South Island New Zealand!

Phase Two of the Sabbatical Adentures have begun and we are now nestled down in the back of our new camper van on the South Island of New Zealand. Grandad Taylor would have surely approved and in his honour we are camped up by a surf beach called 'Taylor's Misake'!?! I can hear the waves crashing as I type.

As many such adventures do, it all started with a horribly early alarm call after a restless nights sleep. A transfer van arrived at the Cambridge house just after 4am - part excited and part nervous, we slipped quietly out of our 'home' town under a very starry sky. I say quietly, the driver (and accompanying, singing, lively daughter) were well keen for a chat. She informed us that she'd been working until midnight the previous night and only had about three hours sleep. Well that really settled our nerves. We weren't sure on the best tactic - would talking to her help keep her awake, or should we keep quiet to allow her to conentrate on the road rather than a conversation. As it turned out she seemed happy to do the talking, whether we were dozing in the back or not, and we raced off to Auckland airport at 10 miles over the 'very strict' speed limit!...

We arrived unscathed and the flight to Christchurch was spectacular. We could see the volcanoes we'd climbed as well as the beaches we'd surfed. The highlight was passing over Mt Taranaki, which is a classic conical volcanoe, straight from a geography text book. Fascinating stuff.

At Auckland, we retrieved our gear with minimum fuss and took a short taxi over to the campervan depot, where we were shown around the van that would be our home for the next month or so!

Our prior planning and research really paid off next. Armed with maps and shopping lists we first hit the supermarket to stock up on foods. We then followed a route to 'Warehouse' where we picked up things like a bucket for the wetsuits, a sun visor for the windscreen, wine glasses and a coffee press. All little bits and bobs to make it both homely and functional. Then the final stop was to the main surf shop in town that had the biggest selection of bodyboards, where Clare picked herself up a tasty little green number at a very reasonable price. (The price is always negotiable eh!).

Fully loaded with supplies and equipment, we were off! We toyed with the idea of staying in the city and checking out the 'international buskers festival' but it was a hot, sunny Sunday (31degrees!) and the reality of sweaty crowds and traffic jams was enough to quickly put us off. Instead we headed to the beach! 

Driving through Christchurch there was still plenty of evidence of the last earthquake which was wierd to see. Buildings and road sides were being held up with supports and out on the coast we passed a cliff with houses hanging off the edge. The buildings had been ripped in half and fallen. You could see up into the rooms. 

The closest place (Sumner Beach) was super busy, windy and devoide of shade, so we continued along to Taylor's Mistake, where despite the busy car park, we pulled straight into a quiet shady spot in the little cove. Food, shade and coffee soon followed, which revived us a bit. We checked the surf, but the 4am start was taking its toll, so we decided to get unpacked in the van and start making it 'home'. It was amazing how quickly all our kit was squirrelled away into the various cubby holes and cupboards. Super excited, but deliriously tired, we prepared and ate our first meal, before working out how to get the bed sorted. Even after all our years of camping, we've never experienced this campervan lark before - I think we're going to like it...