The moments before a big journey are magical. The excitement after a year of planning plus the arrival of the actual departure day combine to create a truly surreal experience!
Media – Round 1
The Journey Begins! (3/6-8/23) – Photos
The Journey Begins (3/6-8/23) – Video
3/8/23 @ 10pm – Pavilions Hotel, Christchurch, NZ (Google Maps)
All trip photo albums
Trip video playlist
Mr. Seamon-Ingalls:
Mrs. Seamon-Ingalls, Wilson, and I kicked out of our place at 12:15am on Monday, March 6th. Security was there at Reed to let us into the building and the Dodge room where we setup for the arrival of the whole group! Soon after, Mr. and Mrs. Mish joined the fray, followed by all of the kids and many of their adults! Even though it was quite early in the morning, the room was quickly filled with lots of energy. Each kid was run through a final checklist which everyone passed with flying colors. At 1:45am we circled up to go over a few reminders and then went outside to meet out waiting mini busses!
We left campus right before 2am, driven by two professionals, JT and Mr. Berghoff. The ride down to BDL was smooth and most of the kids slept along the way. At the airport we were greeted by a large comfy bench where we rested until the gate opened up. Check in, bag check, and security were all smooth and by 4:30am were at the gate and back to relaxing, a sign that all was going well. Kids then went off to forage for an early breakfast and by 6 we were on the plane.
Due to some extra headwinds, our flight to LAX was a little longer than expected, but that gave the group a bit of extra time to sleep. On the descent into LA was got a great view of completely snow covered mountains, a very interesting sight! At LAX we sailed through the airport and found our back waiting on the moving carousel right when we got to baggage claim. Outside we were greeted by the warm, refreshing morning air of LA and after just 10 minutes of waiting, our bus driven by our very friendly driver, George!
Given the time of the day, the drive to Hollywood was quick and had very little traffic. We looped around the end of Hollywood Boulevard due to stretch being blocked off for setup for the Oscars. We were dropped off near the famous theater and after a group photo the kids were sent out to explore and get lunch. Mrs. Seamon-Ingalls, Wilson, and I then headed east down the street where we got lunch and visited the Larry Edmund’s bookstore. On our way back to the bus we stopped at the theater to see the amazing courtyard and then at the bus got to rest a bit before everyone returned.
The ride back to LAX was a little longer due to traffic, but we arrived back with enough time to get checked in and clear security at the International wing of the airport. At the gate the kids again had some time to explore before we boarded the longest leg of our journey. Again, we were all seated in the same set of three rows. Air New Zealand proved to be very comfortable, especially for Wilson who was given a bassinet to sleep in! Even though the flight was twice as long as our first leg, it seemed shorter for most of our group since almost all of us slept for most of the flight.
In Auckland we again collected our bags and then made our way through the hoops of customs, which took a little while but was overall a very efficient process. We then re-checked our bags and then took a shuttle to the domestic terminal of the airport where we had a little time to rest before walking right out of the gate onto the plane. 90 minutes later we landed in Christchurch!
We immediately found our local handler, Kate, and drive Bob, along with our bags, and then made our way through the gorgeous morning air to our awaiting coach bus. Over the next 20 minutes, Bob gave us a brief tour of the area and then we unloaded at a large open area mall full of wonderful food businesses and other stores. The kids were given money and an hour to each lunch, which they were all quite excited for. After my family got filled up on Ramen (Wilson wanted some but isn’t quite there yet!), we met back up at the big remembrance arc and walked back to the bus.
Bob then drove and led us on a 30 minute tour of the area and we got to learn lots about the city and in particular how it rebuilt after the earthquakes 8 years ago. The city is a very interesting mix of modern and older buildings, with lots of glass and quirky designs. Shortly before 1:30pm we made it to our hotel and to what the kids were really excited for… showers!
After getting cleaned up and changed, most of the kids decided to head out with me and Mr. and Mrs. Mish to walk around and explore the area. The rest stayed back at the hotel and relaxed with Wilson and Mrs. Seamon-Ingalls. On the walk my group and I headed to the botanical gardens which were stunning! The greenery was lush and we got to walk around a large multi-roomed greenhouse, rose garden, rock garden, along with a stop at a cafe. Back at the hotel the group was enjoying the pool, including Wilson who got to take his first dip!
By 4:30 we were all back at the hotel and more kids enjoyed the pool as well as the hot tub. We grouped up at 5:50 to go over some reminders for the rest of the day and tomorrow and then went into the hotel restaurant for dinner. At our two tables Mrs. Seamon-Ingalls led the group in a writing prompt that got them started in their first journal entries of the trip. We had made our order a couple weeks ago, so not long after our dinner arrived which was devoured. After a round of dessert we went back to our meeting point for another short check in.
Mrs. Mish and Mrs. Seamon-Ingalls then took a group of kids across the street to pick up some snacks since as everyone knows, you can’t have too many snacks. Some kids stayed behind and rested, along with me. At 10pm we did the rounds and all kids were either fast asleep or very close to sleep.
Tomorrow we’re up at 7 to start a low-key day of exploring Christchurch and the nearby coastline.
All is well. The kids have been phenomenal. What a perfect start to our grand journey!