Get Us to the Farm!

Wednesday in New Zealand: We started the day in Taupo. I woke up feeling okay-ish and decided to go for a run. In my defense, running when sick sometimes (oftentimes) makes me feel better. I think it has to do with sweat -- and mental health. ;)

When I got back to the Motor Inn after my (admittedly short) run, we threw on some jackets and walked to Sacred Grounds, a coffee shop across town. The kids have been enjoying drinking hot chocolate each morning, and the hot chocolate at Sacred Grounds did not disappoint. Neither did the coffee or the muffins. We loved our lazy morning at the coffee shop.

In front of the #LoveTaupo sign on our morning walk.

We drove out of Taupo about 10am and headed for the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. Having learned from our Hobbiton experience, we purchased cave tickets ahead of time (#check). 

About 30 minutes out from the caves, we stopped in a small town, Te Kuiti, and ate lunch in a converted railway station. 

The girls at lunch.

The boys at lunch.

Photo by Taylor.

Then on to the caves! About the caves: The name "Waitomo" comes from the Māori words wai, water and tomo, hole or shaft. The local Māori people had known about the caves for about a century before a local Māori, Tane Tinorau, and an English surveyor, Fred Mace, were shown the entrance in 1884. Tane and Fred did extensive explorations in 1887 and 1888, mapping out the entire cave by candlelight and raft. As Tane and Fred began their mapping, they came across the Glowworm Grotto and were amazed by the twinkling glow coming from the ceiling -- the glowworms!

We took a guided tour of the Glowworm Cave and were in awe of what we saw. The cave is all limestone; we saw a ton of stalactites and stalagmites and a large cavern known as the Cathedral. The acoustics are so good in the Cathedral that singers like Katy Perry, Billie Eilish, and the Vienna Boys Choir have all come to sing there. Toward the end of the tour, we boarded a boat and floated in the river for a bit, taking in the glowworms above us. It was a very cool experience.

Coming out of the cave on our boat. We weren't allowed to take photos inside the cave system.

Getting off the boat, just outside the glowworm cave exit.

With the glowworms in our rearview mirror, we headed for Raglan, a quintessential New Zealand surf town. Specifically, we headed for our Airbnb farmstay just outside Raglan. I had learned about this farmstay from my friend Seema, who traveled to New Zealand with her family in December 2022. Seema said this farmstay was her family's favorite part of their entire six-week trip. With reviews like that, we had to check this place out, too!

Taylor and Wyatt couldn't wait to get to the farmstay, especially because they knew animals awaited us: horses, alpacas, sheep, dogs, and a cat.

When we arrived at the farmstay -- after a drive on a bumpy gravel road -- we were greeted by host Sue. She introduced us to the horses, Thomas and Holly. Sue had also stocked our fridge with milk and butter from the farm next door, plus homemade bread and some yogurt. 

The views from the farmstay's deck were INCREDIBLE. Wyatt said, "This is the largest backyard I've ever seen." 🤣

Taylor and Wyatt were extremely pumped to feed apple slices to Thomas and Holly. Sue had warned us about the electric fence just next to the wooden fence along the driveway, telling us not to touch it. Everything was going well until...Wyatt touched the electric fence. We all heard the fence go "zap" and Wyatt literally jumped up and backwards. The zap left a red mark on his arm. Wyatt now thinks he's Flash. 

Trying to call Thomas and Holly up to the fence.

Feeding Thomas. See the electric fence wire? It's just under Wyatt's arm...

The views are amazing!

Happy girl.

After that bit of excitement, we came inside to play Scrabble. Tim made us a delicious dinner and we ate outside on the deck. We turned the deck lights off at some point and were astounded at all the stars in the sky. We even saw the Milky Way. 

I totally get why Seema said this farmstay was her family's favorite. It's quiet, peaceful, beautiful, and now the kids want to move here and live on a nearby farm. We'll see about that, but we're definitely in New Zealand love.