We had our first and only full day in Auckland.  We walked along the waterfront in the harbor for about four blocks.  It was beautiful.  After such an exhaustive exploration of Auckland, we ducked into the historic Ferry building and found a short cruise to the island of Waiheke.  It was hot and sunny and calm.  It felt like the perfect day to be on the water.  Plus, the kids we were all still tired from all our travel.

I never realized how many islands lie in the bay of Auckland.  We passed by a half a dozen in the short 45 minute ferry to Waiheke.  One island, we were told, erupted out of the ocean only 700 years ago.  Wild.  

We arrived on Waiheke and were given the hard sell for a 20 minute tour.  While skeptical, we assented.  It was a great decision.  We had been considering touring the island on bikes, but as we crested the first steep hill, Rob and I looked at each other wide-eyed, both grateful for the motorized engine and the chatty guide.  We were given the history of the island, saw the beautiful beaches, the lush fauna and passed by the touristy village.  Our guide dropped us at the Mudbrick winery at the top of a hill.  It was designed to be a 15 minute stop; a chance to follow a footpath to 360 degree views of the island.  We decided to end our island tour here and spent the afternoon on the deck, eating lunch, playing cards and wine tasting.  I won't say Rob sprinted into the tasting room upon arrival, but it was certainly an attraction.  In classic Pennell fashion, we reached the summit with the stunning views and the camera battery died before we could take a picture.  Some things never change.

From the winery it was a 20 minute downhill walk back to the ferry.  Within five minutes, we bypassed another stunning winery.  Rob felt the children were parched and thought it best to stop at the winery to rehydrate the kids and his palate.  This winery was even more stunning than the last, with a huge grassy field and wind sculptures lining the vineyards.  While the children sprinted from sculpture to sculpture, and I trailed yelling at them to stop climbing the artwork (this whole scene played out in front of the couples enjoying a romantic lunch and wine tasting), Rob enjoyed the serenity of another wine tasting.  

Suddenly realizing we had but 15 minutes to make the ferry, we sprinted down the footpath toward the boat, barely making it.  

We finished out a great first day with dinner reservations at a nice restaurant in Auckland.  Immediately after ordering dinner, both kids faceplanted in our laps and fell asleep.  Mia was snoring on Rob's lap and Kai drooled on my lap, even adjusting a few times to wipe his mouth on my leg.  Rob and I enjoyed a quiet, romantic dinner together, then carried the kids to bed.

ROB'S take on the day:  We're moving to Waiheke Island.  Great fishing, hot weather, and 30 wineries on an island the size of Catalina.  

Different styles of unpacking

We were so thankful to arrive at our apartment in Auckland. We immediately unpacked and made it our own. I haven't figured out how to post headings under photos, so guess which heading goes with which picture. Oh, and luggage arrived after a brief vacation in Sydney. It was a joyful reunion.Mia's AlterKai claiming his spaceRob unpacks

Airborne

12 hours into the 14 hour flight, Kai looks at me with a huge grin and dark circles under his eyes and exclaimed gleefully "I've only had one hour of sleep in two days.". He is outfitted with a royal blue neck rest and the armchair remote. The kid is meant for airtravel. He gorged on airplane snacks and maxed out movies and video games provided by Qantas. God bless the airlines for installing individual screens on chair backs.

Poor Mia did not fare as well. She was listless throughout the flight with a cold. She is stoic when she's sick and made it 14 hours on the plane. As we disembarked, she vomited explosively in her hand, walking down the aisle. When I say explosively, I mean it bounced off her hand and back up to her face. She looked like she had yellow measles. I pulled her in the flight attendant station where she could throw up a couple more times.

Luckily, we always bring a full change of clothes in our carry-ons. We are now on the flight to Auckland. Mia is better, though as she rests her head in my lap, there is a faint wafting of bile still clinging to her hair.

Kai is setting me up for one on one battleship on the tv screen.

Riddle of the Day

If you start in LA with 4 checked bages and arrive in Auckland with 2 checked bags, what happened to the other two?

Answer: We will tell you when we find out

We are frantically trying to get out the door and I spy Kai applying deodorant.  I give him a questioning look.  His response "The ladies in New Zealand like American boys."  He then made a smooching noise and walked by me. 

He's 9 years old. 

Travel Thief

Murphey’s law. 24 hours til take off and stuff starts disappearing. My sunglasses. Gone. One of Mia’s tennis shoes. Gone. Kai’s only swimsuit. Gone. Who is the travel troll? Who is thieving elf delighting in my bewilderment and frustration? But I still have the passports, and that’s all we need. Even as we walk, limping on one shoe, eyes blinded, onto the plane.

Note breeze through hair

It's a two week countdown to New Zealand.  People keep asking if we are ready.  Mentally, I'm already there, scouring the peaks of the glaciers, tumbling off bridges via bungee cord, naming the thousands of sheep.  The sun is shining on my face and the breeze is caressing my hair.  In my mind, I am already singing the down under version of the Sound of Music.  Logistically?  Well, that's another story.  We have passports.  We have flights.  We have a home exchange for one of the three weeks. 

Part of me relishes this half planned adventure.  The other half?  The other half is headed to find more suitcases, more first aid kits, more research and recommendations.  I'm confirming and reconfirming our house sitter, our dog sitter, our turtle and fish sitter.  I'm off to the bookstore for the last ditch attempts to find "supplemental reading" that will enhance our knowledge of the Maori culture and the ... ok, who am I kidding?  I'll will read the historical excerpts from the Lonely Planet Guide on the plane over and share the best bits with a family that will not likely hear me over the sound of the plane.

Here is what my husband and kids are doing to get ready.  Rob reordered his passport and is dreaming of lamb dinners.   Kai first argued against the trip  in favor of the school Jogathon, which he claimed is suddenly his favorite event at school.  However, once he realized he would miss the California Standards Writing test, he revised his position and is now in favor of the trip.  Mia is already negotiating how many stuffed animals she can bring. 

13 days to go.