Glow worms and surf

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Only two weeks left – and we had to make the most of it. We had really been contemplating how many places to stop, and opted for the longer drives and a few more days in each place. It takes a lot of energy to get to know a new place. Unpacking, finding out who sleeps where, how the shower works, what shops are there, kitchen facilities etc. Not least for Ollie and Alba. At this point they been away from home longer than ever before in their lives, and for more than two months been bombarded with new experiences, new people, places, food and everything else.

Waitomo campground was the next stop. We had chosen it mainly because there was a pool. It was (un)surprisingly easy to settle into for everyone. More friends to play with, beautiful sunshine and no stress makes a happy family. The adults could go running, there was time for board games, catching up on diary writing and playing lots of uni.

Highlight was a visit to the famous Waitomo caves with the glow worms. You go in a boat and the cave ceiling is plastered with millions of worms that have this bioluminescent light that shines out their butt (literally). It looks amazing when you’re floating below, like gazing at starts, just So many of them and really really close by.

Raglan is one of the surfing towns on the west coast. And it was like taken out of a surf film. You had the perfect cast of the “surfer-dude” with long hair that drove around the old beaten up vans, and spoke in thick surf slang, almost to the point where you’d think it was just put on. But it wasn’t. It was great to feel the surf vibe. And best of all was the boogie boarding on some bigger waves. Ollie had the perfect weight for going super far. And she also saw the beginner surfer classes (and saw how small the waves they practise on really are), and is now keen to go on a surf holiday, where we can all go to surf school. So, all set for the next adventure.

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