#anettingnewzealandadventure: The Nettings Do NZ

This week was off to a good start as we counted down to Easter and our next getaway. Kensley and I went over to Julia and Lucy’s to celebrate Julia’s birthday. On Thursday we had Mary over for wine and homemade pizza. I buy wine based on how much it is on sale so a few weeks ago I found a bottle that was on sale for $19.99 from $44.99. Crazy right!? Anyways, it turns out it was a Californian Pinot Noir called La Crema and none of us were wowed by it – it was good but not $44.99 good. Kensley’s sleep regression (screaming bloody murder for her naps and waking up super early) continued until Good Friday, when Caleb’s vacation started. He gave me the morning to run and have some time to myself. He put her down for her morning nap and BAM – no screaming and she slept an hour and a half. WHAT THE HELL!? Daddy’s touch just snaps her out of everything.

On Friday, we did our version of Easter. A few little treats for Caleb and I and eggs filled with raisins for Kensley. She thought she hit the jackpot! Then we had lunch at Lucy and Gordon’s. Gordon is one of the ortho staff and Lucy is his wife who has been so kind to me. It was really nice to visit with them. Caleb went for a quick surf in the afternoon and when he got home we were left to deal with a power outage in our apartment. The rest of the building was fine and our property management team was completely useless/dismissive/rude but Caleb got it sorted out.

On Saturday, we packed up the car and started our west coast adventure. We planned on stopping at Arthur’s Pass for a small hike with K but it was full on pouring so we continued on to our AirBnB in Kumara. A super small spot with not much going on but the rain let up enough for a walk on the beach. On Sunday we made our way to Franz Josef Glacier. Unfortunately, due to a recent storm, the road to access the hikes to the glacier was washed out. We were able to do a very small hike with Kensley to attempt to see the glacier but we only got a quick glimpse of the bottom due to the clouds. Let me tell you, it wasn’t worth the screaming Kensley did. She started falling asleep in the backpack and super mom here, woke her up so she would sleep in the car after the hike. Big mistake. She was pissed and screamed the remainder of our walk. She did sleep in the car though, and that meant no pukey pukey!

We stayed at a random lodge that night called “Mt Adam Lodge” and there was a bit eerie feeling. We were the only ones staying there so it felt a bit cold and abandoned. It had beautiful views of the mountains and the owners had a farm next door so Kensley got to visit with some cows and sheep, which made her SO happy.

Monday we made our way to Hokitika, which was my favorite stop. It helped that the weather was perfect. Caleb thinks his favorite place in NZ! The west coast has a really cool and different feel. As you cross to the west there is a very distinct change in the landscape. Everything is green and lush and full. It really is rainforest like!

On Tuesday, we were on our way home with a quick stop in Arthur’s Pass for Caleb to do a hike, Avalanche Peak. The day was truly perfect so it was a must to take advantage of it (and kill time so Kensley would sleep on the super windy part of the drive). I through Kensley in the backpack and we did some walking around, played on the grass and had lunch. Since Monday was a holiday, Kensley went to daycare on Wednesday, which gave Caleb and I the morning together to go for a run and have a nice lunch together. When Kensley got home, we said our goodbyes and Caleb went to Timaru where he was working his first real job! He was a locum for the group down there for 4 days.

Thursday morning Kensley hung out with Sarah while I went for a run and had brunch with Mary. The plan was that I could have Sarah a few times while he was away working, but go figure, it’s been the only weekend Sarah was unavailable! I was mentally prepared though and things were going well but on Friday, Caleb decided he missed us (seriously!) so Kensley and I drove to Timaru Saturday for the night. I was a bit stressed about driving the 2 hour drive with K along but she rocked it and we didn’t have to stop at all. We loved spending the day and night with Caleb, and lucky for us, there wasn’t much going on at work so he got to hang out with us. Oh and back to Friday, Kensley and I saw Prince William who was visiting Christchurch. He was literally 100m from our place, out of his car.

Kensley was a great little traveler and sleeper over our holiday. We’ve been waking up some mornings before. We have sorted out our routine each travel morning to get on the road for Kensley’s first nap by 915am and it allows us to each get a run in! She was only carsick once, mostly because we timed her naps as best as possible with the windy roads. She is getting stable on her feet and is keen to walk but has some work to do. She can get 1-4 steps in before she falls. She loves her books and has started saying parts (“ZA” for pizza and “UG” for hug) of her favorite book “The Hug Machine”. She says her own version of “I love you”. She also says “bib bib bib” and reminds me when I haven’t put it on her.

Week 41 may be one of the BEST because Gina arrives <3! Kensley has even started saying her name (Geeeee) in preparation.