De Ann Made It!

To Mt Cook NP, New Zealand

Yeah, De Ann is here! She arrived this morning a little after 9:00. At least, that's when we made it to the airport, just as she was leaving the terminal staring at her phone. It was great to see her, the first family member we’ve seen since we left the States. She wasted no time distributing some small gifts: Christmas and birthday money for Dex and Kylie from my brothers and sisters, some blue sparkly earrings for Kylie, a new Farkle dice game for Dex, a head lamp for Meg, and a new iPhone battery for me to replace my wonky one. Nothing like surprise gifts.

We took care of some necessary chores at the airport: got a cup of coffee, bought new SIM cards, exchanged our left over Australian dollars, and bought a smaller power adapter. Then we were ready to show off our "luxurious" camper van before plugging in our destination for a small campground in the Mt Cook NP. The drive was lovely and it got prettier and prettier as we neared the mountains. The two large lakes -- Tekapo and Pukaki -- were an unbelievably beautiful aqua blue. Dex and Kylie got a chance to catch up with Aunt De Ann in the back.

Unfortunately, as we headed up the valley past lake Pukaki, the rain began. Our DOC (Department of Conservation) campground was little more than a gravel parking lot, but we choose a spot and made the best of it, breaking out the chips and salsa, red wine and testing out Farkle.  To make it even more festive, we put on some tunes from the little JBL speakers, which have gotten little use since we stopped biking in August. Kylie started off the game with a roll of 1700 and never looked back.

Despite the cold and drizzle, we took a short walk before dinner, which gave Dex and Kylie a chance to tell Aunt De Ann every joke and riddle they could think of. With our efficient storage and sleeping arrangement in the van -- Dex and Kylie get the shortened top bunks while the three adults take the bottom "bed" sleeping side to side. I really hope De Ann is looking forward to some family time, cause she’s going to get lots of it.