Almost immediately we regretted giving away our wheels as we had to pay for the Uber to the Around the World Backpackers Hostel and with check-in not until 14:00, we went to a local coffee shop, Table at Monks, to kill some time (deliberately close so we didn't need to carry our bags too far). We also used this opportunity to eat some lunch and then we were finally able to check-in to our digs. A private room with a shared bathroom was our setting for the 2.5 night stay. 

After spending some time relaxing and getting caught up on some admin we headed into the city for the first time and I think it would be fair to say we were both surprised (if not shocked) by the entirely missing blocks that dotted the city. This was due, of course, to the earthquake on the 22nd of February 2011 that damaged vast swathes of the city which resulted in it being torn down and rebuilt, including a lot of the historical buildings. The land that was awaiting redevelopment however, had been taken over in the short term by companies like Gap Filler, who add artwork or a play park or mini-golf that was amazing to see. For dinner tonight we went to Orleans for a taste of southern America, and sitting outside with live music on a mild evening was a great way to while away the time.

​The next day, Craig had an appointment with Zane Swanston at Zealand Tattoo and after a brunch style breakfast at C1 Espresso, off he went to the studio. It has long been a desire for Craig to get a Maori-style tattoo and he finally got his wish (although Katy has started to plan an extravagant shopping trip to keep things fair!)

After the adrenaline had worn off, we were both happy to have a relaxed day and recuperate for our day of exploring tomorrow.

The next day started at Beat Street Cafe for breakfast and caffeine (as you may have noticed, Christchurch loves its' hipster coffee shops - which we obviously fit into) and then headed into town along the River Avon. We criss-crossed the narrow rivers bridges admiring the parks, statues and gardens as we went.

The next stop was to the Quake City museum, set up as an exhibit and memorial to the 2011 quake and the 185 people that died. It was, in some ways, fascinating to see the way the earthquake had changed the city and also humbling to hear the accounts of those who had survived, aided the recovery and those that have been left behind.

Our next stop perhaps highlighted the damage that had been caused by the earthquake, more than the empty blocks, the ChristChurch Cathedral, that still is in a state of disrepair, is missing most of its' front. The was only given the go ahead in 2017, with the remains cordoned off and secured while the decision was being made. 

We decided that we had perhaps seen enough sombre scenes for one day and so we headed to New Regent Street, self-proclaimed as New Zealand's most beautiful street! The buildings were pretty and almost Spanish in design and colour although there was a lot of coffee shops!

To escape the city, we walked to the botanic gardens, taking in the beautiful spring bloom as we strolled and also had a good chuckle for 20 minutes as we sat on a bench watching the many near crashes of novice kayakers on the narrow river! After all our efforts, we had a coffee at the Ilex Cafe and shared a delicious, but slab in size, piece of carrot cake.

On our way back to the hostel we took the long way round and stopped at the ChristChurch Transitional Cathedral (or, as it's otherwise know, the cardboard cathedral) as it is substantially made from cardboard! A rather intriguing architectural stop however, not what we were expecting either! Sadly we didn't get to wander inside as there was a private event on.

As it was our last supper in Christchurch we decided to go for the timeless NZ classic and instead went to Mexico! Although unconventional, we thoroughly enjoyed our tapas style of soft-shell tacos and chip 'n' guac'! We walked back one final time and headed to bed for a couple of hours rest.

The alarm went off at 03:00, and after a quick Uber to Christchurch airport, our journey to Sydney and Australia, begins. 

We left our Airbnb in Dunedin behind and hopped back into Tiffany for the final stretch of #vanlife. Our first stop of the day was Tunnel Beach, recommended by Lonely Planet as being a beautiful, dramatic stretch of coastline, it did come with one catch - the trail was extremely steep meaning we would race down in 15 minutes however coming back up was likely to take us over 30 minutes! The beach however was amazing and definitely worth it, and the glorious weather made it even more picturesque (we weren't the only ones enjoying the beach). 

Leaving Tunnel Beach and Dunedin behind we made our way North to Oamaru, where we parked up at Harbour Tourist Park for the night. As well as having an absolutely stunning location right on the harbour front, we were also in with a chance of seeing some of the little blue penguins who nested on the property so we were super excited to spend the night!

The main reason for coming to Oamaru was the Blue Penguin Colony where they have viewing areas to allow humans to watch the penguins return at dusk from their day fishing at sea (having loved seeing the penguins 18 years previously in Philip Island, Australia, Katy was extremely excited to do it again and this was something that had been on her wishlist since before we left!) We booked the combo ticket which allowed us to tour the facility during the day where we were able to find out more about the research, conservation work and see some of the penguin chicks that the program carried out.

