Hooray! We are off again....stand by New Zealand.

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HOORAY..,.and here we go again!

The rucksacks are packed, the "everything bag" is bursting at the seams and we are ready for our New Zealand trip.

And here is our new family member and travelling companion...not-so-tiny Tim! He is an upgrade to our original and much abused 2 man tent. He has 2 doors so we don't have to climb over each other in the middle of the night and he is designed to accommodate 3 people! So we can either start taking paying guests or we can use the extra space to get our rucksacks under cover. YES!

We are very grateful to Ruthie and Ben who have lent us Notso Tiny Tim (maybe just Notso for short). He is already broken-in and ready for action. Whoever knew that the New Zealand immigration department inspects camping kit to ensure that there is no mud on it! So we have been WASHING tent pegs and trying to remain calm.

The weather in New Zealand is looking truly dreadful. They have been having the wettest summer in history and last week Auckland international airport was closed due to flooding! Next Monday we are due to do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and the weather forecast at the moment is showing 6 drops of rain all day. As far as we can remember, we only have 3 drops of rain at the very heaviest in England so it's likely to be a tricky day. Our first planned "expedition" is a 5 day canoe and camping trip down the Whanganui River and currently the water level is so high that no-one is being allowed on the river! It's always good to plan to be flexible!

So here we go. Three years since our last adventure and at various times over the last three years we (or maybe I should say I, as Pete was always certain we would) thought we might not make it to another blog! See you on the other side!

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Comments

[Jens Peter Chrisiansen]

So good to hear from you again
Hi Jan and Pete What a great surprise hearing from you again. And New Zealand - so lovely. When we traveled there 25 years ago with our 6 year old daughter Anna for half a year with a tent in an old Mazda, we said to each other that if we ever had to emigrate, New Zealand would be the place to go. So relaxed and welcoming people and such a beautiful country. Only good memories from that trip. Especially the Tongariro Crossing stands back as one of the most stunning experiences of my whole life. So: we wish you all the best and are seeing foreword to learn more about your experiences. Ellen and Jens

[AP1]

only my 3rd attempt to leave a comment...
Have you arrived, or are you in Australia having been beaten back by the waves over Auckland airport? perhaps still on a plane 5 days later? Maybe still in immigration with a mud-flecked tent peg? wherever you are I hope ti's dry, and that Notso made it through with all his important bits. xx

[Ian Brown]

Weather
Looks like uit is going to be 'interesting'!