Digital Nomad Life: Month 118

Month 118 was a mixed bag. I loved my time in Samoa and New Zealand, but I also had a lot of challenges this month.

I started the month with a couple of nights at my Mum’s in Papamoa, where I enjoyed some beach time and hiked up Mauao, then I took the bus to Hamilton to spend a couple of nights with one of my besties there.

From Hamilton, I headed back to Auckland for a couple of nights and then my brother arrived and we flew out early the next morning for 11 days in beautiful Samoa.

We started our time in Samoa with three nights in Apia, where we swam in the waterfall and pool at our lodge, went to a church service, had a traditional umu lunch, checked out downtown Apia, visited the Robert Louis Stevenson museum and hiked up Mount Vaea to his grave, and learned more about Samoan culture at the Samoan Cultural Village.

From there, we caught the ferry to the other main island, Savai’i, where we spent three nights in a rustic resort and visited lava caves, church ruins, waterfalls, blowholes, beaches, and river pools around the island.

We stayed on the southern coast of Upolu for the last five nights of our trip at a nice resort with a pool and a private beach. From there, we visited a small island for the day, some beautiful beaches, a giant clam sanctuary, and the famous To Sua Ocean Trench.

And then we flew back to Auckland, where I spent a little over a week catching up with friends and family and doing some medical/dental check-ups.

The last five nights of the month were spent in Papamoa with my Mum. My brother came down too for the first few days for the Easter break and we had a nice time despite the bad weather. I also got outside and did a couple of hikes once the weather improved.

Now onto the stats!

Countries Visited: New Zealand, Samoa

Places Visited:

• New Zealand: Papamoa, Mount Maunganui, Hamilton, Whatawhata, Auckland, Tauranga
• Samoa: Apia, Auala, Taga, Vaito’omuli, Falealupo, Salelologa, Muiatele, Faleapuna, Lotofaga, Utulaelae

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

Islands Visited: North Island of New Zealand; Upolu, Savai’i, unnamed islands off Falealupo Beach and Va-i-moana Resort, and Namua Island in Samoa.

Best Meals: Homemade Neenish Tarts and Belgian Biscuits; French toast with vanilla custard and rhubarb compote on Fiji Airways; Koko Araisa (cocoa rice pudding) and palusami (taro leaves cooked in coconut milk) from Dave Parker Eco Lodge in Apia; Seafood platter from Bella’s Kitchen in Apia; Pani Popo, lime glazed donuts and vegetable mezze platter from Saletoga Sands Resort in Samoa; Mezze platter from Feriza’s in Auckland; Feijoa turnover from Grey Lynn Farmers Market in Auckland; Popcorn chicken from Java in Auckland; KFC fries – they are so good in New Zealand!; Homemade roast chicken with cauliflower cheese, roast vegetables, and maple ginger brussel sprouts.

Best Craft Beer: Spicy Pickle Beer from Garage Project.

Hikes/Walks:

• Mauao summit track in Mount Maunganui, NZ 2 miles
• Mount Vaea Summit loop track in Apia, Samoa 2 miles
• Wairakei Stream Walkway in Papamoa, NZ 3 miles
• Mauao base track in Mount Maunganui, NZ 2.2 miles
• Waikareo Estuary Walkway Loop in Tauranga, NZ 5.5 miles
• Mauao summit and rim track in Mount Maunganui, NZ 3.5 miles

Watching: Civil War, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Black Mirror, The Boy, the Queen and Everything in Between

Reading: Number One Fan by Meg Elison, The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow, Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss, A Good Marriage by Stephen King, All Fours by Miranda July, Life After Life by Kate Atkinson.

New Posts: I wrote one new post this month, 7 Must Visit Small Towns in Arizona That I Personally Love. The characterful small towns in Arizona are one of my favorite things about the state. Make sure to add some of these to your Arizona itinerary.

Highlights

Hanging Out With an Old Friend in Hamilton

I always love visiting Hamilton to hang out with my friend AnnMaree and her family. On this visit, we went for walks by the Waikato River and in the Taitua Arboretum, checked out Made Market, and went for lunch in Whatawhata at a lovely cafe complex with small boutiques. 

The Beauty and Serenity in Samoa

Wow, did I need my Samoa getaway! Dad decided the night before we were leaving that he didn’t want to go anymore but as pretty much everything was already paid for and non-refundable, he encouraged me and my brother to go and after a stressful couple of weeks dealing with my Dad’s health, it felt like a reset.