As it was such a glorious day we decided to take a wander into Oamaru city centre in hopes of finding a beer garden or coffee shop with outdoor seating to while away the afternoon until we headed back to the Penguin Colony. The city however, seemed to close at 13:00 on a Saturday so we settled for a wander around the beautiful streets (Oamaru is known for having the best-preserved collection of Victorian architecture in New Zealand) and a quick coffee at The Roost cafe.

​Another early start the next morning and we headed on the road to Twizel where we were planning on spending a night to allow us to make our way to Mt. Cook the next morning. We were mega tourists and stopped off at all the roadside attractions! First was the Maori rock drawings, however most were difficult to make out amongst the graffiti and others had been removed and taken to museums around the country. The next stops were at Lake Waitaki, Lake Aviemore and Lake Benmore, taking the scenic road over the dam at Lake Aviemore and back over the dam at Lake Benmore. We then stopped off at Omarama for a quick lunch before arriving into Twizel to find that the one and only holiday park in the area was fully booked! Given we still had the majority of the afternoon on our side we continued on the road up towards Mt. Cook and instead checked into Glentanner Park Centre. This turned out to be a blessing in two ways, the first was we got to stop off at the Pukaki Lake Lookout, which was due to be closed the following day, and it has truly spectacular views out over the most turquoise lake we've seen, it would certainly give Lake Louise a run for its money! The second, unlike the Twizel holiday park, Glentanner is located in the dark sky reserve and as we had such a clear night we were able to star gaze to our hearts content, seeing not just 1 but 3 shooting stars.

Both feeling absolutely shattered, we got back in the campervan and made our way to Lake Tekapo Holiday Park to park up for the night. It was a stunning location and so we wandered into town along the lake shore to the gorgeous Church of the Good Shepherd (which is known as one of New Zealand's most iconic photo locations) where we joined the hoards of crowds with our camera at the ready. Thanks to Katy's very amateur photography skills we managed to capture a couple of pictures which make it look like we were the only ones there - do not be fooled, there was many a muttering under the breath!!

After such an active day we were happy to let someone else do the cooking and grabbed dinner at the fantastically named, Our Dog Friday and wandered back to our campsite for a well needed early night.

The next morning we were once again on the move, this time back East to Timaru. We had a quick stop off in Fairlie to pick up some lunch from the famed bakehouse and arrived at Timaru Top 10 Holiday Park in the early afternoon. Timaru is not a large tourist town so there was not a lot do, which was just fine with us. After wandering down to the beach and back, we holed ourselves up for the rest of the night and relaxed!

​Next stop Christchurch, our final stop in New Zealand and to return Tiffany!

With a sense of unfinished business, we left the mountains behind and drove south to Invercargill. The city felt tired (although that was possibly a projection by us) with lots of empty shop units and a general feeling of disrepair. We pitched up at Central City Camping Park and headed back into town via Dee Street (the main drag) taking in some of the better looking older buildings but overall leaving with a sense of disappointment. We looped back around along the estuary walkway to the Stead Street wharf when we decided we needed a coffee! We arrived at the always open, free wi-fi giving Starbucks and were greeted by the Christmas menu, and cups, on the 29th of October! 

​The next morning, we travelled across the south of the South Island taking in the Catlins as we wound our way to Dunedin. The first stop was to the Waipapa Point Lighthouse, erected after NZ's worst civilian shipwreck in 1881, and is still in operation today albeit with a solar powered LED light that is operated remotely from Wellington. 

With the Cathedral Caves closed we carried on straight to Purakaunui Falls and set out on the trail, braving the rain. This was rewarded as we were the only people at the viewing point with everyone else sheltering from the rain in their cars (being Scottish does have its perks!) 

The next stop was lunchtime and we enjoyed the rugby clubhouse feel of the Catlins Inn in Owaka. We made it in just in time as the heavens opened as we closed the door behind us. Once we had finished lunch we braved the storm and drove to Nugget Point, so named by Capt. Cook who described the rocks in the bay as nuggets of gold. Sadly we didn't get out to the lighthouse as the wind was fierce across the walkway but the rugged coastline was awe-inspiring. 

Our next stop, just down the road, was a bit of a long shot gamble as we parked up at Roaring Bay, home to some rare Hoiho (yellow eyed penguins). We walked down, took a spot in the hide and waited. An hour came and went before we finally gave up. We would have loved to see them but, with only 20 breeding pairs calling the bay home, our chances were slim to begin with.

We decided to not stay in the Catlins at Kaka Point, as originally planned, due to the storm and instead headed north to Dunedin and the Top 10 Holiday Park to give us a better starting position (and nights sleep) in the morning. 

On Thursday morning, we set off to explore the Otago Peninsula and started at Larnach Castle. We wandered the beautiful gardens, explored the castle itself and enjoyed a coffee beside the wood fire in the converted coachhouse. For full disclosure, castle is a bit of a misnomer, stately home would probably be more appropriate!

