exploringthekiwiland

[exploringthekiwiland]

48. Farewell New Zealand

Hi everyone,

Once again we’ve been quiet for a while. First there was no internet and then things were happening that kept us away from you!

My last post was somewhat out of sync but before then I finished telling you about my 3 day walk in the very North of New Zealand. After 3 days Evelina picked me up and we slowly started making our way back to Auckland.

We had 5 days before our flight out of New Zealand and, probably not surprisingly, we spent the first day at the beach since I was unable to move. We spent the next day at the beach as well because, well, I was unable to move very far. It was gorgeous though!

Over the last few weeks I had a feeling that even though we spent almost 2 months in New Zealand we haven’t really learnt about Maori people and their culture. Unfortunately it seems that British culture has taken over most of the New Zealand. Maori foods, dances and songs are quite difficult to find. I spent several days trying to look up a place to buy Fry Bread or Rewena Bread (traditional Maori breads) to no avail. There was a lady selling them in Auckland but she only bakes them on Fridays. A few days after I gave up, funnily enough, we came across a small sign in someone’s driveway saying “Fry Bread”. A kind Maori lady was selling home-baked Fry Bread from her driveway in Kaitaia. Wonderful!

Having said that, there are a few centres around New Zealand where one can experience Maori culture in a more touristy way. One of the bigger and famous ones is Waitangi Treaty Grounds. Set up in a location where the historical Waitangi Treaty has been signed this place tells a story of Maori people and their country. Evelina and I decided to visit it and even booked a special ticket which included a traditional Maori dinner.

With the tickets we had unlimited access to the Waitangi Treaty grounds, a nearby Maori museum as well as a guided tour and a cultural show. Our guide walked us through Maori life in the past and showed us an incredible original Maori War Canoe.

After the tour we had a chance to experience a Maori cultural show. It started with a traditional Maori greeting - a soldier performing in front of another tribe’s leader and laying down a tree branch. If another leader picks the branch up it means another tribe has arrived in peace and the people can celebrate. This was followed by a concert of traditional Maori music as well as photos. These guys have scary tongues!

Later in the evening we made our way to a local cafe where the most special event of the day was about to take place - a Hangi dinner. Hangi is a traditional way Maori used to cook food by burying meat and vegetables over hot rocks that were burnt in fire or over a natural hot water stream. Over a couple of hours the food cooks in the ground as is ready to be eaten. Our chef told us all about the experience and, even though they have modernized it a little with a metal lid, our food was still cooked underground.

While the food was cooking we were invited to watch a traditional Maori dance. It was performed by the same people who we saw earlier in the day however the show was different. It was more unique, more intense and, most importantly, they performed a traditional Haka dance. It is a war dance full of energy and, in this case, was performed in memory of all their ancestors who fought in the First World War. These guys were incredible and most of us in the audience were crying!

After dinner we spent the night in Paihia which is probably one of the more famous beach resorts in New Zealand. We had a great time with the sun shining and were able to say a proper goodbye to our van!

The following day we drove all the way to Auckland where we started cleaning up a little bit and packing our luggage. After all, we drove our van back to it’s garage the following day and were on our own once again. It’s surprising how our loud and knocking van has become our home - and how strange it felt leaving it behind! Surprisingly, it seemed that we had even less stuff than we brought to New Zealand which we thought was a good sign. It made it easier to make it to the airport!

Today we’re leaving New Zealand and this is the end of the trip of our lifetime. We both were amazed to hear and see that so many of you were reading about our adventures. It was very inspiring to know there was someone out there who cared!

I hope that we managed to inspire those of you who wanted to travel far and for a long time but needed just that little bit of inspiration. It’s daunting and scary, and there are times when you’re not sure why you’re doing this. But it pays off in the end!

Thanks for reading and should you have any questions you’re always welcome to email any one of us or simply click the “Ask us anything” link at the top of the page.

Lots of Love,

Evelina and Simonas

[exploringthekiwiland]

47. So, what's it really like living in a van?

Hi everyone,

When you’re on the road with one person for almost two months there’s plenty of time to talk. We tend to spend some time most days to plan something important or discuss something serious but most of the time it’s just whatever pops up in your head. You really get to know the person!

A couple of days ago, however, Evelina and I have been talking about social media such as Facebook or Instagram and how it skews our perception of other people’s realities. Normally I hardly use Facebook at all but I’ve been posting my blog posts there lately so it all came back to me. In fact, it seems that everyone is celebrating all the time. Whether it’s the beginning of something or the end you can be sure it will be there. What won’t be there, however, is how people disagree, have arguments, have tough days at work.

Evelina quickly pointed out to me that my blog, in fact, is not much different. When I write about something that happened I tend to focus on things that are new or exciting. I tend to pick the best photos and sometimes make them brighter or add some colour to it. And it’s not something I do consciously. We simply don’t take photos when it rains for 3 days. We saw little of Wellington during that thunderstorm and spent a fair amount of time in our room. And who would want to read about all the moments either of us was irritable and ruined the mood? I naturally didn’t think anyone would care.

To remedy that I thought I'll ask Evelina a few questions about what it’s really like being stuck in this van for over 6 weeks. I picked a dark, cold evening with occasional rain. We were parked in a small free campsite with a couple of other cars with no amenities other than a primitive toilet more than 300m away. A fairly typical evening when camping and Evelina was cooking dinner with a headlamp on.

So, we already know about things we enjoyed. How do you feel? Tired?

Yes, tired is quite accurate. I’m tired of bad weather. That really brings me down. Also, I’m tired of thinking and planning. You always have to think where to go and what to do. You have to plan what and where to eat, what to buy, when the next shopping stop will be. I guess that’s why we started doing more food crimes i.e. just getting a sundae for lunch or getting dinner somewhere. You can’t just get up and go to work as you would every day. It feels so strange to miss that! That’s just one emotion.

At the same time I’m excited about how much we already saw and things that are coming up. I’m looking forward to the next town, to your walk, to Sydney. This will seem strange but I’m even looking forward to getting souvenirs in Auckland before we leave. It’s all the interesting things that we don’t normally get to do and are different from our lives back home.

In your opinion, how long have we been travelling?

