Every good love adventure story needs a series of unfortunate events to kick things off and portray the strengths of the couple. The start of our New Zealand trip had this in spades. After sitting on the plane at DIA for 4 hours due to a CLASSIC inopportune Denver ice/snowstorm, the pilots informed us they had timed out and could no longer fly. So with our second flight halfway to New Zealand (probably), and our snack bag only halfway emptied (definitely), we ‘arrived’ back at our original gate just in time to catch a midnight uber back home.

Anna spent over 90 minutes on the phone with multiple United agents and miraculously found us two seats, next to each other, on an Air New Zealand flight the next evening – She Can Be My Hero, Baby! Take 2 the next afternoon and spirits were high – headed back to DIA for our flight to SFO. From SFO, the 13 hour flight to New Zealand went better than expected. Brian was able to sleep 8 hours and Anna crushed the sleeping as per usual; it is her secret hidden talent.

Our friend Mac (soccer phenom and resident kiwi) picked us up from the airport bright and early. The hour drive from the airport flew by as we caught up after not seeing each other for close to 5 years. A hand made welcome sign greeted us, hugs followed shortly after. Mays (4yo boy) and Dylan (2yo girl) became quick friends as they gave us the house tour. Halsey offered fresh homemade sourdough bread as we made a plan for the day.

First stop was Wenderholm Perimeter Park. We all jumped into the cool ocean – any fatigue from the flight, was quickly washed away. The kids had lunch while the adults continued to catch up. Next up was some great tree climbing – which brought Brian back to his natural habitat (he loved climbing trees as a kid).

After the beach and climbing, we grabbed a quick sushi snack. Assessing the waves, we decided boogie boarding would be the next activity. Anna was first up on the paddle board and only fell once (quite gracefully). Despite Brian’s water skills, he fell infinitely more times given his relentless desire to catch at least one wave. Mac showed us how to catch a few waves on the paddle board, but instead of continuing with that solo activity, he proposed boogie boarding for everyone. Known for her speed and trickery, Anna became the fan favorite and won every wave race.

With the afternoon winding down, we walked back and tested out the DIY outdoor shower – if only we could amazon prime an outdoor shower to our Denver home. The executive decision to eat local fish and chips at the beach for dinner was the perfect choice. Fresh caught and lightly breaded red snapper served with kūmara chips (like sweet potato fries but better?) were quickly devoured. Next up – dune jumping! Dylan and Mays leapt into the open arms of their parents over and over again, until Brian offered to sub in for Halsey as one of the catchers. We tried to get a simultaneous kid jump but just couldn’t quite nail the timing. Adults and kids alike were fading. After a nice evening chat on the porch, it was time for bed.