The next stop was an off-roading adventure to reach! Craig utilised the low gears on the campervan for the first time as we descended a single track gravel hill and continued on single track gravel roads to get to the parking spot for Victory Beach. Safely parked, we walked out hoping to see Hooker's Sea Lions (sadly, now New Zealand Sea Lions) but our wildlife bad luck was holding out. We did however, get the beach to ourself and saw the wreck of the steam ship that named the beach.

With our thirst for nature unquenched we drove north to Harrington Point to the car park for the Royal Albatross Centre. This wasn't our final destination however as we were aiming for Natures Wonders, to undertake a 8 - wheeler argo tour to see yellow eyed penguins, seals, heron and possibly albatross however the gate was closed when we arrived. After having lunch and waiting over an hour we decided to carry on into Dunedin and miss the experience. As the holiday parks in Dunedin were not in the city centre we decided to book into an Airbnb for a couple of nights and Lyane's place on Queen Street was amazing! On Thursday night we holed ourselves up with dinner, caught up on some TV and relaxed.

After a leisurely morning we headed into Dunedin (Dùn Èideann - Edinburgh) and took a stroll around the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, taking in the Style and Substance and Frances Hodgkins exhibits.

We spent some time wandering the streets and came across the beautiful station building which would definitely hold it's own in a European capital.

A lazy evening followed, where we enjoyed the space, the free laundry facilities (sorry Lyane) and unlimited WiFi (it really is the little things!)

Onwards to Oamaru and then following the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle trail northwards. 

After our early morning air raid alarm practice, we were delighted to have a bit of a long lie before setting off on our journey to Wanaka. We had a quick coffee pitstop midway in Haast (Craig kept singing Du Hast while driving for ages...) and we arrived in Wanaka for lunchtime. With neither of us hungry we wandered around the lake to #thatwanakatree - New Zealand's most photographed tree which grows near the shore. It is such a popular Instagram spot that it is now named with a hashtag!

After taking in the sights around the lake and the tree we made our way back into the town centre in search of some lunch. We ended up at Relishes Cafe where we shared a delicious baked camembert before making our way to the Ramada Hotel where we enjoyed a two night stay (courtesy of hotels.com, thanks to their reward night scheme!) We made the most of having lots of space and spent the rest of the afternoon spread out relaxing before heading out for a delicious dinner at Speight's Ale House.

In the sweltering heat we were delighted to come back down to an ice cream from Black Peak Gelato (that counts as lunch, right?!) and a wander around the nice air conditioned shops. This was followed by yet another relaxing afternoon (we were seriously milking this hotel room thing) and a tasty dinner at Bombay Palace.

The next morning we set off on our journey to Queenstown, unfortunately being in a campervan meant we weren't able to take the most direct route but that worked fairly well in our favour as the scenery was pretty spectacular. Almost at our destination, we passed by Kawarau Bridge Bungy Centre and couldn't resist! We popped in to see what was on offer and despite neither of us being brave enough for the bungee jump itself we jumped at the chance to have a go on their extremely fun zipwire!

After our adrenaline rush we made our way towards Arrowtown, a small gold rush village just outside of Queenstown where we enjoyed taking in the sites of the old Chinese settlement and to Craig's delight another Lord of the Rings filming location!

Leaving Arrowtown we made our way to Lake View Holiday Park in Queenstown where we were booked to stay for the next 2 nights. After setting up, we headed in for a wander around the town however, the heavens opened so we opted to shelter in a coffee shop until it fizzled out. We then headed back to the van for a quick dinner and then made our way back into town where we parked ourselves up at another Speight's Ale House to watch the Rugby World Cup semi-final!

The next morning we were meant to be heading out to Milford Sound by plane however due to the bad weather forecast it had been postponed to the next day so we made the most of not having to get up super early and headed to Yonder for a Sunday brunch. Just as we finished the heaven's opened and we opted to spend our afternoon at the cinema where Craig was delighted to finally get to see the Joker (Katy did not in any way whatsoever love it!). We practically ran back to the campervan after the cinema to avoid getting soaked and holed ourselves up for the rest of the night in the hopes that the weather would have improved for the next morning to make it out to Milford Sound.

Unfortunately, despite a 05:30 alarm and getting ourselves ready we received a phonecall at 06:50 to tell us our flight had once again been cancelled but if we wanted to we could try again the following day. The benefit of long term travel meant we had a spare night that we didn't have anything planned for so we made our way to the reception to beg to keep the site for another night despite it being Labor Day weekend in hopes that we would be lucky the following day!

With our day now wide open we went for a walk along the waterfront with a coffee and then  spent the rest of the morning chilling. When we inevitably got a bit hungry, having had such an early breakfast, we grabbed some lunch from Fat Badgers Pizza Bar. We followed lunch with a fun game of crazy golf at Caddyshack City where Craig was able to redeem himself from his previous loss (although it was close!!).