I sort of know that it’s been a few weeks in a car and then 6 weeks in a van. But feels that living and travelling like this is normal now - it’s even strange that we won’t be doing this in Australia. Love you (she tells me standing in the rain).

So it’s been 6 weeks - does it feel like a long time?

Yes, it seems like it’s been a while. You know a trip is short where you can sort of feel the beginning and also the ending of your trip. I can’t feel that now. I know the date when we leave but there’s no sense that it’s going to end soon.

Have you ever travelled like this - when you can’t comprehend both the beginning and the end of your trip?

No, not really. Even when I spent 4 months in Hungary it all seemed to have a clearly defined timeline. I don’t feel that now. I remember feeling the same when we were in California a few years back - even though that was only 3 weeks! It feels like you could just carry on travelling like that indefinitely.

We heard about what you’re tired of. What was the best thing in this trip so far?

The best thing?... I have two. First, even though it was only for a very short time I feel that swimming with dolphins was incredible. When I was there, screaming and singing under the water, and going in circles with them I felt like a child. They quickly come and go but the experience is wonderful. I felt crazy.

The next one, which I only thought of while looking back at all our photos, was swimming in Lake Marion (You can read about it in early March posts). The climb, the sun and the view of the lake on top was almost like a miracle.

Is there anything you miss?

I miss horses whenever I see them. They just understand everything and they’re good at communicating with you. I also miss daily routine - which is strange because people tend to run away from it! I miss my shower, breakfast that you know is there. It’s all because I don’t have to plan it at all times.

I also really miss my friends and spending time with them. I’d love to be able to travel but meet them every once in a while - to tell them our stories and hear what they’ve been up to. To an extent it feels like we’re missing some of their lives by not being there!

Is there anything you’ll never forget from this trip?

The chocolate cheesecake in Queestown…. (Patagonia Chocolates)

What would you tell others who are thinking of doing something like this?

If you don’t need it and you’re just really happy reading about others then that’s fine. But if you do need it - just do it. There’s no way around it. You’ll have to put effort in - plan your finances and save up, sort your job out, move out of your flat and find a place for all your stuff which in the end you realize you need a lot less than you have. If you don’t do this now you’ll end up struggling until you’re 40 or 60 and do it then. Only it will be so much harder. There may be health issues or responsibilities such as finances or family. You’ll probably be with another person - will they need to travel too?

It doesn’t have to be big, too. You can just go travelling by yourself. You can do a month long trip around Europe. Maybe what you need is to experience living without home, showers, other comforts. Maybe you want to experience what’s it like to live in a van? I knew I wanted to come here although I can’t be sure why. But you don’t really have to go far for that.

What would you tell someone who’s thinking of doing something like this but they are already in their 40s or 60s?

Depends on how bad you need it. If your mind wanders every day or every week you probably do. It took us a year to plan this trip. If you have other responsibilities it might take you two or three years to figure everything out but you can do it.

Travelling is not going to solve problems though. Some people go away in an attempt to leave things behind. It may help to forget at first but if you leave problems behind you will end up miserable and sad in a van somewhere far away thinking about them. I guess we learnt that ourselves.

Now to finish off is there anything you’re sad about?

I thought we could get away from some of our issues. I thought that we’re here and there’s this beautiful lake or an amazing view how can these problems follow us? But they do creep back into your life no matter where you are or what you do. It’s frustrating and painful when it happens. Then I think that if a million people could see and what we’re seeing they would be envious. How can problems find us here? But they do.

The end.

In addition to what’s been said above I would just like to leave you with a quote from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Most people read this book when they’re teenagers but I did it on my 3 day hike and really enjoyed it:

"Well, what if I decide to stay?"

"Let me tell you what will happen. You'll be the counselor of the oasis. You have enough gold to buy many sheep and many camels. You'll marry Fatima, and you'll both be happy for a year. You'll learn to love the desert, and you'll get to know every one of the fifty thousand palms. You'll watch them as they grow, demonstrating how the world is always changing. And you'll get better and better at understanding omens, because the desert is the best teacher there is.

"Sometime during the second year, you'll remember about the treasure . The omens will begin insistently to speak of it, and you'll try to ignore them. You'll use your knowledge for the welfare of the oasis and its inhabitants. The tribal chieftains will appreciate what you do. And your camels will bring you wealth and power.

"During the third year, the omens will continue to speak of your treasure and your destiny. You'll walk around, night after night, at the oasis, and Fatima will be unhappy because she'll feel it was she who interrupted your quest. But you will love her, and she'll return your love. You'll remember that she never asked you to stay, because a woman of the desert knows that she must await her man. So you won't blame her. But many times you'll walk the sands of the desert, thinking that maybe you could have left… that you could have trusted more in your love for Fatima. Because what kept you at the oasis was your own fear that you might never come back. At that point, the omens will tell you that your treasure is buried forever.”

Lots of love,

Simonas

[exploringthekiwiland]

46. Te Paki coast walk - day 3

After another cold and windy night I woke up even earlier. It was light but the sun was still behind the mountains so it was really cold. I quickly got dressed, washed and started preparing breakfast. Within about half an hour the sun came out which helped to warm up and dry the tent.

As soon as I was up in the morning I knew today would be a long day. My calves were in pain, knees were stiff and my hips, back and shoulders were aching from the backpack. I had to take a short stroll around the camp to loosen up a little. After breakfast I packed my bag once again but did it a lot more consciously this time. I had 18 km / 9 hours to walk with a potential detour. I knew there would be water in the Pandora Camp which was my halfway point so I only took 2 liters of water with me. Soon I was glad with my decision…..

The track from Tapotupotu Campsite takes you across another stream and you start climbing immediately. The sun is also shining directly at this part of mostly exposed track which made it really hot. After an hour or so of climbing Tapotupotu Bay was almost out of sight as I was about to cross a ridge.

From here the track becomes rather annoying and takes you through kilometers of exposed path on top of the ridge which constantly goes up or down - never flat. Climbing uphill my thighs were killing me. Going down my calves were on fire. Unfortunately even walking in the flat areas was painful and it was clear that this would be a long day.

