After our first weeks studying and having fun with our compis at the English school in Auckland, the time of truth arrived, the moment we were waiting for, the point that will change our travel style ... ride the van!
It was several days that we were watching ads online, contacting owners and testing some vans (a separate chapter could be the first time driving the streets of Auckland!). In the end we met our Toyota of 93 at a car show. We looked at her, she looked at us, we rode, we took a walk ... and we paid her! It belonged to a couple of very majestic Welsh people who had a hard time getting rid of their little friend. Now it will be ours for a long time (we hope so!). (If you want to know more info on how to buy a van in NZ click this link).
With the first test passed (choosing well is not an easy task), we quickly find the next ... leaving Auckland and not die trying. It was not very difficult, although at the first crossings we tended to get into the other lane and things like that ... we crossed the Auckland Harbor Bridge (copy of Sydney?) And headed north on Highway 1.
However, a few kilometers away! Third test ... The fuel tank is almost dry ... Well, nothing that cannot be solved with the credit card. We stop at the gas station, Rober gets out of the car, goes to the top of the tank and ... "How the nose opens this?" There he and the Indian gas stationer were trying to find the button that opened the happy deposit. In the end it turned out to be under the driver's seat, and it is a Japanese car and we already know how convoluted the Japanese are ...
The third test was followed by the fourth before even leaving the gas station. "And ... where are you going?" the kind worker asked us ... Lety and I looked at each other with the face of breams ... "No idea." So we went back to Highway 1 north without having much idea where to stop.
In recent times it seems that in New Zealand things are changing if you travel by van. You can no longer sleep where you first catch (I don't know if you could even before). To spend the night you have to go to specific sites, most of them for a fee (such as Holiday parks or DOC, government-managed campsites) and some for free, usually parking with a 24-hour open bathroom and little else. There are several mobile applications to find the right one, for us the right one is the free one (everything that is free is good), so we chart an itinerary squareing the nights with those places where we can park and sleep without being caught by a ranger and invite us to leave or pay a multita
One of the first nights we spent a few meters from a beautiful bay (Urquharts Bay). We cook with the gas camping in the van and snuggle between the blankets. The next morning we went down to the beach to have a quiet breakfast, a perfect temperature and a bright sun ... nothing could fail! Nothing? We collect the gossip and give the contact ... chic chic! "Emmm ... lety ... emmm ... this doesn't ... emmm ... doesn't start let's go ..." We had run out of battery recharging the phone the night before ... what legs! Here we are presented with the fifth test, how could noses tear off the van if the battery has been consumed? ... Joe, it seemed that we couldn't start worse! Luckily God squeezes but does not drown and at that moment a fisherman arrived with his 4X4 to throw us a cable (literally). He made a bridge with his battery and we were able to pass the test! Uff ... by the hair! And we without insurance!
We followed the path with a clear thing, we wanted to reach the northernmost (or almost) point of New Zealand, where the Tasmanian Sea and the Pacific Ocean join its waters, the Cape Reinga. And we got it and Rober could meet the last test, stick a good bath!
After passing all these tests the trip tastes better, maybe we missed some things, maybe we got lost directly ... but we could see wonderful sunsets from the car, sunrises from the beach, roads and deserted villages, huge beaches, forests crossed by rivers where sleeping is a joy (and cuddles a little, especially after meeting the nearest neighbor smile to you toothless with crazy face) ...
It has been 3 intense weeks for us, full of many more tests. 3 weeks sleeping in the van, cooking inside when outside could not (the rainy days accompanied us in the last section), looking for wifis like crazy to not forget the blog, washing where we could (the bath in the sea counts, huh? ), going through a cool day in the mornings, periods of intense boredom, going to sleep at 9 and getting up at 6 ... and celebrating Rober's birthday with some Cerves and a TexMex dinner ... in style!
Our steps take us to the next stage. Although this will undoubtedly be quieter, we are going to take care of houses with what the owners leave: furniture, gardens, cats, dogs, geese, chickens, sheep ... the typical thing we are going ...