Our evening disappeared with some Netflix binging and we headed for an early night in the hopes we would be 3rd time lucky the next morning.

Another 05:30 alarm, we phoned at 06:45 to check we would be flying but unfortunately, 3rd time was not lucky! They asked if we wanted to reschedule for the following day however, having run out of time to spend in Queenstown and unwilling to sacrifice any of our other plans for New Zealand, we cancelled, and a bit deflated we hit the road to Invercargill!

With some R&R behind us, we hit the road again on a cloudy Sunday morning after a stop in Westport for some shopping and a coffee. Stocked up, we arrived into the town of Punakaiki, home of the pancake rocks and blowholes, and stopped at the visitor centre to explore. The Paparoa National Park was beautiful in itself and thus a lovely spot to wander around and take in the beautiful rock formations and be taken quite by surprise when the ocean eventually exploded into the air. A quick trip to Punakaiki cavern yielded no glow worms as the cave didn't quite go deep enough to escape the sunlight ​that kept the nocturnal creatures in hiding.

​Greymouth was the next stop and our overnight spot for the evening. We pulled into Central Park Camping however; the parking lot behind the petrol station didn't give off the nicest nor safest vibe and with no staff onsite we turned back around and drove to the safety of a Top 10 Holiday Park! With hardly any other campervans in residence we had our choice of pitches for the evening. After selecting what we believed to be the Goldilocks spot we walked back into Greymouth and somehow managed to end up in Monteith's Brewing Company for some food. With no plans for the rest of the day we joined the 15:00 tour with Brodie. He had a fantastic sense of humour and conducted an entertaining tour that culminated in pouring our own beer with Craig clearly having the golden touch with the pump as Katy's was described as a German poured beer.

With our sensible hats on, we returned to the van and enjoyed a leisurely evening however, as bed time approached, the winds picked up and the heavens opened leading to a rather restless night as the rain crashed into the side of the van.

Next morning, we ran between the van and the shower block and then the kitchen as the rain continued to fall. Already soggy, we set off to Hokitika Gorge to see the famed blue-green water from the swing bridge and then grab our morning coffee from the onsite cafe. The enduring rain and stormy clouds sadly changed the picture of the gorge but we pressed on, crossing the swing bridge and completing the short walk up the gorge. Soaked from the walk we returned to the car park in search of the cafe however it had totally vanished (although still appearing on google maps)!

​Caffeine deprived, we drove into the town of Hokitika and made for Ramble & Ritual, the first cafe we saw! Amazingly, instead of a greasy spoon, we entered a stylish cafe/art gallery with super friendly staff, who made us feel very welcome, as we revived ourselves in such comfortable surroundings. Recharged and the rain finally off we rambled around town taking in the Clock tower, avoiding the National Kiwi Centre (a zoo for Kiwi's) and then heading to the beachfront. The drift wood 'Hokitika' sign greeted us and, after the obligatory photo's, we walked headlong into the gusting, salt-tasting wind out to 'Sunset Point'. With the clouds continuing to come in from the Tasman Sea we decided not to bother coming back at sunset and instead enjoyed the view at the moment while watching the whitebaiters hard at work, just off the shore.

​We had some soup from Stumper's to help warm us back up and then onto our accommodation for the evening, Seaview Lodge & Backpackers (hostels seem to be called backpackers here). We pulled into the car park of a rather dilapidated series of buildings, entered the reception, where we were greeted by a poster informing us that this complex was formerly Seaview Psychiatric Asylum. The receptionist, reminiscent of a janitor type character from Scooby-Doo, told us we could only pitch on the tarmac just outside the reception building due to the sodden nature of the grass and so we did. Our usual exploration felt more unusual than normal as we walked past a room set up as a hospital room (complete with 1ml and 2ml needles and, bed restraint straps), the obligatory creepy doll sitting on a wardrobe and the long, deserted corridors. Unperturbed, we played table tennis, until an Australian gentleman popped up behind Craig to ask us how we were, tell us a campervan had gotten stuck in the grass in the morning and then left chuckling away to himself. As he left, we took the chance to sneak back to safety of the campervan. 

Breaking the 4th wall, why did we stay I hear you think!? Well, the site sat above a glow worm dell that we were both desperate to see! The evening was spent curtain twitching and watching the Lord of the Rings as we waited for darkness to fall which also brought with it, the return of the rain. The mud path walk down to the dell was a little creepy with only our head torches as a guide (we walked past a dead eel lying on the ground). We arrived, killed the lights and marvelled at the spots of luminous green that surrounded us in the dark, damp dell. Trying to avoid walking into other people, we shuffled around really enjoying and appreciating this natural wonder.