When walking for endless hours with no finish in sight one starts to wonder about things. In between existential questions such as “Why am I doing this again?” more interesting ideas pop up. At one point I started thinking about shoe laces. It’s year 2018, everything is rapidly advancing - transport, communication, even shoes - yet shoe laces appear to never change. I bet there are no research groups anywhere in the world trying to come up with a better shoe lace. Everyone is already happy with their shoelaces so there’s no need for that.

After a few hours of such contemplation I eventually reached a crossroad. I could either walk directly to Pandora Bay (my halfway point) or I could take a detour to the top of Te Paki - the largest mountain in the area which gives name to everything around it (Te Paki stream, Te Paki walk, Te Paki forest…) Decision was tough but in the end I decided that I cannot skip it. This time, though, I was smarter. I hid my pack in a bush near the crossroad so that I could go light - all I took with me was my wallet and my phone.

I took a while trying to hide my pack out of sight to make sure nobody steals it. Later, however, it occured to me that it was completely pointless. Anyone walking through this area would be carrying a backpack of their own. If they wanted to steal mine they would have to run away with two massive packs. I laughed at the idea.

At the very top of Te Paki mountain there were some communication antennas however the view really disappointed me - there were trees and bushes growing all around it blocking all the view! On the way to and back from Te Paki mountain there were some great sights - including a view of Spirits Bay at the end of which I would complete my journey at Kapowairua Camp!

As suspected my backpack was still in place - I haven’t seen a single soul today so I don’t think anyone even passed this place besides me. I grabbed a bite to eat however it was not my halfway yet so I could not allow myself a proper lunch break. Pandora Bay was another 1 hour away and I knew I would stop there.

The track to Pandora Bay descends through a narrow forest path which made it difficult to walk with painful calves. I started dreaming of a pair of walking poles to assist my legs and eventually made myself a pair from two tree branches lying around. Another great decision of the day!

I slowly reached Pandora Bay Campsite which, surprisingly, was full of people! A New Zealand tramping club were doing the same walk although they were doing it the other way round. I had my lunch there in the company of experienced trampers, boiled some more water, and set off again.

The last part of the walk is 9 km stretch of sand across the Spirits Bay. It’s a long yet rewarding walk and it took me approximately 3 hours to reach the final campsite - Kapowairua. And, once again, I found someone waiting for me at the end!

Another lovely surprise! We hugged, laughed and sat down on the beach which felt rewarding. Before the sunset I managed to dip in the ocean again.

I was home!

Lots of love,

Simonas

[exploringthekiwiland]

45. Te Paki coastal walk - day 2

As already mentioned I got up pretty early the following morning. It took almost an hour to dry and pack the tent, eat a big breakfast and pack my bag. The sun was up and soon I was ready to go. According to the lonely planet guide today I was meant to walk 13km to Tapotupotu Bay campground +/- a potential 4km detour which I hadn’t made my mind about yet.

I started off at the beach and after about half an hour’s walking reached my first hill of the day. The hill, however, was a lot more difficult today. My legs were okay but my hips were aching from the heavy bag and my shoulders were stiff and painful. I was also climbing slower compared to yesterday - evidently I got tired! Within an hour or so, however, I was able to look back and wave goodbye to the Twilight Bay where I spent the night.

After another hour or so I reached an intersection at Cape Maria van Dieman. This is where the detour for the lighthouse at the end of this Cape started. I could see that I’ve already walked 5.5 km and was feeling quite energetic so I decided to take the detour which is another 4km.

The detour took me down to a sandy beach and up to the Cape again. Within about 15mins of walking I realized I made a mistake. I did not regret walking the detour however I should have left my pack back at the intersection! I did put it down in a bush nearby once I thought of that however by that time I had already walked down to the sandy beach and knew I would have to go back up! You live and learn….

The lighthouse at Cape Maria van Dieman was rather unexciting. However, it was on top of a rather steep hill and it made me wonder how do they get it up there?It looked like a single massive metal structure so they did not bring it in parts and put it together there. Did they use a helicopter? I need to look this up!

I turned around and picked up my pack at the bottom of the sandy beach. Walking back up from the sandy beach was pretty painful - especially since I knew I could have left my pack there! On a walk like this a lot of effort goes into planning and using resources wisely!

Back at the intersection I checked the sign again which said I had another 7km walk to Cape Reinga. I thought that could not be right since my campsite was another 4-5km further from Cape Reinga and I was only meant to walk 13km today. Anyway, I got back on track and quickly forgot about it.

Another 1 hour later I thought it was lunchtime and, as I was looking for a place to stop, this is what I saw! I could not believe it at first.

Turns out there is a loop day track that takes you via Cape Maria van Dieman that Evelina thought of walking which was a great surprise! Walking alone can be quite lonely at times so we stopped and traded lunches - I had her leftovers from last night and she had my sandwich. We both had a fair distance to walk so we said goodbye yet again and got back on track.

After a couple more hours of intensive climbing I’ve eventually reached Cape Reinga. A couple of weeks age we were in the very South of New Zealand looking out towards Antarctica. Today here I was in the Northernmost point of New Zealand looking out towards the equator. Made me wonder how huge this country is and how little I am.

After checking out the signs at Cape Reinga it became clear that Lonely Planet had made a mistake in their guidebook. It was in fact 13km +4km detour that I have already walked - yet there were another 5km left to reach Tapotupotu Bay!

I was tired and dusk was approaching faster than I would have liked it so I had to pick up my pace. Easier said than done as walking from Cape Reinga takes you down to a tiny beach and immediately up again on a very steep slope.

After nearly another 2 hours of walking Tapotupotu Bay campsite was finally in sight! Moreover, it was actually a beautiful secluded beach. I quickly got down and went for a swim. At this point the sea water was less salty than my skin so it was actually cleansing! And the beach at this bay was the nicest one I’ve been to in New Zealand so far!

Tired and in pain I pitched my tent as the sun was setting in the distance. I also had to make dinner and boil some water which was not suitable from drinking from the tap. It never felt this good to lie down to rest!

At the end of the day I was a little mad at lonely planet as an ‘easy’ 13km day managed to turn into a 22km one. However, I reached the campsite before dark so all was good! After defending my tent from mice again I finally managed to get some sleep which felt very rewarding!

