Questions & Answers - Part One

Eighteen months on the road today!  546 days living in a tiny tin can on wheels.  Neither of us ever imagined we would be doing this more than a few months, but it's amazing how adaptable us humans can be.  A van may not be everyone's - or anyone's! - idea of a flash home and indeed I always envisaged myself in something a little more respectable and ladylike but as the saying goes, size doesn't matter.  You don't need something big to create your own sacred space.  It's our nest, our cosy nook, our bolthole.  Our little cocoon away from the rest of the world.  Even so, we still laugh at ourselves all the time, because while it's completely normal to us now, it still seems such a bizarre thing to be doing.

I still remember the day I left our house, eighteen months ago today.  I had never been so terrified in my life and wondered what the hell I was doing, what the future held.  I was worried - about everything. I had no one really to talk to about it either.  I had never met anyone who had done anything like what I was about to do and I certainly wasn't going to confide in anyone I knew, for fear of looking silly or that I didn't have my life together.  All I could do was find out for myself - and hope.  At the end of the day that's all any of us can do and none of us will have the exact same experience, but little did I know I was about to become part of a huge community and support network.  Whatever the problem, whatever the worry or issue, there is someone out there who can and will help you.  These days I don't worry about a thing!

But there are a huge number of people out there who dream of a life on the road and imagine all kinds of obstacles that stop them from doing it. For a long time I've wanted to write about some of the fears people come to me with.  There are so many and they are all valid - but there's pretty much none which can't be overcome.  Some of them, such as how to make an income on the road and support yourself are going to need a whole blog to themselves as there is so much information and opportunity out there.  So forgive me if that's the one you're waiting on!  I promise to write that one tomorrow; in the meantime to give you an idea, please take a look at this article I recently wrote for Motorhomes, Caravans and Destinations magazine.  It features some of the wonderful people we have met and some of the different things they do to support themselves while living a nomadic life.  You can check it out here.

For now, I will do my best to address some of the easier ones.  It's just my experience, but I hope it helps someone!  We'll start with a nice easy one :-)

How will I feel not being part of a community any more?
This occurred to me too.  I lived in a small town where everybody knew everybody, I always knew what was going on and was involved in a whole heap of things.  It can be pretty daunting leaving everything and everyone you know behind!  But here's the thing nobody realises.  When you become the owner of a home on wheels, you instantly become part of another community - an enormous one of thousands!  Bigger, busier and friendlier than anything you can possibly imagine.  And let me tell you, there is nothing more awesome than being part of such a big group of likeminded people.  Nobody back home will understand this new way of life and its joys and challenges the way you do; you can't expect them to, it's just so completely foreign.  But it doesn't matter, because from now on you will have a constant support network of people who love to talk, socialise and help one another however they can, while still respecting each other's space.  Which is more than can be said of a lot of communities!

What if I get lonely?  
Even though there were two of us, I still thought we would get lonely.  However I can honestly say I have never once felt lonely, quite the opposite!  I know this isn't always the case though for people who are travelling on their own.  The thing is, you can be as lonely as you want to be.  Some people travelling alone like to keep to themselves and are completely happy in their own company.  In fact they thrive on it, like our friend Debra.  She is completely at peace just reading, painting and playing her guitar.  Others, like our new friend Dan, go out of their way to actively seek company and make an effort to throw themselves into whatever the area they're in has to offer.  You can often choose your camping spot to suit how you're feeling.  If you want to be around people, choose somewhere which is popular.  If you don't, pick somewhere quieter.  You soon get to work out which places are busy or quiet from other motorhomers, either in person, in Facebook groups or from reviews on apps such as CamperMate.  You can also greatly increase your chance of meeting people by joining the NZMCA which has its own member only campgrounds all over the country and organises a whole heap of events all year round. However, campers will often invite one another for drinkies, or dinner, or just a cup of tea.  It doesn't matter if you don't know each other before, you will now! 

