The 50 Best Things We Did: Year Four

Hello, again! This is the 4th installment of our “Best Things We Did” series that began when we moved into our motorhome full-time. That was in the summer of 2021, which feels like eons ago.

Like all previous years, Year Four was different than the years that came before it. And the funny thing is, we didn’t expect it to happen at all. In June 2024 our family had full intent to quit the VA Travel Corps and resume a normal life back in Seattle. Most everyone was exhausted after three years of cramped living in an RV.

Then the strangest thing happend: I failed to land a job in Seattle. We figured it was a no brainer that I would get rehired at the Seattle VA, but after three failed interviews I had to take another travel assignment, this time back in Topeka, Kansas. That assignment turned into a couple of extensions and viola! I became a resident of Eastern Kansas for an entire year.

Meanwhile, the family relaxed off the fruits of my labor, enjoying a never-ending string of nacho-filled, blanket-clad movie nights.

It’s a weird thing to live in some other state far from the ones you love. I don’t recommend it, but one can potentially move a lot of projects over the finish line.

My co-workers at the Topeka VA were also an amazing support. They treated me like I was part of the family and I made some really great friends. And Apollo and Monica both spent time with me in the hotel on several occasions, which was a godsend.

I just re-read what I’ve written so far and it sounds kind of sad, which honestly, it was. But Year Four was also one of the most exciting years yet! For one, we spent the equivalent of a college education to travel across New Zealand for 39 days. Monica and I also visited Oahu, and my father and I took a trip to Reno for Hot August Nights.

So while I spent a lot of time in places like Omaha and central-Missouri, we got to take the family adventure of a lifetime in one of the most beautiful countries on earth.

Therefore, the list of the Fifty Best Things We Did in Year Four is going to read a bit heavy on New Zealand excursions, which would be only natural. State Parks in Missouri and art museums in Nebraska are absolutely worth doing, but you’ll rightfully find them further down the list.

Nonetheless, this year’s list of attractions are an odd and pleasing mix. Whether in far away tropics or smack-dabble in our nation’s heartland, we had an amazing (and weird) year “living on the road”.

If you’d like to read about what we did in Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3, check it out. Our family has had the remarkable good fortune to see and do hundreds of incredible things since we’ve hit the road full time.

We hope you enjoy reading about our year on the road!

The 50 Best Things We Did: Year Four

1. Hobbiton

When LOTR producers manufactured the Hobbiton village (the second time) for The Hobbit movie trilogy, the owner of the New Zealand farmland suggested they build it as a permanent installation and turn it into a tourist trap. And that’s how the world’s greatest tourist trap was born.

Hobbiton exceeded all expectations. Even the doubters (Monica) were enchanted.

2. Mt. Cook National Park, NZ

Mt. Cook might be the most beautiful place in all of New Zealand. We did the two most popular hikes and the scenery was supernal as any on earth. Halea did a 3-minute polar plunge in a glacial lake full of icebergs then walked 3-miles back to the car dripping wet. That’s our girl.

3. Boat Cruise in Milford Sound National Park

Here at the bottom of the South Island reside the tallest cliffs on earth rising straightway out the sea. And despite being four hours out-of-the-way, Milford Sound is the 3rd most visited National Park outside of the United States.

A two-hour boat ride provided an abundance information with stunning views of waterfalls all along the way.

4. Kawika Kahiopo

Kawika Kahiopo is the quintessential Hawaiian singer, and he sang happy birthday to Monica. And not only that, but his wife made us leis and reserved front row seating. Then he proceeded to play our favorite songs while our wonderful server brought us round after round of delicious foods. It was perhaps the greatest night out of our lives.

5. Black Water Rafting in Waitomo Glowworm Caves

I took the kids on an underground river rafting trip that would become one of their all-time favorite adventures. For three hours e hiked through tunnels and jumped off subterranean cliffs between long stretches of floating in what would be total darkness if not for the bright blue glow of silkworms on the ceiling of the cave.

6. Bungee Jump in Queenstown

If you’re gonna go to Queenstown, New Zealand, you kind of have to bungee jump. After all, this is where commercial bungee was born. In fact, we jumped off the very place where it all started, the Kawarau Bridge. They say if you’re gonna go, go big. So that’s what we did.

7. Skyline Luge and Gondola

I think excursion was the sigle most fun thing we had all year. From Queenstown you take a gondola to a massive viewpoint. From there you take a chairlift even further up the mountain. Then you grab a luge.

The four of us enjoyed riotous laughter and near disaster while zipping down that mountain course over and over.