Upon returning to the van we ventured on a joint trip (for safety (from the ghosts, ghouls and the creepy characters from earlier in the day)) to the bathroom and after both triple checking the van lock we headed off to a pretty restful nights sleep, all things considered.

The next morning was the first we haven't showered before leaving a campsite. The reason was 2-fold:
1) we were planning on hiking a fair amount today
2) we didn't want to spend any longer than we needed to in or near the asylum.
The latter was the most pressing! We also later discovered that, what we had assumed was a village, 100 metres along the road, was actually part of the asylum and was now abandoned adding to the creepy, unnerving feeling of the place.

After a spot of lunch from SnakeBite Brewery (no snakebite was consumed), we headed onto our pitch for the next 2 nights, Fox Glacier Top 10 Holiday Park. When we arrived the receptionist, very graciously, gave us a spot right beside the facilities so the relentless rain didn't soak us too badly anytime we needed to go outside. With the weather not playing ball, we spent our evening planning out our remaining time in New Zealand and watching documentaries (we also got round to showering!)

​The early start next morning was worth it, as the sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky. First stop of the day was to the Fox Glacier Lookout and we were so fortunate to be the only 2 people there to get this view which included Mt. Cook.

As we were both quite tired from the days exertions we had a relaxing evening before getting to bed sharp for our early start in the morning. This long sleep however, did not last. At 04:45 an air raid siren went off. We both sat upright quickly in semi-panic and in our sleepy state we were trying to work out if it was a tsunami alarm, a landslide alarm or an actual air raid! We finally woke up enough to decide it was unlikely to be any of those options as we were too far away from the sea and the mountains. With nobody else moving in the campervans around us and a quick google search we discovered that it was an alert for the local firemen. It went on for 10 minutes before it was switched off but we both took a while to settle back down from the fright it had given us. 

We now venture across the mountains to the southern lakes.

After an early alarm, we got the van packed up and made our way to the Wellington Interislander Ferry for the 9am sailing across the Cook Strait and down to the South Island. We were looking forward to the views on the 3.5 hour journey as it is billed as one of the Great Journeys of New Zealand however the mist and rain stopped us from seeing very much on our crossing! So instead we bought a coffee and snuck into the business lounge and got comfy for the next few hours.

Once we had arrived we made our way south through the wind and rain to Nelson where, thankfully, the sun was shining. We had decided we would park up at Nelson Top 10 Holiday Park for the next 3 nights to allow us some time to explore the Abel Tasman National Park and give us (Craig) a few days off of driving. Having had a long day of travelling we wandered into the city centre to grab some food and enjoyed an early night knowing we wouldn't need to set an alarm for the morning.

​Next morning, we set off to explore what Nelson had to offer. Passing by the Botanical Reserve where the first game of rugby in New Zealand was played in 1870, we made our way up to the top of the Botanical Hill to the Centre of New Zealand. It was a short, but steep walk, climbing 147m, but the views are the top were pretty phenomenal - we could definitely see why people talk about how stunning the South Island is!

Once we had made our way back down, we went to explore the Queens Gardens, opened in 1892 to commemorate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria. We were extremely lucky to get to see them on such a beautiful sunny day. After taking in the gardens we were both in need of a bit of sustenance so headed to Stefano's for a late lunch.

Our afternoon consisted of a very exciting trip to the supermarket to stock the van back up, the Great British Bake Off and some chill out time, which was just what was needed ahead of our busy trip to the National Park planned for the following day.

With a 6am wake up call we grabbed our shuttle bus with Abel Tasman Sea Shuttles up to Kaiteriteri beach where we picked up the 9am water taxi (thankfully with a spare 5 minutes to grab ourselves a coffee!). The National Park cannot be accessed by road so water taxis run up and down the coast to allow people to be dropped off at the various beaches where they can either be collected later or, as we did, hike to another one. Our plan for the day was to take the water taxi up the length of the park from Kaiteriteri to Totaranui, then we would come back some of the way to Medlands Beach and hike to Anchorage to be picked back up again and head back to Kaiteriteri.

Encountering an accident on the way back from Kaiteriteri meant the hour long bus took 2 hours so we were thrilled when we finally got back to the campervan where we enjoyed a quick dinner and started to watch the extended edition of the Fellowship of the Ring (Craig's been desperate to since we visited Hobbiton!) before crashing out!

The next morning we awoke to absolutely horrendous rain and in the mad dash to the toilet block we were reminded why we don't think we'll ever really be campervan people! We got the campervan packed up and began moving Southward to St. Arnaud with the hope that, by the time we got there it might have dried up enough for us to head out hiking. Unfortunately we had no such luck and instead settled for a coffee and brownie by the fire at the Alpine Lodge,. We then optimistically made our way to Nelson Lake in the hope we might have been able to take in some of the view, however the mist and rain had other ideas so rather than spend much time we continued our journey to Cape Foulwinds near Westport.

