We all woke up around 845am to angry skies. It had rained overnight but sandflies were still eager to get in.

The kids drew on the bed while eating milk and muesli for breakfast.

We left camp around 1130am and went across the highway to the parking area for the blue pools.

The suspension bridges leading to the pools were being replaced and therefore closed, meaning no access to the pools at all. Laurie was disappointed as this was described as a kid friendly destination (aka- short distance walk to see the main attraction).

We chose to hike a few minutes on the trail anyway and were welcomed by a rainforest with beautiful ferns and other vibrant plants surrounded by thriving trees covered in moss.

We turned around after 15 minutes and headed back to the van, primarily because Miles mentioned needing to poop but then said he no longer needed to. In the past when this has happened the urge to go has come on very suddenly and we were walking with nothing – no potty, no wet wipes, not even Kleenex.

We drove about 20 minutes under a canopy of lush green trees to the pullout for Haast Pass Lookout, which means we officially made it to the West Coast.

The sign stated it was a 30 minute walk, which usually is the time for a round trip adventure.

The trail meandered through beautiful rainforest at first, then climbed steeply on a rocky, wet trail. And up and up it continued.

We weren’t quite sure what we were in for (as we don’t typically research stops of minimal significance such as this) but hoped for a relatively short hike with views once at the viewpoint.

On one of the switchbacks, while Laurie was carrying Ani and they were ahead, Miles asked Andy if he knew how to make sarma.

(Sarma is what most people call dolma, but Armenians call grape leaves stuffed with rice, sarma, and grape leaves stuffed with meat, dolma).

Andy said yes, he does know how to make sarma. Miles asked very calmly and politely if he would make some when we were back home. This simple request gives us a lot of insight into the workings of his beautiful mind.

He was likely hungry and also missing the comforts of home. Our wonder-full boy, whom Andy affectionately calls Chief Homebody is ready to be home, and probably has been for a while now. But he’s being a real trooper and doing really well moving to a new destination daily.

With many breaks and fueled by encouragement and dried fruit, Miles hiked all the way up the steep, rocky trail by himself. We were happy to have made it, even if it took twice as long. But we were even more proud of Miles!

Andy and Laurie were sweating from the incline and muggy weather. Even though we hiked less today than the distance we did at Crown Range summit, this felt longer and harder because of the humidity.

Around 130pm we returned to the van with Ani continually asking for bootie. This is usually a sign of wanting comfort or feeling tired. Unfortunately though, after nursing back at the van, she was full of energy and mischief. We got back in our seats and drove 7 minutes to Thunder Creek Falls.

Living up to its name, this lovely waterfall sounded like thunder crashing as we walked the very short distance to it from the road.

We walked down the series of steps to the river to get the full scale of the falls, but with the presence of many sandflies there, we left quickly and retreated back to the van, listening to the thunderous falls along the way.

A few minutes after returning to Blue Wave the wind really picked up, the skies opened up and it started to pour. Miles described it like driving through a car wash. After 10 minutes the heavy rain stopped and we were driving under blue skies once more.

As we mentioned before, this is another perfect example of New Zealand wonder; not only does the landscape change quickly, but the weather does too.

We had a few more stops scheduled but chose to skip them so Ani would nap. Thankfully everyone got in their seats without too much fuss and after 10 minutes she was out.

About 25 minutes later Miles fell asleep too. We were only 40 minutes away from our next stop so Andy drove well below the speed limit and bought them a few extra minutes of sleep before we arrived at the dunes.

We parked at the Tauparikākā Marine Reserve around 3pm and the kiddos woke up shortly after. We decided it would be a good idea to cook here and not at camp so the van doesn’t feel as warm when it’s time for bed.

It did indeed got hot in the van when Andy was cooking but we had kombucha to cool us down. Then we remembered we had purchased 3 little desk fans back near Abel Tasman so we unpacked them all and plugged them in. Two faced the kiddos and Laurie in the bed and one faced Andy in “the kitchen”.

Around 5pm we left the van and went exploring and looking for the dunes. What they call dunes were maybe 12 ft of sand covered in brush, and not very vast.

But that didn’t matter to us. The sand was soft and the kids were ready to dig. And boy did they dig.