Thanks for reading and check back tomorrow for my third day of trekking.

Lots of love,

Simonas

[exploringthekiwiland]

44. Te Paki coastal walk - day 1

So far most of our outdoor activities were limited to day trips. However, New Zealand is quite famous for multiday hiking trips, or tramping, and has plenty of walks that one can choose from. In fact, they even have a country long walking network called Te Aparoa which runs from Cape Reinga (the very Northernmost point) to Bluff (the Southernmost town - the Southermost point is in fact a couple of miles from Bluff). Evelina and I have been talking about doing a walk like this for a while but unfortunatelly Autumn weather kept getting in the way (the last storm during which we were meant to walk left 250,000 people without power). Now that we were in the North and the weather was somewhat better there were more opportunities.

After some discussion it was clear that I really needed a walk like this but Evelina had other things to do and so we decided that I would be going on my own. While the North island does not have quite as many walks as the South island there are still quite a few one can choose from. Since we were going to the North to see Cape Reinga anyway I picked a walk called Te Paki Coastal Walk which is mostly along the coast which I though was pretty cool and, in fact, takes you through Cape Reinga!

On Friday morning we said good bye to Debby in our B&B and made our way to Te Paki stream which was the starting point. Most people actually do this walk the other way round, however this I decided to stick to what Lonely Planet suggested. Also, the wind that dominates this area usually comes from South-West so it just made sense.

It so happened that the starting point was also at the site of the Giant Sand Dunes. At the car park there were people offering to hire surfboards which you then obviously use on the sand dunes. The dunes were quite spectacular and pretty tall - it took my breath away climbing to the top! Coming down on a surfboard, however, was certainly fun and exciting!

After a couple of slides it was time for me to leave. Evelina and I realized that we haven’t actually spent a day apart for the last 2 months so we said our good byes with mixed emotions! I packed my bag and, even though it only had things I would REALLY need such as a tent, sleeping bag and waterproof clothes, it ended up being huge (there’s not much drinkable water along the way so you have to carry a fair bit)! And yes, you guessed it right, the track actually begins IN THE STREAM. With my boots attached to my backpack I waved good bye and off I went.

The first day was actually rather short with only 12 km (approximately 4 hours) of walking which was great as it gave me time to enjoy the sand dunes. The first part of the walk literally takes you via the Te Paki stream. While it was wet it was never more than ankle deep so it was quite an easy and enjoyable start. And after about half an hour I reached the Tasman Sea - which was evident from the massive waves that were washing the shore!

The walk then took me a couple of kilometers along the shore to the North to Scott’s point. Climbing up was unfortunately rather difficult - especially with a rather heavy backpack which I’ve never done before! I estimate that the back weighed approximately 15 kilograms with all the equipment and food for 3 days. After an hour or so of strenuous climbing the track evens out and eventually reaches Twilight Bay - which is where my first campsite was. Hooray!

I arrived at the campsite quite early so there was time to pitch my tent, unpack my bag and enjoy the beach. It was getting dark and cold soon but I was on the west coast so was able to sit and watch the sunset. Beautiful!

After dusk I made myself a simple dinner and retreated to my tent. It gets completely dark at around 19:00 right now which is rather early. After reading for a while it was time for bed however that was easier said than done. Even though there were a couple of other walkers in the tent I felt lonely and almost lost. I managed to fall asleep thinking that in the end I will enjoy this.

I was, however, awaken quite soon with numerous sounds around the tent. First, I could hear scratching noises which I thought were mice (I saw plenty of them while cooking). I was able to scare them away by simple noises, though. An hour or so later I heard louder steps - not quite a person but definitely not a mouse. Whatever it was walked all around the tent - it started at my head and then walked all around to my feet. It wasn’t scared of the noises either however eventually it went away. I never saw what it was but most common animals to come searching for food are possums (which are a sort of mix between raccoons and cats).

The morning came, however, and all my food was still here and I was able to catch some, although little, sleep. You tend to get up quite early on a trip like this as there’s always the prospect of the upcoming day’s walking. I knew I had to walk at least another 13 kilometers and potentially some detours so I got up even though sleeping in would have been nice!

Check back tomorrow to read about day 2 of my tramping!

Lots of love,

Simonas

[exploringthekiwiland]

43. The tropics

After visiting Rere Waterslide we continued North in the hope of better weather. We made a quick stop close to Auckland for some food, camping gas and, strangely enough, haircuts. Turns out you have to cut your hair when you’re travelling for a while.

Somebody was probably watching us because the following day was full of rain and lightning. But, in all the misery we found something meaningful - local corner shop Night’n’Day have a deal every Tuesday for something different. Turns out all April it’s ice cream sundaes for 2 NZD. In protest of bad weather and in hopes of more sunshine we had these for lunch.

We finished our sundaes, drove to the northernmost campsite we could reach and, lo and behold, the following morning there was sunshine! First thing we did was drive to the beach to enjoy it while it lasts. It was quite windy so we had to wear long sleeves but it was lovely nonetheless!

Even though it was early, after lunch we headed straight to our accommodation. For the last few days I kept searching and nagging Evelina about local foods and experiences. Even though Maori food proved to be rather difficult to come by we managed to find something else - a homestay. It’s essentially a form of accommodation where people invite you to their home for the night and you can experience dinner and breakfast with them.

We found a beautiful place close to Kaitaia far in the north. They call themselves a B&B however they only invite one group of guests at a time and you are invited to eat with them at their dinner table. That’s how we met Debby and David - a lovely couple who own an orchard for leisure and living.

We arrived early because there was plenty to do nearby. We took an easy stroll around the nearby Lake Ngatu and, since the sun was out, used the opportunity to go for a quick swim in the lake.

When we returned later in the day dinner was ready and we had a lovely evening with Debby and David. David seemed to be very interested in Lithuania, especially what are the main exports and how the country makes money. We said our good byes, as David gets up early for work, and made our way to the bed.

