which felt good since Dad usually won.

Yesterday, we got up in the morning and drove to Arrowtown, about an hour away. In Arrowtown, we ate lunch at Slow Cuts. I got fried chicken and salad, and we had macaroni and cheese and fried pickles for the store. We went into a bunch of shops, where I got a sticker and a Wanaka bookmark. We walked around town for about two hours. We went down to a river walk and walked around for about an hour before starting to drive back home. We drove to the bridge that Dad was thinking about bungee-jumping off. We watched a woman and a teenager only a few years older than me. I felt bad because even though I knew it wasn’t really dangerous, I don’t think I could ever be brave enough to do anything remotely like that. We drove back home and went to Amigos Mexican for Taco Tuesday. I got a pork belly one with pineapple salsa and coconut shrimp with orange salsa. Back at the house, we packed quick for Fox Glacier and went to bed early, so we could get up early in the morning.

“You cannot put a price on experience.”
— Brad Soderberg

Our First Home-Away-From-Home: Wanaka 8/31-9/9 (New Zealand Dates)

Our first day in Wanaka, we got up and drove into the small downtown for breakfast and groceries. We got breakfast at the Urban Grind. They had this crazy hot chocolate that came with a whole bar of chocolate and was very sugary and delicious. I got eggs benedict with smoked salmon. We picked up groceries and then headed back to the house. I made a sandwich to watch the first Wake Forest football game, against the Utah State Aggies. It was a really good game, very back-and-forth, until the fourth quarter when we won with a forced fumble and interception. After the game, we walked into town by Lake Wanaka. Dinner was Mom’s barbecue chicken mac’n’cheese at home.

The next day was New Zealand’s Father’s Day, so Dad and I went on another Father’s Day run, like the one we went on in Chicago on America’s Father’s Day. We ran about four miles down by the lake. After chilling some and eating lunch, Dad, Jackson, and I went to the park across the street. It’s awesome that we have a park right across the street to practice field hockey, baseball, and other things. After practicing field hockey, we walked into downtown for dinner at Amigos (Mexican food). We needed to get school supplies to begin homeschooling, so we drove to Queenstown the next day about an hour away to get supplies at K-Mart, one of the only bargain marts in New Zealand. We drove into the town of Queenstown and walked around by the lake. We drove back to Wanaka, where Mom made broccoli cheese soup.

