Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Aunt Jessica (or as the kiwi's say,"awntie Jessica")


Having loved ones visit is the absolute best. And it's not just because they bring Lucky Charms and deodorant. It's having a piece of your home here with you. And there's nothing quite like seeing someone you love fall in love with a country that you love. Jason's sister, Jessica, just graduated with her masters degree and wanted to come here for her graduation gift. We welcomed her with open arms and a fresh lamb roast. We've anticipated her trip for several months now and we are all so excited that she is finally here. We're trying to pack in as much as possible and first up was a weekend with Jason and the two older kids to Queenstown where they toured the Milford Sound. Just looking at these pictures makes me shiver, but it looks so mysterious and ominous in the stormy weather that I can't help but be a little bit jealous that I couldn't be there with them experiencing it in person.



Jessica described it best when she said that it looked like the mountains had veins, it really is such an incredible sight to see waterfalls every where you look.



It was so windy that the waterfalls were actually blowing up the mountainside.







I mean, just look at that...


That night they took a boat tour in the snow to visit the Te Anau glow worm caves. They said it was enjoyable and relaxing to float in silence and complete darkness through caves covered in tiny glow worms that looked like stars in a night sky. They also said it was freezing.


They flew to Queenstown but then rented a car so they could see the sights on the drive home. The 7 hour drive home took more like 12 because the main road was closed due to the snow. The problem here is that there is usually only one road in and out of towns and the frequent land slides, rock falls and snow fall lead to road closures and 5 hour detours. But they made the most of it and Arrowtown was their first stop.





They also stopped at Katiki Point, it's a close contender for my favorite spot in all of New Zealand and Jessica said this were her top pick as well. The scenery and wildlife are just the perfect cocktail.










Moeraki boulders was the next and final stop. The combination of the night sky, rainfall and extraterrestrial boulders make these photos look out of this world. In the literal sense. I have to give props to Jason and Jessica for documenting their trip in such detail. Usually when I send the camera with Jason he comes back with about 3 pictures. All of the same pose. We are so glad to have Jessica here and I know the kids loved spending time with her. Being stuck in a car for three straight days can either make or break a relationship, so glad they came out on the other side with a deeper bond. And some pretty entertaining vlogs. But really, isn't she the cutest???




As much as I would have loved to join them on their road trip, I was really looking forward to spending the weekend with the little guys. And besides, we had the sun on our side. It felt like a summer day so without asking any questions we headed straight for the beach where the jackets were merely a precautionary measure. We rounded out the rest of the weekend with toys from the dollar store, the park, pizza on the balcony and staying up with Maddox watching man vs wild in my bed. It made for a pretty stellar weekend.


he was so excited to try out his "surf board"






3 comments:

Jessica 洁玲 said...

Wow Jamie, it's like you were with us on our trip the entire way, you describe it so vividly. You are a killer writer. Wish you could've been with us, glad we went picture-happy so that we could share the experience that way. Really love being here, love your family, and really grateful for all the love and hospitality that is being shown to me. You're one heck of a sis-in-law!

Just me said...

Very beautiful photos of your very beautiful temporary homeland. Isn't it just so exciting to introduce all the loveliness to the people we love?!

Janessa said...

How fun to show NZ off to more company! Lucky for all of you! What a fantastic trip. I kept thinking "what great pictures they got for Jamie" the whole time I was looking through them. Well done! Glad you had some fun with your littles:)