On a side note, while we were in Kaitaia making our way to the beach we noticed a simple sign in one of the driveways offering Fry Bread and Steamed Pudding - traditional Maori foods! We stopped and the lady who makes all the goodies sold us some of her baked Maori bread and pudding that were still warm! Fry Bread is one of their traditional bread types that is deep fried in oil - it was very much like Lithuanian doughnuts except it wasn’t sweet. Steamed Pudding, on the other hand, was something simple yet different and delicious!

Thanks for reading and come back tomorrow for some new adventures!

Lots of love,

Simonas

[exploringthekiwiland]

42. Practicalities 1 - What's it like living in the Van the Kitty Cat

So, people have been asking me what’s the van like and how are we finding living in it. I thought I’d quickly tell you about our little van that was quickly named ‘Van the Kitty Cat’ by a certain somebody….

New Zealand is generally a backpacker, camper and campervan haven. It would appear that people can make a ‘campervan’ out of anything - even simple estate cars. However, small vans turned into campers such as ours are very popular and is probable the way to travel. Numerous companies hire them however there’s also a huge second-hand market. For anyone travelling for longer than 6 weeks (most people we ran into are here for 3 - 12 months) it might be cheaper to buy one and later sell it but you have to beware of the seasonality - most people will be selling camper vans at the end of the summer.

Our van is an old Nissan Vanette from year 2000. It’s got 300,000km on the clock, an engine that knocks quite loudly and there’s a rather noticeable squeak when turning right. We managed to keep fuel consumption at approximately 12 l / 100 km but that’s only when driving at 80 km/k. Any faster than that and fuel consumption creeps up.

Nevertheless, it’s fun to drive and images on the sides make it attractive and noticeable. People come to us to take photos or just have a laugh pretty much anywhere we go with it.

In the front there are seats for 2 people (technically 3 but the third person would have to be uniquely small). They’ve added a stereo with an auxiliary input so we can hook up our phones for some entertainment. There radio only works in cities (I think the antenna might be broken).

Right behind the seats is our living room and bedroom. All our stuff is stashed away in rather large compartments in the wooden benches. In between the two benches we can put up a table and that becomes our living room! Very handy in bad weather.

When the weather is good, however, we pull out the foldable table and chairs and sit outside.

When the night comes the table in the middle can be taken down to the level of the two benches and this essentially creates one large flat area. The three red cushions can then be laid down which creates a standard double bed    ! All our clothes and other items are underneath us so anything that might be required overnight needs to be taken out before then.

At the back of the van there’s our kitchen. There are two 25L water tanks and a sink provided. You fill one of the tanks with clean (and ideally drinkable) water and the sink then drains into the other 25L tank. The tap, however, has to be pumped manually which means that one hand is always occupied to keep the water running!

Next to the sink unit we have a portable cooler box which, by the way, is more or less useless. Even if we insert three of those ice-packs that you put in the freezer overnight they hardly cool the box down. But hey, we found out meat and dairy don’t spoil overnight! All joking aside, you have to think about food supplies and we generally try to eat any fresh meat / fish within 24 hours unless the weather is fridge temperature - in which case it can last longer.

For cooking we have purchased a small camping stove which can be placed pretty much anywhere. Note for anyone planning a similar trip - it might be tempting to cook inside the van when it’s raining. These stoves, however, generate some carbon monoxide so you have to make sure the van is well ventilated at all times!

Generally speaking our van does the job and is certainly more convenient than a tent. A slightly bigger van - the kind of where you have some floor space when the bed is made - would be ideal and would probably be the way to travel for longer periods.

At the end of the day it’s the experience that counts!

Please feel free to ask us any questions using the ‘Ask Us Anything’ link at the top of the page!

Lots of love,

Simonas

[exploringthekiwiland]

41. Slide!

The following morning we woke up in Napier and, finally, the sun was up! Happy and excited we got up, had our breakfast by the beach and set out to explore this lovely town. The plan was to go for a swim but the waves and the shore appeared somewhat dangerous. With nobody else swimming we thought it’s best not to.

It’s funny how it’s only been raining for 3 days but it feels like forever. Without really knowing it we’ve become very weather dependent. We started appreciating the sun a lot more and our plans have become flexible to accommodate the rain. Back in our ‘regular’ lives we did not have that. Life is scheduled by somebody else and you have to adhere to that plan - whether it’s raining or not. Almost seems wrong, doesn’t it?

Anyway, the sun is up now so we’re going to explore Napier. The three towns - Napier, Hastings and Havelock North have all been badly damaged during earthquakes in 1930s. All three were rebuilt using Art Deco architectural style and elements that were common at that time. Out of all three Napier stands out as the most picturesque and the one that has most iconic buildings. We took a stroll around the town which felt more like a movie stage rather than a real town.

Napier has got plenty of gift shops selling both new Art Deco style gifts as well as antique second-hand items. It’s also got a pretty shoreline with looked after gardens that are worth exploring.

In the afternoon we visited a nearby Mission vineyard which is the oldest one in New Zealand. They let you wander around the estate on your own and, when you’re ready, they welcome you at the cellar door for wine tasting. As usual, there is a small charge however you get a wine glass to take home! Wines were delicious, unique and very affordable so it is definitely worth a visit!

We got back on the road in late afternoon and managed to reach Gisborne just as it was getting dark. A lot of New Zealand’s animals wander out on the road at night - so much so that our rental agreement actually specifies no driving after dark! However, most people tend to stop before it’s dark anyway as it’s a lot easier to cook and do stuff in the daylight. It’s not just the sunlight that we’ve come to appreciate - it’s daylight too!

The following morning we were woken up by rain again. Disappointment and somewhat miserable we got our waterproof gear out again and set off on foot to a nearby Farmer’s Marrket (they have those in most towns on Saturdays).

With warm coffee and something to eat we found shelter where a local band was playing and entertaining market visitors. Some of the songs were in Maori which was new to us. This proved to be a great opportunity to discuss our plans for the day. We were planning to visit a nearby Rere Waterslide - which is best enjoyed in good weather - and we had no more time to be flexible.

Eventually I said that we have to visit it anyway whether it’s raining or not - and I wasn’t wrong! Just before we reached Rere Waterslide, which is only 40 minutes away from Gisborne, it stopped raining and there it was.

