Digital Nomad Life: Month 117

Month 117 was not the most exciting month in terms of travel, despite visiting three countries, but was filled with friends and family time so it wasn’t a terrible one.

I started the month in Sayulita where we had a family wedding which was so much fun, then after nearly seven weeks away, we flew back to Denver. 

My five days in Denver were all about spending as much time with my kitty as possible as well as doing our taxes and catching up with friends before I left again, this time for New Zealand.

I spent the rest of the month in New Zealand between Auckland and Papamoa, visiting family and friends, and enjoying being back at the quiet end of summer in my beautiful home country.

Now onto the stats!

Countries Visited: Mexico, USA, New Zealand

Places Visited:

• Mexico: Sayulita
• Colorado: Brighton, Aurora, Littleton, Denver, Golden, Broomfield
• New Zealand: Auckland, Papamoa, Mount Maunganui, Cambridge

National and State Parks, Monuments, and UNESCO Sites: Omana Regional Park in Auckland, Papamoa Hills Regional Park in Papamoa.

Islands Visited: North Island of New Zealand.

Best Meals: Mango shrimp with mashed potatoes and vegetables from Tierra Viva in Sayulita; Tofu and vegetable pho from Jennie Pho in Broomfield; Goat cheese tortellini with romesco sauce, courgette, hazelnut and smoked balsamic from Ampersand in Auckland; Cream and jam-filled sugar donut from Doe Donuts in Auckland; Matzo ball soup and latkes with apple sauce from Federal Deli in Auckland; Chocolate bagel with cream cheese from Best Ugly Bagels in Auckland; and Homemade panko crusted gurnard (New Zealand fish) with homemade baked fries and salad. 

Best Craft Beer: Biguidibela Chocolate Stout from Los Cuentos Cerveceria in Puerto Vallarta.

Hikes/Walks:

• Peak 2 Plains and Welch Ditch Trail in Golden, CO 2.6 miles
• Sloan’s Lake loop trail in Denver, CO 2.6 miles x 2
• Coastal trail from Omana Regional Park to Maraetai Beach in Auckland, NZ 3.2 miles
• Mission Bay to St Heliers Beach coastal walk in Auckland, NZ 3.2 miles
• Auckland Foreshore trail from Point Erin to Wynyard Quarter in Auckland, NZ 1.7 miles
• Papamoa Hill summit loop trail in Papamoa, NZ 4.4 miles
• Mauao summit and rim track in Mount Maunganui, NZ 3.9 miles

Watching: The White Lotus season 3, Carry On, Anora, Here, My Kitchen Rules New Zealand.

Reading: The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak.

New Posts: I wrote one new post this month, a 9-day Zanzibar Itinerary focusing on adventure, relaxation, and cultural exploration. I loved this tropical island so much and want to encourage others to visit.

Highlights

Family Wedding Shenanigans in Sayulita

It was fun to revisit Sayulita this month – we spent eight days there in 2022 – this time for our beautiful cousin Lauren’s wedding. As I had done most of the touristy stuff the last time I visited, this time I was happy to catch up with family, relax by the pool, eat tacos, and go for walks around town.

I was recovering from a cold that I caught when hiking Kilimanjaro, so I missed the wedding welcome event – a scenic boat trip with an open bar, but I loved the karaoke evening, rehearsal dinner, the wedding, and the day after brunch and pool time.

Reunited With Our Kitty

I missed my baby girl Joni while we were traveling for nearly seven weeks so it was great to be reunited with her, even if it was only for five days. She had gained a bit of weight and was a bit mad at us for a couple of days but quickly adapted to being back with her parents. 

Being Back Home in Beautiful and Sane New Zealand

Despite some big challenges since I arrived back in New Zealand, it is still so nice to be home. I have been living in the U.S. for nine years and while there are so many things I love about living there, I just don’t want to be there now that Trump is in charge. We are planning our exit and hope to be living back in New Zealand in the next year or two.

An Afternoon at Piha

Dad and I spontaneously decided to drive out to Piha, one of my favorite places in Auckland, one sunny afternoon and it was such a lovely excursion. We happened to be there at the perfect time, a few hours after low tide, and the Blue Pool was at its best.

The Blue Pool is reached by walking south along Piha Beach and between the rock cliffs. It is a low-tide pool that is crystal clear and calm and only appears a bit after low tide. It is such a beautiful place to swim and I love the walk there are well.

Feijoa and Easter Egg Season in New Zealand

After my last couple of visits being from late spring into early summer, a typically rainy time to be in New Zealand, this visit is over late summer and early autumn and the weather has been so perfect with mostly sunny and warm days.

Along with the more stable weather, I’m also loving being here for feijoa season, my favorite fruit, and for easter eggs and hot cross buns. The various marshmallow easter eggs you can get in New Zealand are so good, and we don’t have anything like that in the U.S., and I love a chocolate chip hot cross bun.

A Perfect Late Summer Day at the Mount

When I am visiting my Mum in neighboring Papamoa, I always make time to visit Mount Maunganui to hike up and around Mauao – one of the best short hikes in New Zealand, swim at the beach – one of the best in New Zealand, and eat a Copenhagen Cone. I had a perfect day for it this month and it felt great to be back there.

Catching Up With Family in Cambridge

On the last day of the month, we made the 90-minute drive to the small farming town of Cambridge to visit my Aunt and Uncle, cousins, and their kids at my cousin Nikki’s house. It was so nice to see everyone, and I got to enjoy their pool with the kids on the hot and sunny day.

