After going through nerve-wracking New Zealand immigraion - "Have you been in a forest in the past month" yes "Have you been in contact with any animals in the past month?" yes "Do you have any camping equipment?" yes "How many countries have you been to in the past moth?" ummmmm 4 - we pick up our campervan. The company are pretty much willing to chuck us the keys and don't even check our driving licenses, but we manage to get twenty minutes out of them to show us how everything works and change one of the head lights. The van is compact, but not the most compact option, which is really just a car. We have a sink, fridge, one ring cooker, a safe, fold out table, fold out double bed and heaps of storage in the seats. Most importantly for us were ceritified as 'fully self contained' meaning we can 'freedom camp'.
There are three types of campsite in New Zealand. The most popular - paid campsites - usually cost around $20 per person and include kitchens, shower and loo blocks, power connections and sometimes swimming pools and hot tubs. We stay in one one these every third or fourth day to recharge, fill up our water and shower. The next type of site is a 'DOC' site, standing for Department of Conservation. These cost between $6 and $10 and are in very natural surroundings but have basic facilities - usually only a loo block and barbecue pit.
The final type are 'freedom camping' sites. Different districts have different rules, but in general vans aren't allowed to just park up anywhere, only on designated sites, although some areas are more lax than others. These sites are free but have no facilities. As such to stay at these sites the van must be 'fully self contained', meaning all the waste is collected and dumped later at a specified site. Our van comes equipt with a 'portable potty'. We're satisfied to be technically self contained and have packed the potty away, instead making use of the numerous and immaculately clean public loos.
New Zealand's public conveniences are, in general, spectacular. The road signs are clear and distinct, where as British road signs are complicated and there are too many of them. The high ways are categorised for example 'Great Ocean' or 'Thermal Explorer'. The tourist information centres, 'I-sites' , are clearly sign posted on the approach to and through out every town. The I-sites have hundreds of leaflets about activities in the area, local maps and extremely helpful staff, who give us information about where we can camp, where the nearest supermarket is, whats going on in the town and pretty much anything else we ask.
We spend our first few days freedom camping around the Coromandel Penisular. The windy Great Ocean Road' follows the coast and has incredible views.
One day we stop at 'Hot Water Beach'*, where we're told we can dig our own paddling pool in the sand which will fill up with hot water. I'm expecting it to be warm, but when we arrive the beach is steaming.
Everyone is huddled between two rocks where the water is apparently hottest. The air is freezing but there are several pools filled with people bathing, not looking cold at all. We don't have a spade but everyone is friendly - there are none of the territory marking windbreaks or evil looks associated with British beaches - so we paddle in someone else's pool and it is boiling! Almost too hot to stand it. Every now and then a freezing cold wave breaks the banks and cools everyone down.
My feet are burning but the rest of me is freezing. The Kiwis don't seem to notice the biting wind. Lots of them are runnig around the beach in swimming costumes and even diving into the sea. In fct everywhere we go people are wearing shorts while I'm wearing all the clothes I have. Driving past rivers there are people standing waist deep in the icy blue water to fish and in the mornings when I look through the frosty windows of the van (snuggled under three duvets and reluctant to get out) there are families having breakfast at picnic benches, their coffees and breath steaming in the cold air. I must just be used the heat of Asia and I hope going home in December won't be too much of a shock.
*As well as naming everything very literally - Hot Water Beach' and the 'Great Ocean Road' - everything is also very old fashioned. The high streets are lined with shops called things like 'Bills Hardware' 'Jumpers - We Sell Jumpers' or 'The Hot Bread Shop'. I'm still looking out for somewhere simply called 'Shop'.
Above: The fold down table with the fold down bed, which
takes up the entire van, behind that.
There are three types of campsite in New Zealand. The most popular - paid campsites - usually cost around $20 per person and include kitchens, shower and loo blocks, power connections and sometimes swimming pools and hot tubs. We stay in one one these every third or fourth day to recharge, fill up our water and shower. The next type of site is a 'DOC' site, standing for Department of Conservation. These cost between $6 and $10 and are in very natural surroundings but have basic facilities - usually only a loo block and barbecue pit.
The final type are 'freedom camping' sites. Different districts have different rules, but in general vans aren't allowed to just park up anywhere, only on designated sites, although some areas are more lax than others. These sites are free but have no facilities. As such to stay at these sites the van must be 'fully self contained', meaning all the waste is collected and dumped later at a specified site. Our van comes equipt with a 'portable potty'. We're satisfied to be technically self contained and have packed the potty away, instead making use of the numerous and immaculately clean public loos.
New Zealand's public conveniences are, in general, spectacular. The road signs are clear and distinct, where as British road signs are complicated and there are too many of them. The high ways are categorised for example 'Great Ocean' or 'Thermal Explorer'. The tourist information centres, 'I-sites' , are clearly sign posted on the approach to and through out every town. The I-sites have hundreds of leaflets about activities in the area, local maps and extremely helpful staff, who give us information about where we can camp, where the nearest supermarket is, whats going on in the town and pretty much anything else we ask.
We spend our first few days freedom camping around the Coromandel Penisular. The windy Great Ocean Road' follows the coast and has incredible views.
One day we stop at 'Hot Water Beach'*, where we're told we can dig our own paddling pool in the sand which will fill up with hot water. I'm expecting it to be warm, but when we arrive the beach is steaming.
Everyone is huddled between two rocks where the water is apparently hottest. The air is freezing but there are several pools filled with people bathing, not looking cold at all. We don't have a spade but everyone is friendly - there are none of the territory marking windbreaks or evil looks associated with British beaches - so we paddle in someone else's pool and it is boiling! Almost too hot to stand it. Every now and then a freezing cold wave breaks the banks and cools everyone down.
My feet are burning but the rest of me is freezing. The Kiwis don't seem to notice the biting wind. Lots of them are runnig around the beach in swimming costumes and even diving into the sea. In fct everywhere we go people are wearing shorts while I'm wearing all the clothes I have. Driving past rivers there are people standing waist deep in the icy blue water to fish and in the mornings when I look through the frosty windows of the van (snuggled under three duvets and reluctant to get out) there are families having breakfast at picnic benches, their coffees and breath steaming in the cold air. I must just be used the heat of Asia and I hope going home in December won't be too much of a shock.
*As well as naming everything very literally - Hot Water Beach' and the 'Great Ocean Road' - everything is also very old fashioned. The high streets are lined with shops called things like 'Bills Hardware' 'Jumpers - We Sell Jumpers' or 'The Hot Bread Shop'. I'm still looking out for somewhere simply called 'Shop'.
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