Miles dug a hole so deep that when Andy stepped into it, he sunk down to his knee. Ani enjoyed using the sand Miles dug out of his hole to fill her bucket. Later she enjoyed making animal shapes with Laurie with the same sand.

Andy and Laurie played driftwood softball while the kids were playing in the sand. Andy would find rocks of various shapes and pitch them underhanded to Laurie, who was using a small but mighty club shaped bat.

It was pleasant and present care free fun. It felt nice to share a moment together while the kids played nicely together.

Just before 7pm we packed up to leave. The kids enjoyed running on the boardwalk and racing to blue wave. We passed the lookout tower we had all climbed up when we first got there and rounded the corner into the parking area.

In 20 minutes time we rolled in to camp. Most people were spread out. We drove around looking for the most secluded spot. We settled on the beach access site, away from most other campers except for another blue wave. There were no signs restricting camping there so we got relatively level and called it home.

After dinner, the kids read with Laurie. Richard Scarry books have been quite the hit on this trip and Miles especially has enjoyed looking for goldbug on every page.

Miles wanted to sleep with dada but it was too hot on the top bed for him so he went down in hopes of cooler temps.

The kids wouldn’t settle and wanted to go up together at 1045pm. Acting like rascals, they didn’t stay long and both went back down soon after. Laurie was getting really irritated.

Thirty minutes later, around 1120pm everyone was upset with Ani. She was not listening, not settling, was hitting Miles and not sleeping. She also picked the bandages off of her chin that Laurie put on earlier in the evening.

Laurie was reaching her limit. And now was really tired too. Finally, after another round of nursing and threatening to take away bootie for the rest of the trip, around 1140pm, Ani finally settled and everyone fell asleep.

It was cold last night, maybe the coldest it has been this whole trip. We slept with both windows open and it got chilly!

In the morning Andy closed the windows and turned on the heater, just the second time this trip we’ve had to do that, or maybe the third.

The kiddos played more with Foil Fun, then Uno. As per usual, during breakfast we watched other campers leave one by one until we were the last ones left.

Around 11am we finally started the engine and headed down the pass toward Wānaka. Ani was rather fussy almost immediately and it became clear why after ten minutes when she closed her eyes.

We only had a short 20 minute drive to the hike we had planned so we switched things around and headed to the toy and car museum- adding 10 minutes to the drive..

It’s become clear that if Ani goes to sleep in her car seat, she is likely to wake up pretty soon after the engine turns off and we are stationary.

With this in mind, Miles and Andy went to the museum and Laurie stayed behind with Ani. Unfortunately Ani woke up minutes after and the gals joined the fellas.

Miles wanted to buy everything after Laurie said he could buy something for his birthday. He excitedly met Laurie and Ani at the door and gave them a tour of everything he wanted. He beelined for the wall display of large Bruder trucks and was disappointed to hear that one wouldn’t fit in our suitcase.

We had to tear both kids away from the toys and old school supermarket ride on toys to actually enter the first of 5 hangers worth of toys and cars.

Immediately we were flooded by a mixture of overwhelm and awe. We were surrounded by classic cars, classic gas pumps, classic derby cars, toy cars and so much more. Things were in glass cases, hanging from the ceiling, displayed on shelves and piled in corners.

Andy loved looking at the cars and Laurie chased the kids around looking at all the things.

We walked into the 2nd part of the museum and found ourselves in Lego and Hot Wheels heaven. The man there has a collection of over 10,000 Hot Wheels cars, including some limited edition ones worth 5 figures.

Here were more model train sets that the kids loved because they could press a button and activate the trains. Miles could have stayed for hours.

This was the most impressive area by far and the one the kiddos enjoyed the most. Miles LOVES trains and we spent a lot of time there.

Eventually we went to check out the other hangers, which were full of old cars, planes, ambulances, police cars, tanks and farm equipment. We didn’t spend much time in the last 3 hangers, but once outside we saw the classic pedal cars.

Miles and Laurie made a beeline for them, with Ani excitedly in tow. The three of them jumped into the yellow pedal car and went for a ride with Miles steering and Laurie pedaling.

Once they were back Andy and Ani got into the black car and gave chase to Miles and Laurie in the yellow car.

