Geraldine, NZ

Sunday, March 22

We woke up to a bright & sunny morning in Timaru. To my surprise, the freedom camping spot where we stayed last night completely filled up overnight. I opened the blinds and saw over 20 campervans parked there. Always funny to see people standing around in their pajamas drinking coffee in a parking lot & looking like they slept in a van last night — because they did.

Andi and I decided to get an early start on the day. We packed up before breakfast and drove to the nearby town of Geraldine about 30 minutes away. We have one more night in our RV before we return it tomorrow in Christchurch.

Geraldine is a small artsy town of about 2,000 people — the perfect-sized small town, in my opinion. Main Street was dotted with restaurants and cafes, shopping and the local butchery. Once we arrived in town, Andi parked our RV in the library parking lot so we could steal their internet signal. It was for good reason, promise! Libraries in New Zealand are closed on Sundays, but we wanted to find somewhere with a strong connection so we could stream church online. Now that social gatherings are limited to under 50 people in Wisconsin, our church back home is streaming all three of their services via the web and Saturday night church happens to be Sunday Noon church for us. Perfect!

We made up a tray of “snack lunch” and watched church on the iPad. It felt really comforting to experience a piece of home.

After the church service, we drove around the block to the Top 10 Holiday Park campground in Geraldine. Fortunately, there weren’t many people there. Andi and I got in line to dump our gray water and black tank, striking up a conversation with a family from Switzerland (standing an appropriate 6 feet apart from one another, of course). No matter what country we are from, we all share the same struggle right now — getting home safe & healthy.

Tory and Aden were upset that Andi and I said no to playing on the playground equipment at the campground. This whole COVID-19 virus is so hard for the kids to understand, no matter how many times we try to explain it to them. It was a gorgeous, sunny, 68 degrees outside and Tory and Aden SHOULD have been able to play outdoors, but we couldn’t risk them getting sick. Instead, the kids sat in the RV and watched iPads while Andi and I started to pack up. The RV is a tiny space and we’ve been spending way too much time in it lately!

Why is it that belongings never fit back into the suitcase you brought them in?!

The day was too beautiful to stay inside, so Andi and I decided to take the kids for a walk around town. Geraldine had the cutest downtown area with several shops to browse, an ice cream shop, butcher and supermarket. It was hotter outside than I’d expected and the kids were complaining of thirst, so we stopped into a Whole Foods restaurant to get a bottle of water and an espresso for Andi. We were immediately greeted at the door by an employee who asked us to sign our names and phone number on a list by the door. Apparently, a new mandate in New Zealand requires anyone who purchases food from a restaurant so leave their name & contact information so that if an employee falls ill with COVID-19, they’ll be able to contact us. The global pandemic has finally reached New Zealand! In some ways, if feels as if nothing is happening. We see families out for a walk, people eating in restaurants, kids playing soccer on a grassy field, and schools still in session & then we’re struck by moments like this, or signs posted warning travelers to stay away. Later, I told Andi we need to start carrying our own pen so we’re not sharing with every other restaurant patron who touched it prior to us.

We took our waters and coffee to-go, and walked down to the river. Andi, Tory and Aden took their shoes off and waded in the water to cool off. I sat on a nearby park bench and basked in the sunshine. For a moment, all felt right in the world.

It’s such a strange time to be traveling 14,000 miles from home. Andi and I are having a hard time enjoying ourselves at all as our minds constantly worry about getting home to the USA. We can feel the window closing more and more each day.

The four of us walked back to the RV and made dinner. Then, I got to work cleaning the RV for its return tomorrow. Andi laughed when I said my two biggest stress-relievers are cleaning and wine.

Tomorrow morning, we’ll drive to Christchurch, return the RV and fly to Auckland.