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Published: October 14th 2007
Picked up the van yesterday morning! The Kea Campers airport pick-up driver kindly collected us from the hotel and took us up to the Kea Depot. Sorted out all the paperwork in the office and got ourselves insurance for the van - vehicle insurance isn't compulsory in NZ; if you get hit by another driver, it's likely that they're not insured, and it means taking them to court for damages! Once we'd got the keys we headed off to the nearest retail centre to get bedding etc (the Kea staff had kindly left us a few bits and bobs in the van to start us off), and food supplies.
As it was late afternoon by the time we'd stocked up, we headed to a nearby campsite in Orewa, just north of Auckland. The young receptionist at the campsite turned out to be from Liverpool, having emigrated to NZ 10 months ago with her husband. She said that she loves it here and managed to get in as her husband's a welder and they're crying out for tradesmen here.
The campsites in NZ are really well equipped, with a communal kitchen, BBQ area, laundry, shower/ toilet block and TV room.
The Van
Look! Loooooads of storage spaceIt's about $15/ £5 per person for a pitch at the 'Top 10' campsites. We hooked up at the pitch and settled there for the night, watching the sea from the rear windows; rain and wind put us off an evening beach stroll.
The van is compact but really well thought out in terms of use of space. The bench seats expand into a huge bed which is really comfortable; we both had a good night's sleep. In the morning, we drove into Orewa town and got some extra provisions. As we were about to leave the car park a bloke nudged the van with his clapped-out old car as he was turning into the parking space next to us; fortunately, he hadn't marked the van, but it's a warning to avoid parking in busy shopping centre car parks!
We left Orewa and Steve set the Garmin GPS up to direct us the a campsite in Orere, south of Auckland on the way to the Coromandel. Why didn't we get a GPS unit sooner?! It's so easy getting around with one, not that NZ's particularly difficult to navigate; it just takes the stress out of driving. Bin the
The Van
More storage space..... map books! (Thanks Keith and Bryce for showing us the way!)
The campsite here at Orere is out on a headland, near the sea; there isn't much here - one shop, the campsite, and the beach... and it's really quiet. Early night, then early start onto the Coromandel, to Hahei...
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