We arrived in Westport just in time for the storm really to get going so we were absolutely delighted to be booked in to a very cosy Airbnb for the next 2 nights! We immediately got the heating on and cracked open one of the bottles of wine purchased in Hawkes Bay and enjoyed a very relaxed night before getting to sleep in a proper bed!

The next morning, after a particularly enjoyable long lie, a cup of tea in bed, we ventured out for a walk to the Cape Foulwinds Lighthouse and were extremely lucky to be greeted by the sun to highlight the views!

We enjoyed another very relaxed afternoon before heading to the Star Tavern for some proper New Zealand hospitality. We followed this with an early night to make the most of another night in a proper bed before we moved on!

Next stop Greymouth!

On Friday morning we woke to the sound of rain pounding the van and discovered, for the first time, the pain of walking to the shower block while the real shower is ongoing outside! We headed east with pretty poor driving conditions over the mountains, back to the much drier east coast. Docking in Napier around lunchtime we wandered around this fantastic town, that was rebuilt in the Art Deco style after a 1931 earthquake. We felt like we had been transported back to 1930's Hollywood, or maybe, more accurately for us, Hollywood Studios in Disneyworld! We both loved the style of signs and reckon they would look awesome at home!

After spending the afternoon in Napier, we drove down to Hastings and parked up in the Hastings Top10 Holiday Park, our plot for the next couple of nights. After some laundry we cooked in our campervan for the first time! It was very exciting, well, as exciting as making Mexican food in a van can be!

On Saturday morning, we were picked up by Ian of Prinsy's Tours and after collecting a Swiss German family (mother and 2 sons) we headed off to our first winery of the day, the Linden Estate. We began by walking down the aisle of a wedding set up for Kim and Dan (we met neither) but agreed the setting they had was fantastic. We joined Carrie, on her last day working for the company, who took us through 7 wines (4 red and 3 white) and a sparking non-alcoholic red grape juice. Katy's favourite wine was the Sauvignon Blanc, with her enjoying it so much, she picked up a bottle to take with us. 

Our second stop, Church Road, was a stunning villa style building that wouldn't have looked out of place in Spain or Italy, as well as being our lunch stop (much needed for the now tottering Katy). After placing an order for the sharing platter we joined Alastair, tasting 8 wines (4 red, 3 white and 1 dessert wine) before enjoying our lunch. The very mustard prawns were probably our least favourite dish but everything else was as good as it looks and tasted even better.

Third stop, Trinity Hill, and we sat outside on a bench (hoping that the sun would more than threaten to come out from behind the clouds) and went through 6 wines (3 red, 2 white and 1 rose). This selection of wine was probably our least favourite of the day, although Craig enjoyed them more than Katy.

​Ash Ridge winery was the fourth stop of the day and we enjoyed sampling 6 wines (3 red, 2 white and 1 rose) with Lauren from Teeside. Craig's favourite of the day was the Pinot Gris which is now chilling in the van fridge beside Katy's bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.

Our last winery of the day was Askerne Wines, where we were greeted by Gideon and a departing Hen party! They thought Craig's name was Scott (Ian had said he is a Scot) which seemed to be a good thing for the bride who was ticking off a list of things to find on the hen. Gideon was from London and was an absolute character and great fun, as he took us through the 13 wines (5 white, 5 red and 3 dessert)! We staggered back to the van and made our way to the final stop of the day.

The driver took us to the summit of Te Mata Peak (cheating, as there was a walkway) where we got to enjoy beautiful views of the wine making region and out over the ocean, with the next stop east being Chile!

We were dropped off at 17:30, both feeling the effects of a long day, and after some relaxing and some food we went to bed hoping for no hangover in the morning.

With thankfully clear heads we drove south to Wellington with only a lunch break in Palmerston North to break up the 4 hour journey. We also had to deal with a lot of road works on the way down, which was surprising on a Sunday. Once we arrived in Wellington we parked up in the car park of the Capital Gateway Motor Inn that had been converted into a campervan park. We had a relaxing afternoon and made some plans for our time in the South Island with a showing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince as the evening entertainment before bed.

The next morning, we got the bus into downtown Wellington and Craig once again made Katy climb an extinct volcano to get views of the surrounds. The ascent to Mt. Victoria took half an hour but the views were beautiful. (Answers on a postcard, special shout out for the correct answers to those that can identify the film and scene the last photo is from).

Descending into Downton we followed the Lonely Planet's sculpture walking tour which took us around some interesting sculptures (some, less so). Lunch was spent at Grill Meats Beer and, after some more exploring, got a very busy bus back to the van. 

After a leisurely start to our morning, we jumped back in the campervan and headed for Matamata - otherwise known as Hobbiton! This was the place on the trip that Craig was most excited to visit and he was like a kid at Christmas on the drive over!

