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Published: February 21st 2010
Our Mazda Familia
Not the greatest car but it is getting us from point A to point BI think we’ve had you all waiting long enough! We are camping along New Zealand now and moving along nicely (and quickly). Time is just flying by. We flew into Auckland after some minor mishaps at the airport. They wouldn’t let Cody board since he was a Martin and they don’t allow Martins into New Zealand. So Kailey and I ditched him and ran for it. We arrived in New Zealand safely.
SYKE!! We all got to New Zealand just fine. Cody did actually have some difficulty with his working visa but was able to board with us girls. We arrived in Auckland early Thursday morning. We thought our flight might include some small refreshments that could serve as dinner (free of charge) but it didn’t. Our stomachs were protesting something huge by the time we made it to our hostel. Sleep and hunger don’t mix well. All the stores were closed so we had to settle for the leftover m&m’s and lollies we had earlier. For all of you in the Northern hemisphere “lollies” are what you would consider candy. Sorry Mom and Dad, nutrition costs! After having a few hours of shut eye we ventured out to
McLaren Falls- Tauranga
Little smaller than we were expecting but hey, it was still beautiful!! see the city of Auckland.
Our biggest decision we’ve made together this trip was in renting a car. Since campervans were m.i.a from Auckland to Christchurch, we settled for the next best thing. A car and a tent = cheaper travel. We were all in order to pick up the car on Saturday morning. It eventually turned into the afternoon since our lovely car rental agency didn’t have our information in their system. We had to go through the whole process again and wait for the car to clear inspection. Feeling tired, hungry and ripped off, we waited for 3 hours while this company (one non-speaking English man that wouldn’t know customer service if it smack him in the face) got our car ready. Ready in my language apparently doesn’t translate in his language. The car wasn’t even washed inside or out. We did get lucky in the fact that we had two working headlights, half a tank of gas, and oil. It’s all part of the adventure….right?
Our jalopy has made it all the way to Whakatane which is on the east side of New Zealand in the Bay of Plenty. Before Whakatane we had our inaugural camping
McLaren Falls-Tauranga
Cody and Kailey lost in the forest! experience in Remuera. We bought a tent, some camping gear and loaded up on groceries. We had an awesome time! Cody is considering cutting off his own feet so he can fit inside our tent but we keep telling him that he’ll need them!!! On Monday we set out for Tauranga. The country side of New Zealand has been stunning! We camped out at the bottom of Mount Manganuni. Prime real-estate my friends. Beach on one side, Mount Manganuni on the other. We hiked around McLaren Falls on Tuesday then headed into Tauranga city. We got to stay with some of the friends just outside Tauranga.
We’ve all been very impressed with New Zealand so far. The landscape is beautiful! Full and green, rolling hills and sheep!! We have one more week in the North Island then we march south for 2 more. Take care everyone, until next time watch for sheep crossing!
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Raymond
non-member comment
Service with a scowl
Ahh, and you thought your education ended in school! We are spolied for service in N.America. Maybe there's a career opportunity for one of you----teaching the rest of the world what "Service" means. It sure helps to have a sense of humor when travelling. Good on yer mite.