We wrapped up our NZ Summer road trip with two final evenings of family camping and shared facilities. Our 2nd to last night on the road we stayed in Ashburton (mini cabin) and our final night in Twizel (proper tent). Neither of these towns were exciting or worth a destination per say; they were both simply convenient stopovers to break up our final stretch driving back home to Queenstown. We had both places virtually to ourselves; with only two days left until school started back up in NZ, the Summer "high season" was officially over.
Ashburton Pics
Twizel Pics
(including awesome nature art the girls made, foraging rocks, flowers, herbs, leaves and sticks from the campground property)
One For the Books
Our NZ Summer will most be remembered as the Summer our family learned to enjoy camping, especially in tents! The girls absolutely LOVED our time camping, as did we. It really was quality family time brought to a whole new level. We were all fully present in the moment with each other, appreciating the surroundings and each other. Camping was synonymous for us with:
The girls roaming freely, exploring independently to their hearts' content
Shared, clean facilities (toilets & kitchens)
Striking up conversations and enjoyable time with strangers
Coziness in the tent, packed in all together
Early bedtimes
Solid snoozes
Gorgeous stars during middle-of-the-night toilet runs
Loud noise of unzipping the tent to go on those middle-of-the-night toilet runs :)
Tasty, home-cooked meals at communal BBQs/kitchens
Girls helping out with cleaning/drying dishes (inspired by the heaps of Kiwi kids we saw doing the same)
No devices or screens
Family card games huddled in our tent, in particular Crazy 8s, Cribbage and Battleship
One older gentleman we met at a campsite on New Years Eve remarked that your fondest memories as a Kiwi are growing up camping with your family. I can now appreciate what he meant on a whole new level. I guarantee you Paige & Sadie will look back at our time camping in NZ as some of their very best childhood/family times. I know we will. Immensely special and cherished experiences & time together in the great NZ outdoors.
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