Ani developed a fever at somepoint during the night. Luckily Miles slept through the many wake ups and requests to nurse.

We rolled out of camp around 8:30am and drove to another part of the Hanmer forest. This walk was full of fairy houses posted on trees and stumps. It was fun to watch the excitement on the kids faces when opening the small doors of the fairy houses.

Just before 10 am we headed over to Hanmer Thermal Pools. We spent the next 90 minutes soaking in various pools and Laurie and Andy took turns going on water slides.

Around 11:30, as the clouds were breaking and the sun was coming out, we were fully pruney, Laurie was getting hot and the kids were ready to leave.

We showered, changed and left. Laurie read about a Saturday market adjacent to the resort that we wanted to check out.

Ani was still pretty sick and feeling tired so she asked to be carried. Miles, who copies Ani regularly also asked to be carried. We tried to explain that he is older and not sick and therefore should walk.

Before we could even finish he was having a meltdown. Fairness is a big deal for Miles and regardless of how we try to explain their differing needs, how he’s well and she’s sick, how he’s 5 and she’s 2, how he’s much older and heavier, he wilts if he doesn’t get the same treatment.

We understand his desire for fairness but melting down every time gets old real quick.

So, Laurie and the kids went to the van and Andy went to check out the market by himself. It was mostly art and jewelry vendors at the market so Andy found a small market and bakery, bought a few fruits, veggies and treats and headed back.

Laurie made lunch for everyone and around 230pm we were finally on the road.

The countryside is beautiful and incredibly scenic here. We drove past gazing sheep and lush green hills, then climbed and skirted past wide rocky river beds that reminded us of Alaska and Nepal.

In town close to our planned camping area we filled up on diesel and decided to stretch our legs before getting to camp since we weren’t sure if there would be any place for the kiddos to run around.

The kids had been watching cartoons on this leg of the drive and when we parked at the trailhead Miles once again protested quite loudly and emphatically, letting us know his displeasure at the thought of turning off the screen and going outside.

After some convincing, we got him out of the car. This place was marked as a walk through a grove on Google maps.

After a short walk to the trailhead we came across an easy access point to a beautiful river. The kids were excited to play in the water, so that’s what we did. Ani got her feet wet first and dug to her heart’s content while Miles took orders and made pizzas and other foods out of the wet sand.

It was getting late and we needed to get going as we had another 20 minutes to drive before making camp.

Predictably, Miles protested because he was having so much fun. Eventually we convinced him it was time to go after making the largest mud calzone anyone has ever seen. We cleaned feet, put on shoes and walked back to blue wave – if we haven’t mentioned it before, that’s what the kids are calling the camper van.

After driving through more stunningly beautiful countryside and over wide, scenic rivers we pulled off at a roadside picnic area.

We are learning that in New Zealand permission to camp somewhere doesn’t come from the absence of a ‘no camping’ sign but from the presence of a sign allowing it.

Andy scouted the side road of the picnic area downhill in hopes of finding a spot by the river. The road didn’t go down to the water but there were dispersed camping options.

Andy drove the narrow road down a 100ft or so, hoping to not scratch the paint of blue wave on the overgrown vegetation.

The spot we chose was open and treeless but secluded from the road and the picnic area.

As soon as we parked the sand flies surrounded us and tried to get in from the only source of fresh air we have, the roof vent.

There are no fans or screens to put on open windows so it gets hot quickly in the van when the engine is not running and the AC is off.

We became hot and uncomfortable in a matter of minutes. To add insult to injury the sand flies were coming in through the mesh of the roof vent.

Andy was on double duty, trying to cook dinner and kill the pesky sand flies. He has dubbed them New Zealand’s mosquitoes (little did we know that the mozzies would find us soon).

Cooking made the camper even hotter inside. We were all sweating and uncomfortable. Andy would open the sliding door of the van periodically for no more than 10 seconds to bring in some cool, fresh air and let some of the hot air out, but sadly he would spend the next minute or two killing the few dozen sand flies that flew into the van.

After dinner we went for a short walk before heading into the van for the night. We ran to avoid being eaten alive by the sand flies but there was nowhere to hide.

It feels like we are back home and in the mountains in late May or early June when the mosquitoes tend to be really bad.

We retreated to the van, ran around it a few times in hopes of tricking the sand flies and ran into the van as quickly as we could. Of course a few dozen flies followed us in.

It was around 830pm and we had lots of dishes to do and the kids were still wide awake. So they watched a cartoon while Laurie washed the dishes and Andy dried them.

We brushed our teeth and changed into our pjs, hoping the cooler weather minimized the onslaught.