8. Able Tasman National Park, NZ

The northern tip of South Island, NZ is yet another geological beauty that we had the good sense to explore. Mostly we sat on the beach across the street from our RV Park, but one day we took a boat ride into the National Park for an 8-mile hike along the mountainous shores. It was a total sweat-fest but the scenery was first rate.

9. Lanikai Beach

Lanikai Beach on the windward side of Oahu might just be the best beach in all the Hawaiian Islands. Twin Mokolua Islands backdrop the view in one direction, and what appears to be a dragon’s head dresses up the other. The sand was perfect. The water was calm. And hardly anyone was there. Now we wait to go back.

10. Mount Maunganui, NZ

A locals beach town on North Island with a huge volcano at the end of the beach invites an active crowd and good vibes. This was our hidden gem. We stayed here longer than anywhere else we visited in New Zealand and it was glorious.

11. Hot August Nights

Totally switching it up here. Hot August Nights is a well-attended car show that happens in Reno every year. For three days my father and I ate well and oogled the hot rods.

12. Kailua Beach

Back to Hawaii… the other best beach on Oahu is Kailua Beach on the windward side. This heavenly beach is a 2.5 mile arc of golden sand and teal waters. Unfortunately, houses are very expensive here.

13. Kaiteriteri, NZ

The gateway to Able Tasman National Park, Kaiteriteri gets its own highlight because we spent so much time relaxing and eating Real Fruit ice cream exactly where this phot was taken. This was the mid-point of our epic roadtrip and we needed to sit and be still for a minute. And it was glorious!

Sadly, I tore up both feet on the rocks and required daily wound care for the remaining 2.5 weeks of the trip. On the upside, Monica took wonderful care of me.

14. Downtown Queenstown, NZ

Queenstown is even better than it reads on blogs or appears in photos. It is one of the most beautiful towns we’ve visited in our travels.

15. Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum

For those of us old enough at the time, the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995 was seared forever in our memories. And the monster of the story, Timothy McVeigh, made for the most unforgettable villain.

The one day I had to visit was dramatically impacted by snow, leaving the museum closed. However, I was allowed to enter by a sympathetic employee and had the entire museum to myself for two hours.

Also interesting, I think the workers got nervous because I was taking so many photos, and they eventually kicked me out. And then a guy who looked a lot like a secret service agent met me outside and asked a lot of personal questions. True story!

16. Aurthur’s Pass National Park

Of all the suprises we experienced on our trip to New Zealand, I think the day we spent driving across Arthur’s Pass National Park was the biggest one. I had high hopes for the day, but really no idea what to expect besides a particular waterfall. The above photo of Castle Hills was completely off my radar, and a highlight of the entire vacation. We also saw sheep on a beach and farmland along a tropical shore.

17. Lake Tahoe

Everyone’s been to Lake Tahoe but me. Well, not anymore! It’s beautiful, we all know it. And I’m excited to go back and bring Monica. Maybe the kids can come, too.

18. Haleiwa

Our favorite small town on Oahu has endless stores to explore. We could spend all day here eating and buying things we don’t need. Behind Monica (in the photo) is the Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck, home to the best butter garlic shrimp and rice you’ll ever eat.

19. Hot Water Beach

Hot Water Beach was another surprise in New Zealand. Essentially, it’s a beach with a hot spring that runs right under the sand to the ocean.

Firstly, it is work to dig a hot tub with a small, rented shovel. But the true challenge is to find a place on the beach where the water is actually heated, but not so hot that you cannot stand to sit in your brand new dirt jacuzzi. In fact, you might dig a magnificent pool by the ocean only to find it unusably hot, which is hard to accept after all that labor, so you boil away in your own private hell.

Perhaps the best part of the experience is once you’ve successfully dug your acceptable hot tub, you then get to watch everyone else wrestle with the conundrum. It’s chaos, really, and fraught with emotion. As the newcomers vocally struggle to find the hot and cold knobs in the sand, the rest of the crowd offers advice. In the end, most everyone bequeaths their property when it’s time to go.

20. The Road to Milford Sound

The town of Te Anau is 1.5 hours away from the boat launch at the famous Milford Sound. The last half of the drive carves through the mountains and is replete with world-class hikes and vistas.

21. Glenorchy

The 45-minute drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy is considered one of the greatest scenic drives in New Zealand. Glenorchy is a charming town, and if you push further you can wind your way to multiple LOTR film locations, including Isengard.

