We woke up around 830 am and Andy and Ani walked across the street to the market at 9am to return the pool key.

Miles was still asleep when they left but was startled awake with the opening of the van door. Andy went to the other side of the parking lot to dump and fill while Laurie and the kids went to playground.

Everything was wet from the rain the night before but a simple rub of a towel made everything accessible.

We had a lovely breakfast of fruit, eggs and avocado while sitting on chairs on the grass behind the van. We love these bug free dining occasions.

We went back and forth about going to the Lumsden Medical Center regarding Ani’s chin since it appeared the steri strips were no longer attached around the actual wound, only just above it.

Laurie removed the steri strips and while unfortunately the wound wasn’t as well approximated as we had hoped, it was closed. So we skipped the doctor and drove to Queenstown for a grocery stop and croissants from the French bakery.

With only one stop we drove out of Queenstown and headed up the steep switchbacks of Crown Range Road.

It was a rather uneventful drive on the highest paved road in New Zealand. We say that because we read horror stories about this road in the travelers apps we use, but for us it was no issue at all.

Once at the summit we parked in a relatively level spot and were home for the night.

Andy got out and opened the rear doors so we could all enjoy the views from the comfort of our bed. The breeze was magical and made for refreshing air and no sandflies.

While packing for this trip Laurie put together “surprises” which are essentially small legos or craft ideas to encourage creativity instead a screen. We have given these to the kids sporadically throughout the trip.

Today Miles got Foil Fun and it was a HIT! Both kids were enthralled and liked it so much we had to peel them away to go on a hike from camp.

The trail up to Mount Rock Peak is a heavily rutted dirt road, up switchbacks to the summit. We didn’t make it to the summit but went much further than we thought we would.

Miles played a game where he was a vehicle controlled by Laurie. Ani copied and they had so much fun. The kids are so much more imaginative when they don’t watch anything. They are also more emotionally regulated. We experienced no meltdowns today.

We decided to turn around before the kids got tired knowing we had a ways to go back down to the campervan.

Miles is getting too big for dadas shoulders and too big to be carried, but that certainly doesn’t stop him from asking and wanting it!

Back at the van, Laurie and the kids played with the Foil Fun while Andy cooked potatoes with onions and made burgers. It was an excellent dinner and way better than a meal at the restaurant.

After our late dinner, Andy wanted to go outside for the sunset and Ani went out with him to stomp in puddles. Eventually Miles joined too. They ran around for about 30 minutes, jumping and splashing in the puddles until it was 930pm and both were oh so wet.

We had a relatively hassle free bedtime thanks to the increased time outside today. Everyone was out by 1030pm. The end to a lovely day.