New Zealand Adventure

This March, we returned to New Zealand with our kids, recreating some of our magical adventure from 2010.  

Day 1:  Travel to Queenstown New Zealand

It was a very long plane ride, and a lost Sunday, but after many hours of travel, we arrived in Queenstown and hit the ground running. The first thing we did is head up the mountain on the Gondola for an amazing view of the lake and a chance to ride on the fun Luge. After a few rides on the luge, Elsa, Liam and Karna, went on a zip lining adventure down the mountain, while I took the gondola back down to see the kiwi birds at the birdlife park. It was great to enjoy being outside after so much time on the plane.  We then headed into town for some yummy food and ice cream.

Day 2: Queenstown Adventures

We started the morning on the water with both of the kids going on a fun Shark Boat ride.  After exploring a bit of the botanical gardens, we then took the steam engine boat ride over to Walter Peak for a bbq lunch and chance to learn more about sheep farming. When we returned, both kids said they wanted to do the Luge again, so we headed up the mountain for many more fun luge rides.  It was a great day of adventure.

Day 3: Queenstown to Mt. Cook

We headed out early, because Elsa and Karna had a bungee jumping appointment at the Karawau Bridge. Elsa was fearless and Karna needed a little nudge.  Liam wasn't big enough to jump, so he did a fun zip run.

After this we drove up to Mount Cook.  It was a beautiful drive across the South Island.  It started to rain, but the weather was still good enough for us to get to go on the Glacier Explorer Tour of the Tasman Glacier.  

It was cool to touch icebergs.

After our tour we were able to hang out at the Hermitage Hotel, where we spend the night, and check out Mount Cook while we ate dinner, before it hid behind the clouds again.

Day 4: Mt. Cook to Christchurch

It was another driving day, this time exploring around on our way to Christchurch.  Once we got to Christchurch, we were able to go punting along the Avon river. This was a lovely way to experience the botanical gardens. 

Day 5: Christchurch to Nelson

We spent the morning at the botanical gardens, enjoying the Dahlias and Begonias.  I spent extra time with the flowers, while Karna took the kids to the Canterbury Museum, which was transformed into a giant street art exhibit.  The museum is being redone for earthquake safety, so they took everything out and invited artist in to tag the whole place.  We then met up for lunch at the Riverside Market before heading toward the airport and the Antarctic Center.  We had fun in the cold, before flying up to Nelson.

In Nelson, we met up with Craig, Arne's college friend who was getting married and then explored the beach and town.

Day 6: The Wedding

We spend the morning near the beach with the kids, before boarding a bus and going to Craig and Dayna's wedding. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful event.  While we were at the wedding, a babysitter took Elsa and Liam on adventures and to the beach.

Day 7: Auckland

The next morning we headed up to Auckland to visit with Tim and Erica.  It was lovely to stay at their home, visit their boat, and then explore a bit of Aukland, like the Auckland War Memorial Museum and the local gardens. Elsa and Liam really enjoyed Tim's ping pong table.

Day 8: The double Monday to Travel Home

For our final day, we headed up a volcano crater, One Tree Hill, and then out to a beach for lunch and a final ocean swim.  It was a fun day before we headed to the airport and the long ride home.

We're looking forward to coming back some day. 

Ski Weekend 2023

On the Friday night before Super Bowl weekend, we headed up to Tahoe for a ski weekend.  We had not been in a year, and both kids really wanted a chance to ski.  On this trip, we rented 2 rooms in the YSC Cabin on the west side of the Lake and decided to ski at Homewood, where I had skied a lot as a kid.

Saturday morning we woke up to light snow.  It was really lovely snow.  We headed to Homewood, got our gear and then had a day of skiing. The snow was wonderful, just a few inches of powder, and the sun had come out by mid-day and melted all the snow on the car.

We headed back to the cabin, and Liam and I made brown butter cookies, and Arne shoveled snow off the deck. It was fun to meet the other people at the cabin.  One group made a fire with Liam, and then we played Yahtzee.  One of the guys there was on the same hike that Arne and I met on almost 15 years ago!

Sunday morning was beautiful, and we headed back to Homewood for a great day on the mountain. 

One of the things I love about this mountain, besides the lack of lines, was that every run had an amazing view of Big Blue - Lake Tahoe.

After a long morning of skiing and a lunch of crepes, Elsa and I headed back on the mountain for more runs.  It was fun to tear up the mountain with her, and find a few fun jumps.

What a wonderful winter treat!

New Years in SoCal

A last-minute New Year's trip started with a wrinkle - a canceled flight. Instead of flying to Burbank, we drove and got to stop in Santa Barbara along the way to see friends. 

The first part of our trip was spent in Universal City.  We had a fun day at Universal Studios.

After a day in the park, we had a night out for dinner on the City Walk and a movie - Puss in Boots.

On New Year's Eve morning, we slept in and headed on the subway toward Santa Monica.  We stopped in the middle at the California Science Center and the Natural History Museum.

The final leg of public transit took us to Santa Monica Beach and our hotel for the last two nights.  Arne and I had a fun dinner out, and then we returned to a New Year's eve party.  We watch the countdown on the Santa Monica Pier Park from our balcony.

On New Year's Day, we went to the traveling rings for outdoor play at the beach before a fancy brunch.  Then we shopped and explored and went swimming in the pool.  It was a fun day.

Monday morning, we headed to the beach, and Liam and I played in the waves. Then we headed to Santa Monica Pier Park and went on the roller coaster and arcade

Then it was off to the airport for our flight home.  It was a wonderful little adventure!