Finding accommodations in New Zealand

Planning a trip to New Zealand, but not sure where to stay? Online resources abound. Check these sites out for ideas.

Rent a House

Book-a-bach was recommended to us by family, and we used it to find lodging for most of our most recent trip. We scheduled houses for 2-6 nights and were overall very pleased with the experience.

We stayed at Somer_Villa at Stanmore Bay to book end to our trip (for a few days upon arrival and then a few days at the end of our time in New Zealand). In addition to being within walking distance of Gran and Grandad's house, it was a lovely, cozy little place with great hosts.

Bed and Breakfast

Speaking of hosts, New Zealand's hospitality is second to none. If you want to experience that up close and personal, consider checking out one of the country's many bed and breakfast locations. We stayed at a wonderful South Island bed and breakfast a few years ago. It was a great experience - and so relaxing. We strolled through their vineyard, met the animals, visited with the family, and were welcomed with open arms! The New Zealand Bed and Breakfast Book is a great place to start if you are looking for a B&B experience of your own. 

Hotels and Motels

Hotels.com is my favorite way to book hotels in the U.S., and they have a New Zealand version of the site available, too. Check it out here.

100% Pure New Zealand is a great website for all things Kiwi, including places to stay (also check it out for things to do and see). You will find an excellent selection of hotel and motel rooms on the site.

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309 Road, Kauri Grove, Coromandel, Firth of Thames

After we rinsed the sand off at Hot Water Beach, we moved along, picking up the 309 Road, a windy, partially dirt road that took us from the east side of the peninsula to the west side. Along the way we stopped at the kauri forest, and hiked along a trail (which said it was 10 minutes long) to a grove of super old kauri trees. We lost Cameron for a while, but all in all it was a fun hike.

Not far along the road from there was Coromandel, where we had rented an eclectic and interesting house for the night. We were greeted by a couple of Kiwi kids, very excited to meet our brood of American children.

It was Ella's turn at dinner, so she and Garth made spaghetti bolognaise and a pie. After dinner there were a few games on the pool table, and then a few more, and we all headed off to bed, exhausted.


**

Our day started with a beautiful view from the Coromandel House -- fog over the valley and the town. It was quiet and peaceful, and we could have sat and looked for hours.

But there were places to go and things to see, and we were almost back to "home"! So after everyone was up and through the shower, we went into the little gold mining village of Coromandel to see if we could check out a mine. That didn't work out, but we got a good look at town before we headed on.

From Coromandel we followed the coast, driving along the Firth of Thames. It was very beautiful all the way along (it reminded me of the Washington coast where I grew up). We stopped in Thames to putter away a couple of hours in the shops and have lunch. We ended up in a Chinese buffet after looking through a couple of book shops and a few others spots, including a playground at the edge of town.

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Beach day - Whangamata and Hot Water Beach

We were on the road at about 10, and stopped for lunch in the cute little burg of Whangamata. We got goodies from a little bakery and took them down to the gorgeous beach. After lunch and some time in the sand (Cameron tried his hand at flying his kite and took a dip in the surf), we were on the road again.

Up the road a bit we came to Hot Water Beach, where we all had a great time. We hired a couple of spades from the cafe and walked down the beach to a spot where we dug a hole and found the boiling hot thermal heated water beneath. As the tide poured cold water into the holes the family had dug, warm pools were created. It was a a really very interesting phenomenon!

We snapped a lot of photos to remember the day...

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Omokoroa Thermal Holiday Park - Tauranga

Our stop at this little holiday park near Tauranga was quite the pleasant surprise. The rest of our trip was spent at bach homes, but when we couldn't find one that fit our needs for this leg of the tour, we "settled" for the holiday park. We were very glad we did.

On the way in for the evening we stopped at a lovely little fish and chips shop and picked up four yummy smelling packages of newspaper. Then we brought them to the park and checked into a pair of cabins, where we immediately dug in to the parcels.

For my Kiwi husband, no trip to New Zealand would be complete without a trip to the fish and chips shop. "Take outs were uncommon when I was a kid," he said, "But when we did, it was always from the local fish and chips shop. It was a family event together, usually at the beach." Helping to plant this memory in his own children is important to him.

And this dinner did not disappoint. There is just something timeless and perfect about salt-doused french fries, kumara chips, and fish that is both crispy and melts in your mouth.

