Wow, I’m already off to a bad start blogging. Keep your expectations low going forward! 🙂 I have been a little more successful at putting a few photos and updates on Instagram, so if you’d like to follow us there, follow @fromnetonz (friends and family only for now!)
We landed safely in Auckland at 6 am local time on Valentine’s day, and are now 18 hours ahead of those of you in CST. The kids (and Ayden 🙂 did AWESOME on the flights. We had brought a ton of activities and toys to keep everyone entertained, but ended up not needing the majority of it because the kids were entertained by the in-flight movies and games. Foster was the biggest challenge, because he was limited to being on one of our laps. For a toddler that wants to move constantly, it was tricky to keep him distracted for a 15 hour flight! He did sleep on my lap for a good portion of the long flight, but of course that meant that I didn’t sleep much. Thankfully we were able to book a Sky Couch on our Air New Zealand flight, so the older kids had a good sleep and Ayden got to get comfortable (he didn’t sleep much, though).
After our first flight, we had learned that getting on and off the plane was a literal circus for us. With all the kids and all our stuff, we figured out that we needed to be the very last ones off the plane so we didn’t slow anyone else down. However, we deplaned in the middle of the tarmac during rain, so we opted to get some assistance rather than going down slippery metal stairs with all our crap. We got to ride in the lift they use for handicapped people and got a ride all the way to the terminal, so we were very thankful to stay out of the rain after such a long travel day (24 hours!)
A few days prior to flying out, we had read about someone’s experience using the concierge service at the Auckland airport. We knew we would need some kind of porter and several carts to get us through customs, but not knowing exactly how it was going to go, we decided to splurge a little and book the concierge just so we had the peace of mind of a dedicated person to help us.
Pre-flight Erin scoffed a little bit at the price of said concierge service, but after the experience? I would have paid TRIPLE for the way we were taken care of. From the second we got to the terminal, we had two people 100% dedicated to assisting us. These two fabulous ladies insisted that they carry as many of our heavy carry-on bags as they could and that we just worry about making our tired kids comfortable. They guided us through the airport and to the baggage claim, where two additional concierges were already waiting with all of our luggage (I had labeled our bags very clearly with bright green luggage straps and our last name; they were impressed :). Then all four of the concierges brought us through Biosecurity and Customs, which we legitimately would never have been able to make it through by ourselves without a struggle that I’m sure would have ended in many tears. They showed us exactly which lines to go though (we also got to go in some priority lines because we were assisted…perks abound!) and exactly when to show our passports, declaration forms, etc. It literally could not have gone smoother. They even brought us all the way to our rental car (well, they put the 5 of us on a golf cart shuttle while they pushed ALL our luggage for the 5 minute walk…they got their workout in!). I almost wished tipping was a thing in NZ (it’s not), because I was just so grateful for all their help along the way. They were so so gracious and kept assuring us that this was all part of their job. Maybe so, but it was the best experience we could have had arriving in a new country across the world.
Halston fell asleep like this in the stroller while we waited to get through customs.
After we managed to fit all our luggage into our rental van and figure out how to install three rental car seats, we drove to our rental house in Auckland. Ayden did a fantastic job with his crash(less) course in right-handed driving!
We had intended to stay in Auckland for two nights over the weekend which would allow us enough time to look at the van (“people mover” in NZ) we had our eyes on and then buy it Monday before driving down to the Taranaki district where we would be living. We didn’t expect to have any big feelings about Auckland either way, but we found it a lovely city! It’s interesting and beautiful to drive in, the food we had was amazing, and people were very friendly to us.
I didn’t get great pictures in Auckland but it was gorgeous 🙂
The Airbnb we stayed in for two nights was absolutely delightful; it was very well suited to our family and was stocked with everything we needed. It had a cute backyard, a view of the ocean from the main bedroom, and a hot tub that was absolutely to-die for after the journey we’d just had.
Unfortunately because our international bank transfer didn’t go through by Monday in order to get our new car paid for, we had to stay in Auckland for an additional night. As our luck has gone, the Airbnb we were in was booked up, so we had to move AGAIN to a new Airbnb for a night (see last blog post about all the Airbnb moves we’ve done in the last 3 months :’).
There weren’t very many options available on less than a day’s notice, so we ended up in a large, fancy, new home. You’d think that this would be great for us, but it was FANCY. Think “don’t touch that!!” being screamed constantly. It also was missing many staple items, kitchenware, and any decor or anything that would have made it feel homey, so it was just 8 empty bedrooms worth of marble for the kids to wreak havoc in.
No board games, no soft places to sit, just very cold and echo-y. Plenty of beds (literally 8 bedrooms, and two beds in every room. This house was BEAST) so I guess it accomplished what it needed to, but we were anxious to get to our new home.
Our new van is a hybrid Toyota Voxy (our first time not owning a salvaged vehicle!). It’s a Japanese import, so although it’s not brand new, we’re the first owners since it arrived in New Zealand. It’s an awesome van and we love it 🙂
After picking up the car Tuesday morning, we drove the 6ish hours down from Auckland to our new house in the Taranaki district. It was so hard not to stop everywhere because the countryside was so stunning. Pictures don’t do it justice.
We arrived to our house in the evening, welcomed by a beautiful sunset and our new neighbor cows in the paddock right by our house. We rent a house that’s on a working dairy farm, so there’s no shortage of Midwest vibes around here!
The kids are obsessed with the cows on our farm, and Foster will now excitedly say “caa!” and “mmmmmmmm” when he sees them. Kid loves his cows!
Mount Taranaki is *the* celebrity in these parts, and we have a great view of it on clear days from our driveway. (left of the trees)
Taranaki on a clearer day. This view is from the country road that connects to our house. The cows around here are very happy with all this green grass to graze on all day 🙂
Closer to the house we’re a bit downhill, but we can still see the top of the maunga (mountain). Mt. Taranaki is actually an inactive volcano (and we’re crossing our fingers it stays that way!!)
I can’t believe we’ve been here for a month already; the time is flying by so fast. I’ve been settling into my new teaching job, and Ayden and the kids are rocking life at home. After we got to our house, I started work within three days, so we haven’t had much time to really stop and let the dust settle, but slowly the house is feeling like home and we’re learning how to adapt to NZ life as we go.
That’s plenty for now, and I’ll try to be better about blogging more regularly! I already have more topics planned so I’ll try to get them written up soon. Hope you and yours are well; we miss everyone back home!
❤︎ Erin, Ayden, and fam