22. Cape Farewell

The hiking route along the remote NW corner of South Island was a surreal succession of green, cresting hills with a hardly-there path. Along the way I met up with a German couple and we chatted for an hour about how their country is going downhill and how we might be lost forever in the buckled-earth countryside of Nowhere, NZ.

23. Cathedral Cove

This is one of the most photogenic beaches on earth. We hiked for an hour to get there and it was crowded.

24. Wanaka

Wanaka is a lovely town on South Island, NZ. Here we attended the New Zealand A&P Show (like a typical state fair), ate at a variety of restaurants, did some rock climbing, and relaxed. We left a lot on the table, but after an action-packed first week on vacation we needed some low-key days.

25. Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium, Nebraska

Many consider Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium to be the best zoo in the United States, and that includes the Hoffmann family. Several of their exhibits were the by far the best we’ve ever seen, including: The Lied Jungle; Hubbard Gorilla Valley; and of course, the world’s largest desert dome, an 84,000 sq. ft. biosphere.

26. Oahu Shave Ice

Hawaii is known for shave ice, and we had our damn fill on Oahu.

27. Cannon Beach / Hug Point

While #1 in our hearts, Cannon Beach is pretty much an annual thing for our family. This time we left the kids at home and made the glorious 8-mile hike to Hug Point and Back.

28. Wellington Chocolate Factory

Monica and Halea toured a chocolate factory in Wellington, NZ, and then had the privilege of making their own chocolate bars. Apollo and I got to eat them, so everyone enjoyed this excursion.

29. Halona Beach

One of our favorite beaches in Hawaii. It’s like a washing machine.

30. Hokitika Gorge

Does the water look cold? Because when Halea and I jumped in it was darn near freezing. Regardless of our stupidity and a mother-cloud of mosquitos, the Hokitika Gorge was a sublime setting at the end of the day.

31. Inter-island Ferry New Zealand

Between North and South Island New Zealand is a 4-hour boat ride on a massive ferry. Views from the top of the boat, especially as we winded through the island chain near Picton (South Island).

The downside was being dumped off on the dark streets of a large city in a motorhome.

32. Te Papa Museum

The ultimate history museum in New Zealand is the Te Papa. It covers everything you could want to know about the land and peoples that have lived here. We especially enjoyed the section on Gallipoli, the awful WWI battle in which New Zealand and Australia were called to fight on behalf of England.

33. Titanic Museum, Branson

If you want to have an amazing day, go to the Titanic Museum in Missouri and learn all there is to know about the saga, then go to your hotel and watch Titanic. The movie nailed it!

The Titanic Museum is one of the better museums we’ve visited around the country. Each component of the Titanic story is viscerally shared, from the ship’s construction, to the class differences among the travelers, to the musicians, to the sinking of the ship, and more. Not only is it profoundly educational, but fun and touching as well.

If you want to learn more about Branson, Missouri, check out our Honest Review of Branson.

34. Cosmosphere, Hutchinson, Kansas

The Cosmosphere is a world class facility you’d never expect to find in the n’er mentioned town of Hutchinson, Kansas. Some call it the greatest space museum on planet Earth because it houses one of the most significant collections of U.S. and Russian space artifacts in the world, including a SR-71 Blackbird.

35. Hokitika Town and Beach

It was a wonderful 18 hours we spent on the shores of Hokitika, eating bacon jam sandwiches and playing with driftwood. Anytime pastoral landscape meets beachy ocean it works for us, and we really want to go back someday.

36. Branson Shows

According to most, the Haygoods put-on the best show in Branson. And they really are talented! The act consists of six siblings with preternatural musical ability, each of them playing multiple instruments, collectively possessing a lovely range of voices. We also saw the Dolly Parton Stampede show where the evening comes with a chicken dinner.

37. Wellington Cable Car and Botanical Gardens

And back to New Zealand. In the middle of downtown Wellington is a cable car that heads straight up the landscape. At the top is a creative botanical garden that gently winds back down the hill.

38. Downtown Wellington

Wellington is a really great city that looks good and feels clean. We stayed in a hotel for three nights to break up the restless garbage nights we spent trying to sleep in our tiny motorhome, which was highly desirable. We walked all over the city and enjoyed some good food. There was also another filming location from LOTR — the one was where the hobbits had to get off the road before the dark riders found them (just outside the shire).

39. Silver Dollar City, Branson

Silver Dollar City is 20% thrill park, 20% children’s rides, 20% frontier trade education (blacksmiths, etc.), 20% musical performances, and 90% food stands. We haven’t found a fun park like this anywhere else. There are a few good rollercoasters (Time Traveler, Powder Keg, Wildfire), and one great one (Outlaw Run).