After dinner we all headed over to the thermal hot pools, which were very nice -- especially the "adults only" hot tub. They were so nice, we found ourselves wondering why we had paid for the Polynesian Pools the day before! We all had a nice soak and swim under the stars, and were in bed early.

Our sleeping arrangements were two cabins with two sets of bunk beds and a double bed in each. We rented linens from the park for a very reasonable charge, and were laden with piles of pillows, blankets, and duvets to snuggle up beneath.

The children woke up early and headed to the pool for another dip before breakfast. Gran went out to buy bacon and eggs, then the rest of us packed up while Garth made breakfast. It was delicious, and each of the kids had a part in cooking. The kitchen facilities were clean and well-maintained, and we were able to find everything we needed to put on our morning spread.

Everyone at the holiday park was very friendly, the service was great, and the facilities were more than adequate. We were very pleased with our stay.

Family Vacation
Tauranga

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Kiwi 360

 Our next stop was at Te Puke for Kiwi 360. We had lunch in the cafe -- most of us trying interesting kiwi fare. Cameron and I had the kiwi hotcakes, and Maia and Cameron sampled the kiwi juice.

After lunch, we loaded up for a tour of the kiwifruit farm. It was interesting to learn how several local farmers started working on variations of the Chinese Gooseberry independently and at about the same time.

This is what made the kiwifruit stop so important to our tour of the North Island -- it is very New Zealand!

We stopped and picked some kiwi up to bring home and ripen, then moved around to another area of the farm to check out the PSA, a disease which has ravaged the gold kiwi crops after pollen that had been impacted was imported. We wrapped up the tour with samples in the gift shop, which included some kiwi wine and liquor. Different, sort of reminded me of the rhubarb wine from Culbertson, Montana.

Did you know?

A serving of two kiwifruit contains:

*More vitamin C than two oranges
*The potassium of a banana
*All the fiber of a bowl of bran
Kiwifruit are also rich in lutein, an antioxidant known to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

Family Vacation
Tauranga

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Skyline Luge - Rotorua

Monday started with a super fun family

activity -- Skyline Luge.

The luge is a three-wheeled cart, which you ride down one of the three tracks with beautiful volcano and lake views.

We bought a couple of family passes and the eight of us got into a gondola. They snapped a photo, and then we began our ascent of the mountain, looking out over the lake and the city from the side of the mountain.

At the top we each grabbed a helmet and got in line for the luge. Everyone had so much fun!!! We each got two trips down -- even Bria! She did the first one with Gran on the scenic track, and the second one on the intermediate track with Daddy.

After Justin and Garth relived their childhood with a race down the advanced track, we shared a bowl of chips and headed back down in the gondola, full of smiles.

Rotorua Vacations

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Te Puia Maori Cultural Experience, Rotorua, New Zealand

After an afternoon at the Polynesian Spa, our night's festivities were an indigenous evening experience at Te Puia. We started in the gift shop, browsing around and waiting for the evening to start. Then our guide met us at the gate and led us back into the grounds.

First came a greeting ceremony. The group gathered, and our guide chose a chief -- Grandad Wayne! Our chief was to represent all of us and the lands we came from (the U.S., Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Canada, Australia) in a welcome called a traditional powhiri. A warrior came out of the meeting house -- his tribe behind him -- and offered sort of a greeting/challenge dance and chant. Grandad (our chief) stood before us and watched. Then the warrior put down a peace offering (branch) and waited for our chief to come forward, pick it up, then come back with it -- without turning his back on the warrior. This was a sign we had come in peace (phew!), so the warrior came forward and welcomed him with a gesture of pressing noses together.

Once the greetings were exchanged, the group was welcomed into the marae. The chief sat in the front row, his family just behind him on the left side of the house, and the rest of the group sat on the right.

We watched a full kapa haka (performing arts) concert, filled with interesting traditional music and stories of the Maori culture. At one point all of the women were invited on stage to learn a poi dance. Even Bria did it! The guys were invited up a bit later to learn a haka, which was really fun to watch. Chief Wayne, Justin, and Cameron got pretty into learning.

They closed the concert with a song telling the story of Hinemoa and Tutanekai, sort of a Romeo and Juliet story of their tradition (with a happier ending). it was really beautiful, and we all saw a great piece of history and culture.

