I am having a hot cup of tea while typing this trip down. We suppose to arrive at 4:30pm today, but the flight was delayed  due to strong winds in Auckland. The airplane almost touched the ground then took off again due to gusts of wind, then the plane circled around Auckland city through thick clouds and strong turbulence, we finally touched down at 5:30pm and the whole cabin clapped happily for the safe landing. Isabella was fantastic throughout the flight, she didn’t get grumpy, happily sat on my lap through the bumpy ride. I took it from her behaviour that fear is something we learnt through life, she is fearless because the world is brand new to her and she is learning everything for the first time.

Magnus told me he had driven 1500 K on this trip. We flew to Queenstown and drove to Wanaka on the first day, spent two night at this cute three bedroom house by the lake. The weather was cloudy and we had drizzly rain on our 2nd day. Lichen, Magnus and I had Korean food in Wanaka on the 1st night, it was surprisingly delicious. Especially the sizzling octopus Lichen ordered which was super fresh and tasty. We walked along the lake for 3 hours and the rest of time just took it easy at the house.

The 2nd stop was Lake Tekapo. This accommodation was the most expensive one on the trip. The place is well furnished, it even had a toy box. Isabella was excited about the toys  for 20 mins, then her attention as usual moved on to the “forbidden” objects: shoes, plastic boxes, tissue papers and electrical cables. My parents wanted to do the star gazing tour, but it was cancelled due to poor weather conditions.  During the day, we visited Mt Cook national park, the peak of Mt Cook was hidden behind the clouds. The view is spectacular, everything seem to be floating behind the misty clouds. We had an hour walk before the rain started. Isabella was very excited on these nature walks, she may become a keen outdoor adventurer.

The third place on this trip is Dunedin. We almost did not include this stop if not because of our friends Liz and Lyra. We met Liz and Lyra about 5 or 6 years ago in Auckland. They moved down to Dunedin a couple of years ago due to Liz’s job at Otago Polytec. Dunedin is the biggest surprise to Magnus and me. We visited Sandfly Bay, it was the first bright sunny day on our trip. We carried Isabella down the steep sandy beach and saw the fur seals lazying around.  The water is deep green, it is different from the colours up north. The landscape and the beach seem much wilder and more majestic comparing to the beaches near Auckland. My parents walked around town in the evening, they enjoyed the architects of the city. It has more characters than the building in Auckland city. The most interesting places we have been to on this trip for me is the Larnarch Castle, the place is filled with stories and scandles. When I walked through all the different rooms, I can’t help but to imagine the days when it was being built and the nights those people spent there.

The final two days we stayed on this farm suited along the Catlins. There was no Wifi and phone coverage at the accommodation. The panorama view of the water was stunning from the house. Isabella slept through the 1st night, it was great for Magnus and I. However, we were counting on her to wake us up in the middle of the night so we can see the stars, so we got our 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep but we missed out on seeing the night sky. We also visited the Nugget point, Kaka point, McLean waterfalls, Slope point and Curio Bay. The food were great at the Point Cafe and also the Whistling frog cafe. We were impressed by the fresh local food, and the simple yet delicious dishes served at these far away places. What amazed me the most along the Catlins is probably the petrified forests some 180 million years old at Curio Bay. I keep saying to myself I meant nothing when I stood on these petrified forests site. One thing I should have done is taking a photo of 11 months old Isabella sitting on this site, that would be quite a contrast of the ancient and the new.