Say hello to our friends Shawn and Erika Beckstrom! We have known them for several years, but hadn't seen them for over two years, so it was such a pleasure to have them visit us here in New Zealand. They spent several days on the South Island (where this beautiful photo was taken) before flying to Palmerston North on a Friday. We enjoyed visiting and catching up while we waited for the kids to come home from school that day, then we piled into Big Red and headed off toward Auckland. Emily was ecstatic about meeting "new" friends and felt special to be sharing a seat in the van with Shawn and Erika.
We spent the first night in Taupo, sharing a big cabin room at the Top 10 Holiday Park, the same place we stayed on our second night in New Zealand back in June. It was fun to visit again and the kids had fun playing on the cool playground:
Huka Falls in Taupo -- never gets old!
The kids and Shawn had fun climbing the hills on the Huka Falls trail:
On the way out of Huka Falls we passed the Huka Lodge, where a segment of the most recent "Bachelor" TV show was filmed. We might have ignored the "No Trespassing" signs by driving through the swanky grounds. I'm sure we didn't stand out at all -- Big Red with four adults and six kids, and a rusty turquoise trailer dragging behind! It was a fun little detour:
Even though a cyclone was passing over the North Island during our weekend with the Beckstroms, we didn't let a little rain and wind stop us from having fun! In Rotorua, we enjoyed a beautiful walk through a Redwood forest, where Califonia Coast Redwoods were planted decades ago. It was serene and mystical and just so beautiful!
We stayed at the same little holiday park in Rotorua that I visited with Amber a few weeks prior, the Waiteti Trout Stream Holiday Park. Since it was rainy and windy, we rented two adjoining apartments instead of setting up our tent. The apartments were nice and comfortable, and gave Shawn and Erika a chance for a little privacy! They have four kids of their own, so they are used to the noise and chaos, but I'm sure they were still grateful for some quiet time away from our crazy crew. The quiet didn't last long, however, since Luke and Landon found their way next door fairly quickly.
Shawn was such a good sport with the twins throughout the whole weekend, letting them climb all over him and playing with them. He called them "Trouble One" and "Trouble Two" which made them giggle. I'm sure that jumping on the beds in Shawn and Erika's apartment was a highlight for them!
After we got the kids settled down, fed, and in their jammies, we left them with Rachel in charge and we adults went out to dinner in downtown Rotorua. I didn't get any pics, darn it! We chose an Indian restaurant. Shawn and Erika had never eaten Indian before, but it was one of the best Indian places that Steve and I had ever tried, and the Beckstroms seemed to really like it. We laughed and shared stories and laughed some more. It was such an enjoyable evening!
The next morning was Sunday, so we thought it would be appropriate to drive to Temple View to visit the temple grounds:
Apparently, being on the temple grounds put Emily in a dancing mood! Truth be told, I think she had developed a little crush on Shawn. He was a good sport. :)
I hate to follow a beautiful pic of the temple with this, but it's just a part of life -- potty training. We were nervous about taking a long road trip right in the middle of training the twins, but we just had to be patient and flexible!
In Auckland, we stopped at One Tree Hill before dropping the Beckstroms at the airport.
Great illusion, right? Don't worry, it was only like a three foot fall. :)
Go Erika!
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