We had a lot of fun and were exhausted after taking the old beaters for a relatively long lap around two of the hangers.

Once back at the entrance building, Miles looked at more toys while Laurie and Andy played large jenga. Suddenly, Ani declared she had to pee. When Laurie turned around Ani had already started peeing on the carpet.

Laurie was quick to pick up Ani after a second of disbelief and ran her out of the museum entrance. Andy notified the gal at the counter of the accident. She was not pleased.

It was embarrassing but we reminded ourselves that accidents happen. Ani has done extremely well with communicating her toileting needs and is typically very good at holding her pee until on the toilet. In hindsight it was 130pm and Ani had not yet peed today. We chose to take this incident as a reminder that we need to encourage the kids pee before we go places.

Laurie changed Ani’s clothes in the van while Miles looked around a bit more. Eventually he settled on a classic truck camper that resembled our truck and camper. We purchased it for the kids to share and left the museum.

We had a 15 minute drive to Wānaka, with our first stop being a willow tree that lives in the lake. Sadly we didn’t get there.

We parked a little ways away with hopes of a short walk but Laurie got side tracked by a “beach toy library” built out of wood pallets, located under a large willow on the rocky beach. The kids played with shovels and dump trucks while Andy skipped rocks and Laurie took in the views.

Around 3pm we drove to another parking area closer to the tree. Laurie closed her eyes for a few minutes while Andy made and fed the kids tortellini.

Around 430pm we finally left the van to go see the tree. It was cool but there was a tour bus full of tourists that made the experience less special.

It was time to leave town and make our way to camp. But the toilet stunk more than usual yesterday and today so we decided to go to the dump before leaving town.

We had a bit of miscommunication as Laurie declared she was going to shower while Andy stopped to dump the tanks. After expressing his frustration, Andy pulled out of the dump and parked nearby for Laurie and the kids to shower and returned to the dump site 30 minutes later.

Around 6pm we were finally headed out of town. Ani was cranky again, and just like earlier today, within minutes she closed her eyes.

It sure was late to be taking a nap but try as we might, she would not wake up. So we just let her sleep. Unlike Miles, Ani has still been able to sleep at bedtime even if she takes later naps. But this was way later. We’ll see what happens tonight.

Ani woke up just as we pulled into camp at 7pm. Home for the night is at Cameron Flat Campsite, which is within the boundaries of Mt. Aspiring National Park.

The drive out of Wānaka was stunning all the way to camp. We skirted along the shores of Lake Hāwea with incredible mountains surrounding us on all sides before crossing over The Neck and getting more incredible views of more stunning mountains from the shores of Lake Wānaka. It was so pretty in all directions that it was hard to know which way to look.

We stopped for diesel in the town of Makarora, just before entering Mt. Aspiring National Park.

Andy got out to put the screens on the windows once we were happy with where we had parked and how relatively level we were. The sandflies made their presence known immediately.

Once Andy got back inside, none of us went outside again. At one point we counted 16 sandflies just on the passenger window alone.

It’s times like these we are grateful to be in the van and not in a tent. And while better, some sandflies had followed Andy in.

And since it was not breezy at all, we’re pretty sure some of the pesky sandflies got in through the screens as well.

We killed almost two dozen of them from the time we parked until we finished brushing our teeth.

Laurie feels a sense of dread as bedtime creeps in. Will we sleep? Will we be itchy and be up trying to kill bugs all night?

How much will the kids protest and resist every step of the bedtime routine? As stated above, this van offers a lot of comfort but being bitten while sleeping is getting old!

Around 1030pm, we finally turned out the lights. Miles and Andy were out pretty quickly. Andy woke up to Ani crying around 1115pm. She really wanted to go to the top bed and we tried to explain to her that Miles was sleeping and that she wouldn’t be comfortable up here with him sleeping.

No explanation was good enough for her. She cried and expressed her disapproval so passionately she was sweating after a few minutes. Thankfully she calmed down and was finally asleep by 1140pm.

Looks like super late naps aren’t good for Ani either. On shorter driving days we need to come up with a plan to ensure she sleeps at least an hour earlier in the afternoon so she doesn’t crash after 5pm.

But that’s something to think about tomorrow. We are exhausted.

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.