40. Saint Louis Zoo

The Saint Louis Zoo is widely considered one of the ten best Zoos in the United States. Even more impressive is it’s free to enter for all ages.

41. Strataca Salt Mine, Hutchinson

A working salt-mine in an obscure town makes the shortlist of super cool things to do in Kansas. This is an impressive facility, which offers an elevator ride down the original shaft and a guided, motorized tour into the dark parts of the mine. Learn all you could ever want to know about the salt mining industry, as well as see an impressive collection of Hollywood movie memorabilia (oddly enough), and take home a a massive, salt-lick souvenir.

42. Elephant Rocks State Park, Pilot Knob

Elephant Rocks State Park is one of many interesting Missouri state parks. The site is inside of an ancient caldera (volcano) where a central granite mass was unearthed millions of years ago. After eons of erosion we are left with a strange and massive rock formation in a beautiful, isolated setting.

The truth is, there are a multitude of great things to see and do in Missouri. Here are our 30 Best!

43. Dogwood Canyon, Branson

Imagine a 3 mile canyon with a river running through it, dotted with trees and patches of grass. Now picture waterfall after waterfall cascading down the ancient canyon walls into vibrant blue-green pools, some of them filled with bright yellow fish. If mobility is an issue they offer a tram tour, but we recommend walking. This is one of the most beautiful pieces of private property you will ever see.

44. Top of the Rock / Lost Canyon Cave, Branson

There are two excellent things happening at Top of the Rock / Lost Canyon Cave Nature Trail. First, you’ll take a motorized golf cart on a dramatic 2.5 mile path through the property. Along this path you’ll see myriad waterfalls, as well as enter a colorfully lit cave which serves alcoholic beverages.

After you’ve enjoyed some nature, check out the Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum at Top of the Rock (a shuttle ride away from the Lost Canyon Cave Nature Trail). This is easily the finest Native American museum we’ve visited in the country. The story of indigenous Americans has never been more clear, and we’ve never seen so many artifacts.

45. Nauvoo, Illinois

In the 1840’s, Nauvoo had a population that rivaled Chicago for the largest city in Illinois. The reason? The church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints had a massive inflow of converts arriving from Europe. This is perhaps the most interesting stop on the LDS historical tour; where the prophet Joseph Smith was Martyred. The rebuilt temple (photo above) is stunningly beautiful.

46. Diamond Head, Honolulu

We’ve been here before, but would be remiss to not mention it. The rains pounded us at the top, so it wasn’t idyllic, but whatever. Climbing Diamond Head is something everyone has to do.

47. Wharariki Beach

As famous as Wharariki beach is — of Microsoft screensaver fame — it’s not better than Cannon Beach in Oregon. Regardless, it’s a pretty cool setting.

48. Te Anau

Te Anau is a nice town with pretty scenery near Milford Sound. We spent two nights here and enjoyed ourselves as we learned our refrigerator didn’t work.

49. Sandy Beach

Fantastic place to boogie board in Oahu’s SE corner. This whole corner of the island is stunning with some of the best sands in all of Hawaii.

50. Bridal Cave, Camdenton, Missouri

Bridal cave is perhaps the most ornate cave we’ve visited across the country. It is not a particularly large cave, stretching one mile in length with only 1/4 of it accessible to the public. however, in that short tour we saw some of the most amazing cave rooms available in the United States.

51. Flint Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan

The Flint Hills region is one of America’s last remaining Tallgrass Prairies, as cropland conversion has reduced a natural habitat that once stretch from Minnesota to Texas to less than 4% of its original size. The Flint Hills Discovery Center takes visitors on a journey through the annals of the region, from ancient geology to the history of man. The facility is a high-quality, all-ages crowd-pleaser. Learn more about Manhattan, Kansas!

52. Frank Lloyd Wright Allen House, Wichita

Frank Lloyd Wright was a true architectural master and this is one of the finest single family dwellings he ever conceived.

53. Riverfront Heartland of America Park

Perfectly placed between Old Town and the Missouri River, the Riverfront Heartland of America Park is the jewel of Omaha. Here we found everything from skating rinks to sculptures, river views and train yards, fabulous fountains, gardens and playgrounds, and a multitude of lounger-lined pathways for both the athletic and the apathetic.