If you have access to Facebook, which most of us do, there are brilliant groups tailored towards people looking for work on the road, motorhomers travelling with pets, women travelling solo - you name it.  You don't have to wait until you actually live on the road to join either; people are always happy to answer any questions you have and it's a great way to learn and get some insight before you set off.

What will I do about showers and toilets?  I hate the thought of using public facilities!
You know what?  We all do!  Let's face it, we all much prefer being able to go to the loo or take a shower without having people in the stalls next to us. There are two ways you can deal with this.  The first one is to resign yourself to the fact that you just have to get used to it.  We're all in the same boat after all.  Saying that, I have still been known to go well out of my way just to get a toilet to myself!  The other thing you can do is buy a vehicle with a toilet and shower already in it - or at least one of them.  Our van for example is certified self-contained and has a portable cassette toilet.  A lot of vans do - but I have to admit we've never used it, we always prefer to stay at campgrounds which have a proper toilet.  Caravans, motorhomes and buses usually have both toilets and showers and it's nice to have the luxury of having your own.  It definitely makes you a lot more independent and self-sufficient when freedom camping too, as you can park up for days at places other people can't; however many people still prefer to use public facilities if they are available, as it saves your water supply and reduces the need to empty the waste tank, which is nobody's idea of fun!

I'm worried about safety.  What if I get hassled, or encounter violence on the road?  What if the freedom camps are scary, or full of 'bad people?'
This was without a doubt my biggest fear.  It took me a good few weeks to make the step out of a commercial campground to brave my first freedom camp.  I was convinced they were going to be full of hoons, glue sniffers and all sorts of scary types, all banging on my window in the middle of the night and doing skids outside the van!  While this has never happened to us, nothing of the sort ever has, we have heard of other campers having these kind of incidents, though mercifully they are very rare.  However, again this is something you can control by being mindful and selective about where you stay.  Before we stay anywhere, we check the CamperMate app and see what other campers have to say about the place.  If the reviews are bad, we don't stay there.  They will soon tell you if a place is creepy, or is frequented by undesirables.  Some people love isolated places and go out of their way to choose a spot nobody else goes, but I don't.  The only intimidating behaviour I've ever heard about has been from locals, usually youths or people who are against freedom camping.  As a result, I tend to be warier around freedom camps, as they are public areas where anyone can go.    Saying that, there is safety in numbers and most freedom camps in the summer have a LOT of people.  If you are an NZMCA member you can ensure your safety further by staying at either one of their secure member only campgrounds, or a POP, which stands for 'park over property'.  These are usually owned by fellow NZMCA members, who allow others to park on their land in exchange for a small fee.  Members enjoy the peace and safety of using these and they are a great low cost option.

What if I fall ill?
It's kind of a good time to be answering this one as this is something we've been dealing with recently, and still are.  Obviously there is a big difference between being ill as in having a cold, and really ill, with something serious.  I have actually found my immune system is a million times better since living on the road, maybe living in a van has hardened me up or something!  But on the rare occasion I am unwell, I've been surprised to find it is actually much easier being ill in the van.  Don't get me wrong, it's never fun but I find I recover from things a lot quicker and I think a big part of that is because when you live in a small space you rest up more.  There's nothing you really have to be doing and you can just focus on getting better and looking after yourself, whereas in a house you still tend to drag yourself around trying to look after everyone else and keep on top of everything.  As for really ill?  I can only give so much insight but I've met many people on the road who have had cancer, heart attacks and other game changer illnesses while on the road and are still out there fighting fit.  What you need to remember is, if you fall ill, you already have your whole house with you.  It's a lot less to look after and organise than a regular house too!  If something was to happen to me and I had to go to hospital (which indeed I do soon), Gareth has everything he needs right there in the van, which he can stay in either on site at the hospital or at a campground in the area.  He can be wherever he needs to be, and it would be the same for me if he was the one who was unwell.  In that respect, it's actually easier than living in a house!

