Auckland, NZ

Monday, March 23

I woke up this morning at 2:00am to Andi in a panic. “I think I booked the wrong flight,” he said suddenly sitting up in bed. He grabbed his computer off the shelf to double-check. Sure enough, somehow we’d booked a flight from Christchurch to Auckland for next week, not today at 11:00am as we’d planned. Yikes!

Andi bounced out of bed, grabbed the computer and his cell phone, and ran over to the Top 10 holiday park community lounge in Geraldine to call the airline’s customer service. He sat on hold with Air New Zealand customer service for over an hour, but was able to get our flight changed. Now, we were set to fly from Christchurch to Auckland tonight at 8:00pm vs. 11:00am this morning.

This was Andi’s heart rate this morning mid-crisis. To say we’re on edge about the COVID-19 pandemic and getting home safely to Wisconsin is an understatement! If I had a time machine and could magically teleport ourselves home, I would.

The new later flight time meant that we now had the entire day to spend in the RV. I loathe travel days where we’re killing time; they seem to drag on forever. Especially when we’re limited where we can go due to social distancing. So after school in the RV, Andi and I decided to take the kids for a walk outdoors at Peel Forest Park Reserve. Tory and Aden were not pleased about taking a morning hike, but we drug them along anyway. More time inside lately = more iPad time = disagreeable attitudes.

Peel Forest was nice and quiet. We didn’t see another person the entire time we were there. And, the 20-minute walk in the woods led us to the “Big Tree” as promised.

The “Big Tree” doesn’t look very impressive in pictures, but it was big and beautiful in person. Best of all, the Big Tree Walk brought us outside in nature and made us all forget about the coronavirus for an hour in time.

Back in the RV, we drove to the nearby town of Mayfield to get fuel for the RV and re-fill the propane tank. This was the first time in our seven weeks traveling in New Zealand that we felt unwelcome in this country. I’m not sure if the coronavirus prompted this business to ban travelers, or it is always their policy. In any regard, this sign stung a little. “No travelers; Kiwis only.”

We still had about two hours to kill, so I suggested we stop by the Rangitata Gorge on our way to Christchurch. Except, once we got there, neither Andi and I felt like going for a walk anymore. The dread of traveling through the airport today was really affecting both of our moods. Besides, we couldn’t have done the whole 3 hour hike anyway as we needed to make our way to Christchurch. In the parking lot, Andi and I finished cleaning out the RV fridge and then the four of us walked down to the river to enjoy it’s beauty from the shore. The river gorge was turquoise blue like almost all New Zealand rivers are, and that beauty never fails to amaze us.

Next, we were on our way to Christchurch to return the RV. Andi and I reminisced on the way about how much we’ve grown in comfort driving on the left side of the road. We laughed about our first trip to Akaroa and how much butt-clenching we did driving along the narrow, two-lane highway! Andi wondered if he’d remember how to drive on the right side of the road when we returned home. I haven’t driven in seven weeks! That will surely feel different being behind the wheel again.

The RV check-in process with Sunrise Holiday went smoothly. We took out their complete coverage insurance policy on the RV rental, which I highly recommend. We didn’t break anything (surprisingly), but we didn’t worry about wear and tear that inevitably happens with two kids either.

After we dropped off the RV, an RV company employee drove the four of us to the Christchurch airport so we could board our 8:00pm flight to Auckland. I think it’s safe to say Andi, Tory, Aden and I were all on pins and needles traveling that evening. My stomach was so upset with nervousness, I thought I was going to be sick. Tory said multiple times that she had a belly ache, too.

The Christchurch airport was packed with travelers and no one seemed the least bit worried about COVID-19. Travelers were standing close to each other like nothing was happening in the world. It made Andi and I feel very uncomfortable! For the millionth time, we hammered into the kids’ brains to stay close to us and not touch anything inside the airport. Even though experts say face masks do nothing to protect against COVID-19, our family wore them for protection. Andi and I figured it couldn’t hurt. At the very least, it helped us not touch our faces and reminded others that these are not normal times — to keep themselves at a distance. For as long as we were able before our flight boarded, the four of us sat outside in the fresh air away from everyone else. Tory and I read a few chapters of Chronicles of Narnia while Andi and Aden paced around the airport sidewalks.

Andi bought Tory and Aden Burger King for dinner, and they were thrilled! I’ve never seen Tory eat a burger so quickly. Do you think she missed American fast food much?

Earlier on Monday, the New Zealand Prime Minister announced the country was going into a 4-week shutdown beginning in 48 hours. Andi and I began to worry if we’d have trouble getting an Uber back to the airport on Wednesday for our flight to Los Angeles, or if we should really be riding in an Uber anyway given these times, so we opted to rent a car in Auckland so we had some control over our travel plans. It felt like we were spending money left and right to get home (first returning our RV early and eating the dollars/days we’d already paid for it, then changing our return flight, and now renting a car just to drive to and from the airport in Auckland), but we felt like we didn’t have much choice at this point. We can't miss our flight on Wednesday — it’s the very last flight leaving for the United States before New Zealand shuts down for isolation Wednesday at 11:59pm.

Andi reserved three different rental cars in Auckland, and luckily one was still open when we got into the airport at 10:00pm. We loaded up our bags and drove 20 minutes to a rented airbnb in New Lynn, New Zealand. After living in a small RV for seven weeks, this three-bedroom, one-bathroom house felt like a mansion! We love RV travel, but I won’t lie — it felt great to spread out a bit.

