4th month review!

A pin to make life easier!

With the end of the South Island trip, we came to the 4th month of our trip!

This month was a lot different, we were more used to all the packing/unpacking, we ditched the roof top bag, we left the South Island. It was a month full of first times.

Jose turned 9.

We made a few changes in our routine, we went out more and spent less time on our gadgets.

We also reached 500 likes on Facebook!

The 6 of us in Rotorua

The places

We passed through Kingston (and Queenstown, Arrowtown, and Wanaka), Franz Josef and Fox glaciers (and Whataroa), Blenheim (and Picton), Wellington and Rotorua.

Most places were great for us, with cheap and free activities, but Queenstown and the Glaciers weren’t. In Queenstown, there wasn’t much fun, but luckily we weren’t staying there (we were in Kingston) so we had our fun (which means walks and one attempt of a lake swim). In the glacier area we even considered going on a helicopter ride, but due to the minimum age limit, and Coral couldn’t. We had to skip it and keep walking.

We saw our first glacier and geyser, Coral had her first snow fight, and we took the ferry back from Picton to Wellington – and nobody got too seasick.

The challenges

Angelo handed in his resignation letter. From the end of August on, he’ll be freelancing. That’s a bit scary but I’m sure we’ll be able to manage everything. We’ve done that a few times before.

During this month, we found out one pattern: when we’re in a place where the knives are blunt, we eat out more. There’s nothing more irritating than not being able to cut the veggies (nor the meat, by the way). But then again, it happened in 3 houses during the whole trip – not that bad.

The street in front of the house we rented while in Kingston

We also saw the need to get more outside. We used to keep our rest days to stay in, in pajamas, but now we go out for shorter periods more often and ‘rest’ for longer every day. It’s been a good change for us because it means more sunshine, less bickering, more exploring.

We also gave the kids a lot more work (homeschool work) and they haven’t been doing much of it. Can’t complain, as I’m writing this while they make lunch.

The kids

As mentioned before, Jose had his birthday and he turned 9. He still doesn’t feel too big, but he’s enjoying being in his last year of single number age.

Melissa’s, Jose’s and Coral’s clothes are all a bit too short, but they’ll have to use them like that anyway until we get to Auckland – or maybe even Japan. They’ve been growing so much! I’m glad Joao’s clothes still fit nicely. It’s always good to buy a few sizes bigger.

I’ve noticed Melissa spending more time connecting with her siblings. She spends more time in the same room, doing something with them, instead of being in her world. It all might change anytime, but for now, I’m glad.

Joao’s also been reading a little less than usual and spending more time with us also.

Coral’s been finding things to play by herself, but it only happens when she isn’t tired. She’s so cute playing by herself, changing voices and all that.

The grown-ups

We’re still busy, but we took a week off our courses. We were super tired, doing it without putting ourselves out there, so we stopped it and now we’re back to it soul and body.

We’re a bit worried about our income, but we’re sure we can pull things together whatever happens.

The beautiful Queen Charlotte Drive, Nelson, by Tathi Jinno

The money

Our expenses were NZ$ 4178 with accommodation, NZ$ 538 with gas and NZ$ 1184 with groceries. We ate out a lot, which is never good for our budget. We also did some expensive activities, but it was all worth it.

Most of the activities we did were in Rotorua (Te Puia and Buried Village) and they were great fun. It was a nice change from the all-walk activities from the rest of the month.

For you

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And today, a special video about NZ South Island road! We will see rain, sun, mountains, ice, animals! love it!