Lowlights

Brown Ocean in Sayulita

I was disappointed by how brown the ocean water was at the main beach in Sayulita, especially after being to some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen in Zanzibar.

I was reading on Reddit that people had been getting sick after swimming there so I didn’t end up swimming, sticking to the pools at our vacation rental and the wedding rancho instead.

Taxes 

Taxes are never fun, but I am glad they are done for another year. I definitely made it easier for myself by creating a detailed spreadsheet for expenses back in January.

Toby Visa Application Delay

We spent a lot of time getting everything together for Toby’s resident visa application for New Zealand before realizing that Toby’s passport would need to be renewed before we could apply – a second delay after not being able to get a medical done before we left on our Tanzania trip.

Current wait times are meant to be 12 weeks so fingers crossed it won’t take even longer. Once he gets his passport he will need to book his medical in Seattle and then we can finally submit it.

Serious Health Issues With My Dad

The biggest lowlight this month is realizing how bad my Dad’s memory has become and that he has had a serious mental decline in the past few months.

He was waking up gasping for breath at 4 am for three days in a row when I first got back, and this was presenting like a panic attack but I wasn’t sure so we ended up calling emergency services a couple of times. Then after getting a blood test with his doctor, he was admitted to the hospital for five nights after the blood tests indicated that he may have a blood clot. 

Luckily he didn’t, but because of the mental decline, they decided to keep him in to run some tests. He still has a memory test and an MRI scheduled so we can hopefully get to the bottom of why it has happened so fast, and maybe get him on medication to slow the decline.

My brother and I have a lot of things to sort out with his finances and will get him a carer one of two days a week when we get back from Samoa. The whole experience has been pretty stressful and upsetting.

Run in With an Angry Man in Auckland

After a rude man came roaring up the footpath on an electric scooter, nearly hitting families with kids outside a school, I called him a douchebag (I mean, he was) and turns out he was a psycho with anger problems too because he stopped and waited for me, then followed me yelling misogynistic and racist abuse, threatening to hit me.

Luckily there were lots of other people around and I got away from him pretty quickly, but I was worried for a couple of days that I would run into him again.

Trump and Elon – An Ongoing Lowlight

What can I say other than I continue to be horrified by what is happening in the U.S. and that I am scared to go back. The unchecked power that Elon, who wasn’t even born in the U.S., has been given, the continued threats against Canada, the alienation of the U.S. from long-term allies, travelers on tourist visas being detained by I.C.E. for ridiculous reasons, I.C.E. coming after green card holders, threatening the National Parks – I seriously hate where this country is heading.

Ceasefire Abruptly Ending Between Israel and Gaza

I was heartbroken to see that the two-month ceasefire between Israel and Gaza was broken by Israel, with Israel murdering hundreds more innocent civilians and children in the middle of the night while the people slept. The Palestineans are living a hell on earth and it seems Israel will not stop until they are wiped off the planet.

I know I will be giving to charities and initiatives like Doctors Without Borders and Watermelon Relief to help support the people of Gaza as much as I can. #freepalestine

Spending

I don’t include international flights in my recaps. Some of my costs are shared with Toby or other travel partners.

Total: USD$1973

A much more reasonable total this month compared to the last two month’s blowouts. This coming month should be pretty inexpensive too despite traveling in Samoa, as my Dad is covering the cost of our accommodation, flights, and car hire (thanks Dad!).

Accommodation $341

My 9 nights of paid accommodation for the month consisted of four nights in a vacation rental apartment in Sayulita and five nights in a rental apartment in Denver.

My 19 nights of unpaid accommodation for the month consisted of one night with family in Brighton, one night on an overnight flight from Dallas to Auckland, one night lost in transit (time change arriving in New Zealand), 12 nights staying with my Dad in Auckland, and four nights staying with my Mum in Papamoa.

Food and Drink $485

So low this month for me, in a large part because I haven’t been eating out a lot or drinking and my Mum and Dad pay for groceries when I stay with them in exchange for cooking.

Clothing $0

No new clothing items this month.

Transport $114

• Shared Uber from Sayulita to Puerto Vallarta Airport $10
• Lyft from Denver Airport to Brighton $20.50
• Gas $20
• Uber from Dad’s house to the hospital $7
• Uber from the hospital to a friend’s house $16
• Uber from a friend’s house to Dad’s $13
• Bus from Auckland to Tauranga $27.50

Activities $0

Only free activities this month.

Other $821

• U.S. Phone plan $35
• OneDrive storage $2
• Garmin monthly subscription $14
• Netflix $4
• Toiletries $70.50
• NZ SIM card and phone plan – one month $18
• Manicure and Pedicure $51
• Wedding Gift $41
• Cat Boarding (half) $300
• Cat stuff $60
• Gifts $30.50
• Chase Sapphire Credit Card Annual Fee $95
• RV storage for four months $100

Website Costs $12

• Monthly payment for Keysearch $12

Vehicle Costs $200

• RV and van insurance $80
• Car and RV registration $120

What’s in Store For Next Month

I’ll be starting the month with a couple more days with my Mum in Papamoa before heading to Hamilton for a couple of nights to hang out with one of my besties and her family.

Then it’s back to Auckland for a couple of nights before I fly to Samoa for 11 days with my Dad and brother. We have hired a car and will be driving all over the two main islands, staying between Apia, Auala Village, and the south coast of Upolu. I’ve never been to Samoa before so I am excited to explore a new to me country.

After Samoa, I will spend around a week in Auckland doing some boring but necessary family admin and spending time with friends and family, before heading back to see my Mum in Papamoa again to finish off the month.

To read additional Monthly Recaps, you can find them here