Our Story

Who We Are

We are a family of five based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with three kids ages 8, 10, and 12. We are not travel bloggers, not influencers, and not sponsored by anyone. We are just a family that loves to travel and decided to do something ambitious.

New Zealand had been on our list for years. It was the kind of place we described as a dream trip while quietly assuming we would never actually go. The flight felt too long. The kids were too young. The timing was never right.

In March 2025, we stopped making excuses and went.

The Trip

We flew from Chicago to San Francisco to Auckland on Air New Zealand, 16 hours in the air, then connected to Queenstown, where we started our South Island loop. Four nights in Queenstown, one night at Mt Cook under one of the darkest skies we have ever seen, four nights in Wanaka. Then a flight to Auckland, a second rental car, and four nights on the Coromandel Peninsula finishing at Hahei Beach.

Sixteen days. Two islands. Three kids who did not want to come home.

What We Found

New Zealand is genuinely unlike anywhere we have ever been. The scenery is extraordinary. We knew that going in. What we did not expect was the people.

Walking around Queenstown's waterfront harbor, there is an archway with the words "Service Above Self" carved above it. We noticed it on our first full day. And then we saw it in action, everywhere we went, for the next two weeks. Every person who helped us, at restaurants, at activity desks, at petrol stations, at the lodge in Mt Cook at 9pm, was genuinely engaged and genuinely kind. Not performatively friendly. Actually present.

Part of that is culture. New Zealand pays its service workers an honest wage. Tipping is not expected because it is not necessary. When someone helps you, it is because they take pride in their work, not because their income depends on your generosity. The difference is palpable.

Our kids noticed. That matters.

Why We Built This Site

When we were planning, we found a lot of content about New Zealand. Very little of it was written for families. Most family travel content is generic, "kids love beaches!" and "make sure to pack snacks!", and almost none of it addressed the real questions: Is the flight survivable? What activities have age minimums? What does this actually cost? How do you pace two weeks so that everyone, including the eight-year-old, is having a good time by day twelve?

NZ With Kids is the resource we wished existed. It is specific, honest, and written from our own experience. We are not telling you what to do. We are telling you what we did, what worked, what we would change, and why we think this is one of the most remarkable places in the world to take your family.

Our Take

New Zealand is worth it. Worth the flight, the jet lag, the cost, the planning. Worth every spreadsheet row and every pre-trip anxious moment. We came home with full memory cards, tired kids, and a family conversation that has not stopped since.

Start planning. We will help.