We arrived just in time for elevenses and headed to Robert Harris Coffee Roasters whilst we waited for check in for our Airbnb for the night. (Why did you have an Airbnb booked when you have a campervan we hear you ask! Well, our trip to Hobbiton was likely to include partaking in some alcohol so it was far more convenient to stay centrally & use public transport than having to drive to a campsite).

Once we arrived at our Airbnb we had a quick turn around before heading for our 15:30 bus out to Hobbiton. On the journey out, we were shown a number of clips from the Lord of the Rings movies (ya know just in case anyone hadn't seen them, pfft!!) On arrival we had a chance to wander the gift shop (it will come as no surprise to anyone that Katy bought another pin badge) and then grab a coffee to wait it out for our 17:45 start time. We had a flat white each, seeing as it originated from New Zealand. We then caught the bus that would take us through the surrounding farm area of the Alexander Farm and to the Shire.

We had booked the Evening Banquet Tour, on Craig's request, so this meant we were on the last tour of the day in Hobbiton and were able to spend as long as we liked exploring and taking pictures. Craig's favourite spot was Gandalf's cutting where we first walked into Hobbiton and could look up, all the way to Bag End which was Katy's favourite due to its iconic status in the films. We were guided throughout by Luke and Mike, both Lord of the Rings/Hobbit superfans and so, so knowledgeable. They explained to us how the movies were filmed including how Hobbiton was designed and built to make different actors look taller or shorter using different sized doors, forced perspective amongst other ingenious solutions. After a couple of hours exploring we were taken to the Green Dragon Inn where we enjoyed a drink in the cosy chairs before moving on to dinner. The dining area was concealed behind a doorway covered by 2 curtains that we were chosen to open for the grand reveal! With delicious roast chicken, honey glazed salmon, beef & ale casserole, roast potatoes, mash and vegetables aplenty it truly was a banquet fit for a Hobbit! After dinner we then got to walk back through Hobbiton, guided by lantern light and were able to see it all lit up at night. A very special evening for Craig indeed!

​Post hike and both ravenous we were delighted to be on the road to Rotorua, our home for the next two nights. We had a speedy check in at the Top 10 Holiday Park and walked in to town to grab a quick lunch at the iconic Fat Dog Cafe & Bar followed by a walk around Kuirau Park to see some of the geothermal activity that Rotorua is well known for. We then enjoyed a very chilled evening back at the holiday park and an early night. We did however discover that our decision to stay in Rotorua for two nights may have been a slight error in judgement as come night time the wonderful geothermal park next door to the Holiday Park left off the most foul sulphur smell (which we only realised after Katy had accused Craig a number of times of stinking out the campervan!!)

The next morning we had an early alarm to make it to Hells Gate Spa and Geothermal Park before the crowds where we were able to enjoy a peaceful 20 minute mud bath followed by a soak in the hot springs. It was an extremely relaxing experience if a little odd soaking in mud! 

The next morning we packed up Tiffany and headed for Wai o Tapu Thermal Wonderland for 10:15 to witness the Lady Knox geyser erupt. However, we were both pretty disappointed to discover that the 10:15 eruption is 'man-made' whereby a staff member adds surfactant to it, causing a reaction and then the resulting eruption. The actual eruption time is usually once every 2-3 days. Exploring the park made up for the disappointment however as we got to see the Champagne Pool, not quite as exciting (or intoxicating) as it sounds - the gas in the water causes bubbles on top of the water akin to those in champagne, and the Roto Kārikitea where the minerals in the water make it the colour of a green highlighter pen. It was a very fascinating place however the smell of the sulphur eventually got too much for Katy and we decided to hit the road before she went from being extremely nauseous to physically sick!

From the thermal wonderland, we headed to Huka Falls, New Zealands answer to Niagara! We took the 15 minute hike down to the viewing platform and it was a stunning view of the falls. The volume of water going through a relatively narrow space caused a huge amount of noise.

After the falls we made our way to Motutere Bay Top 10 Holiday Park to park up for the night. A competitive game of table tennis where Craig was able to redeem himself after his previous loses and we got caught up on the Great British Bake Off and the Apprentice (can't help but keep uptodate with British TV!) before an early night!

Campervan packed back up and we are heading Eastward!

On Thursday morning, we picked up the campervan from Mighty, near Auckland airport and set off in our home for the next 5 weeks. With a short drive planned for today, we headed for Thames at the bottom of the Coromandel Peninsula and checked into Dickson's holiday park.

After making our introduction to the campervan video we got ourselves settled into our home and got used to the practicalities of the finite space we will need to grow accustomed to living in. After using the kitchen facilities at the holiday park so we didn't need to use our own gas we watched a movie on the laptop and then crashed out in bed.

