TRANSPORTATION UPDATE
Sherman Rocks. He gets a little hot when going uphill but it’s nothing putting on a little heat won’t fix. The hardwood floors are easy for cleaning, and we can cook all of our meals on the double burner stove that is inside- talk about convenience, it even came with pots and pans. We learned a few things the hard way- like you have to pay about .06 cents a mile on diesel vehicles. We bought Sherman not aware of this until we went to the Post Store [where all vehicle logistics are taken care of, no DMV’s] and learned that the previous owner left us with 4,000 miles that he drove to pay for. We could have realized this on the sticker, but we had no idea with the stickers meant. Lesson learned. Diesel is great on gas here, but it all evens out. There is no vehicle insurance, just a WOF [Warrant of Fitness] to get every 6 months I believe. We are dealing with all other Sherman Logistics when we get back to Auckland later this week.
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| Sherman |
WWOOF UPDATE
Working at the vineyard didn’t play out as we imagined. We went in with hopes of learning, a place to stay and meals in exchange for our work; time to save some moolah, we thought. The work was vigorous- 8 hours a day outside nailing nets and doing vineyard work with two [very closely timed] 25 to 30 minute breaks. The day we arrived, we had to clean our own room due to the last person saying there vomiting and leaving it a mess- we never successfully got that smell out. Day 1 we had boiled hotdogs, and day 2 there wasn’t enough food for us to bring lunch, and we were provided frozen meatballs and a can of sauce for dinner. To us, spending 8 hours a day working just wasn’t worth what was being provided back. The thing is, we don't mind the work- maybe we were just expecting too much. We were hoping somewhere that was Organic, also provided that during the stay when dealing with meals. What we did get out of it was meeting amazing people from all over the world; Dave & Lenka from Czech, Sebastian from Germany, Pauline Julian and Penash [sp?] from France, and Gabe from Oregon [the only person to date that we’ve met from the US]. This made our few days there worth it. The thing is, we have somewhere to sleep, so that wasn’t what we went into WWOOFing for… and if we weren’t learning or getting at least some good meals out of it, there was no point in us to waste 2 weeks doing something we weren’t happy with. It was time to move on, and we are thankful we got something out of the experience. The people there are kind, it just wasn’t what we were looking for in our travels. Time to keep it moving.
LOCATION UPDATE
After Freemans lodge we ended the last post with, we purchased Sherman and made our way to Waihi Beach area and then back up north through Auckland. We started getting ourselves familiar with freedom camping [campervans that aren’t self-contained with a shower & toilet] and the different areas to do so.
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| Marsden Bay |
The past few days have been awesome. We met Nick from Dublin, and learned what an Irish temper really was. We were heading back to our camping spot after our hike that day and spotted him fly fishing down by the water. He made conversation and headed up to move his vehicle close to us so we could keep an eye on it. He put his fishing pole in the back of his campervan and jumped in to move it. As he was headed toward us in the extremely rocky terrain, his side door slid closed- snapping his rod in half. He jumped out of the vehicle before putting it in park, jumped back in to stop it and made his way around to assess the situation- screaming BOLLACKS and all sorts of explicit Irish words!! He threw a few punts to the vehicle leaving a good dent in the door, and then apologized with a smile for his rage. Lesson learned, we spent 2 nights there and decided to head north together. Turns out, the Irish may have some rage, but Nick has to be one of the nicest people we have met- just don’t snap his fishing rod.
February 2- Maitai Beach Campsite to Rarawa Beach Campsite to Tapotupotu Campsite
Nick, Adam and I spent the first part of the day stocking up on groceries, gas, vegetables, and finding WIFI before we make our way north. We have had luck with different town libraries, and that’s about it when it comes to WIFI. All McDonalds advertise FREE WIFI, but we have yet to find one that works. After we finished up at the library, we picked this campsite [$10/per person] but there is running water and showers [cold showers... cold, cold showers]. The beach sits right over a small hill. We carried our chairs up there the first night and watched the sunset- absolutely beautiful. The next morning we made breakfast and packed our things up to hike out for the day. We made our way through some steep inclines to where we had our eye on. The tough up-hill’s were worth it once we got to the spot. As the guys fished, I walked around and enjoyed the sun, which in turn gave me a real nice burn where I forgot sunscreen. We stayed another night and then were headed north. We ended up at Tapotupotu Campsite, parked on the highest point of the campground with a clear shot of the beach; $6/night pp.
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| Maitai Bay |
MEAL UPDATE
It seems what we have spent the most on while over here has been food- but that has calmed down quite a bit as we learn where to shop, and what to get [campervan life is much different when you only have a cooler to keep your cold food, cold]. You aren’t drinking pop unless you’re willing to spend $25 for a small case of cans- not a chance here. Same with beer- in store or even at the bar they are double what it is in the US. All your fruit and veg can be saved for the places you pass on the street. 10 avocados for $3 in Waihi Beach, or $2 an avocado as you make your way up north- it is all location depending, so planning is huge. Lunchmeat is mainly just ham- there is no turkey here like there is in the US, and everything is in kg, not lb. I almost ordered 3 lbs of ham not having a clue what the conversion was. As for grocery stores- PAK n SAVE is the WAY TO GO. It’s like the Sam’s Club for food, and loads cheaper than anywhere else. Countdown is another grocery store, but PAK n SAVE is the way to go. Chicken is also insanely expensive, as is milk and other things that are cheap to us in the US. We have loaded up on oatmeal, pastas, rice and other pantry type food that has a longer shelf life. A new thing to us was learning of Salt Ice. It lasts DAYS longer than regular ice and you can find it cheaper in fishing stores. We have been making some killer meals and eating super healthy for the most part- other than the wine consumption. On that note- wine is EXPENSIVE here. I have to say I dabbled in some New Zealand red boxed wine, and it was delightful. It even had a stamp on it that said New Zealand Favorite, what’s not to trust with that? It’s like the World’s Best Cup of Coffee… legit. Problem is, when there is a spout and you are drinking out of a coffee mug- you tend to lose track. We are now on a wine break :)
The views have been amazing and truly like nothing I've ever seen before. From the waterfalls to the glow worm caves- everything is worth writing about.
We are now heading south through Auckland and to our next WWOOFing spot [starting Feb 17] located in central north island. WIFI may be a bit better so I hope to write and post more.
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| Walk to Piroa Falls |
