Happy Friday, everyone!!  I hope you all had a great week.  I have been extremely busy, working hard to catch up after returning from our wonderful vacation.  😉  As I make my way through my bloglovin’ subscriptions, I wanted to begin making a dent in all my vacation recap blogging!  I haven’t even started to cull through the images we took with our “real” camera so in the interest of time, I am putting up this first post with only my iPhone snapshots.  You’ve been warned… haha

Although Erik and I had dreamed of visiting New Zealand and Australia for many years, our trip this year became a reality because of a special invitation Erik received to speak at the Impact Bible Conference in Hastings, New Zealand (North Island).  (Some of you may not know that Erik is a pastor!)  I told Erik that if he was going to NZ, I had to come, too.  And naturally that meant Olive was coming… Since kids fly free on most airlines until they are 2 years old, we saw it as a rare opportunity to make the journey together.  Once we were set on going to New Zealand for the conference, we decided to stay a while longer and take our annual vacation there.  If you’re flying halfway around the world, you may as well stay a while, right??

Because time was limited, we only explored the North Island of New Zealand before heading to Sydney, Australia for five days.  We were reminded by Kiwis throughout our trip that we absolutely had to return to see the picturesque South Island.  Erik should be back for the conference in a couple years so I hope we do have the opportunity to see it!

We took a red eye from LAX to Auckland on Air New Zealand and praise God, Olive slept nearly the entire 12 hour flight!  We had paid for upgraded seats in the bassinet row, where you have extra legroom (yes!) and a portable crib attached to the wall in front of you.  Since Olive is still petite for her age (in both height and weight), she was able to use the bassinet despite her being nearly 15 months old at the time!  I think the weight limit for the bassinet was 26 lbs and Olive is just pushing 21 lbs.  😉

waiting for our connection to Napier at the Auckland Airport

After arriving in Auckland, we had a quick layover before taking a little (48-pax) plane to Napier in Hawke’s Bay, New  Zealand.  We were picked up by friends from the conference and taken to the loveliest home in Havelock North, where we stayed with a darling host family.  It was SUCH a blessing to stay with a host family for five nights.  J&G were beyond hospitable, offering us a cozy guest room and bathroom and a little living area downstairs.  It felt like home.  Best of all, they had three sweet children (approx. 3, 6 and 7) who adored Olive.  Watching the kiddos play together was a special joy, and I enjoyed spending time with each of the children as well.  I pray that Olive will have loving siblings one day.

Over the next few days, we attended the conference sessions together.  I’ll be honest: Olive had a hard time adjusting the first few days… We weren’t sure if it was a time-change thing or a new environment/routine, but she was definitely clingy and more prone to whining for maybe four or five days.  As a result, I missed a number of sessions but I am grateful that they are posted online for me to enjoy now.  😉  During the conference, the amazing staff prepared 3 PHENOMENAL meals a day, along with morning tea, afternoon tea, and supper!  We joked that Kiwis are akin to Hobbits in their shared affinity for eating!  haha  Remember Pippin going on about breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, lunch, afternoon dinner and supper??  We seriously feasted at the conference and I was thoroughly blessed in seeing the hundreds of volunteers at the conference who prepared meals, set up tables, served food, and cleaned after the attendees.  I must say that since returning home, I am missing my twice-a-day tea habit!

our first dinner in NZ — homecooked deliciousness!

Olive exploring the campus

I also got hooked on a tasty Aussie/Kiwi drink called Milo.  I first had it on the flight over to Auckland.  I overheard someone ordering it and decided to be adventurous and ask for one, too.  The stewardess asked me if I took it with cream and sugar.  Ummmm, yes!  It worked out beautifully, because Milo is a malt-flavored cocoa beverage.  It’s like a less-sweet cocoa with a mild malt flavor.  I LOVE it and need to order some online immediately, since I forgot to pick it up there.  Yum!  I indulged in Milo daily while in NZ.

The day for Erik’s talk arrived and it was packed to standing room only!  The topic was apologetics.  I am grateful for my friend, Traci, who watched Olive during the session so I could attend.  I have obviously heard Erik speak hundreds of times but I am always so blessed by his messages.  It is beyond encouraging to see how the Lord has grown (and continues to grow) Erik over the years as a preacher and teacher, and I love seeing Erik employ his spiritual gifts for the edification of others.  People stayed for 45 minutes after the session to ask questions.  I am amazed when I get glimpses of the universal body like that: meeting people living across the world who are instantly bonded to us through the common bond of Christ.  I really treasured mealtimes at the conference for more than the tasty food…  We had wonderful conversations with dozens of people who lived all over Australia and New Zealand, and I hope to see our new friends again someday!  Many invited us to stay with them in the future, and we extended an open invitation to any who wanted to come visit us in the States.  I hope someone takes us up on the offer!

me and my sweet friend, Chantelle, with our girls.  They use the French word “crèche” for nursery in NZ.

Although our first 6 days in New Zealand were spent at the conference, we did have a few opportunities to see some sights including Arataki Honey (the number one beekeeping business in the Southern Hemisphere!), Te Mata Peak and the Karituwhenua Stream Walkway.  I also had a sweet morning get-together with some of the ladies of the host church at  the cutest cafe called No. [5].  It was a place that would have fit easily into a stylish neighborhood in L.A. with its scrumptious menu and charming decor, as well as a cute shop area offering lots of darling kitchenwares!

the shop at No. [5]

karituwhenua stream

we had a blast tasting all the honey at Arataki’s wonderful visitor centre

just a bit windy up on te mata peak! lol

views from te mata peak

Erik and I are truly grateful for the unique opportunity we had to visit New Zealand.  Many, many thanks to our gracious hosts and friends in New Zealand for having us!  Our trip began on such a wonderful note surrounded by the fellowship and encouragement at the conference and we hope to be back again very soon!

stunning sunset over Hastings

After leaving the conference, our North Island road trip began!  More coming next week!  😉

Enjoy the weekend & thank you for stopping by!