Samoa wasn’t my first pick for a Polynesian island vacation – I would have chosen the Cook Islands or Tonga – but Dad had wanted to go to Samoa. I ended up loving how quiet it was. There is not a lot of tourism and it still felt quite local – especially Savai’i Island, where nearly every local waved enthusiastically when we drove by. At most of the tourist attractions we visited, we were the only ones there.

It is a beautiful country to drive around – all the houses are so colorful and we hardly saw any trash. It is still untouched, especially when compared to Fiji or Hawaii. The people were welcoming and friendly, the landscape is green and lush with colorful flowers – I just loved it. My time there gave me the peace I needed.

Incredible Views at Dave Parker Eco Lodge

After our original accommodation in Apia was canceled on us last minute, we ended up booking a room at Dave Parker Eco Lodge in the mountains behind Apia, and I am so glad we got to stay at this magical place. The view over the jungled interior and coast is spectacular, and we got to see some stunning sunsets from the deck outside our room.

The staff were friendly and we tried some Samoan dishes at the restaurant, including Koko Araisa (cocoa rice) and Palusami (taro leaves cooked in coconut milk), as well as lunch cooked in a traditional Umu. Our host also took us and a couple of other guests to a beautiful waterfall on the property to swim. 

A Stunning Waterfall in Samoa

We saw a few waterfalls in Samoa, mostly just from viewpoints overlooking waterfalls in the distance, but my absolute favorite was Afu Aau Waterfall on the south coast of Savai’i.

This waterfall is gorgeous, surrounded by a semicircle of rock walls covered in thick jungle vegetation, and with smaller waterfalls and caves around the main waterfall. The water was cool and refreshing and despite it being a popular spot with locals, I felt at peace being there.

Pristine Samoan Beaches

Samoa is not as well-known for its beaches as Hawaii, Fiji, and Rarotonga, but there are some beauties there, and we often had them to ourselves. My absolute favorite beach in Samoa is Faleolupo Beach on Savai’i. We spent half a day there swimming, reading in the shade, and wading out to the small lava island just offshore. The water was so clear and turquoise, and we couldn’t believe we were the only ones there.

Lalomanu Beach on Upolu was a close second. We didn’t have it to ourselves like Faleolupo, but it certainly wasn’t busy. Matareva Beach on Upolu was also gorgeous.

Swimming at To Sua Ocean Trench

The most well-known attraction in Samoa is definitely To Sua Ocean Trench – it’s usually the main tourism photo for Samoa, and rightfully so – it is a beautiful spot. If you have been to the Yucatan in Mexico, it is basically like the cenotes there – caves with collapsed roofs open to a crystal clear swimming hole below. You have to take a ladder into and out of the trench, and it’s quite a drop – not great for anyone scared of heights, but I loved it.

One difference is that it is sea water in the ocean trench, not fresh water, and at low tide you can go through a cave and into the ocean (we were there at high tide, so didn’t do this).

The grounds around the trench are also beautifully manicured and have some epic coastal views over this rugged and beautiful coastline.

Resort Life in Samoa

It is not often I stay in resorts. When Toby and I travel, we tend to gravitate more towards budget and midrange accommodation options to stretch our money further, so staying at Saletoga Sands Resort felt like a treat. The resort has its own private small beaches and a beautiful pool, as well as an excellent onsite restaurant and bar. 

Breakfast was included and the buffet was one of the best breakfast buffets I have ever eaten at, with Samoan classics like Koko Araisa (cocoa rice) and Pani Popo (coconut rolls) as well as a great selection of tropical fruit and western food.

The resort wasn’t perfect – the lights in the bathroom gave us electric shocks, and there was no working TV or internet in the room – not ideal when you have a rainy day – but I really enjoyed my time there.

Lots of Friend and Family Time

My time in New Zealand is primarily about spending time with friends and family, and I did a lot of that this month. It was really nice. 

Lowlights

Not Sleeping Well

I’m usually a good sleeper but for various reasons this month – stress, uncomfortable beds, pain – I have been sleeping terribly. Samoa was an exception to this and I slept like a baby there. I seem to be back on track and have been sleeping well the past week so fingers crossed it lasts.

Massive Mosquito Bites in Samoa

The mosquitoes in Samoa really liked me and I ended up with some massive mosquito bites. I don’t usually get reactions from mosquito bites but with these ones I did, and I had large swollen bumps all over me. Not nice.

Samoa Rain

Although we were mostly lucky with the weather in Samoa, with only some occasional rain at the beginning of our trip, we did get a couple of rainy days near the end, including heavy rain on Namua Island that trapped us there for a while, and all day one of the days we were at the resort. 