We finally started school on the third. After catching up with that in the morning, we drove into town to check out a climbing gym that Mom found. Back at the house, we had Dad’s burgers for dinner. We drove to the Blue Pools by Hawea Lake. They were small pools off the Hawea River, where the water was so clear that the fish were supposed to look like they were floating. We didn’t see any fish, but the water looked very blue. We stopped and drove through the town of Hawea on the way back to Wanaka. We stopped by the Wanaka Tree, the famous tree that stands out in the water when the water is high. The water was low when we saw it, so the tree was on the edge of the lake, but as far as trees go, it was a very attractive tree. Back at the house, we ate dinner and did our Fantasy Football draft. In the morning, Jackson and I kept up our schedule of school in the morning and after lunch, we went across the street for field hockey and golf respectively. We went to the Wanaka Recreation Center, where Mom had found a field hockey practice I could join. The players were very welcoming, especially two girls named Abby and Ellis. We had chicken for dinner back at home. The next morning, we watched more football, Packers vs. Bears. That afternoon, we went to this free Flipper Ball clinic at the rec center. It was really interesting; the sport itself was pretty fun (basically water polo), but there were some really annoying teenage boys in our group that wouldn’t listen to a word the man in charge said. We changed and went to Fu Dog, Chinese/Japanese/Asian. We got a spread of small things for the table: pork and prawn wontons, prawn dumplings, Mongolian beef, sticky pork belly, brussel sprouts with pork crackling, rice, and egg noodles. It was so good, almost as good as the dumpling house we found in Vancouver. We got dessert: matcha mascarpone coconut. Matcha is like a powdered green tea, mascarpone is like the filling in cannolis, and the coconut was toasted. It was very distinctive, but still amazing. The next day was Wake’s second game. I got my schoolwork out of the way to watch them play RIce, the smallest school in Division 1 football (Wake is second smallest). We were favored by 19 and eventually won by 30, but it was close for about the first quarter (we were tied at 14 each at the end of the first quarter). RIce’s quarterback got hit really hard and had to be carted off the field. That really seemed to shake everyone up; it certainly did for us that were watching at our house. It reminded me, and I think everyone, that no matter how fun football is to play and/or watch, there is always a risk and a cost. It made me feel bad about enjoying watching such a violent game, but there are many new rules in place to make it safer. We found out later that Wiley Green, the injured player, would move and feel his arms and legs, so it wasn’t a neck injury, which was a relief for everyone. We did a hike up Mount Iron, nothing huge, just an hour and a half round trip. The way up was pretty warm and in the sun, had some good views, and was challenging enough to make it interesting. The view from the top was amazing: the mountains in the background of Lake Wanaka with clouds around the peaks and the sun just above the horizon, flat plains in the other direction toward Queenstown, and even Lake Hawea in the distance. The way down was on the cold, shady side of the mountain however, so that part was kind of miserable, but it was still a very enjoyable hike. Back at the house after the hike and dinner, we started watching Iron Man 2. About halfway through, we paused and went to bed. We watched a few football games throughout the morning: Texas A&M vs. Clemson, LSU vs. Texas, and Miami vs. UNC. After lunch, we went to Wanaka Basecamp, the climbing gym Mom found, to climb its auto-belay section. Mom and Dad climbed as well and they were actually pretty good (it was still very entertaining to watch). The Dark Tower (an encased wall with glow-in-the-dark handholds) was the most challenging and the most fun. After climbing, Mom dropped us off at the house and drove to Queenstown to trade out our car for a bigger one. We finished Iron Man 2, made and ate dinner, and went to bed. This morning, we got up and started driving to Dunedin for a one-night trip. 


“We carry our home within us which enables us to fly.”
— John Cage

Aloha from the Gathering Place

8/26-8/28

The first day felt like one of the longest days ever; we were awake for an interminable time (22 hours), but it was eleven hours on planes that really extended it. We woke up at 4:30 ET to take the shuttle to the airport. After breakfast, we got on the plane to Los Angeles. I watched Captain Marvel and played some games on the seat screen. We got lunch in LA and then got on the plane to Honolulu. I watched the Sound of Music and Antman. O’ahu was distinctive from what I expected. It was much bigger; you couldn’t even tell you were on an island most of the time. There were a lot of mountains that were so tall and almost out of proportion. We were met at the airport by my great-aunt and cousin, Aunt Cheryl and Josh. They brought us some exquisite leis; they were imaginatively made. We drove our rental car to our rental, the Pineapple Surf Shack in Waianaé. After getting settled and unpacked, we walked to the beach. I was kind of just expecting a beach like the ones in the Atlantic, but with clearer water. I put on a borrowed snorkel mask and got in the water. There were big rocks all along the bottom and the fish!!! It was like a miniature coral reef, three yards from the shore. There were fish of many vibrant colors, like the flat ones you see in aquariums. The coral was interesting, resembling a drawing of a brain, but purple and gray. There were some huge sea urchins, the size of volleyballs, and some decorator crabs. After swimming and exploring for about an hour, we walked back to the house and showered. Dinner was at the Beach House, by 604. We walked on the beach until sunset and went to bed.

