Pretty much the only things I know about New Zealand are from Taika Waititi movies and these guys:

We’re rectifying that this week – Krakes are in New Zealand! Yep, time to pull out the ol’ ninja turtle backpacks again!

The flight over was quite fine for 3/4 of us. For some reason Mr. “Fall Asleep Five Seconds into the Car Ride” couldn’t sleep, so he was pretty wrecked.

NZ is 19 hours different, so while we skipped Thursday entirely, our body clocks aren’t too out of whack. Our first stop is Auckland, and after snuggling some tired children into the AirBnB, the grown ups went exploring.

It’s beautiful here! End of summer, so it’s warm and green. Auckland has amazing green spaces.

(We totally made out on the Lovers Walk. It’s required.)

Children napped, we grabbed them and continued exploring.

(You know the president’s made an impression when New Zealand craft brewers are making beer called “Im-PEACH-ment.)

Day 2 in Auckland was more of the same. We started with the Parnell Rose Garden.

Then it was culture time – Auckland Art Museum:

(The Boy hates museums with every fiber of his being, so I try to find free admission since this is how he spends his visit:)

Then it was park shenanigans, a cricket match (hint: just as exciting as baseball), and unexpected pianos and libraries.

Our last night in Auckland was divide-and-conquer. I took The Boy to the baths (aka the swimming pool).

While The Husband took The Girl to a Twenty-One Pilots concert.

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(We each feel we got the better end of the deal.)

And that’s it for Auckland! The adventure continues in Rotorua today. The question on everyone’s mind: how well can The Husband drive on the wrong side of the road??