North Island Here We Come… 1.25-29.2016

Monday- 

Tekapo in the morning, Tekapo at night, Tekapo in the afternoon, Tekapo delight…  

 This little town has been good to us so far: free camping with a view, free wifi, and great hospitality. However its time to go. But only one problem, our camper van which we named, Walter the winnebago, had a different idea in mind. Our thermostat needed to be replaced, causing us to overheat a couple days ago. Luckily there was an auto repair shop right across the street.  

 After talking with the mechanics and dealing back and forth with our rental company, they ordered the part and said that it would be in at 8:30am the following morning. Since it was a mechanical issue with the vehicle the company paid for it in full. We had a light lunch, walked around town, had sushi again for dinner, and then we mapped our our plans for the North Island.   

 
Tuesday- 

Walter is up and running and we’re headed north. While driving through Christchurch we stocked up on some more groceries, this time on a mission, zipping through the aisles and making it a quick stop. We headed up the coast and then we finally saw the waves crashing onto the sand…we made it to the ocean. The salty air and ocean breezes were comforting, making us feel at ease. Something about the ocean has always brought a sense of calming to us both.  

  
  With only an hour left of driving before we called it quits for the day, I logged on once again to “CamperMate” in search of our next nights stay. There were several options, but one had pictures of seals on the beach and I was SOLD, so we pulled into our oceanfront spot and snuggled into bed.    

 I 

 
Wednesday-

We woke up to the loud crashing of the waves early in the morning. I actually had to open the window shade to make sure that we weren’t going to be washed away! It was slightly chilly with a mist covering the sky. I made breakfast and coffee while David was off exploring. The seals were everywhere, so we had a photoshoot with them flapping their tails while listening to their soundtrack of grunts and snorts.   

As we headed towards Picton, The town that is the passage way to the north, we chose our next destination called “Double Bay Reserve Campground”. We followed the GPS as it took us down the craziest road that I have ever been on in my entire life. With tight switchbacks, no railings, wet slippery roads, and locals driving like race-car drivers, it was truly an unforgettable experience. It was WORTH the drive, we arrived at a picture perfect spot, right on the bay with fiords all around.    

    We went walking around the crescent shaped beach and talked with a local who showed us where we could fetch our dinner. Learning that we were in the greenback mussel capital of the world, we grabbed a bag and off we went (not recommended to wear flip flops) in search of our dinner. Once we returned, our neighbor gave us some white wine and garlic to cook them in. After dinner we enjoyed some ginger tea with honey and listened to sounds of nature.   

Thursday-

What a day. Over the past few days there seemed to be a rain cloud following us around. Now, we are fully aware that it can’t be rainbows & butterflies everyday, but in a camper van it can begin to wear on you. With our ferry scheduled three days away we figured we would try our luck and see if we could change it to today. So, we headed 17km toward Pictons town center where the InterIslander ferry departed.

 David went into the information center and returned with a smile and our ticket in hand. We made it just in time, the lady told us that we would have missed our chance if we would have arrived only 20 minutes later.  
We waited in line and then finally loaded our van onto the ferry.  

  We worked our way to the back of the ship, where it had a nice sitting deck with a view. 

    
  I enjoyed the free wifi and my book (thanks Natalie and Kyle) as we cruised through the calm waters of the protected fiords, and then… we hit the open water. This was the most insane boat ride I have ever experienced. Between the boat rocking back and forth, nearly falling over while walking, and hearing crashing noises, I wasn’t sure if we were going to make it to the north island. David at one point looked at me and said half jokingly, “You are a strong swimmer, right?!?”. Well, we survived and still maintained to hold down our lunch. The ferry pulled into the port of Wellington and we picked a town on the map called Wanganui, about 3 hours away.  
On the drive we discussed a possible trip flip. We were longing for some rays of sunlight and sandy beaches, so we pulled into a McDonalds and almost booked a flight back to Fiji. At that very moment a message from our friend, Vinny popped up about his wonderful backpacking trip that he just experienced in Thailand. It was just the inspiration we needed to keep going and not give up on the Kiwi’s yet! 
We pulled into “Wanganui East Club”, which is similar to the “Lions Club” back home. David went inside and asked if we could park here for the night. The friendly man said…”if you’re parked here when I leave…I didn’t see a thing”. 
Friday-

Just what the doctor ordered…SUNSHINE & CLEAR BLUE SKIES!!! We woke up early and headed to the nearby park we passed on the way into town.   

  
   We found “our” spot on the rivers edge and made our coffee and breakfast. We soaked up the rays all day.  

    
  We walked to the cute downtown area, went antique shopping, and then returned to the river-front for a late lunch.  

   Soon after, we enjoyed some good conversation with an older couple that was taking a stroll on the river. Since they were locals they gave us some great tips on what to see, along with the best activities the north island has to offer.   

 
As the sun began to set over the town we made our way back to “Wanganui East Club” where one of the members kindly signed us in as his guest so we could enjoy some Red Ale beer, a glass of sauvignon blanc, and a delicious chicken marsala dish. We watched the final moments of the sunset on the outside patio & toasted to a wonderful evening!