Andi and I ate a late dinner and then we all took showers. It was 2:00am before we were all settled into our beds. Tory had the option to sleep in her own room, but decided to sleep in a twin bed next to Aden which I thought was very sweet. Those two have quite the bond.

Tomorrow, we plan to lay low at the airbnb … our flight home is scheduled for Wednesday.

Tuesday, March 24

Tuesday was a slow, uneventful day in Auckland. Honestly, we needed it! Andi and I love RV travel, but there’s also something pretty fantastic about sleeping in a bed that’s not inches away from our children, taking a long, hot shower whenever we feel like it, and cooking in a real kitchen that’s all our own.

The kids and I did school in the morning while Andi ran to the grocery store. He arrived 90 minutes before the store opened and already there was a line out the door. The NZ government-mandated isolation starts tomorrow at 11:59pm and people are in preparation mode.

When Andi returned from the grocery store, he said the shelves were still pretty well stocked. All cleaning supplies were gone, but there was still food and paper products. The store had a two-item limit to avoid falling into hoarding issues that are happening in the US.

Other than a trip to the store, our day in Auckland wasn’t that exciting. Aden discovered a box of Legos and other toys in our rented airbnb which kept him occupied for a good part of the day. Tory did a few online art classes and watched episodes of Fuller House on Netflix. Andi worked on a photo book of our trip and I caught up on our New Zealand blog posts. We did laundry (hence, Andi’s awesome outfit choice)! The kids took TWO long baths during the day — basically just splashed and played in the water — and Aden was thrilled he didn’t have to wash his hair.

For dinner, Andi grilled fish which we ate on a bed of salad greens. Tory and I read a few more chapters of Chronicles of Narnia and we all participated in our church’s daily prayer challenge. That really helped calm Andi and I’s nerves about traveling tomorrow. Honestly, having a day to rest in Auckland was just what we all needed before tackling the long flight back home.

Wednesday, March 25

Well, today’s the day! We had the entire day to kill at our airbnb before our 10:59pm flight from Auckland to Los Angeles. Today was basically a repeat of yesterday — the kids and I did school in the morning, Tory took another long bath and did some online art projects. Aden played toys and played a new letter sound learning game on his iPad. Andi finished our New Zealand photo book and I did my workout and blogged on the computer.

Andi grilled steak with salad for our last dinner in New Zealand before heading to the airport. It would be a long 24-hours of travel. From Auckland to Los Angeles, then Los Angeles to Minneapolis, and then driving 90 minutes to our home in northwest Wisconsin.

We donned face masks again at the Auckland airport, and this time I would say 90% of people there were wearing them. Some people were even wearing full hazmat suits, disposable scrubs and booties — one family we saw even had swim goggles on their kids! It was a very strange travel experience.

Our international flight went as smoothly as it could have though. The airplane was completely full, but on time and implemented good social distancing practices (as much as they could, at least). Andi and I were both so grateful for the pilots and flight attendants working under those conditions. They aren’t immune to COVID-19 and yet here they were, putting themselves at risk to get us home. We thought Air New Zealand did a good job of providing necessary customer service on the airplane while keeping as much distance as possible. Literally, we were on the last flight out of New Zealand that evening before the county implemented a four-week shutdown due to the pandemic.

The Los Angeles airport was a different story. No employees or travelers were wearing masks that we saw and very few people seemed to be practicing social distancing inside the USA airport. Fortunately, the airport itself was pretty dead, so at least our family could spread out and keep our distance as much as possible. At US Customs, Andi and I expected to be questioned thoroughly about our travels, advised on self-isolation recommendations or even have our temperature taken in the airport, but none of those things happened. We saw news stories where travelers were jammed up in hallways, or quarantined in rooms to be screened, but none of those things happened to us. Customs didn’t really ask us anything about where we’d been, where we were going, or how we were feeling. Yikes.

Our flight from Los Angeles to Minneapolis was practically empty. I didn’t count, but I would say less than 15 travelers and 3 flight attendants. Once we boarded the plane and were wheels up, Andi and I finally breathed a sigh of relief. We literally fist-bumped across the aisle because we knew that once this flight took off, we’d make it home.

Andi’s parents agreed to meet us at the Minneapolis airport when our flight arrived in at 11:30pm that evening. Andi’s dad dropped off Andi’s truck in the Arrivals lane, we hopped in, and then we waved to them across the street in their car. It felt so strange/rude not to embrace Janie and Jim in a hug or even talk to them in person since we haven’t seen them in two months. Surprisingly, Tory and Aden understood and didn't say much about not seeing grandma and grandpa. It was sad, really! But, Andi and I feel strongly that we need to isolate ourselves from anyone for two weeks since we’d just traveled internationally. Who knows what germs we’ve picked up along the way and we’d feel terrible if we unintentionally infected anyone.

Grandma and Grandpa left us goodies inside the truck — “red chips” for Aden (nacho cheese Doritos) which Aden was thrilled about; he’s been craving them for months! Tory had Wheat Thins and Laughing Cow cheese waiting for her, and Andi’s mom packed Thai take-out for Andi and I. We’re grateful to have such amazing family close to home.

We finally pulled into our driveway at the cabin around 1:00am. Andi and I unloaded groceries that Andi’s mom and dad had picked up for us and left in our truck. We all took showers, I washed our travel clothes, and finally got to bed around 3:00am. None of us could sleep; we were all so wound up from the past 24 hours traveling, plus we were still on New Zealand time.

Thank the Lord we made it to Wisconsin safely. It’s too bad our New Zealand adventure was cut short, but Andi and I feel thankful for the seven amazing weeks we were able to spend there. What a beautiful country it is. We can’t wait to return someday!