New Zealand 1 -Lauren

We arrived in New Zealand early Friday morning and picked up our campervan once they opened. It’s big! They said it could even sleep six people but that seems like a stretch to us. I’m grateful Drew has so much experience driving trailers, trucks, U-hauls, and other vehicles. He is a pro already. We loaded up groceries and stopped at a botanical garden on the way out of town. It’s very much spring here—magnolias, daffodils, and cherry blossoms lined the paths.

Then we drove an hour out of town to find our first “holiday park”, and were assigned a spot right next to a family with 3 vehicles parked in our little green patch. But there was also a lovely pond, several types of ducks, and two gorgeous oaks with plaques saying they were planted when the Duchess of York visited this area in 1912. It took a while to set up sleeping areas and make dinner in the van, but overall it was a good day. We watched the beginning of the hobbit with Lois in honor of being here.

We drove about 2 hours in the morning to Tekapo (TEE-ka-po), which is a little town on the most stunning blue lake. There is a famous chapel there—church of the good shepherd. But there was also a running event and the bridge was blocked so we saw it from afar.

We got lunch at a supermarket and drove another hour to the Mt. Cook area. We did an easy one hour walk, and it was so beautiful. And cold. We had a drizzle here and there and wore our coats and gloves.

We are staying nearby tonight and will try a longer “walk” there tomorrow. Hoping this is the coldest part of our trip. Grateful we have a heater all night in the van!Baca lagi