The next morning, we got breakfast at the Lighter Side. Jackson will be sure to mention his churro waffles, deep-fried and coated in cinnamon sugar. I got banana fosters pancakes. We did a hike up Gorilla Mountain. At the top, we could see the whole of the valley, full of houses, and just barely see Kapolei on the southwest corner of the island. I noticed that on the small houses that filled the valley, there were many solar panels. All the mountains looked like a scene from Moana, with the ripples down the side like lava flow. Back at the house, we put bathing suits on and grabbed masks and snorkel gear before heading to the same beach as yesterday, Aki’s Beach. At the beach, I put on the snorkel, along with flippers, since they made it easier to float, and got right in. The rocks had shifted overnight, so the landscape underwater was different. There were less fish, since it was rougher, but still impressive. I went in to take the flippers off and Jackson was just then getting in. There was a turtle not three yards from him and when Mom pointed it out, he jumped. It was really cool, but when it swam away, it was kind of reluctant to get back in the water. I knew it wasn’t going to hurt or bother us, but it was startling to see something so large in the water. Dad went into the water with us to find the turtle. While we were out in the water looking for it, it crawled up on the beach and fell asleep. The green sea turtle looked exactly like all the pictures I’d seen, more brown than green with a round shell. Two more turtles showed up and I spent probably two hours snorkeling, seeking a glimpse from underwater. I probably got four looks at it from different angles. We drove by the Pineapple Shack before going to a rental place. We got three stand-up paddleboards. We wheeled them on a cart to Pokai Bay nearby. A lady told us that there had been something large in the bay earlier that day; the lifeguard hadn’t known whether it was a manta ray or a shark. We looked around, saw that lifeguards were letting people in the water, and figured everything was fine. Paddleboarding was really peaceful and relaxing. Mom saw a massive manta ray go under her board. I saw a smaller one; it looked like a rippling blob with a tail. We returned the boards, returned to our accommodations, and showered. We went to dinner at the Monkeypod Kitchen with Aunt Cheryl, Uncle Dave (her husband), and Josh. I really enjoyed reconnecting with my family; I had never met Josh before and it had been at least three years since I’d seen Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Dave. I got saimin, a traditional Hawaiian noodle dish, kind of like Japanese ramen and Chinese mein. It was flavorful and had an interesting texture.

 The next day was our day on the South side of the island. We got up in the morning and drove to Pearl Harbor, stopping for breakfast along the way. I’m rather nervous about writing about Pearl Harbor because I don’t think I can do the place or the people justice, but here goes. The first thing we did was the USS Arizona Memorial. For those of you who don’t know, the USS Arizona was a battleship stationed in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. A bomb hit the gunpowder store and blew a hole in the ship, as well as setting fire to it. Out of 1,512 officers, sailors, and marines assigned to the ship, only 335 survived the Gibraltar of the Pacific. Some of these were off the ship when it was hit, on liberty, training, or special duty, but many of these survivors were aboard the Arizona during the attack. Since 1941, many of those men have returned to be interred with their shipmates. Survivors of the Arizona have the option of being buried within the remains of their ship. Only five such survivors are still alive and forty-three have since returned, in death. Only survivors of the Arizona can be buried there; survivors of Pearl Harbor may have their ashes scattered across Pearl Harbor. The actual memorial was closed for construction, but our boat went by the memorial and we could see the wreckage peeking out of the water. We also drove by the USS Missouri, where the peace treaty with Japan was signed, ending World War Two.The tour guide’s presentation on our boat was exceptionally compelling. We went through some exhibits and then left Pearl Harbor. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy Pearl Harbor or the Arizona very much, but it was a very stirring experience. It’s fairly disappointing that so many people don’t know much about Pearl Harbor or the USS Arizona. Going there, especially on the Arizona tour, would open numerous people’s minds to the horrors of war and how it should be a last resort. Politicians in particular should visit Pearl Harbor, hopefully to give them some perspective into the fact that actual lives will be lost in the event of war. I know it sounds obvious, but I believe that it would be hard to comprehend that any one person, much less yourself, could have so much control over who lives and dies. We got lunch at Restaurant 604, who owned the Beach House where we went the first night. It was right on Aiea Bay, next to Pearl Harbor. I got an Island Cobb salad with chicken that had a really good dressing on it. We dropped Dad and Jackson off at the Navy Marine Golf Course where Uncle Dave works as the golf professional. Uncle Dave gave me some poke to try (basically sushi, but just the fish part). It was enjoyable, with a very distinctive teriyaki and garlic flavor. We drove with Aunt Cheryl and Ashley (Josh’s sister) to Likeke Falls. We hiked up to the bottom of the falls. There was a cobblestone path that we followed part of the way to the waterfall that led all the way up to Kaniakapupu Ruins, the ruins of the summer palace of King Kamehameha and Queen Kalama of the Kingdom of Hawaii. We turned off the road to get to the bottom of the waterfall. After I got wet and cooled down by sitting under the falls, I climbed up a ways. It was fairly secluded, with just a few other people there. It was gorgeous and authentic; it didn’t feel staged or taken over. It felt like I was actually in the wild, in a way that national parks will never feel: genuine. After we hiked down, we drove back to Aunt Cheryl and Ashley’s house. We talked while I sat with Hope (hop-ay), their dog. I played outside with her some and then we went back to the golf course to pick up Jackson and Dad. We ate snacks at the place for dinner, repacked, and went to bed. 