Near expiring, we stopped at The Old Mill Cafe for lunch where both of us enjoyed some fresh fish. Having recovered we made our way north to Hahei Holiday Resort and pitched up at our plot for the evening. Both of us agreed this was a lovely holiday park and definitely our favourite from this leg of the trip. ​

A touch weary from our double trek day we once again used the kitchen facilities on offer to us (save the gas) from the holiday park and after some relaxation in front of a film (Harry Potter for approximately the 20th time this trip!) we headed off to sleep.

The next morning we headed South again to the city of Hamilton and parked ourselves up at the Hamilton City Holiday Park and after some lunch, headed to the bright city lights. A busy, bustling city centre on a Saturday afternoon however, was not what we encountered. Instead a solitary shopping street with units seemingly recently closed and devoid of any sizeable human activity. We wandered some of the shops with nothing catching our eye apart from the statue of Riff Raff (Richard O'Brien) author (among other achievements) of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. For those that are interested, the dance moves to the Time Warp are on a nearby wall in Hamilton and a camera records those dancing along, the live footage can be found here (Katy did briefly feature). 

With a drought of people we decided that they must be in the pubs and bars! However that didn't appear to be the case either. The first (Keystone), turned us away and said to come back in 45 minutes due to a private event that took up less than half the tables, the next (Local Taphouse) (where we stopped for a couple) had 1 waiter to every 2 people. We moved on. The next, (Biddy Mulligans) was taken up by a hen party that were in full flow and the final bar (Craft) lured us in with a busy beer garden however there was nobody inside and so after a drink in the beer garden we headed for dinner. The Lone Star, a western themed chain restaurant, was definitely busier than our previous stops and after some no thrills food we headed back to the van.

​Sunday morning, and after going for the messages we walked south to Hamilton Gardens where we spent hours wandering around the maze of gardens and exhibits. They were all fantastic, although some were closed (under construction for summer). Katy's favourite was the Mansfield Garden (based on Katherine Mansfield's short story, "The Garden Party") and Craig's was the Herb Garden with its cooking smells and medicinal plants side by side. 

After a sugary treat for some extra fuel we followed the Waikato River back to the city centre and had a late lunch in Mr. Pickle's Bar and Eatery which served up tapas style charcuterie boards and comfort food. We went for the gnocchi and it was delicious, with mustard seeds adding an amazing unexpected flavouring. A lazy evening followed and next day we were back on the road again, heading to the Shire.

Apologies:
We have to attach an apology note to this post, as it is much later than intended, however wi-fi has not been as readily available as expected however we hope to resume normal service with the next post!

The next morning was Craig’s birthday which started with him opening some cards we had brought away with us but unfortunately this was about the extent of a normal birthday for him. Having been away for 11 weeks we were now both in dire need of a haircut so Craig headed off to Boar & Blade and Katy headed for Dry & Tea. We then met up back at Rudi’s Rooftop Brewing Co. this time for some lunch to go along with our drinks! And so began the birthday celebrations…

Next stop was Holey Moley Golf Club, a bar with an 18 hole crazy golf course. The hole’s were all themed - including the Simpsons, E.T., the Flintstones, Tetris, the Hobbit and Evel Kinevel. It was so much fun and we both managed a hole in one! Unfortunately the birthday boy did not win...

​After an eventful afternoon at Holey Moley we made our way back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. Booked as another birthday surprise, Craig had been thrown off the scent multiple times as to where we were going and was not expecting it when we arrived at the Sky Tower for dinner at the Orbit 360 restaurant at the top. We both had a delicious steak for dinner along with an amazing local red wine (apparently turning 28 has matured Craig’s tastebuds enough for red!!). We were there long enough to enjoy two full rotations of the restaurant - one during daylight and the other at night! Dinner was followed by a couple drinks at the hotel bar then the gift that made up for Craig having no other presents - Scotland winning against Samoa!

Birthday celebrations continued into the next day for the history buff of the relationship as after a quick breakfast at Chuffed Cafe we made our way to the Auckland War Memorial Museum, the exhibitions included the history of the Maori (including the history of Maori tattooing which Craig was particularly interested in!), a volcano experience and the history of New Zealand’s part in both conflicts in the 20th century.

The museum took up the majority of our day so we were quite happy to spend the evening sharing a pizza from Sal’s New York Pizzeria and watching the latest episode of the Great British Bake Off.

The initial plan for Craig’s birthday had been to climb Mount Eden however it was quite wet on Monday so we decided to push it back to Wednesday which had a better forecast. We had no such luck come Wednesday morning, so we made the decision that we couldn’t come all the way to Auckland and not do it! So we wrapped up in our waterproofs and headed out to face the wind and rain. Thankfully we were rewarded at the top with the rain stopping briefly and being able to see some blue sky!