Install a new Kitchen, upgrade the family car or take the trip of a lifetime? It really wasn't that hard a choice, writes David Wall.
Another shovel-load of dry elephant poo was put on to the campfire by Lara, our 12-year-old.
It smouldered and sparked, and as intended, its smoke kept the bugs away.
As it started to get dark, two flamingos flew off gracefully from a nearby pond as if in slow motion, and the last tinges of pink sky gave way to dark ink-blue and a blanket of stars.
Around the campfire, to a background buzz of cicadas, we told our children stories of Africa, then recounted the day's activities; they would now have their own stories.
Later, with the children safely in bed in a rooftop tent on our 4x4 camper, we sat by the fire with a wine and from somewhere in the darkness could hear the whoop-whoop-whooping of zebras, disturbed by something in the night.
Africa might not be top of the list for family holidays, as fear of attacks by wild animals or people are often the first thing that comes to mind.
But the natural fear does not match the reality that the risk is much lower than from more mundane dangers like mosquitoes and road accidents.
Starting from the stunning city of Cape Town at the southern tip of the African continent, our trip took us on a 9500km loop through the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, then back to Johannesburg in South Africa.
The Bushlore Hilux 4x4 rental we hired came complete with two roof tents, gas cookers, and absolutely everything a family of four needed to be self-sufficient in Africa.
It had two spare wheels, two batteries, a 60-litre water tank and a 160-litre diesel tank which gave a range of 1500km, several times more than needed to travel between fuel stations.
A fridge meant we could go the three to four days needed between supermarkets.
For peace of mind, it had a satellite phone and first-aid kit, which like the spare tyres were never needed, and everything right down to stainless steel wine glasses, sleeping bags and towels, guide books, and even a tablecloth.
Campsites even in the most remote wilderness areas were almost invariably well appointed with hot showers, flush toilets, braais (barbecues) for each site, and often a swimming pool, an important feature to cool down the children as we were travelling at the hottest time of year.
Wild visitors were a regular feature at campsites.
Sometimes unseen, and in the form of antelope footprints around the camp in the morning, but in the Namib Desert a rarely seen porcupine and a cape fox passed through the camp one evening.
At other sites we had baboons, mongoose, jackal, and despite the campsite being right in the middle of town at Victoria Falls, we were visited by monkeys and warthogs.
In fact the only theft we suffered on the whole trip was half a bag of muesli taken from our breakfast table by a particularly brazen vervet monkey.
More dangerous wildlife is largely restricted to game parks, where the main campsites are fenced, often with electrified wires.
However, even electric fences did little to quell the excitement of trying to get to sleep in the rooftop tents with the unforgettable sound of lions roaring just a short distance away.
It suddenly seemed absurd that we had considered spending the trip money on a kitchen upgrade or a car replacement instead.
But it wasn't the sort of adventure we'd be doing every year, so it was important to squeeze as much as possible out of it.
Starting months before departure, the children earned spending money by finding answers to hundreds of questions about the things we'd do and see in Africa.
That way when we got there they could tell the difference between a black and white rhino; that the enormous Etosha salt pan is so big it would stretch from Dunedin to Oamaru; that the local name for Victoria Falls is Mosi-oa-Tunya or ''the smoke that thunders''; and they knew the exchange rate between Rand, Botswana pula and $NZ.
That knowledge then enhanced experiences that were much more than just educational.
In African markets they became confident at bargaining for items and trading goods by themselves, despite occasional language barriers.
They learnt of apartheid and Nelson Mandela, then in Cape Town visited the cell on Robben Island where he spent most of his 27-year incarceration.
After learning of the San bushmen, they were able to go hunting and gathering in the bush with them, see how they made fire, and experience at first hand their incredible ability to survive in the Kalahari Desert (which they have done for millennia) where we wouldn't last a day.
Everywhere we went, Africans loved the fact that we'd brought our kids.
At Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, Lewis, our 10-year-old, was asked to play the marimbas with buskers, was taught to play bongo drums in a traditional band, and got to drive a cruise boat past hippos on the Zambezi River, not far upstream from the falls themselves.
On a night drive in an open safari vehicle in South Africa's Kruger National Park, he got to be the spotlighter, finding elephant, rhino and hyena at close range.
He and Lara played football with African children in a remote area that seldom saw visitors.
When we left them with a few new footballs, the obviously poor and mainly shoeless children surprised us, by bringing out their mobile phones and taking ''selfies'' with us.
Travelling at the hottest time of year meant on a few nights there were fantastic lightning storms.
Despite rain heavier than the children had ever seen, the roof tents stayed completely dry, and every few seconds we were given a light show that lit up the whole African landscape as bright as daylight, and thunder so loud that we were shaken by the sound waves.
Our last night in Africa was spent just outside Johannesburg at Glen Afric Game Ranch - the set of the TV series Wild at Heart.
We stayed at ''Mara Lodge'' and ate sumptuous meals on the balcony, overlooking the old character farmhouse which we visited on a film set tour.
We also played with some of the animals used in the series, which is where our parental fears came true.
Lara was bitten by a lion.
Well OK, it was really just a nip by a lion cub, but when it comes to making childhood memories, this is one that will last a lifetime.
Getting there
Air NZ, South African Airways, and Qantas all operate flights from New Zealand to South Africa via Sydney or Perth, often code sharing for some legs of the flight.
Getting around: Bushlore has a variety of fully kitted 4x4 rental campers, including cross-border documentation, and one-way rentals. Prices for a double cab Toyota Hilux camper, fully equipped with all camping equipment needed for four people, range from $NZ130-$NZ200 per day, depending on season. Visit www.bushlore.com