“Just feel the Magic in the air and the power in the breeze, feel the energy of the plants, the bushes and the trees, let yourself be surrounded by nature at it’s best, calm yourself, focus and let Magic do the rest.”
— Sally Walker

Miles 8955-9399: Nashville, and Drive Home

8/10

In the morning, we packed up and hit the road. I was looking forward to going home, but I was also kind of disappointed to be finished with our trip. It was an interesting lifestyle, in a different place every week. I think both a part of me and Dad could almost do that forever. Jackson, as you all know, is a homebody and was very happy to be back in the good ol’ Camel City. Before we left Nashville, we stopped by the Parthenon, which was a lot cooler than I had imagined it to be. There were many carvings of scenes from Greek mythology, and it was very tastefully designed. We couldn’t go inside in our rush, but I definitely want to go back to Nashville. Pampam was already at home with Scout when we got back, so we were reunited in the backyard. I really just don’t know what to write about our homecoming. I remember thinking that time is weird; back in January, I felt like this trip would never come and also, that eight weeks would feel like forever, but that moment only feels like a month or so ago. Glacier National Park in Montana, felt like forever ago, but Cincinnati felt very recent. When we got settled and I was lying in bed, I felt like sixteen days at home is too long and we would be sitting around for a while. Now, I feel like I wish I had seen more people, for longer and did more things. All this coming and going is very strange. But I digress; I’ve just been writing my feelings instead of what happened. It’s so fascinating that you can start writing or talking about one thing and finish somewhere completely different. You never know where a conversation will lead. But anyway, I was content to be at home for a while, even if our two weeks would be pretty hectic. It was really nice to see everyone while we were home and I can’t wait to meet again when we return.


“Life takes you to unexpected places. Love brings you home.”
— Melissa McClone

Miles 8944-8954: Nashville

8/9

Sorry about how late this post it; I tried to make the most of our short time home, seeing family and friends. I was raring to go in the morning, so we could see as much of Broadway as possible, and then Jackson slept, and slept, and slept. We got dressed and drove downtown. We had lunch at a place near Broadway (tomato soup and sweet potato fries). We went to the Ryman Auditorium, one of the most famous music venues. Many up-and-coming singers dream of performing at the small theater in Music City, USA. It was such a cool tour; Mr. Oshwald used to work there, so he knew some pretty cool info. We got to go up on the stage and see the amphitheater the way the performers would. Apparently, musicians like the Ryman because it is so small; they feel more of a connection with their audience. Mary Wallace, I wish you could have seen it; you especially would have loved it. We went by the Country Music Hall of Fame and got to see all of the platinum and gold records on the wall and the place where they print all the official concert posters. Back at the house, when Ryman was back from school, we had a NERF battle, which didn’t have an official winner, but I think you can all guess who dominated. We drove up to a nearby shopping area, and the adults looked through some stores and got some beer at a tasting room. We had dinner at a BBQ place, just corn for me, and then got more ice cream up the street to finish off our last full day of the trip. Ice cream has been a real staple on this trip; we’ve tried different kinds from all over, like huckleberry in Montana or orange blossom chiffon last in Nashville (I also got a scoop of rainbow buttermilk and they were both very interesting and rich). 