We then moved into a really first-class meal, with cuisine that incorporated indigenous ingredients, traditional hangi cooked food, and contemporary Maori dishes. There was pork, lamb, chicken, seafood, kumera, potatoes, salad, and lots more, plus gorgeous mussels as an entree (what we would call an appetizer in the U.S.) and breads. The dessert spread was just as impressive -- and we were encouraged to come back for seconds and thirds (and to use a plate if the bowls were too small). There was a lovely chocolate mousse, eclairs, fruit salad, pavlova, cream, and chocolate cake with hot custard. We could have stayed there all night, and we were all stuffed to the brim!

After we had all gotten our fill of the delicious food and lovely hospitality, we met up with our guide again for the closing entertainment -- a starlight visit to Pohutu, the famous geyser located on the grounds.

Every detail was thought of. We were met with tubs of soft, warm blankets, and told to grab one and get into a car, which was one of a row of cars attached to an electric engine. Each car was encased with plastic with zippers to help keep us warm as we headed down to view the geyser.

They drove us down a path and paused on a bridge to view the pools and geyser, telling us some history of the area, then drove down the a bit so we could get out and check it out. When we got out of the cars, there was hot chocolate to warm us. We walked back down to the bridge and watched Pohutu spit and sputter and shoot water 20 feet or so into the air, then we walked back up and sat on thermal-heated rocks while our guide held a closing ceremony. As it turns out, our host had a beautiful singing voice! We then got back into the cars and rode back to the gate where we each splashed water on the green stone for luck and headed out.

We all agreed it had been a delightful evening, and Jenny felt she had found a wonderful local secret right in her own back yard.

Finally it was a drive back around Lake Rotorua to get back to our lake house and call it a night. (The only disappointment was that we didn't get any photos! I suppose that means we have to do it again next time we are in the country.)

Rotorua Vacations

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Polynesian Spas - Rotorua

Our afternoon was spent at the Polynesian Spa in Rotorua. Do you hear that sound? I think it is the heavens opening to sing the praises of a long soak in a thermal heated pool.

The spa capitalizes on the unique geothermal activity of the area, which has been touted for years for the healing properties of its soothing naturally warm waters. It was glorious, and a fun way to spend some time as a family, too.

There are several choices within the spa (referred to by locals as the "Poly Pools"), including private and public options for adults and families.

Our group descended on the family spa, which includes a large freshwater chlorinated pool with a toddler's section and slide, and two hot mineral pools. It was a very relaxing place to watch the children's antics from, and to soak away the stress. It might not be the best place for non-parents to try to relax, though -- the family spa is a loud, fun place!

It amazed me that I could feel such a difference between the hot pools, with one at around 37 degrees celsius, and the other 39 degrees. It doesn't sound like much difference, but it really was. Too much time in the hottest pool and we were feeling dehydrated and overheated.

With the draining effect of the hot pools, it was lovely to have the contrast of the cool swimming pool to jump into for a break and a refresh. Then it was back to the middle pool for more unwinding, then on to the hot pools again because they just felt so good. Repeat.

Next time we will definitely have to set aside some adult time to take in the spa and private pools...

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The Redwoods - Whakarewarewa Forest

A beautiful, crisp morning for those who chose to get out of bed and enjoy it!

The morning's plans are for a walk with Grandad Wayne and Jenny in the Redwood Forest. The forest was seeded from the redwoods in California, so it had a very homey and familiar feel, only with different and interesting birds you wouldn't find back home!

The redwood grove was planted in 1901. The largest redwood in Whakarewarewa is approximately 67 meters tall, while it grows to as much as 110 meters in the tree's natural habitat in California. The average lifespan is 600 years, so these New Zealand trees have many, many years of life left in them.

The family set out on a one-hour tram through the woods (there were options from 30 minutes to 8 hours, for the really adventurous sort not toting a two-year-old). It was a nice walk and a beautiful day.

After a peek through the gift shop, where Bria fell in love with a horse swing, we went back to the lake house to pick up the older children who had slept in and missed out on the beautiful morning.

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Te Urewera National Park

Everyone was up and through the (amazing) shower a little later than expected, but soon enough we were on the road. We poked around Hastings looking for a geocache, but were unsuccessful, so decided to move on.

We drove along the Hawkes Bay Coast for a little way, then headed inland toward Te Urewera National Park. What a drive that was! We weren't far into the park when the pavement gave way to gravel roads, and other cars became fewer and farther between.