Rere Waterslide is a natural rock slide in Rere river. Years of flowing water have polished the rocks so that they are smooth and people are now using it as an exciting water slide! While the rocks are smooth they are still rocks at the end of the day and the ride can be quite bumpy. Luckily, we were the only souls there and people before us have left quite a few inflatable single beds lying around. They only cost 10 NZD (6 EUR) in supermarkets so people buy them just for the slide and then leave them here. They don’t go to waste, though, as I’m sure plenty of people benefit from them just like we did.

The water was freezing but trying to stay out of it made it even more fun! Evelina must have a natural talent as she came down elegantly several times without even getting wet. I, on the other hand, fell off the mattress, grazed my elbow and ended up in the freezing water pool!

Half an hour later we were pretty exhausted (you have to climb a steep hill after each slide) and decided to call it a day. The rest of the day was spent driving as we wanted to get as far North as we can as soon as we can. Weather in the North is much better, especially in Autumn, and we figured we’ll make the most of it.

I hope you enjoyed reading. I would encourage anyone planning to come to this part of the world to visit Rere Waterslide and to come prepared - it’s not something you want to miss out on!

Lots of love,

Simonas

[exploringthekiwiland]

40. Wellington in the rain and beyond

After our ferry sailing we settled down in a cheap but very well located hostel in the centre of Wellington. It was already raining the evening we arrived. The night and the following day, unfortunately, were worse. Heavy rain and wind of 40 m/s meant it was raining horizontally! We later found out that the storm left 250,000 people with no electricity for several days - not in Wellington though.

Most things to do in Wellington are outdoors which was out of the question. A great indoor attraction that we located was a Museum of New Zealand - Te Papa Tongarewa. It was a rather large museum and told the story of Maori and New Zealand pretty much from the early settlements in 18th century to current affairs. With the thunderstorm outside there was not much else to do so we spent most of the day hiding in the museum.

The following morning was still cold and windy. We couldn’t face breakfast in our tiny van in this weather therefore we went exploring. One of the nearest places turned out to be quite unique. It was a little cafe with the name of Preservatorium with a rather quirky environment and offering a range of breakfast and lunch meals - as well as homemade jams and preserves!

After breakfast we started heading North. It stopped raining but the weather remained grim which, unfortunately, was becoming a daily occurance. April in here is like September back in Europe - weather is very much a question of luck rather than a rule. We ended up reached Woodville by the time it was dark and managed to find a great little spot for the night. The Council of Woodville have set up a small campsite in the back of their community centre and were only charging 5 NZD / person for it - and that included hot showers! Hot showers, by the way, are also a luxury on the road. I usually get really excited when a shower is available for free or in such a cheap campsite!

The following day was still cloudy but the rain has finally stopped! Our plan for today was to explore a couple of beautiful little towns on the east shore and we started with Havelock North. While there is not a whole lot to do there it was lovely to walk around and it’s also where a lot of local fresh food can be purchased. For lunch we made our way to Te Mata Lookout which offered great views over the surrounding Hawke’s Bay.

On our way to Hastings, which is another little town just a couple of kilometers away, we stopped at The Strawberry Punch. Located right next to a field of strawberries it is a lovely small farmer’s market. While the produce was more expensive compared to other similar places they did offer real berry ice cream - the kind where they literally blend real blueberries or anything else for that matter with vanilla ice cream. Delicious!

Hawke’s Bay is on the Eastern coast of the island which means there are generally more sunny days and less rain. We soon found out that this is a great climate for olives to grow and so we made a stop at the Telegraph Hill Olives to try and purchase some local olives and their products. By the time we finished tasting it was 17:00 in the evening. Since the clocks went backwards it now gets dark at around 18:00 so we made our way to a nearby campsite for the night right on the beach in Napier - another small town nearby.

We will be exploring Napier tomorrow so check back to find what’s unique about it!

Lots of love,

Simonas

P.S. While we take very few photos during rainy days there is not much to share so here are a couple of great shots from last few weeks - hopefully an inspiration to visit New Zealand!

[exploringthekiwiland]

39. Meet Holly - a lovely dog who unfortunately has a habit of jumping in the river and leaving her ball to float. I’m sure she enjoyed watching us freak out and trying to persuade her to get the ball!

[exploringthekiwiland]

38. Settling down in Picton

Hey everyone,

Last time I told you about our visit to Mt Cook and briefly mentioned that we’re going back North. We have now settled in Picton where we’re going to spend a few days. What’s even better is that we’ll be able to stay in an actual house with an actual bed!

There is this website called Trusted Housesitters (www.trustedhousesitters.com) which has become really handy. It is used by people who need somebody to look after their house and pets while they go away. Travellers who have time can then apply and look after the pets in exchange for staying in the house.

We found a great opportunity to spend 4 days in Picton - all this while looking after a lovely dog called Holly!

Holly is six years old and unbelievably energetic. While she’s generally well behaved every once in a while she’ll bring me a ball and I would not be able to say no.

In the afternoons we were able to take Holly to a local dog park where she could play. Unfortunately, there was no ending to this play - she would never want to leave so getting her back on the leash was a challenge!

We used this time to get some work done, read a book, rest and enjoy a real bed. The owner, Sue, was only gone for 4 days but that was plenty of time to relax and get to know Picton.

After staying with Holly we were planning to spend several days exploring nearby Marlborough Sounds and walking a famous Queen Charlotte Walk along the sound. Unfortunately, the weather forecast for those days was miserable - temperatures of 7 degrees during the day, never ending rain and horrible winds. Sadly, we decided that this weather would be too much of a challenge. Since our time in New Zealand is slowly running out we also could not spend time waiting for the weather to get better.

Upon saying goodbye to Holly we headed to Marlborough sounds for one night. The following day we did a small portion of the above mentioned Queen Charlotte Track.

In the afternoon we headed back to Picton where we got the 19:00 ferry back to Wellington - the North Island. As day the went on it started raining and, even though our ferry sailing went smoothly, the rain quickly turned into a thunderstorm. We then learned that all ferry crossings and some airports were closed the following day - good thing we made it in time!

We will be staying in Wellington for 2 nights so we’ll have a full day to explore it. The weather, however, might limit what we can do. We’ll keep you updated!