54. Joslyn Art Museum

The Joslyn Art Museum is a beautiful, world-class facility in Omaha, Nebraska, playing host to a pleasing collection of works from Ancient Egypt to Modern Art.

Surprisingly, there are a lot of things to do in Omaha. Check out the Article!

55. The Oz Museum, Wamego, Kansas

When in Kansas…

And Some Disappointing Places:

Saint Louis Art Museum

We’ve been to all the art museums in the middle of the country and we expected more from a city the size of St. Louis.

OKC Art Museum

While the St. Louis Art Museum was perfectly fine, this one felt like a waste of ten bucks. Check out the 10 Best Things to do in OKC.

Wichita, Kansas

Wichita is in the running for lamest town in the USA with a population over 400K. Here’s our Honest Review of Wichita!

Dolly Parton’s Stampede

It’s an overrated show with a two-star chicken dinner. There. I said it. We still love you, Dolly.

Ha Ha Tonka State Park, Missouri

Not many people drive a few hours out of their way to get to Ha Ha Tonka S.P. and now I know why. Nice landscape, interesting ruin, but the story isn’t special and it’s pretty far out of the way. I don’t regret going as much as I expected a little bit more.

Factory Obscura Mix Tape

A Meow Wolf knock-off in OKC. I felt like I invaded a 14-year-old girls secret hangout… With a camera. Just arrest me and get it over with.

An Honest Conclusion

Living in Kansas for a year without my family was not on my bingo card. Thankfully Apollo and Monica flew in and spent time with me to help the months of loneliness go by. I spent a lot of time writing travel articles, working on a screenplay, and working out at Planet Fitness. And I’m proud to say the TV in my hotel room was never turned on once.

Aside from that, I’ve essentially completed a full tourist agenda within five hours of Topeka. This includes Omaha, Branson, OKC, St. Louis, KC, and smaller towns like Lawrence, Manhattan, Wichita, Nauvoo, Springfield, and others.

If you’d like to read about the Best Things to do in Kansas, or the Best Things to do in Missouri, they’re probably the most complete first-hand articles you’ll find on the internet.

We reserved the motorhome for New Zealand in October of 2023, a full 1.5 years before our trip this past March. And it was an incredible experience to drive north from Queenstown to Auckland, hitting all the spots along the way. The cost was about $14K for everything.

But honestly, it was a difficult journey at times. The motorhome was tight living for a family of four. We made a lot of dirty dishes and the beds were uncomfortable. On the bright side, driving on the left was super easy, even in a 25′ RV. And it’s also fun to visit grocery stores in another country. You learn things about yourself, e.g., we enjoy Edam Cheese!

After the New Zealand trip, Monica considered the possibility that she might be cured of traveling. Then we went to Hawaii without the kids and she’s hooked again. Thank goodness for Hawaii, cause I am nowhere near being tired of travel. To hear her tell it, the children were the problem, God bless them.

I spent a lot of time by myself this year, more than any year in the past 20. I’m not sure that’s a good thing. And I’m going to head out on my own again in January.

The other side of that coin is my managers allowed me to take six months off work to help my father run his apartment complex in SoDo. I’ve replaced the manager and am making many necessary overdue changes around the place. And because of this, I get to sleep next to my beautiful wife every night, and spend time with my children every day.

I might end up somewhere cold in January, like Iowa City for example, and I’m sure I’ll do my job and make the best of it. In the meantime this time with my family means everything.

Perhaps the greatest thing that happened in Year Four, even better than New Zealand, is we learned our daughter-in-law Lizzy is pregnant with our first grandson. He’ll be arriving this December, so no matter where we go in Year Five, you know right now that the birth of Oliver Ryan Hoffmann will be the #1 thing we’ll do.

As for where we’ll be in Year Five, we’re looking at more mid-west action, mostly in Ohio and Indiana, plus our 20th year anniversary in Kauai. I gotta tell you, we are betting big on this trip to Kauai. It’s gonna have to do some heavy lifting to make up for Cincinnati and Indianapolis. Hopefully something good will pop up in January. Charleston sounds nice that time of year.

Well, let’s wrap this up. I have the best job and this is the best life. Our family is living the dream, warts and all. Thanks for reading about the 50 Best Things We Did this year. Here’s to four more years!

Thank you for stopping by our website! We are the Hoffmann family, a full-time RV family that has split residence in Seattle, Washington and San Antonio, Texas. We have special needs children that we homeschool, and work travel assignments for the Veteran Affairs Hospital. If you would like to learn more about us, check out our Start Here and Biography pages. In the meantime, God bless and travel happy!

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