Te Urewera is the largest national park on the North Island. It also protects the largest area of native forest remaining on the island, and is home to nearly all species of the country's birds.

Filled with beautiful lakes, forest and mountains, the road was very (very) narrow, and winding. In some places we were making tight corners with a mountain beside us, blindly hoping no one was coming from the other way, and in other areas there was nothing between us and a steep drop to a valley below.

We had a picnic lunch in the van just before we reached beautiful Lake Waikarimoana, and met up with some Eastern European travelers headed out on a hike. According to what we read, the lake was formed 2200 years ago when a huge landslide blocked the Waikaretaheke River.

No one in our group had ever taken this drive, so I think it was a bit surprising, but interesting and different. We came out the other side and into Rotorua just after dark (which meant a juggle of the itinerary).

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Baker Bungalow in Hastings

A drive through the mountains and we were on the east coast, moving through wine country and toward Hastings, which would be our stop for the evening. The house was far nicer (and bigger) than the name "Baker Bungalow" implied, and we were all very comfortable.

The three older kids shared a room off the kitchen where Maia found two "protection gods" hanging over her bed. Once assured they didn't impact her Christianity, she seemed to enjoy the carvings.

Uncle Garth had a pull-out bed in the living room, and Gran had a king size bed in a nice, quiet room to herself. (Quiet she quickly shattered by inviting Bria to sleep with her.) Justin and I also had a cozy king size bed, and everyone enjoyed the electric blankets.

Ah, but the best part had to be the shower! It was a religious experience, and we each partook in an exquisitely long shower, thanks to what seemed to be an endless supply of hot water.

Maia and Garth were tasked with dinner arrangements, and it was pretty cool to watch what a willing student she seemed to be. They planned the meal, shopped for groceries, and used the well-equipped kitchen to prepare a yummy feast, complete with chicken, broccoli, and ginger carrots. She learned a lot, and it was the first meal she really enjoyed in New Zealand, as she has been very uncomfortable with the "different" and "weird" food.

Cameron and I curled up in front of the fire and played a game and a half of chess -- the half came because Bria decided to knock the pieces off the board while Cam was winning.

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Waitomo Glowworm Caves and Huka Falls

Written by Justin, as I am not a caver, and chose to stay in the car with a copy of The Hunger Games...

The morning brought us to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves, a system of caves first explored a hundred years ago. I was pleased to note that they have now paved the floor inside the caves. Wonderful formations of lime transform the smooth stone surfaces into amazing shapes including a full size elephant. Walking down the steel stairs into the lower caverns felt like descending into the Moria.

The cathedral was huge and amazing. The sound was incredible and you could clearly see why it has been used for many musical events.

When we got down to the river level, 13m below the entrance, all of the kids found their quiet as we glided along the dark tunnels. The guide explained how the glow worms were the pupa stage of an insect with a bio luminescent lure and fifty sticky thread snares. The interesting description didn't detract from the magical beauty of hundreds of soft blue flowing stars in the pitch black of an underground night sky.

Maia wanted to drag her hand through the water, until she heard about the size of the eels swimming in it.

We had lunch in Te Kuite, then went on to Taupo, where we did a drive by of the largest lake in New Zealand. From there we went up the road a short bit to Huka Falls, where we got out of the car and poked around for a bit. Wow! The falls were not very tall, but they were impressive in a way you have to feel to truly understand. I think we were all pretty amazed at the volume and power of the water rushing beneath us.

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Turtles and Humpback Bridges

A nice breakfast with Auntie Sue, Trixie, and Bella, and we were off looking for more adventures.

Gran had stayed at Nan's house, so we picked her up there, and Bria had a heyday checking out Nan's turtle collections. "There's more over there! There's more!" Nan gave her a tour and told her about the origins of many of them, blaming Uncle Mark for most! She then presented Bria with a turtle for her own collection, which she promptly named Sandy. Sandy is purple and sparkly, with an aqua blue tummy.

As we left Te Awamutu, we relived a few of Justin and Garth's childhood memories, such as the "humpback bridge" on the way to their grandparents' house. Bria thought it was pretty great, and kept asking to go over the bridge again! Maia was not quite feeling it.

We also drove by the farm and school where their mother grew up, and a few other spots of interest. Justin enjoyed pointing his memories out to the family, many of them things he hadn't seen in years and years.

