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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California Highlights

Our California coastal drive was beautiful and long! As the day wore on we needed to stop for food, so we pulled into the little town of Pacifica. We settled on what looked like a mom and pop cafe, and it turned out to be quite a surprise! The menu was Malaysian and Thai and super yummy.

Everyone really enjoyed the meal and we left full, full, full. We had curry and pad thai and short ribs and more, with sticky rice and fun, interesting drinks. It was a lovely treat for our afternoon, and a great break from the monotony of the car ride.

A bit down the road sunset was approaching, so we decided to find a nice spot on the beach to watch the sunset over the Pacific Ocean. 

We stopped at Moss Landing and climbed over a little hill to a beautiful expanse of sand and the rolling waves of the ocean. 

It was windy, but lovely. We watched the sun go down, took some pretty photos, and then packed it in to move along to San Simeon.

The drive to San Simeon was pretty wild, and probably could have better timed! Just as it got to be pitch black we came upon a sign that announced 63 miles of "hills and curves" to round out the evening.

Finally, with everyone asleep, we arrived in San Simeon, where we had super spacious "family room" with a king size bed and a pair of queen beds in it...and crashed for the night, exhausted from a long day.

The next morning we had fast food for breakfast, then lunch was at a little burger shack in Carpentaria called "The Spot." We spent some time enjoying the beach, then set out on the day's drive, which included beautiful coastal towns and California beaches. We saw the pier from The Lost Boys and miles and miles of Malibu homes literally on the beach - with stilts holding them above the sand.

Our day ended with dinner with Justin's godfather and heading to the airport for the big event!

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Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

When we roadtrip, we usually try to make at least a few stops at National Parks, especially ones we have never visited before. Sometimes these little side jaunts are the most memorable parts of a trip. In fact, there are two investments our family has made that have proven to be among the most fulfilling. The first is our annual National Park pass. The second is the National Park Passport book. For less than $10, we record all of the places we have visited, including when. The kids get really into collecting the stamps in the book. We have actually had to purchase a second book, because parts of the first one filled up!

Today's agenda called for a drive to Crater Lake National Park in southern Oregon. It was a little bit out of the way, but the breathtaking views were definitely worth the extra time! Spectacular.

It was clear as we drove that we were leaving the hustle and bustle of a summer day behind and stumbling into something entirely different. Cars became fewer and farther between, and snow started to occasionally dot the grass beside us. 


Once inside the park we wandered along Rim Drive, the 33-mile stretch of road that climbs into the mountains and circles the strikingly blue lake. 

According the the Park Service, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States, at 1,943 feet. Fed by rain and snow but no rivers or streams, it is also thought to be the cleanest large body of water in the world. No wonder it is so stunning!

We made a couple of stops, including one at the top of the road to get the best vantage point of the islands, and one at the visitor's center to get our passport book stamped and check out the displays.

After dinner at Abby's Pizza, we were moving into California as the sun set. Mt. Shasta guided our path, and soon we were in Redding, where we lay our heads for the night.

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Portland - Powell's Books

We left Seattle this morning and were on the road again, this time south to Portland! Justin's train was due in 10 am, so we had to head out early.

The drive was beautiful. Along the way we saw the capitol building in Olympia, some awesome roller coasters, and Columbia River. We got into Portland only a tad bit late and picked Justin up at Union Station (which is a really cool place in its own right).

We drove by Voodoo Donuts downtown and thought we might stop, but wow!!! the line was like five people wide for over a block, so we decided we didn't really have time. Instead we decided to spend a few minutes at another one of Portland's iconic spots - Powell's Books.

I don't think the kids had ever seen a book store that required a map before. We spent half an hour wandering the stacks, inhaling the smell of books, books, and more books, and barely hitting the tip of the iceberg in our biblio-adventures. We each bought some books, snapped a quick photo outside for posterity (everyone should remember their first trek to Powell's), and then hit the road once more.

We stopped at a little drive-in that appeared to be super popular with the locals called Burgerville USA, where we got deep friend asparagus (everyone gave it a try) and were encouraged to compost our cups. The kids meals even came with cucumber seeds to plant!

Tummies filled with sustainable fast food, our trip ventured off the beaten path next, to explore Crater Lake National Park.

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Seattle by night - limited time engagement

Once the family was well worn out from swimming, we grabbed some dinner and then went back to the hotel room. I got everyone settled and then went back into the city to meet up with a friend from high school.

