After finally deciding to explore the country in a camper van, we said good bye to the Surf & Snow hostel and its luxurious amenities and headed back to the Auckland airport to pick up our vehicle. We were lucky enough to share a cab ride with two guys from the UK who were happy to give us a crash course on driving on the left side of the road. After a couple of days observing traffic in Auckland we knew this was going to be a challenge and were in need of any advice we could get. We arrived at the rental spot and after piling on the insurance were all too quickly handed the keys to our new home on wheels. NZers give a whole new meaning to 'car camping' as the auto has absolutely everything you could possibly need. In addition to all the materials we knew about (such as pots/pans, sink, fridge, etc.) we were also happy to see a table for two, DVD player, fold out chairs, toaster, microwave, towel heater (?), and ample storage space. It might not seem like much but this has become our new home and we want to make sure the picture is painted clearly.
After ogling at the van for a few minutes, we hopped in with a few rough directions out of town and on to the LEFT side of nearest street. Matt took his hand at the wheel first with a few close calls (left sided roundabouts!) but succeeded in navigating us onto the motorway. We think we've mastered the new technique but still provide each other with a gentle "Left side!" reminder before pulling out into traffic.
Once we grew comfortable with the car, we were able to focus on the landscape unfolding before us heading toward the Coromandel Peninsula. The Peninsula is on the East Coast of NZ's North Island and has a spectacular combination of green rolling hills and misty ocean views. We weren't expecting such breathtaking views only one hour into our trip but were extatic to be so surrounded. This was also our introduction to the
'more sheep than people' myth about NZ which we've discovered to be entirely true. The photos of the Peninsula do it much more justice than a description and we'll leave it to both of you to click through the photos we took. The drive was definately the reward for all those roundabouts.
We drove almost the full Peninsula on our first day and decided to find a camp spot in Tairua. During the Summer months this is a busy beach town but we arrived to a much quiter scene and many of the listed sleep spots closed for the Winter. This being our first night out we weren't too certain of what this might mean. We knew we could keep driving but were really looking forward to using our cute stove and cooking some dinner. Luckily we happened upon a lookout spot where a few other campers had gathered and we pulled in to get some advice. Turned out that everyone was there to camp (for free) for the night and watch the sun set over the ocean. The other campers happened to be
two older couples from Australia traveling north from the South Island. They were finishng up a month long holiday together in NZ and we spent the evening swaping advice (mostly receiving) on where to camp, scenic driving routes and very useful camping tips.
We finally made a chicken sandwich dinner and pulled out the bed. The first day/night of our trip felt like a complete success and we couldn't wait to wake up with the sun and do it again.
After ogling at the van for a few minutes, we hopped in with a few rough directions out of town and on to the LEFT side of nearest street. Matt took his hand at the wheel first with a few close calls (left sided roundabouts!) but succeeded in navigating us onto the motorway. We think we've mastered the new technique but still provide each other with a gentle "Left side!" reminder before pulling out into traffic.Once we grew comfortable with the car, we were able to focus on the landscape unfolding before us heading toward the Coromandel Peninsula. The Peninsula is on the East Coast of NZ's North Island and has a spectacular combination of green rolling hills and misty ocean views. We weren't expecting such breathtaking views only one hour into our trip but were extatic to be so surrounded. This was also our introduction to the
'more sheep than people' myth about NZ which we've discovered to be entirely true. The photos of the Peninsula do it much more justice than a description and we'll leave it to both of you to click through the photos we took. The drive was definately the reward for all those roundabouts.We drove almost the full Peninsula on our first day and decided to find a camp spot in Tairua. During the Summer months this is a busy beach town but we arrived to a much quiter scene and many of the listed sleep spots closed for the Winter. This being our first night out we weren't too certain of what this might mean. We knew we could keep driving but were really looking forward to using our cute stove and cooking some dinner. Luckily we happened upon a lookout spot where a few other campers had gathered and we pulled in to get some advice. Turned out that everyone was there to camp (for free) for the night and watch the sun set over the ocean. The other campers happened to be
two older couples from Australia traveling north from the South Island. They were finishng up a month long holiday together in NZ and we spent the evening swaping advice (mostly receiving) on where to camp, scenic driving routes and very useful camping tips.We finally made a chicken sandwich dinner and pulled out the bed. The first day/night of our trip felt like a complete success and we couldn't wait to wake up with the sun and do it again.
Click HERE for more pics.
1 comment:
Just got all caught up from Fiji to date. Things are going great and the pics look fantastic. Solid choice on the camper van -- what a great way to travel NZ. One question: Chicken sammys? I thought you were gonna fire up that cooker!? When is the first trek? Can't wait to tag along via the posts.
CLG/JLG
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