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Auckland Museum

Other plans fell through today, so we made a spur of the moment decision to explore the Auckland War Memorial Museum. What a great choice that was. There was plenty to see and explore for days, but we saw a huge amount in the one day we had to check it out.

Admission was very reasonable -- a $10 suggested donation for adults, and kids free. The museum is free for Aucklanders, which is a great little feature. (Especially for homeschooling parents!)

Lunch was at the Atrium Cafe inside the museum. Prices were pretty on par with any sort of tourist attraction, and the food was nice and Kiwi. Everyone tried something interesting, then it was off to explore all three levels.

First was a traveling display of National Geographic photographs, which our budding young photographer (Cameron) quite enjoyed. There were nature photos from all over the world, plus pictures taken by a variety of age groups. He loved that each one said what camera it was taken with, and shared settings, etc. We saw the Maori court, and checked out all the carvings and canoes and all kinds of fun traditional things. 

Next we saw all of the nature things on the second floor and the "weird and wonderful" display, which was an interactive display for the children to play with hands-on.

On the third floor was the war memorial. Maia and Ella were very interested in the Holocaust exhibit, and Bria liked the telephones where you could pick up the receiver, push a button, and listen to a story.

Cameron really did not want to leave when it was time -- he was really into taking photographs. But as the afternoon wore on and people were getting worn out, we headed back to the beach house for the evening.

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Te Awamutu

 Saturday morning, and a family trip to Te Awamutu (where Gran's family mostly lives) was on the plan. She had set a 9 am departure time, and even with six people to run through the showers at her place (our beach house seems to have a fatal flaw -- only enough hot water for one shower), we were close to on time.

We all piled into the van -- me, Justin, Gran, Grandad, Uncle Garth, Cameron, Maia, Ella, and Bria -- and headed south. With a stop to buy gifts and a stop for groceries, we arrived at Auntie Sue's place in the country. Cousin Jason's wife Maria and their two little girls, Isabella (7) and Trixie (4) joined us for lunch and visiting. The kids had a great time on the trampoline, and Bria and Trixie became fast friends.

Next was a trek down the road to Uncle Paul and Auntie Dawn's house, where they were hosting an engagement party for their middle daughter, Lisa, and her fiance Benji.

The kids were a little overwhelmed by all the people around, but it was a good way to get to see and catch up with most of the Empson family. They heard over and over how much they had grown (8 1/2 years will do that), and saw lots of people they had fun with when we came for our wedding. Maia took a photo with Lisa and her sisters Janette and Katherine, who were a trio of teenagers toting her around when she last saw them.

Cameron played ball with Janette's six-year-old son Kaden, and all the kids went out to the paddock to see the sheep. Bria even rode on one, thanks to Grandad's help.

We caught up with Nick and Ros, who are expecting their first grandbaby when Cousin Vicky and Mario welcome their first baby in Austria this December. We also got to spend time with Nan, who had a lovely time sharing her chocolate mousse with the littlest and posing for photos with the American great-grands.

We all piled in the van and pointed ourselves north at dark, complete with a pair of super wound up teenagers (Gran though maybe Cam's three ginger beers were to blame). The children were starving by the time we hit Auckland, so we stopped at a food court and had Asian food. Maia was asleep before we even left the table, so we dropped the rest of the family off and called it a night.

One thing we are definitely finding about the time transition is that we are tired much earlier than we are used to at home! By about 8 pm, the kids are done. We have decided the move from summer (long days) at home to winter (short days) here is contributing to that.

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Lunch, Kayaking, and Old Friends

The clock is so incredibly confusing when it changes like it has lately!

Bria decided to start the day at about 4:30 am, and everyone was up and ready to head to Gran and Grandad's by 10. We had a casual day, with a few interesting adventures thrown in for good measure.

Cameron and Maia decided to walk from the beach house to Gledstanes Road, but got lost along the way, and a search party was formed. After about two hours of wrong turns and confused directions, they were found, and Justin walked the route (23 minutes) with them so they would know which way to go next time.

Old friends of the family Ann and Eric McKenzie came for lunch and a catch-up, then they left and the rest of us headed to Stanmore Bay beach where Justin, Granddad, and the kids went for a paddle. Bria enjoyed dragging her hand along in the water as Justin and Maia paddled.

Everyone got a turn, including Cameron and Maia on their own. That was a lot of fun to watch!