Plans called for starting the evening with the Underground Seattle Tour, but traffic had different plans! I got there in plenty of time, but my friend wasn't able to make it before the tour started. So Plan B called for the Hard Rock Cafe, then a walk along the wharf to watch the sunset.

On the way from the Hard Rock to the wharf we stopped and poked around at the shops near Pikes Place Market, and I took the obligatory tourist photo in front of the first Starbucks.

If ever there were something to make a coastal girl living in the middle of the country homesick, it would be that sunset. Unbelievable. Words can't even begin to describe the pulling at my heart as we watched the sky turn pink and the sun melt into the ocean.

Once the sun was gone and the air had cooled, the three of us turned our attention to hiking back up to the car. When we turned and saw what was behind us, it was as though we had been missing a postcard shaping up. The Seattle skyline was nothing short of breathtaking. It made me so glad I had ventured into the city for this me-time!

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Seattle by day - Pike's Place Market

On the way into Seattle today we had the unique treat of seeing the participants in the Rock & Roll Marathon. They walked, jogged, and ran in the closed down express lanes of the freeway, and we rolled down the windows to cheer them on! It was really inspiring to see the athletes.

We drove around downtown to check out the tallest buildings in the city, trying to decide which would give us the best view of the entire area, but the clouds were rolling in, so we decided to start at Pike's Place Market instead. It was a good decision, because no sooner did we park than the sky opened and it started to pour.

With not an umbrella in sight (apparently I am not a Washingtonian anymore), we made the Pike Street Hill Climb and ducked into the market, soaked but invigorated. What a hill! And with four children in tow (one strapped to my chest), it felt like a serious accomplishment. A network of staircases that climbs from the waterfront to

The children and I had a great time poking around the market, leisurely strolling the halls. We stopped to rub Rachel the Pig, feed her some money and "check in" on Facebook, then had to visit the fish market. The kids loved watching them throw the fish around, especially Cameron, who had seen previews of the Fish! motivational videos. After the show, the girls ran up to get their photo taken with one of the fishmongers.

One of the best parts of a visit to Pike's Place is the hidden shops in the multi-level maze that is the market. It's like discovering a wonderful secret when you wander into a bead shop or book store or discover bags and knick-knacks at the end of a winding hallway deep inside the market. By then you are far from the crowds that dominate the upper levels, and feel as though you are privy to a little bit of magic. It was quite the treat to bring my children in on this memorable piece of my childhood.

Our exploring done and our legs tired, we finally crossed the skywalk and took the elevator back to our car. The rain was really coming down, so our original plan of Seattle Center would have to be tabled for another time. Someone asked where Bill Gates lived, so we decided a drive was just the thing. I set the GPS on my phone to take us to Lake Washington Boulevard and we schlepped through the city.

Despite the weather it was a fun drive through the city, and we soon found ourselves on the shores of a volatile Lake Washington. We drove to Seward Park, where we had a snack and watched the waves for a while. What a gorgeous place to spend an afternoon, it was really too bad it was raining!

Next we drove over the bridge to Mercer Island so we could see the lake from that shore before heading back to the hotel for dinner and a dip in the pool.

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Seattle, Washington

Today's objective: Cameron's passport. Cameron, Jeff, Cara, and I met up at the passport office at 8 am and commenced the hours and hours of waiting. At times it was kind of nerve wracking, but by 3 pm we were in line to pick the magic book up from will call. Phew!

Government bureaucracy took up the bulk of our day, but we did manage to see a few of Seattle's sights. We drove by the Space Needle and the Boeing fields, which the kids were pretty excited about.

Since we were already bogged down in errands, we drove across the city to get my international driving permit, and along the way we saw the Seattle waterfront, including the ferries and Pike's Place Market, which we plan to check out tomorrow, along with the tallest buildings in the city, because Cameron is especially interested in finding out about that.

Our day included a few interesting new food experiences, too. For lunch we ate at a little Hawaiian place around the corner from our hotel, and for dinner we went to Chinook's in the Fisherman's Terminal.

We tried the mixed shellfish appetizer, to mixed reviews from the kids. Maia and Bria were definitely not sure about that one! But the rest of us loved it.

Bria looked out the window and wanted to know which boat was "mine," and was not super impressed we couldn't go for a ride.

The atmosphere was wonderful, as it always is at Chinook's. I love the feeling that it is a nice place, but you feel totally comfortable bringing your family.

The kids were totally in love with our waiter, too, and for the rest of the trip, every time they didn't care for the service, one of them would say, "I want Oliver back!"

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