by Mary Beth It was morning. They were eating breakfast at the wide coffee table in the living room. They were having toast and peanut butter. There was no high chair. Mommy ripped up a piece of bread and put peanut butter on it and offered it carefully to Cora. Cora smacked the piece of …
by Mary Beth The family decided to take it easy the next day. No more tours or banquets – just a nice walk outdoors and maybe a swim in a river. Cora fell asleep in the car. She was still recovering from the day before. When they arrived at the river, her mommy unbuckled her …
by Mary Beth Determined to do the most touristy thing in New Zealand before they went home, the family visited Hobbiton. They drove their rental car a long, long way, over rolling yellow hills, through fields dry and barren with the recent drought. Sheep lay sprawled in the meager shade of a few desolate trees. …
by Mary Beth The next morning the family went for a hike around Martha’s Mine, which was a gold mine that had not been abandoned. Cora knew that they were going somewhere when she saw her mommy putting on socks. “SOCK!” she said. “SHOE! SHOE!” She ran over to the door and picked up one …
by Mary Beth The family started off the morning with a hike in the nearby Karangahake Gorge – an exploration of an abandoned gold mine. It was called the Windows Walk, but they didn’t learn why until the second half of the hike. The family spent a lot of time on the first quarter mile …
By Mary Beth Because of her adventures on the boat, Annie earned some magical bracelets for the next car ride. They were blue and had a bead hidden underneath, which pressed against her wrist, and put magic into her body so she wouldn’t get a sick tummy and barf all over the car. Mommy spent …
By Mary Beth “Are we still on the driveway?” Annie asked as they drove from their new little home, early in the morning. She had woken up even earlier, much earlier, and so had Cora. “Yes, we are,” said Mommy. “It’s a long driveway.” “Why?” “So the house could be far from the road.” Annie …
By Mary Beth It was time for another big holiday. Time was running out. The family was more than halfway through their time in New Zealand. They hadn’t ever properly visited the North Island. People on the South Island told the family that they would be wasting their time to go to the North Island, …
Day 1: Hot Water Beach Day 2: The boat Ride Day 3: Move to Waihi Day 4: Windows Walk Day 5: Train Ride Day 6: Tourists Day 7: kerosene Creek Day 8: Waitomo Day 9: Hamilton Gardens
By Mary Beth The family went on a trip to Australia at the end of January. It was a whirlwind trip. The Preparation Annie knew about Australia. Her friend Hamish was from Australia. He had visited her back in August, and now she would get to visit him. Not long before Annie had had Australia …