Family Member With Cancer

The worst news of the month was that a beloved family member in the U.S. has been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, and it has been a massive shock to the family. Unfortunately it is not curable and they have been given 4-6 months to live. We are going back to work at the Gorge in May but we will be visiting as often as possible to help and just spend the precious time we have left.

A Pesky UTI

I never get UTIs anymore but that changed this month and I had one very painful night with very little sleep. I ended up having to take antibiotics to kick it.

Swelling From Dental Injection

While I was battling a UTI, I also developed either a small hematoma or swelling from one of the dental injections I had for my fillings. It hurt to smile for a few days, but eventually the swelling went down.

Increase in RV Repair Costs

After finding out we needed a new engine for our RV, which we were quoted $5000 for, we were on the fence about whether we wanted to spend that to get it fixed. After a few months of thinking over our options, we decided to go for it, but unfortunately, our original mechanic wasn’t available, and the only mechanic we found that would do it is charging us $7000.

As it is our main home base when we aren’t working in the U.S., and it’s Joni’s home, we had to just bite the bullet and pay it. It’ll be nice to have it running properly for pretty much the first time since we got it in 2021 (fingers crossed).

Spending

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

Total: USD$1807

Not too bad this month because I was mostly laying low apart from my time in Samoa. I’m hoping to keep costs below $2000 next month, too.

Accommodation $0

I didn’t pay for any of my accommodation this month. I mostly stayed with friends and family and my Samoa accommodation was paid for by my Dad.

My 31 nights of unpaid accommodation for the month consisted of seven nights with family in Papamoa, two nights with a friend in Hamilton, 11 nights with family in Auckland, three nights in an eco lodge in Apia, three nights at a basic resort on Savai’i, and five nights at a resort in Utulaelae.

Food and Drink $563

Pretty low food costs this month as I wasn’t eating out a lot, and in Samoa, breakfast was included with our accommodation.

Clothing $85

• Jandalls $10.50
• Underwear x 3 $23.50
• Maxi dress $51

Transport $421

• Buses from Tauranga to Hamilton to Auckland $33
• Car Hire and gas for 11 days in Samoa $300
• Ferry from Upolu to Savai’i in Samoa $3.50
• Uber from Auckland Airport to city $35.50
• Return ferry from Auckland City to Devonport $9
• Ferry from Auckland City to Northcote Point $4.50
• Gas $35.50

Activities $87

• Entry and tour to Robert Louis Stevenson Museum $7.50
• Samoan Cultural Village entry fee $7.50
• Afu Aau Waterfall fee $3.50
• Catholic Church ruins fee $2
• Falealupo Beach fee $3.50
• Laauoleola Lava Cave fee $7.50
• Asaga river pool fee $2
• Lava fields and church ruins fee $4
• Namua Island transport and entry fee $18
• Giant Clam Sanctuary fee $7.50
• Matareva Beach fee $7.50
• To Sua Ocean Treench fee $7.50
• Lalomanu Beeach fee $3.50
• Sopo’aga Falls Viewpoint fee $3.50
• Piula Cave Pool fee $2

Other $537

• U.S. Phone plan $35
• OneDrive storage $2
• Garmin monthly subscription $14
• Netflix $4
• Toiletries $45
• NZ SIM card and phone plan – one month $15
• Charity/Donations $12
• Notary Public fee $35
• Skin check at Doctor $99
• Two fillings at Dentist $276

Website Costs $34

• Monthly payment for Keysearch $12
• Domain renewal for one year $22

Vehicle Costs $80

• RV and van insurance $80

What’s in Store For Next Month

I have a bit under two weeks left in New Zealand and that will be split between Papamoa and Auckland, where I have lots of plans with friends and family before I leave the country again.

From New Zealand, I will be flying back to the U.S., which I have very mixed feelings about. I am excited to see Toby and Joni, but I’m nervous to really be in amongst the chaos and cruelty of the Trump regime. 

I will have one night in Denver, then we will be driving down to Espanola for a few days to spend time with family. Toby and Joni will then rush to the Gorge over three days and I will take my time, stopping in Durango, Moab, Salt Lake City, and Boise over nearly a week before arriving at the Gorge.

The last week and a half will be spent at the Gorge, getting ready for the first show of the season and maybe sneaking off to Leavenworth and Seattle if I have time for a couple of days too.

To read additional Monthly Recaps, you can find them here