So turns out gas stations are not 24/7 here in NZ. We left the house around 4 and we had a 5 hour drive to the glaciers. And 6pm is apparently too late for some gas stations out in Westland! It’s all good though we made it to our destination with fumes in the tank. Our helicopter ride was amazing. We decided to take the Mt. Cook and Fox Glacier tour because we never actually figured out which mountain was in fact Mt. Cook. The flight was crazy beautiful and Maggie didn’t even get sick once.
We also wen to Lake Matheson because we saw it on a postcard once...that's actually how we have been picking a lot of places to go see.
MAGGIE IS SICK, not from the helicopter but she has a nasty cold. So the van is now infected!! It’s only a matter of time before I fall to the illness. This is like a real life Oregon Trail game. We have been through 24 years of life and still are unsure of how to handle illness. We know about orange juice and vitamin C is always a good thing. But when do you take the Advil or the Mucinex, should you take Allegra or just the cold medicine we found in the grocery store. Is mixing these pills bad, how much sleep is too much sleep. What should I be eating to prevent the illness, blueberries? I heard once they have antioxidants that’s a good thing right? When should we buy a new toothbrush? What about sheets when is an appropriate time to wash them? So for now we are a hot mess! However the only good thing about Maggie being sick is she has a normal human body temperature. We haven’t had to roll down the windows once and we actually got to turn on the heater and I haven’t had to bring blankets upfront while we are driving. The worst part of Maggie being sick, I have to do all the driving. Well that and Mags feels like shit.
This is how you know she is sick...she's actually under covers!
Driving at night in NZ is the absolute worst. There are no lights on the road but you are constantly turning off your bights for on coming traffic. But wait too long and you can’t see the super sharp turn in front of you. Also there is not a single straight road in the joint. Also you have to keep a look out for new people in the country who are constantly forgetting to drive on the left side of the road. I’m not sure why this is so difficult Mags and I haven’t once gone on the wrong side!
We spent a few days in Nelson and then headed down to Christchurch to park in front of brother Bens house. Ben is also looking after Paggie Waggie while we are gone! Also the Christchurch airport has a great free hot shower inside! Tomorrow we take off for Asia or 3 weeks.
End Notes
Apparently they have a different version of grilled cheese. I thought I was getting a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich with fries. Instead I ended up with fries topped with melted cheese and bacon.
Maggie has introduced me to Star Wars. Apparently it’s a crime that I haven’t seen them yet. So we are watching them chronologically not by date they were created because that would be too much for me. So far we have made it through 3 of them and I only fell asleep once and that was because I had been driving all day. The only problem now is Maggie is leaving me so I will have to hold off until she gets back to NZ to watch the rest of them!
Parents I will be fine I promise!