Lots of love,

Simonas

[exploringthekiwiland]

Mt. Cook

After visiting Queenstown we spent the night close to Lake Pukaki and woke up with a gorgeous view.

Today the plan is to visit Mt Cook - the tallest mountain in New Zealand! The Mt Cook village is the perfect base to start exploring this national park and it was another 45 min drive before we reached it. The road from Lake Pukaki goes all the way to the Mt Cook village along the shore of the lake and then across a flat valley offering great views of the surrounding mountains.

Turns out you can’t actually just walk up Mt Cook - at 3724m it is simply too tall and too steep. The only two ways to reach the top is mountain climbing (which requires plenty of experience) or helicopters (which is expensive). There are, however, plenty of day walks in the valley allowing to explore the national park and observe the mountains from below and that’s exactly what we did!

While it was generally a sunny day it was rather cold and windy close to the mountains. After a day of walking we had our lunch and started making our way back. Unfortunately as the day went by I started coming down with an illness and was feeling awful by the end of the day. We still had a fair bit of driving to do today as tomorrow we will need to reach Picton which is in the very North. Evelina took over driving while I did this:

We’ll update you in a few days once we settle in Picton (and I get better)!

Lots of love,

Simonas

[exploringthekiwiland]

36. Arriving at the Slope Point

The following morning we reached the Slope Point which, as it turns out, is the Southernmost point of mainland New Zealand. South Pole was still a fair distance away however there was nothing but the Ocean separating it from us which felt rather spooky. Also, I always imagined that New Zealand was much closer to the South Pole than the Equator!

There were a couple more small stops along the Southern shore. First we came across this tiny piece of land called the Monkey Island. What’s unique about it is that it can only be accessed during low tide and is completely separated by water during high tide.

Going further West along the Southern coast we came across an idyllic scene near Te Waewae Bay which pretty much sums the whole New Zealand experience. It was just us, the sea, the hills and the sheep. Lots and lots of sheep.

From there we turned North again towards Queenstown. We already spent a few days there however it now happened to be on our way back to the North so we thought settled in a campsite near Queenstown for the night. It was a rather lengthy drive. Evelina got bored and thought it would be funny to illustrate that the van is rather small and my heads is at risk from every single bump we come across…

Tomorrow we are spending a quiet day in Queenstown, doing some work and shopping, and making our way towards Mt Cook - the tallest mountain in New Zealand. Stay tuned!

Lots of love,

Simonas

[exploringthekiwiland]

35. Going South (again)

Hey folks,

It’s been a while since we posted and I hope you all had a lovely Easter break. We also made an attempt at celebrating Easter on New Zealand Shores!

Last time Evelina told you about our crossings through the Southern Alps and our encounter with the mouse. We’ve now spent a couple of nights in the van and the mouse is certainly gone!

After completing the Arthur’s pass we started making our way down South again although this time we decided to explore the easter shore. Our first stop was a small but lovely town called Oamaru. The town itself is an old port and most of the buildings reflect that. A more unusual and somewhat famous sight was the post-apocalyptic Steampunk HQ museum. The machinery and images told a story of an alternative universe where people used steam as the main source of energy as well as failed technologies. Creepy yet cool! We even managed to get some souvenirs!

Oamaru is also a great spot to watch penguins. However, we arrived there in the afternoon whereas the penguins tend to appear in early morning or late evening so we made our way further South towards Dunedin. We made a couple of stops along the way and guess what we found? Two cute yellow-eyed penguins enjoying the sunshine as well as each other!

We spent the night in a campsite near Dunedin and got up early to explore. Since it was Saturday there was a farmers’ market next to the train station which we visited (most towns have farmers’ markets on Saturdays). While pricey they offered lots of delicious fruits, vegetables and produce such as jams, peanut butter, bread, cakes and cooked meats. Here we discovered something new - a Crystal Apple Cucumber. Looks like a hybrid between lemon and apple yet tastes like a cucumber!

Dunedin itself was pretty but it was full of people who arrived for a pop music concert which was due to take place later that day. We had a fair bit of distance to cover and left Dunedin at lunch time.

We settled for the night close to Invercargill. Tomorrow we will be continuing our journey along the Southern coast so make sure to check back!

Lots of love,

Simonas

[exploringthekiwiland]

34.2 The two passes

We had to head out but we still made a quick stop at Marble Hill campground which supposedly has a very nice view but it was raining so it did not fulfill its promise. Our Lonely Planet guidebook mentioned that this is one of the most beautiful campsites in NZ so it might be worth staying at in fair weather. However, the more interesting feature to see was the not so famous Evison's Wall.

It was built along the Alpine Fault in 1964 and is 24m long. A highly unsuccessful geological experiment was set up to establish how the fault was moving. Such ridiculous measuring methods have since been superseded, so now it is just a straight wall in an out of the way place. Funnily enough these two faults don't really move against each other slowly so the wall never actually achieved its purpose. Instead, the faults press into each other with greater force year after year until one of them eventually 'jumps’. Apparently this is common for faults on this side of the world which also gives rise to tsunamis (also more prevalent here).

As we still had time to kill and plan what are we doing next we stopped in the small town called Reefton which is famous for its gold mining past. We went on a self guided 40min tour which told us stories how this little town was the first to have electrical street lighting in the Southern Hemisphere and how they produced this electricity using the river flow. They still have this cool old school street lighting.

We headed to Greymouth for the night and stayed at the free campsite just by the sea. Next day, we bought groceries, filled up petrol, had coffee and headed again back inlands towards Arthur’s pass. We stopped at pretty Lake Brunner and went for a swim. After lunch we drove for an hour in a very dramatic valley and sometimes our campervan could barely do 20 km/h as it was so steep. Take a look at the scenery and inquisitive kea parrots.

The plan for the next day was to do a longer day hike in the famous Arthur's Pass but the nature stopped us from doing anything except sitting in the cafe, working and drinking/eating. It was raining heavily all day long with the strong wind. We spent the previous night in a charming free campsite with a shelter and a fireplace and felt sorry for the French couple who were evicted from their campervan by a mouse at 2pm. There were also stories on Camper Mate of other people finding mice in these areas...