“The size of your audience doesn’t matter. What’s important is that your audience is listening.”
— Randy Pausch

Miles 8369-8943: Parkville, Independence, Drive to Nashville, and Nashville

8/7

This morning, we got up to say good-bye to Leanne as she left for a conference. We hung around a little longer while we packed up, and then said goodbye to Chris. Reese wasn’t awake by the time we left, so if she happens to be reading this, thanks for being such a great host!!! We got breakfast at First Watch, which happens to also be in Winston; we finally found a good place that we can go to at home. I got a fruit crepe that was amazing and the perfect size. We stopped at Josh and Doris’ house in Independence so we could meet Josh, who had gotten home very late last night. They’re out on a small lake and it was a very beautiful view off their back porch. Their son’s dog, Elsa, was a German shepherd and a sweetheart. My mom, Josh, and Doris told some stories and talked about so many people, some I had heard of before, but many were new names. That last round of reminiscing ended our sojourn into the Kansas City area, and meeting of so many new people. We drove for about three or four hours to St. Louis and got lunch at Chic Fil A just past the city. Once we got into Nashville, we drove to another one of my dad’s friend’s house, Jason. He and his son, Ryman (6), were very gracious hosts. Jason’s wife, Alissa Moreno, and Ryman’s little brother were out of town in California. Alissa is a songwriter, who cowrote Every Day for Rascal Flats. Jackson and I slept in her studio, and it was full of guitars, records, a piano, and lots of event posters. We ate tacos for dinner, compliments of Jason, and watched TV with Ryman before getting in bed.


“I attribute my success to this - I never gave or took any excuse.”
— Florence Nightingale

Miles 8352-8368: Northland and Kansas City, MO

8/7

Yesterday morning, Mom and I got up early to go with Leanne to her Jazzercise studio, where she taught a class. We stopped by the grocery store and at Caribou Coffee and headed back to the house. We hung around watching Liar Liar until lunchtime. As Jackson and Dad had gone to play golf, the four of us (Mom, Leanne, Reese, and I) drove into Kansas City to lunch at Mexican (Ponak’s) with Reese’s boyfriend, Luke. The Mexican food was amazing: chicken taco, cheese enchilada, rice, and beans for me. We went by a coffee roastery, Crown Center, and Union Station. Back at the house, we swam in the pool and when I came down from showering and getting dressed, the rest of the cousins from nearby had arrived: Reed, Chad, Doris, and Uncle Bobby. So Uncle Bobby is my grandfather’s (my mom’s dad) favorite uncle (his mom’s brother), so he’s my great-great uncle. Reed, Chad, Josh, and Leanne are his four children. Doris is Josh’s wife (he was out of town yesterday). It was really cool to meet family from far away and that I had never met before. I got to hear plenty of stories from my grandfather’s first cousins (tremble and be afraid, Grumpy!!!). We had a feast of a dinner, with juicy grilled chicken, fruit and yogurt salad, corn-on-the-cob, baked beans, and cookies, peanut butter and chocolate chip (by Doris). I’m so grateful to Leanne for organizing that gathering and for everyone taking the time to drive up and see us. We talked, ate, and watched the KC Royals game against the Red Sox. As we’re Denver Broncos fans, we had to endure some teasing from hardcore Chiefs fans, but it was all in good fun. After everyone had to leave, we showered and got in bed relatively early, in preparation for another +8 hour drive to Nashville in the morning.

“Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?”
— Frida Kahlo

Drive to Denver, Denver, and Drive to Kansas City: Miles 7596-8351

8/2-8/6

In the morning in Vail, Dad and Jackson played golf and Mom and I blogged, and then walked around Vail. After picking them up, we drove to Denver. In Denver, we were staying with my dad’s friend from college, David Ekedahl, and his wife and kids, Katie Kapler, Eleanor (10), and Zoe (6). Mom went to a food and wine festival with Mrs. Kapler, while the rest of us hung out at the house and ordered pizza. We visited Denver and stayed at the Kapdahl’s two Christmas’ ago and it was very nice to see them and hang out more. We spent some time on their Nintendo Switch and played some cards. Late, after us kids had gone to bed, Patch Patton, another one of my dad’s friends, arrived from the airport. The next morning, after bagels (blueberry with cream cheese), we went on a run (Mr. Patton, Mr. Ekedahl, my dad, Eleanor, Jackson, Zoe and I, with Zoe in the stroller) around a nearby park. After showering, we started making chocolates from a Make Your Own Chocolate Kit, with prompting from Zoe. We decided to make different flavors instead of just regular chocolates: salted caramel, apple pie (Eleanor’s idea), peanut butter, jelly, peanut butter and jelly, pretzel, and regular. It was quite a process, but very fun. While the chocolates set, we walked to lunch at a nearby sports bar. Jackson and I split the biscuits and gravy, which were amazing, but very filling. Back at the house, we ate our chocolates, which tasted amazing. The apple pie ones were a brilliant idea, with a touch of caramel and apple pie filling. At the pool, we played some Marco Polo and basketball, kids vs. adults. We played some tennis, even though Jackson and I really never had before. Eleanor and I had a good time messing around and then we played doubles, me and my dad versus her and her’s. At the house, we had some delectable grilled chicken and turkey burgers with quinoa salad and more chocolate for dinner. We played Harry Potter: Labyrinth, our welcoming gift to the Kapdahl’s and more Mario Kart. In the morning, we got up and began preparing for Zoe’s sixth birthday party, with a narwhal/Wizard of Oz theme. I got to meet many of Zoe and Eleanor’s friends. There was a bouncy house, a glitter tattoo station, the ultimate sixth birthday. I’m really glad we could do something to help repay the Kapdahl’s for letting us stay with them and hang out with them for the time we were in Denver. I really hope Zoe enjoyed it. Lyla, one of Eleanor’s best friends, spent the night with us. After cleaning up from the party and eating leftovers for dinner, we began an Olympics, with four teams: me and Mom, Jackson and Dad, Eleanor and Lyla, and David and Zoe. In the footrace, Zoe won with a very, very short head start. Our next competition was Mario Kart, that Jackson won. Mom and I won Harry Potter: Labyrinth, mainly by luck, and the next competition was arm circles. Arm circles are actually very hard and painful to do for over two minutes. Mom and I won that as well, though there was some very tough competition from David and Eleanor. We played Codenames twice; once was Mom, Eleanor, Lyla, and I vs. David, Zoe, Dad, and Jackson and the second was Mom, David, and I (Zoe had gone to bed) vs. Dad, Jackson, Zoe, and Eleanor. Dad and Jackson’s team won the first time and Mom and I’s the second time. The next morning, all five of us kids and Mom and Dad walked to Devil’s Food, a nearby bakery. It smelled so good and was very hard to decide, but I got a lemon-strawberry muffin. Back at the house, Eleanor and I played Just Dance and Zoe and Lyla put together one of her presents, a fairy garden. After they had finished, the four of us did more Just Dance. Jackson and Dad went down the street to play more tennis. When they got back, we went to a market for lunch, just the four of us. It was really cool, some place we went last time we were in Denver. I got a hodgepodge of some things: baked beans, spaghetti, and we all split some ice cream. The Flight, where you can get five scoops of different ice creams, was delicious; we got cornbread strawberry jam, brown sugar cinnamon, cookies and cream, mint chocolate bark, and tin cup whiskey with pistachio brittle. We picked up Eleanor (Lyla had just left) and went to UberGrippen Indoor Climbing Crag. It felt so good to get to climb and do something adventurous after being in cars and buildings for so long. After climbing and bouldering for a few hours, we met Mr. Ekedahl and Zoey for pizza. I split a delicious calzone with Dad. At the house, we ate custom chocolates and played Settlers of Catan: me, Eleanor, and David. It was really nice staying with such a fun family for so long. Board games, video games, fun conversations, and awesome people. On our last morning in Denver, we hung out, packed, and said sad good-byes. I’m really hoping that it won’t be another two years before we see the Kapdahl’s; they’re such a fun family to hang out with. Zoe was so energetic and an adorable child; I can’t wait to see who she’ll see grow up to be. Eleanor was so fun to hang out with; she acted so mature that I kept forgetting that she was younger than Jackson. It seemed like she was my age and we’d been friends for forever. Mr. Ekedahl and Mrs. Kapler were such fun adults and very generous hosts. We picked up breakfast from Starbucks and drove a very long way to Kansas City. We got to our cousin’s, Leanne’s, house. We had dinner with Leanne, her husband, Chris, and her daughter, Reese. We swam in their pool a little bit, showered, and went to sleep.