Plans for the evening were for the children to go to Gran and Grandad's and us to have a potluck dinner with school friends of Justin's. It was quiet, with talk of the old days and lots of theater members, and where everyone had been since. Kelly, Dale, and Garth joined Justin is solving the problems of the world over a few beers, and Kelly shared a lovely photo album of her first trip to Egypt.

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Transpacific flight with four kids

This summer, my husband and I took our family on the dream vacation. We went to New Zealand, hubby's home country, for a two week visit around the North Island. We visited family, we went to an engagement party, and we played tourist.

But first, we had to get there! Due to some crazy last minute circumstances, this meant a drive from our home in North Dakota to Los Angeles via Seattle (what a life we lead), then a flight from LA to Auckland, New Zealand.

Yes, we boarded a 12-hour flight with four children, ranging from two to 14. No, we're not crazy. But yes, I planned it like a mad person. And you can, too. Putting the work in ahead of time means even a mom can have a relaxing vacation.

Matching shirts so we can find them in the airport

A few weeks before the trip I had the stroke of genius to order the family matching shirts to make it easier to find each other in the crowded airports -- on both sides of the ocean.

Waiting in the airport for a delayed flight.

The complaints from the kids about wanting to personalize their wardrobe was half-hearted at best, and in the end it was cool to have a t-shirt to remember the trip. Our 13-year-old asked if she could cut and tie the sides and we said she could...but she wore it as it came.

Luckily we didn't have to test the effectiveness of the shirts by losing anyone in the busy airport, but I do think it helped us stay together. Once while we were waiting for a flight delay and our oldest wandered off to entertain himself for a while, I was able to spot him easily from across the terminal.

For a fun added twist, my hubby designed a fun logo for the shirts, commemorating our trip.

Touchscreen TVs -- kid friendly vs. pre-teen friendly

Air New Zealand has a wonderful feature in the coach class cabin -- touch screen TVs for each seat. While this is fantastic and gave us tons of breathing space as far as entertaining for children on a long flight, we did run into a small snag. The parental controls were all or nothing. Basically this meant we could lock the toddler's television to avoid anything scary coming on (though we couldn't block the Disney and Nickelodeon garbage we don't allow her to watch at home), but there was no appropriate control for the pre-teen and teenagers.

Familiarizing herself with the entertainment system.

I looked over at my 13-year-old's screen once in the middle of the flight and saw an explicit sex scene in the movie she was watching! Of course I handled it at the time, but with six of us sitting in two rows, there was no way I could watch everyone all the time. I would have loved to have a little bit more flexibility in my discretion there. Another feature that would have been fantastic would have been the ability to control their screen from mine.

(By the way, we did have a discussion before the trip home about appropriate viewing.)

Skycouch -- not worth the extra $$$

For months leading up to the trip, we were excited by Air New Zealand's new "Skycouch" feature. Like, really excited. It was the reason we stuck with the airline. We had taken this flight before, with and without kids, and we were not looking forward to being cramped into the seats. The flexibility of the skycouches sounded like a great solution!

Once was plenty, though, unfortunately. The skycouches allowed three seats to be folded together into a bed (including folding up the footrests to make it wider, if the people in the seats in front of you have chosen not to recline their seats, that is). We were two adults and four children in two skycouches, so we did not have the benefit of a spare seat between us to spread out (a potential situation that is being advertised, but was outside of our budget).

For me (at 5'4"), the seat was OK. At one point, our two-year-old and I cuddled up and lay down while our 11-year-old watched a movie in the outside seat. It was far from perfect (and I admittedly ignored the maze of seatbelts that reminded me of a mountain climb and totally confused me), but it allowed for a new position and some rest.

My husband, on the other hand, was not a fan at all. It was too narrow, three seats across is two short to lie down, and the complications of the seatbelts were stupid, and if you had people in the seat (for example, a teenager) who didn't want to be part of a family cuddle, the entire thing was a waste.


We both found this review from MSN to be accurate. Would we do it again? Well, to be honest we will probably avoid the 777 entirely in the future. Carrying a toddler down the plane was next to impossible with the new narrow gap between the seats, something that was downright embarrassing. Coupling the narrow aisles with less than ideal seats, it was not a great choice for what is essentially a trip around the world.