You can probably see where this is going. The following night we experienced the same horror and had to build a tent nearby at 4am. That morning 3 out of around 10 campervans/cars had a glorious night time mouse experience. We know that they can’t do any harm to us but believe me it is awful to hear a mouse going through your food while you are trying to get some sleep in the same place. So, even if the next day brought sunshine and warmth,we were in a rather bad mood and went off to buy mouse traps before going on a hike. We left our tent pitched and put all our food there. After that we set up mouse traps in the van and left for a hike.

The hike was an easy climb and we did it in 5 hours. We saw the bush, trees, mountains, snow and valleys. We also managed to discuss one or two important topics about our future. All in all, it ended being a nice day. Upon our return the mouse traps were untouched so without any other food in the van we were hopeful that the mouse was gone hopefully for good!

We spent the last night in Springfield and had an amazing breakfast next morning at the Famous Sheffield Pies bakery. We left the mountains and headed towards the coast.

I hope you enjoyed reading this rather long post but feel free to comment either here or on Facebook and suggest what can be improved.

Lots of love and I wish you could be here to experience everything yourself.

Keep dreaming, planning and reading this blog!

Evelina

[exploringthekiwiland]

34.1 The two passes

Hi everyone,

We’ve decided that I, Evelina, need to give my own impressions of the trip from time to time so here comes my first ever blog post.

After having the most amazing experience swimming with dolphins  we’ve decided to come back to our roots which is exploring land rather than seas and planned a 5 day loop trip through Lewis Pass and Arthur’s Pass. This meant that we were heading inland into the mountainous area. Lewis Pass (elevation 864m) is a mountain pass in the Southern Alps . Our first quick stop was Hanmer Springs  resort village which did not leave a big impression. The most impressive thing we did was buying this massive courgette for 50 cents. That’s some serious saving!

I have also met this small herd of working horses who were very keen to be petted and given a good scratch. I do this with all the horses I work with and ride back in England so this was a gift to my soul and a reminder to continue doing what I love.

On a way we stopped to stretch our legs and have lunch.

Some of us were feeling a bit tired and used the camping table for a different purpose.

The walk itself was very magical and I in particular liked these trees wrapped in green dried moss or grass. The picture does not do justice to the view we had.

Next, we arrived at Maruia Hot Springs which are 620m above the sea level in the heart of the Lewis Pass National Reserve. The location is truly remote and there isn’t any phone reception and all electricity is supplied by a hydroelectric generator from water sourced from a mountain creek above the resort. The thermal mineral water is rich with black algae which shows that the water is alive and healthy.

We had a nice coffee and were planning on heading to a cheap basic campground but it started raining really heavily so we decided to stay in a more expensive Maruia Springs campground. With that we got 24h access to the hot pools which we were looking to use on the day and next day after a hike. However, as the morning came and it was still raining we quickly changed our plans from going on a hike to soaking in these thermal pools. Best afternoon spent so far…

Not only did we enjoy hot and cold pools, we also had a nice lunch with espresso macchiato for Simonas (his usual) and Matcha (Green Tea Powder) latte for me plus a cheese tart to share.

We did take our time to enjoy lovely hot springs before heading out in the cold rain.

Stay tuned for part 2 of our Alpine pass tomorrow!

Lots of love,

Evelina

[exploringthekiwiland]

33. Encounter in the sea

If you’ve been reading our blog you might recall that we visited Kaikoura a couple of weeks ago. Kaikoura was a town where Agne did her whale watching. While she was busy chasing whales Evelina and I looked up and planned a special adventure we wanted to experience for a while. This morning we got up and made our way to Kaikoura where we booked a special swim - with dolphins!

Encounter Kaikoura is a company that owns several vessels and organises tours for whale watching, albatross watching and, most importantly for us, dolphin watching and swimming with dolphins. The experience, however, is not guaranteed - they go to the ocean in an attempt to find wild dolphins and naturally sometimes they cannot find any. They do have an amazing success record and generally manage to find dolphins more than 95% of times.

We arrived at Encounter Kaikoura base where we were asked to fill a fair amount of paperwork and had to read and listen a good amount of warnings. After all of that, however, the fun began. We were each given a wetsuit with a hood, a snorkel with glasses and a pair of fins. After a quick introductory video they got us all on a bus and took us a couple of miles further where the boats were waiting for us and we were allowed to board.

It can take them anywhere between 10 and 45 minutes to spot the dolphins as they are never in the same place. We were lucky though because a nearby whale watching boat had spotted quite a few dolphins and kindly informed our skipper.

Soon our guides on the boat instructed us to prepare for swimming. Because we were in completely open sea with wild dolphins the experience was rather strenous. While the skipper tried to bring the boat as close to them as possible the dolphins were still 10-20 meters away so we had to get to them. More importantly, we had to attract their attention if we wanted to play around - they don’t just come to you.

Turns out you can attract a dolphins attention by making noises underwater (such as singing) and diving down. Once a dolphin is interested in you it may start circling you so the best thing to do then is to try and mimic it, and circle together.

I could not believe it but minutes later after a couple of dives they were right there - swimming around and playing with us!

It only lasted several minutes but this short time was extremely rewarding. After a couple of such encounters they either lost their interest or became distracted and swam away. Our guides gave us a signal to get back on the boat and prepare for another swim - the skipper was going to take us closer to another pack of dolphins.

A few more minutes later we were playing with them again! This time I tried to catch a photo of Evelina with a dolphin but neither of them were too interested in posing.

It was a lot easier to get a photo of the two of us.

After 4 such swims we had to wrap up as we were in the sea for nearly 2 hours. We got back on the boat where we were able to take the wetsuits off and put some dry clothes on. The skipper then sailed around for a bit playing with dolphins which allowed photography fans to get some great pictures.

Overall we were really happy and excited after the swim. Running into a dolphin in the sea was something special. Up close dolphins are really beautiful, fast and graceful as well as playful!

It was already evening by the time we finished so we just made our way back to the campsite. Luckily it was still warm and sunny so we were able to enjoy our dinner with a view of the sea. No dolphins though!

We’re leaving Kaikoura tomorrow and will post again soon!

Lots of love,

Simonas