Our Last Campervan Update

Our first morning on the south island of New Zealand we woke up and enjoyed a quiet start to a Monday, getting some schoolwork done - in often changing settings it can be very hard to focus and get in a good groove, which often results in tension from yelling and threatening, something we as parents are focused on improving. (It's a whole new world of discipline and consequences living this type of lifestyle - for all of us! Lucky for us, we have to empty certain containers in a camper van that most don't want to touch - so this has been a great consequence - ha!) We had actually planned a few things for this first day but the kids were not cooperating, so consequences kicked in and we gave up what we wanted to do - such is the joy of parenting.

Lunch at Double Bay - all smiles might not be sincere!

Ultimately, later in the afternoon we headed to Nelson where we visited the WOW Museum of Classical Cars and Wearable Art. We found a great freedom campsite in a parking lot in the middle of the city and headed out to walk around and explore the town.

Some push-ups being done for a workout in our free parking spot

New Zealand was celebrating Labor Day and we were intrigued to learn that most stores and restaurants were closed because of this holiday. We found a bite to eat and were surprised as we left the restaurant that the tide had risen so much that the dried up creek was now flowing lively. (A before and after picture would have been great but we didn't know this took place and had actually been marveling prior to dinner, about how everything appeared so dried up!) This ever changing tide, we learned, is one of the beautiful aspects of nature that make this area of New Zealand so incredible.

Parking for free in the middle of a city, it turns out, is not without its costs. Someone (or something) banged on our campervan in the middle of the night and woke us adults up enough that we struggled to fall back to sleep, though we never saw anyone. The next morning Dad was fired up because a Starbucks was close by. He wandered over at about 7:30AM only to learn they don't open until 8AM - can you imagine the audacity?!? Disappointed but being a patient warrior he ultimately would not be denied and returned a half hour later - a treat indeed.

That morning we rented bicycles for the day. After getting outfitted, we rode to Pic’s Peanut Butter factory where we were treated to a tour and sampling of their amazing nut butters. We all really enjoyed seeing the peanut butter manufactured and getting a visual of the reality of this whole process. Pic’s is a newer peanut butter brand that does not add sugar to their product, they make 5 tons of peanut butter a day, and their market is quickly growing. We found it interesting that crunchy peanut butter outsells creamy peanut butter 3 to 1.

Pics Peanut Butter tour on the "Taste Trail"

We then headed to a café for some energy before setting off to ride along the Great Tasting Trail through vineyards, orchards, countryside, and flocks of sheep grazing. Several of the stops weren’t open due to weather and time of the year, but we enjoyed the bike ride and getting off the beaten path a bit. Mom and Dad were able to visit a wonderful winery and learn the story of the owners as we sampled some of their wines. We all enjoyed some snacks as we weren’t finding any places open for a meal. On the way back, the kids found a skate park that they enjoyed a bit. We’d hoped to get some fresh local berry ice cream, but that store was also closed. We returned our bikes, headed for a bite to eat, and then drove north to the middle of nowhere, to get closer to Abel Tasman National Park, for what we hoped would be our next day's destination. We spent the night in a free site located on the water with a playground.

Biking through New Zealand country side

Suspension bridge

Wine tasting at Brightwater

Ramps with mountain bikes isn't the coolest but we made friends anyway

However, we woke up Wednesday to a full day of rain. We decided to make the best of it and get some school work done before heading late afternoon to Kaiteriteri. We stopped and got a few special items for dinner that night as everyone was getting a bit restless cooped up in the campervan all day – a true test of tiny home living- plus we wanted to celebrate reaching 3 months of being on this crazy adventure.

The paid campsite we stayed at in Kaiteriteri was wonderful, across the street from the ocean and a beautiful beach. We were able to get some laundry done before celebrating with dinner and a movie night, a special treat.

Movie night in Camper as we celebrate 3 months

Thursday we had booked a boat cruise and trek in Abel Tasman National Park. We were elated to wake up to sunshine and the promise of a beautiful day. The boat ride was a bit chilly, and we were dropped off on a beach and had an 11.5 km trek through the forest and along the beaches to where we were picked up in the afternoon. We enjoyed a few adventures off the beaten path, the incredible views, the golden sand beaches (some of the beaches truly did sparkle like gold!), collecting seashells, crossing a swing bridge, and waterfalls. The boys learned about the stock market, finances, and the business world the entire day as they peppered Dad with questions, while mom enjoyed some space and appreciated that this is one of the beautiful benefits of them having uninterrupted time with their dad.

Abel Tasman national park

G in the trees overlooking the ocean, beach, and a lagoon

Amazing scenery - waterfall

G is fascinated with the silver ferns which were plentiful in this forest

Walking trail views

A private residence exists here....not too bad

Lunch on the beach

Gold sand - it truly sparkles!

After returning, we headed south towards Christchurch to see how far we could make it before the sun set. The scenery was absolutely stunning! Magnificent mountains that are rolling in greens, sheep, and flowering yellow trees! We ended up at a freedom site alongside the road with a one minute walk from an amazing waterfall. We took a small hike, enjoyed a quick bonfire (something we’ve truly missed here as they aren’t legal most places - and weren't here for the record - shhhh), and then had a dinner with all of our leftovers.

Maruia Falls, steps from our campsite

Putting out the fire "boy style"

We all agree that we are surprised at how well campervan living has gone these last 16 nights, and we might even dare to say we’ve thrived in these close-knit quarters. Bedtime took about 8 nights for everyone to settle with some level of civility, but the last few nights in the country with freedom were awesome.

HIGHS OF CAMPERVAN LIVING:

Dad: Waking up in amazing places in the country or by the lake

Mom: Stability while mobile & simple home-cooked meals together

C: Lounging on beds set up in back while driving, listening to music, and seeing everything out a panoramic window

CB: Playing ‘rugby’ on the back cushions while being driven on very bumpy roads

G: Having a consistent workout routine

SJ: Having fun being with my mom and dad and sneaking out of bed to snuggle with mom and dad

LOWS OF CAMPERVAN LIVING:

Dad: Bedtime

Mom: Sleeping on multiple cushions and the bathroom odor

C: Having to ask others to get out of the way when walking from the front to the back of our ‘house,’ and sleeping with a steering wheel at his feet and on cushions that would randomly cave in

CB: Switching beds halfway through the trip and lack of space

G: Doing dishes and no wifi

SJ: Not being at Machu Picchu - ????