The thought of becoming parents and starting a family can be daunting. You go from being young, independent people to figuring out how to keep a tiny human alive. We’ve given up the late nights and instead we’re waking at five and taking our tiny person on spontaneous trips that just take a little more time and space to pack for.
While having a baby changes your life, we’ve found that it’s still much the same except now we’re doing things as a family. It helps that our little man, Robbie, loves the outdoors. We’re still travelling, exploring and experiencing new places just with a little extra gear in tow.
Our most recent adventure took us across the Tasman to New Zealand, Dad’s home country and a part of who Robbie is. We wanted to spend some time with family, explore and get amongst nature. Even though Robbie may not remember everything from this age, we hope these experiences help shape who he becomes and that one day he will look back at the photos and resonate with them in some way.
Our first hike of the trip was the Bob’s Cove Track and with a bit of miscommunication between the two of us, we ended up walking 14km. It was a little longer than we’d planned, but it was good to know we could do it which made planning the next one a little easier.
The Routeburn Track in Mount Aspiring National Park. That ended up being an even bigger 24km walk and the highlight of our trip. The drive there was probably one of the most beautiful drives we’ve ever done. Driving through the little town of Glenorchy was pretty special, although Dad had to sit in the back seat the whole way to entertain Robbie who hates the car.
Getting up at the crack of dawn with an early rising baby has its perks. We had the track to ourselves with not a single person in sight until the way back. The walk itself was full of picturesque scenery, crystal clear rivers, dense rainforest, huge snow capped mountains and lots of swing bridges.
Robbie was fascinated by everything around him. He was constantly looking around, taking it all in. Eventually the combination of the fresh air, movement and sounds of nature would get the better of him and he’d drift off to sleep in the Poco. And when we say sleep, we mean proper sleep. A full hour long nap.
The Osprey Poco has quickly become one of those pieces of gear that makes getting outside with a baby feel easier. We paired it with a Daylite pack, which gave us a simple setup for carrying the things we needed without feeling like we were packing our entire house every time we left our accommodation.
It also meant we could share the load between us. One of us could carry the Poco while the other took the Daylite and we could swap throughout the day. It sounds like a small thing but when you’re walking for hours with a baby, being able to change things up and give each other a break makes a huge difference.
There’s something pretty special about spending months researching somewhere, then actually experiencing it. Especially when you’re blessed with perfect weather and get to completely immerse yourself in nature with your family. No screens, no traffic, no signal and no rushing from one thing to the next. Just walking, talking, looking around and taking it all in.
If we’re being honest, having a baby has made us want to explore even more. We’ve found new hobbies that we can all enjoy together as a family.
We want Robbie to see as much of the world as he possibly can. We want him to grow up knowing that getting outside, exploring somewhere new and trying something different is one of the best parts of living.
We’re still figuring it all out but we’ve realised that you don’t have to wait for the ‘right time’ because there may never be a right time. And whether you’re starting a family, already have one or just want to get outside with your friends or on your own, there’s always somewhere to go and something new to see.
For us, this is just the beginning of our adventures.
Follow @robbiesmum & @jjoshuahurst to keep up with their adventures.
Photo credit: Joshua Hurst & Laura Thormann