It’s been raining since we arrived in Hamilton, and this morning the sun is out. That feels important to note before I begin.

Most probably know this, but our family had three international nannies that took care of the Powell clan in our youth. There was Sebela and Jenny (I don’t really remember either of them), and then there was Charlotte, a 19-year-old Kiwi who my parents found by taking out a newspaper ad in the New Zealand Herald. Char was with our family for only 18 months, but we became very close with her, and only a few years after she left the States, our entire family went down to visit her in her hometown Hamilton.

That family trip to New Zealand was 20 years ago, and much has changed since. My family looks considerably different, with Casey having a litter of his own, the twins and I turning into adults, and my mom and dad taking on new lives separate from each other. That 19-year-old Charlotte is now a woman with a child of her own Madeline, who will be celebrating her 15th birthday later this month. But amidst all that transformation and turbulence, much has remained the same.

Elysia and I have been in New Zealand for a week now, with the first several days spent in New Zealand’s largest city Auckland. We left the U.S. without much of a plan, but what little plan we did have consisted of buying a used car immediately and hitting the road with luggage in tow to the north island’s beautiful east coast. As you already learned, that plan quickly was on its head when we learned that cars are incredibly expensive in Auckland, that we had entirely too much luggage to bring with us across the country, that the east coast would be terrible to visit in the winter, and that the cost of petrol would destroy our budget if we bought a car. In fact, for a brief moment, I think Elysia and I were both strongly considering a plan resembling that of a 21-year-old backpacking through Europe. Essentially, we left Auckland confused about what our next steps might be—a fun but frightening feeling.

The one part of our plan we could not abandon was visiting Char and her family in Hamilton, so we took a 90-minute charter bus (with our mountain of luggage) to Char’s hometown. It didn’t take long to get outside Auckland and the entire tone of our adventure changed. I’ll never forget the image of Elysia gazing out the bus window onto the lush, rolling hills covered in sheep and goats and cows. She looked so beautiful and wonderful, entranced by the scenery and so obviously soaking up the moment to herself. That easy feeling continued when we arrived in Hamilton. Seeing Char again at the bus port felt warm and comforting, and we enjoyed a home cooked meal (New Zealand beef!) and delicious New Zealand wine for dinner on our first night here.

To put it simply, the last few days in Hamilton have been just what we needed. The city itself is like any other, and there aren’t many tourist attractions to see. But what Hamilton boasts that no other New Zealand city can is family. Spending time with Char, her daughter, and her parents Cam and Lee has been nourishing and awakening. Through story after story, she has reminded me about how happy our family was growing up, how funny both my parents are, what a nightmare the four kids could be for my mom, and so much more. It’s also been so much fun to meet Char as an adult, and to see how much of Char is part of Madeline’s personality. Through all these years, with all that’s changed, Char and her family are still the fun, loving, hysterical people I remember.

After a confusing start to our journey, Hamilton has put things back into focus and on track for us. As luck would have it, Char’s brother Tim owns a car lot, so the car situation is 100% sorted out. Elysia and I are now proud owners of a 2004 Nissan Bluebird. Not only are prices generally more reasonable outside Auckland, but Tim also was able to find us a great deal on a safe, reliable car. Cam (Char’s protective father) gave us our first driving lesson, and he refuses to let us leave Hamilton until we are deemed suitable to drive by his marks. On the luggage issue, Char is letting us leave some bags at her house while we travel around, and it turns out Hamilton isn’t far from anywhere, so we will definitely be returning. Char’s family is also big into Maori culture, and after hearing so many cool stories about the Maori people, we now feel confident about our next stop: Rotorua, which is a major Maori destination.

In short, we came to Hamilton feeling lost, and we are leaving feeling confident and renewed. It has been a perfect stay, and we hope we haven’t worn out our welcome by staying a few extra days. Char and Madeline have been incredible hosts, and Elysia and I will spend the rest of our trip trying to figure out how to say thank you.

Off to Rotorua!

^CJ