We had been looking forward to our Christmas vacation for a long time! We were excited to see everyone in New Zealand!! It was a long flight--16.5 hours!! EEK! We had a great flight though. Emirates had cute Christmas goodies for the kids!
You can see Claire having a moment in the background!
Emirates kids meals are the best!
We made it to New Zealand!
There were lots of happy tears when we saw everyone! We checked into our B and B and showered and then all went out for a late lunch. Our lunch was perfect and just what we needed!
The B and B was in a perfect location. The rooms were tiny and the showers were like what I imagine an airplane shower to be like! The hostess was okay. I would recommend it for one night or two.
Everyone was so happy to be re-united!
We were all struggling with the jet lag the first night. Claire did not make it through dinner. Our dinner was great though! It was called Mekong Baby and they were great with the kids.
We all slept in a little and had a great breakfast at a cute restaurant down the street from our hotel. They had delicious food and were great with the kids!
Josh was happy to be driving again. It was a little scary being on the "wrong" side of the car and the "wrong" side of the road!
We then set off on our way to see Santa Claus!
Smith and Caughey's store front was so cute! They had a Christmas story that the kids loved to look at! It reminded me of New York at Christmas time.
We were glad we pre-booked since they were sold out. It was magical for everyone! They have this enchanted forest you walk through and then when Santa is ready to see you, you knock on his door and he lets you in.
We had the afternoon free so we went over to Waiheke island to see it! The ferry ride over was pretty!
We had a great Christmas Eve dinner at Prego.
Claire was still feeling jet lag!
We then walked down Franklin Road which is famous for their Christmas lights. The houses were all lit up and had really neat displays. The weather was beautiful, too!
We woke up Christmas morning to some surprises from Santa! The kids were excited he came all the way to Auckland.
We set off for our Christmas brunch at Gusto on the Grand.
There was an adorable Winter wonderland scene set up right outside the restaurant.
We then set off to our next stop, Hamilton, New Zealand. You might have been wondering how we were getting around New Zealand?! Are you expecting a limousine or a few fancy cars? Not a chance...we were all crammed into this very posh van. ;)
We had an hour or two to kill before we needed to get to our next stop, so Josh and Robert thought it would be a great idea to stop at some historical sites on the way (insert eye roll here). It ended up being fun and it was good to get out of that nauseating van!
We finally arrived at our next stop, Earthstead Villas in Cambridge, New Zealand. This was my favorite place we stayed the entire trip. It was a farmstead filled with fresh flowers and the villas were very unique. We were served delicious breakfast each morning. The kids loved walking around the property and talking to the cows.
The fresh orange juice and homemade sourdough bread were a hit!
Our first official day in this part of New Zealand was going to the Waitomo gloworm caves. This was one of everyone's favorite things we did. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the caves, but it was pretty incredible!!
We drove to the Monavale blueberry farm where we had a delicious lunch. It was a great place for the kids to run around and play.
We then set off to the beautiful Hobbiton movie set. I've never watched the movie, but it was beautiful! Claire loved looking in all the hobbit doors!
Our next morning we got back in our huge van and set off to Waiotapu Wonderland. We got there right at 10 so we could see the geyser go off. The kids loved that part. Make sure you get there early enough for a good seat!
It was very stinky!
We then headed off to yummy lunch and then to Skyline Rotorua.
Skyline Rotorua was so much fun! We took the gondola ride up the mountain where there was a winery and a lot of rides for the kids. There was a strict age and height limit on a lot of them, but one they could all do was the luge ride. They say this was one of their favorite things the whole trip!
We also had a great wine tasting at the top of the mountain called Volcanic Hills Winery.
Josh was really excited to see a hedgehog at our b and b. He had been seeing several on the road--and he seemed to be the only person that ever saw them...
We were so sad to be leaving New Zealand! We were also really excited to start the next chapter of our trip--we were off to Sydney!
Quantas had a great and easy 3.5 hour flight to Sydney. The ice cream was a huge hit with the kids.
Welcome to Sydney!!
We set off for our zoo day! Our Air BNB was in a great location with just a short walk to the ferry ride.
We took the free gondola ride to the zoo which was a lot of fun! You go over so many animals. The kids loved this and so did the adults!
The view from the zoo is phenomenal!
The highlight for me was seeing the koalas. You have to book the koala picture separate from your zoo ticket. However, I think it was worth it to be so close to these sweet looking animals!
It was a very hot day- we were all ready for a shower and a cold drink!
Larkin liked to lean over a little too far on the ferry rides!
The next day we were off to Manly beach! The kids loved taking the ferries around town.
Claire loved playing with Gregory!
I couldn't help myself with taking this picture! There were speedos everywhere!
Ice cream for everyone!
We were able to find a really sweet babysitter through a friend of a friend. We all had an adults only dinner!
The next morning Josh, Uncle Robert, and PaPa headed out early for a long day of sitting to watch the famous Sydney fireworks! We were lucky that we had a place close to this famous spot!
The kids did remarkably well considering we were out there all day long!! The whole city basically shuts down on this day. They stop the ferry service at 3 PM. 15,000 people were at this park!
They have a few air and boat shows throughout the evening.
The children's fireworks went off at 9 PM. The kids loved them! Elise recorded it all on her ipad.
We all slept in a little bit after that long day and night! We got up and headed out to Darling Harbor.
New hats for everyone!
The next day we headed out for the Sydney Opera House tour! Make sure you book in advance!
We got a babysitter again for one last night out! We had a blast touring the city!
Our last day we took a train ride and went out to Bondi Beach! It was beautiful!
The next morning was sad as we said goodbye to the American crew! Their flight left early in the morning and ours didn't leave until that evening. After the tears and long hugs, we set off for for a few last minute souvenir shops and drinks!
A mere 24 hours later we were back in Dammam...just like that!
