Planning a trip on a computer has its challenges because there are things you can’t factor in, such as topography, weather, road conditions, closures, etc.

Planning a trip with kids is even more challenging. At home a 2.5 hour drive takes 3.5 or 4 hours. How much longer would a 2.5 hour drive take in another country? How would the kids do sitting in a vehicle for that long day after day?

There are lots of unknowns but as long as we are willing to make changes on the fly and roll with whatever comes our way we can still have fun and enjoy our trip.

Knowing we had a longer drive yesterday and how remote we would be, we had chosen to stay at Tōtaranui campground for two nights when planning our trip at home.

We had hoped to use this non driving day to play in the sand, enjoy the water and hike a very small portion of the Abel Tasman Coastal Track.

Andy woke up at 520am and felt very rested, even though he had gone to bed at 1145pm the night before. He looked at the vent screen and only saw 2 or 3 sand flies compared a dozen or so the morning prior.

After laying in bed enjoying the birdsongs, he got out of bed and sat on the driver’s seat (which spins around to face the inside of the van when stopped) next to the open window to finish a few blog posts and look at attractions and drive times for the days ahead.

The cool morning breeze and continued birdsongs were joyful and incredibly relaxing. He was in his happy place.

Ani was shifting and coughing a lot by 630am and could only be comforted by bootie (this is what she calls boobie and what she says when she wants to nurse).

She coughed and coughed and nursed and continued to sleep. Meanwhile Miles slept like a corpse during all of this. Eventually Laurie and the kids woke up around 9am when the cutest old man you’ve ever met came around to collect our number plate for registration purposes.

Miles was grumpy at first and blamed Andy for waking him up when Andy came back into the van. His mean-muggin face was really cute. Even though Andy had walked with the man about 20 feet away from the camper, the opening and closing of the door were enough to wake them up.

We had a relaxing and slow morning, taking time to just play and do what the kids wanted instead of hurrying them into their car seats.

Around 1030 we had a breakfast consisting of eggs, jelly and bread with butter. An hour later Laurie and the kids went outside to dig, run around and play before we all headed down to the water.

With sunblock on our skins and beach toys in hand, we all walked to the beach and immediately began to dig or look for cool seashells.

The kids dipped their toes in the cool but not cold water while Andy and Laurie took turns going deeper. Andy can’t remember the last time he was in salty ocean water. It felt very refreshing, until the wind picked up.

Thirty minutes into our outing Ani began asking to go back to the camper. Andy realized she was tired and likely wanting a nap so he carried her back. Within 5 minutes she was asleep. Ani is a trooper. Her nose is like a running faucet today but she’s in good spirits. And thankfully her deep cough is starting to soften.

Miles and Laurie dug and played in the sand for almost an hour before returning to the van.

The sun feels hotter and stronger here. A video we watched mentioned New Zealand being close to the hole in the ozone layer, therefore the sun being more intense. We haven’t looked into this but 15 minutes is the maximum we stay out in the piercing sun without sunblock, especially the kids.

After sleeping in Andy’s arms for almost an hour Ani woke up. We had lunch and played in the van a bit.

Andy was feeling uneasy about our long driving days ahead so we set up the kids in front of the iPad to watch Bluey while we figured out a better itinerary than what we had put together at home. (Turns out we stuck with the basic outline we had created at home with many 2-3 hour driving days and one 5 hour day.)

After 45 minutes or so we resumed playing in the van, then washed dishes and put things away because it was moving day.

Our campsite wasn’t very level so we had decided we wanted to move to a level spot that was closer to the water and to the start of the track.

Laurie sat on the bed with the kids while Andy drove super slowly. We found a spot we liked, parked it and headed out for a walk to Skinner point. The sign stated 15 mins one way to the lookout site.

Powered by too many gummies for the steps walked, we slowly made our way along the trail.

Ani wanted the gummies Miles was eating instead of the dried mango chews she chose so they began negotiating with Miles, who asked for two mango chews for one gummy since his gummies were bigger. It is fun to watch them sort things out.

We took a side trail to a magnificent climbing tree before making the final push to Skinner Point.

According to another hiker, on a cloudless sunny day the water is turquoise and very picturesque, but with the partial cloud cover of today the colors weren’t as vibrant. It was very pretty to us and we enjoyed the view.

At the viewpoint Miles saw rock outcroppings below that he really wanted to hop along. He became excited when we told him that after dinner we would walk to those rocks and explore.

We made our way back and Andy prepared tortellini with chicken, bacon and mozzarella cheese. After a bit of declaration for wanting something different, both kids ate reasonably well.

Ani hasn’t had much of an appetite on this trip thus far, which is understandable given her cold. But it worries Andy since er wants his kids to be well fed and healthy.

With tortellinis in our bellies, Laurie and the kids headed out in search of the rocks with Andy about 10 minutes behind. He appreciated the few moments of silence as being in tight quarters with 2 loud children is very challenging for him.

Laurie and the kids ran along the beach playing games with their foot prints. As long as we were moving the sand flies weren’t an issue. But once we stopped, they attacked and Laurie got really grumpy. Eventually Ani wanted to be carried but luckily Miles was excited and kept walking.

The tide had come in since we were at Skinner point so we couldn’t access the exact rocks but Laurie and Miles enjoyed exploring and looking at the different shells and their inhabitants.

Ani wasn’t as keen on rock exploring but did enjoy hopping from rock to rock just like her brother.

Eventually the sand flies got to Laurie and she declared she was heading back with Ani in hand. Andy and Miles ran around chasing each other all the way back.

We cleaned our feet at the spigot again and strategically entered the van to minimize unwanted flying guests.

Laurie and Andy took turns showering while the kids refused, opting for wet wipe baths instead. Given the amount of sunscreen we had applied in their legs and faces, we really wanted them to shower.

But not even the bribe of ice cream the following day was enough. Miles definitely thought about it though, going so far as getting fully undressed. But at the last minute he changed his mind.

Ani would have likely showered too if Miles had done so, but alas, both refused and we didn’t fight them on it. If ice cream couldn’t win them over, what would?

We turned on Bluey once again after we had both finished showering. Laurie wiped them down and Andy brushed their teeth.

Miles did not nap today and Ani slept for less than an hour so there wasn’t too much in the way of extra curricular activities before both fell asleep.