CARES system -- totally worth the extra $$

As I prepared for our super long flight and everything that went with it, I was really struggling with the car seat plan. I knew I wanted our toddler to be safely strapped into her car seat for take-off and landing (any other times it might be needed in-flight), but having her bulky car seat there, taking up space the rest of the flight, sounded really unappealing. There was just no way I could make her sit in it the entire time, and it would really cut into the space of the skycouch.

With all this in mind, I was excited to find the CARES Airplane Safety Harness for Children. It is fantastic. It folds into a tiny bag which we tossed in her backpack, and couldn't have been smoother. The harness fastens her into her seat when needed, is approved by the FAA, and gets out of the way when it isn't needed. I checked with two flight attendant friends, and they happily endorsed the product. I definitely recommend it for international travel! (If you need a car seat on the other end, like we did, you can check it for free and have it when you arrive, without having to drag it through the airport during layovers.)

Sleeeeeeep

My children have always been good travelers, and for that I feel eternally blessed. Once the initial excitement of the personal TVs had worn off, there were a lot of Zs coming from our offspring!

Take the time to get everyone comfortable, with blankets and pillows handy, before take-off. It will save a lot of trouble once in the air.

...and lack of sleep

We brought along some magic little Hylands Calm Forte just in case of a restlessness issue, and I was really glad to have them on hand. (If you are considering sleeping pills, do a little homework, they are not recommended due to an increased risk of blood clots.)

Considering she is the little girl who falls asleep on every car trip, we were really surprised at how much time our two-year-old spent AWAKE on the flight. I had packed plenty of activities for her, including books, writing and coloring, toys (including new ones to pull out mid-flight), but we reached a point where sleep-deprivation won out.

The five of us took turns walking up and down the aisles with her, took advantage of the children's programming available on the television, and had lots of cuddles. Snacks and drinks helped, too. If you have a toddler who is constantly asking for food, make sure you plan for that.

Meals -- dealing with toddler mess

Which brings us to the topic of meals! A Transpacific flight is not your average trip when it comes to toddler mess. Imagine setting your toddler down in a chair and providing them with food, things to do, and everything else they may need for 12 hours. Now imagine the mess. Yikes, right?

When booking the flight, we selected "kids meal" for our daughter, and then blindly boarded a plane. Imagine our joy when her first meal came, and it was spaghetti and meatballs. And me without a tarp!

Then there were drinks and snacks, then there was breakfast. We needed a lot of baby wipes. (She was never a bib kid, but if your child is willing to wear them, I would definitely be sure to have some along.)

Here is where I point out something important to know -- one outfit in your carry-on is not going to cut it. We packed three complete outfits, a sweater, and a pair of footie pajamas.

Drink lots

That applies to everyone. Drink lots and lots of water, and avoid drinks like coffee, tee, and alcohol. This can help you combat jet lag, and who needs jet lag when you are on a family vacation?

Bathroom breaks before landing

Inevitably, with all that drinking and four children involved, someone needs to go to the bathroom at an inopportune moment. Our moment came just as the plane landed in Auckland. Pay attention to the approach of landing time, and make sure everyone gets up to use the facilities before the time comes to return seats to an upright position and stow the carry-ons.

Customs with a brood

With all of the planning and preparation we did, it's a little embarrassing to note that prepping the children effectively for customs did not cross my mind. Hindsight is 20/20, though, let me tell you!

There are two stages to pass through once you get off the plane. First is Immigration and Passport Control, followed by Customs, where agricultural inspections and secondary screenings happen.

Some more tips (a few learned the hard way):

• Have passports out and ready to go. I suggest opening them to the photo page and stacking them that way. If one of you has a passport from a different country, present it separately (we have had agents think we were trying to sneak it through).
• Hand over the customs forms outside of the passports, with the head of household on top (if required to complete more than one).
• Make sure your children know the rules for what can be brought into the country. You don't want to be caught out by a pre-teen with fruit in her bag.
• If you are unsure, declare it. We live in North Dakota, so we ALWAYS say we have been to a farm or rural area.



Ok, this photo is actually from the trip home, but it is special!

• And most importantly...Customs agents do not find your teenager's jokes amusing. Make sure he knows it would be appropriate to zip his lips.

Arrival at your destination

You're finally there! Don't plan anything for the first day if you can avoid it.

Some of you will have tons of energy and some of you will want to sleep it off, be sure to have a plan that accommodates everyone.

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