New Zealand trip takeaways

Our NZ trip was epic! I am so glad I planned for it last September before knowing we’d move to Brazil this year. It’s so remote that I don’t think we’d ever visit if we are not living in Asia. The planning was less straightforward than others as we moved around a lot and wanted to do as much as possible in 16 days. Some stats:

Distance traveled in car: 2500km

Cities/places visited: 10 (Auckland, Rotorua, Taupo, Wellington, Christchurch, Fox Glacier, Wanaka, Queenstown, Midford, Lake Takepo)

Lodge: 8 (4 motels, 1 hotel, 3 airbnbs)

Things lost (despite four pair of eyes): skincare, eye mask, earphone. Sigh.

Favorite places/activities for me: Lake Takepo view and hikes, Fox Glacier hikes, Midford overnight cruise, hot spring in Rotorua, seeing new animals (small dolphins, blue pinguins, kiwi, kea).

Most memorable or scary moments: Hommer Tunnel, driving crown range road (7 hairpins at 1200 meters high), stopped by police.

Favorite meal: the vegan fajita bowl in Wellington. We had too many fast food that even girls didn’t want more burgers in the second half of the trip. We loved all the fruits we had (peaches, cherries, nectarines, like so many of them!!!)

Unexpected things:

• The weather. Gosh! We were so under-dressed. I ended up wearing Lizzy’s sweatshirt so she can wear my jacket. I knew summer in NZ is not same as summer in Jakarta, but never thought it would be in 40s most of days.
• The distance. When I was planning for the road trip, I was estimating to drive up to 4 hrs a day as our longest day was 530km. Well, I didn’t realize driving through mountains would take so much longer. I am glad that we only had one long day, but still I would plan for shorter daily distances if I knew this. Overall, it went fine and we enjoyed the ride, but some days felt long, especially for the girls.
• The changing scenery across the country. I was amazed how diverse the scenery would be, even within few hours of drive. what the country offers amazed me. I know most of people visit South Island, but we enjoyed both as they are quite different.

What worked well (again):

• Have a flexible itinerary. When planning for the trip, I read travel guides/blogs to get a sense of how long we should stay in one place based on potential activities that we may do, but I don’t write down those activities in my itinerary unless I book it in advance (due to selling out quickly). Then when we arrive the place, or heading to the place, I’d search for what the place offers and decide on the spot what to do. This way, we are not rushed and can plan activities around energy level, weather, and interest at the time. For example, toward the end of the trip, we wanted to do things instead of just enjoying the nature view as we were saturated by the nature at that point.
• Pack snacks that we know family likes. I packed plenty of instant flavored oatmeal, bars, snacks that I know everyone likes for when we were in a remote place and don’t have access to groceries stores. When we do have access to groceries, we stock up on fruits and yogurts, things to make up quick lunch/dinner.
• Book two rooms as girls are too old to sleep with us, 4 of us together guarantees no one gets to sleep well. I know it’s expensive, but we all prioritize sleep over other things (fancy meals).
• Spend $$ on activities that are unique to the place. Most of the activities if not all that we paid for are not cheap, but they are worth it as we wouldn’t get to experience them elsewhere.

It was a memorable trip for the family, especially the road trip aspect, first time for us. So many hours in the car, stunning views, scary roads sometimes, and plenty of casual chat time. I also enjoyed the two solo hikes with Sofia. The conversation kept flowing, mostly from her. I was soaking it all in. Can you imagine? Hiking in a stunning place with your teen daughter and she keeps sharing her feelings and ideas? Paradise!

2025 will also a big year for family travel, to a different continent! Already excited thinking about them.