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Published: July 31st 2009
Thursday, July 30th
Our plan for the day was to drive to Hamilton and meet up with Siubhan and Tony, our Irish friends. Before heading that way we went shopping for supplies at the Pak n Save (like Makro in SA). We were lucky to have Mel with us. She showed us all the best value brands to buy, so we didn't have to spend too much.
Back home we had a quick lunch and packed all the stuff into the van. At 1pm we set off south for the 140km to Hamilton. Before we got far Mel phoned saying the courier company had delivered a note saying that Ferdi's guitar was ready for pickup at their local offices. We turned around, picked up the slip and headed to their offices. It was only a small detour and we were happy to get the guitar before setting off on our great NZ adventure.
It was an easy drive along Highway 1 to Hamilton. With the speed limit being 100km/h we cruised comfortably all the way there. We arrived at about 4pm and after a wrong turn or two we found the Hamilton City Holiday Park. These campsites are a
little more expensive than we had anticipated, but we suppose it's to be expected, being in the city and all. Luckily there'll be some free camping in the south island so we can save a bit of money. At the first spot they gave us the power didn't work so we were moved to another one. The facilities were great; clean bathrooms, laundry, wi-fi (not free), a kitchen with a kettle, stove, oven, microwave and a fridge with freezer.
It was getting chilly so we enjoyed two cups of tea and made cheese 'n' chips sammies for dinner. Later we went to meet the Irish at their hostel close by. It was great to see them again. It's been many months and many adventures since we'd last seen each other. Siubhan had gotten a job and we sat in our van celebrating with a few beers and having a good chat.
Much later we returned to our site and made our bed, turned on the heater and settled in for the first night of many in the van.
Today's highlights:
1. Setting off with our camper.
2. Reaching Hamilton and finding a camping spot.
3. Seeing Tony
The kitchen area
(no, this is not the inside of our camper ;-)and Siubhan again.
Impressions of NZ:
With the low speed limits the roads are very relaxed, just like the people. Friday, July 31st
Our first night in the van was a great success. It's comfortable, warm and we slept really well, so well in fact, that we only got up after 9am. After dragging ourselves through the showers (Talita had a warm one, Ferdi had it cold, brrrrr) we made coffee, tea, and scrambled eggs 'n' cheese sammies.
Last night we'd forgotten our Sony camera at Tony's so on our way out of town we swung by their hostel. Siubhan was in bed with a cough so we just popped in to say hi and get the camera.
We headed to a little town called Ngaruawahia about 30km north of Hamilton. There's some hiking ("tramping" in kiwi speak) trails in the area and we wanted to check them out. But first we drove to Waingaro Hot Springs. We enjoyed the winding road through the lush, green hills. It seemed like there was a beautiful picture waiting around every corner. We got to the hot springs but it was totally deserted. We made lunch by the side
of the road then headed back to see if we could find those tramping trails.
On the way back an old lady came up behind us in her beaten up car. Ferdi noticed that she would look around and promptly drive off the winding road. With a great swerve she'd pull the car back onto the road, only to repeat the process again and again. At the first safe opportunity we pulled over so that she could pass. Somebody shouldn't have a license to drive...
We got back to Ngaruawahia and found the head of a forest trail. We set off to the Hakarimata reservoir. Built in 1922 to supply the town with water, this reservoir sits in the rain forest high in the hills. It was an easy walk to the reservoir and when we got there we decided to go for the summit. This was a proper climb and soon we were sweating and shedding layer after layer. It was a muddy, slippery, steep climb with tons of tree roots just waiting to send you tumbling to the muddy trail. We got to the summit, 374m above sea level, took a couple of pics and headed
down. It was getting dark and cold and the trail down was tricky.
Back at our camp site we had a shower (both hot this time), then Ferdi cooked a tasty dinner of basil & tomato rice, ham for Ferdi, tofu for Talita, and chili beans from a can (thanks Mel for suggesting these. They were spectacular).
After dinner we enjoyed some wine while blogging, then watched a movie on our laptop. We're so content! This kind of free traveling is right up our alley and we're loving it!
Today's highlights:
1. Cruising the gorgeous NZ country side.
2. Short hike.
3. Great dinner and wine.
Impressions of NZ:
There are so many interesting cars on these roads. Also tons and tons of older Subaru's. Ferdi's drooling...
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