April 4 – 20, 2026

JIG
Down Under

Ingrid, Julian & Griffin road-trip New Zealand's South Island — then hop the ditch to Melbourne.

17days
670+km driven
37hrs in the air
2countries
Latest dispatchApril 6, 2026 · Auckland Airport

We made it across the Pacific! The flight was actually... fine? Griffin slept for half of it and spent the other half flirting with a French girl across the aisle. Then NZ biosecurity pulled us aside because our stroller was absolutely caked in tree matter and seed pods from Utah. Welcome to New Zealand, here's your agriculture inspection. Waiting for our connecting flight to Nelson now — the adventure officially begins.

The Route

Nelson → Golden Bay → West Coast → Arthur's Pass → Christchurch → Melbourne

Nelson & Golden BayWest CoastArthur's PassChristchurch

Day by Day

Two weeks, one toddler, zero regrets (hopefully).

Apr 4

Salt Lake City → Auckland

Up, up, and away

The great migration south begins

  • ●Evening flight SLC → LAX, then overnight LAX → Auckland
  • ●Griffin's first time crossing the equator (and the date line)
  • ●Arriving Apr 6 after losing a whole day to time zones
Apr 6–104 nights

Nelson

Supplejack Gardens, Upper Moutere

Beaches, breweries & beating jet lag

  • ●Landing in the sunniest city in NZ
  • ●Tahunanui Beach — playground right on the sand
  • ●Abel Tasman cruise through golden bays, seals & dolphins
  • ●Pic's Peanut Butter World (yes, it's a real place)
  • ●The Free House — craft beer in a converted church
  • ●Jens Hansen — the workshop that forged the One Ring
Apr 11–121.5 hrs over Takaka Hill2 nights

Golden Bay

Collingwood

Clearest springs in the world & golden sand

  • ●White-knuckle drive over Takaka Hill (worth it)
  • ●Te Waikoropupu Springs — the clearest freshwater on Earth
  • ●Pohara Beach — shallow, warm, Griffin-approved
  • ●Wainui Falls hike through the bush
  • ●Mussel Inn for wood-fired food & local brews
Apr 133.75 hrs from Takaka1 night

Reefton

West Coast

A town stuck in a time loop

  • ●Historic gold mining town frozen in time
  • ●Heritage walks through old buildings & quirky pubs
  • ●The kind of place where NZ still feels like NZ
Apr 141.25 hrs from Reefton1 night

Barrytown

West Coast bush

Sleeping in the bush on the wild West Coast

  • ●Bush Airbnb on the mountain side — rivers, birds, silence
  • ●Beaches, swimming holes & forest walks
  • ●The West Coast is rugged, remote & completely magic
Apr 153.75 hrs total from Barrytown1 night

Christchurch

Canterbury

Garden city, Griffin's dream playground

  • ●Riverside Market — food hall on the Avon River
  • ●Botanic Gardens — huge, free, stroller paradise
  • ●Margaret Mahy Playground — possibly the best in NZ
  • ●Last night in New Zealand before crossing the ditch
Apr 16–193 nights

Melbourne

McKinnon, Victoria

Family time with Julian's crew

  • ●Staying with Julian's aunt & uncle Nigel and Lorna
  • ●Three days of family, food & exploring Melbourne
  • ●Griffin meets the Aussie side of the family
Apr 20

Melbourne → Home

The long way back

Back to Salt Lake, full of stories

  • ●MEL → LAX → SLC
  • ●Arriving same day thanks to the date line working in our favor this time
  • ●Griffin will sleep the whole way (we hope)

Dispatches

Notes from the field. Updated when we have wifi (so, sporadically).

April 6, 2026Auckland Airport

We made it across the Pacific! The flight was actually... fine? Griffin slept for half of it and spent the other half flirting with a French girl across the aisle. Then NZ biosecurity pulled us aside because our stroller was absolutely caked in tree matter and seed pods from Utah. Welcome to New Zealand, here's your agriculture inspection. Waiting for our connecting flight to Nelson now — the adventure officially begins.

April 4, 2026Salt Lake City

Bags packed, passports found (after a brief panic), and Griffin has no idea what's about to hit him. See you on the other side of the planet.