“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart. ”
— Helen Keller

Miles 7182-7595: Newpark Resort, Drive to Vail, Dinosaur National Monument, and Vail

8/1

Sorry I haven’t blogged in almost two weeks; when we were staying in Denver, Kansas City, and Nashville, I was so busy that I didn’t have time to journal or blog. Happy late birthday to Ellie!! I’m sorry I couldn’t do a shoutout on the actual date. That morning, we got up and hung around the hotel a while. I went on a run around the resort and it was completely brutal. We were at such a high altitude and it made such a huge difference. We were going to visit Salt Lake City, but since we hung around the place for longer than we meant to, we just hit the road. On the way, we stopped at Dinosaur National Monument, which was cool, I guess. There were some really huge bones and fossils at Quarry Exhibit Hall. After a quick lunch, we got to our hotel in Vail. We ate dinner at the hotel and I got a traditional German dish, Jägerschnitzel, that was amazing, with noodles, veal, asparagus, and a mushroom sauce. 


“Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, shall all be saved.”
— Jane Goodall

Miles 7091-7181: Provo Canyon, Provo, and Park City

7/31

We hung out at the house the whole morning, exploring the hot tub and rest of the house. We drove through Provo Canyon and stopped at Bridal Veil Falls, our second of that name in a week, the first being in Yosemite. It was a lot smaller, but a lot prettier as we could get a lot closer, right at the bottom. Apparently Bridal Veil is a common name for waterfalls; water is see-through, but when it’s running, it also looks white, like a veil. It makes sense. We drove through Provo on our way back to Park City. We got lunch at Riverhorse Provisions, where I got a Provisions Wrap, with lettuce, cucumber, marinated artichokes, hummus, and lemon vinaigrette. We walked down Main Street, popping into some random shops. We stopped at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Shop and got some chocolates. Jackson had his sea-salt dark chocolate caramel right then and there, and I saved mine for that night. Back at the house, we had leftovers for dinner: salad, tomato soup, rolls, pork and rice, and chicken from Safeway and meals from the past few days. We got in the hot tub again, watched some TV, and I had my chocolate, milk chocolate raspberry caramel. After getting ready for bed, we read some and went to sleep. 


“To find the universal elements enough. To find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter.

To be thrilled by the stars at night, to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring.

These are some of the rewards of the simple life.”
— John Burroughs