These things occurred on Sunday March 2, 2025 in Bay of Islands, New Zealand (Cruise)
This entry is part of my cruise series where the focal point is the day trips we took and less about our day to day. Each entry begins the same way. If you’ve already read the first entry, skip to the third paragraph to read about this day trip.
When Chaim and I were planning our yearlong adventure, we figured building in a cruise after five weeks in India would be a great way to help give me some personal time while the boys hung out and were overseen by other adults in the youth lounge. We also felt like it was a great way to experience a cruise and get a taste for different areas of Oceania without having to pack up every few days. Overall, it was a great choice. The boys, especially Matanel, loved the youth lounge and the opportunity to hang out with a few other children on a regular basis playing games and participating in crafting activities. Even with everything going on, the boys were still able to complete their schoolwork.
We all agreed we’d love to try another cruise, but perhaps a shorter one because two weeks with multiple sea days was a bit much for some of us – okay just me. The reality is we had an insular room with no window. We could feel the rocking of the ship and the lack of a window made time feel elusive, even with our watches and phones keeping time for us. If we were to do it again, I would pay every cent I had for a window. Heck, I’d sell my own leg for a balcony.
The following are excursions and experiences from our first week of the cruise: Below is Entry 2
One of the most breathtaking visuals we had in New Zealand was underground. There are caves located on the Bay of Islands where glow worms live among stalagmites and stalactites. Although the actual visit to the caves is only a short, guided walk, it was completely worthwhile.
These caves are sacred spaces for the Maori. As such, visitors may only enter with a guide. No one is allowed to use any light except for the lamps that were handed out to every fifth person in the group. Inside the “Milky Way” room we were instructed to turn off all of our lights. Like magic, thousands of tiny, dotted lights appeared all over the ceiling and walls. They looked like swirling stars or the space stickers the boys put on their bedroom ceiling back home. It was easy to understand why the room was dubbed the Milky Way. I was certain I saw the Dipper and Orion!
We noticed that the glow worms’ lights vary in color and size. Our guide explained these variations depend on the sex and life-stage of a glow worm. The color can also depend on the species.
From the caves we were bussed to the center of town where we stopped for ice cream before exploring more. A small farmer’s market was set up nearby, so we took a little time to check out the art and merchandise. On a whim we walked to the beach across the street. None of us had our bathing suits on, but that didn’t stop us because we had eyed a pier a bit of a swim out in the water.
Our first matter of business on the beach was a hilarious mud fight (that I may or may not have started). After, Eitan and I decided to swim to the pier so we could jump off. Not going to lie. I committed to this before I knew how chilly the water was. It took a bit of getting used to the water, but the mud all over me was a great motivator to go deeper. Once I was in there was no turning back. It got deep pretty quickly, and what we thought was a short swim became a solid swim out to the pier. Amichai joined us midway. He and Eitan did a superb job swimming out to the pier on their own. Bravely, we climbed the teetering pier and then jumped off! It was exhilarating. Eventually, Shai and Matanel both wanted a turn. I swam back and took them one at a time. Matanel opted to turn around after making it to the pier. Shai elected to jump off like his big brothers.
Something about being in New Zealand was pushing our boys to take risks that pushed them beyond their comfort zone in incredible ways. I never wanted to leave. I was in my happy place: Spontaneous fun, beautiful water, boys taking awesome risks. Even Amichai said, “This is SO fun. Not a lot of parents would let their kids do this.” I was glad we were the kind who were.