What about health care?  How would I manage if I needed regular treatment and check-ups?
As just mentioned above, one of the great things about living a mobile life is that you can be wherever you need to be and plan your parking and campsites accordingly.  For example, I currently need two medical tests, which can take between three to nine months.  As it turns out, the first one is already scheduled and only took three weeks!  But we resigned ourselves to the fact that we were going to have to stay in the area until both tests had been completed and I had been given the all clear.  In cases like this, if you know you are going to have to stay in an area for any length of time, it's best to enrol at the local medical centre.  Doing this means my appointments cost me $30 each instead of $80.  Considering I had 10 appointments in April alone, that's a saving of $500 straight off!  Whether you live in a house, or a van, nobody really knows how they are going to handle these things until they happen.  But if they do, you will handle it.

What happens when I get old, or am not so mobile?
This is understandably one of the biggest fears people have.  Maybe I'm the wrong person to ask as I like to think I'm a little way off being 'old' yet, but I think a lot of it is to do with state of mind.  You can laugh if you want but I swear living this way keeps you young.  How do I know?  Because I've met a lot of people on the road of retirement age or beyond - in fact most people we meet are - and they don't look or act anywhere near it.  In fact, getting 'old' is one of the main reasons people do hit the road, because they have seen too many of their friends leave this earth without getting to enjoy their retirement, or have had a health scare of their own and realised there's still a lot they want to do while they still can.  Getting old is just a birthday, it doesn't mean you have to stop living!  Many of today's caravans and motorhomes are just as comfortable as any house - and just like a house they can be adapted to make mobility easier.  I know of amazing people who can't walk any more but they can drive a bus and can glide from one end of it to the other in their customised chair.  Trust me, you see a heck of a lot more in a mobile home that you ever will in a house.  If my body ever fails me and I have the choice of living out the rest of my days in the same four walls, or still being able to travel to beautiful new places - even if I could only look out the window - I know which one I would choose.  That's not meant to sound judgemental or condescending.  I think maybe that's something you can only understand when you live this way.  But I have heard that when the time comes, and you really can't travel any more, there is always somewhere you can park up for as long as you need.

I don't know enough about maintenance or mechanics to live in a mobile home.  What if I don't know how to work everything? 
Nobody goes out on the road an instant expert.  Some of us have an added advantage in being a bit 'handier' than others, or have mechanic or engineering knowledge, but just as many of us don't.  It's like anything.  A lot of people don't know the first thing about computers, or what all the buttons on their microwave do, but does that stop them using them?  No, you learn as you go and motorhoming is just the same.  We meet people all the time who don't know how to operate their camping toilet, or how to change a tyre, or tune in their TV.  But there is always someone out there to help you.  You can ask on Facebook, ask another motorhomer (who will be more than happy to help) or call out an appropriate tradesman, just as you would if you lived in a house.  If there's something you need to know, just ask!

What if I break down, or get stranded in a scary place? 
This is another area where people forget a motorhome is like anything else.  Having your motorhome break down or getting a flat tyre, or being stranded in a scary place is no different to the same thing happening in a car.  There's never a good time to have something like this happen!  You still need to call for a mechanic or the AA or someone to come and help you.  The bonus is, unlike a car, when you're in a motorhome you already have everything you need with you!  You can go and make yourself some food, or watch TV until help comes, whatever you like!  Before we go anywhere off the beaten track I always check the oil and water, make sure my Warrant of Fitness and servicing is up to date and let someone know where I'm going, especially if it is in an area unlikely to have cellphone reception.  If your whole life is on the road, it's definitely worth being a member of the AA, or having some type of insurance which offers a 24 hour callout service.  We are insured through Camper Care, and while we haven't needed rescuing yet, have found them to be brilliant.  Another popular motorhome insurance company is Covi.

I think that's probably enough for one blog, I hope my ramble is helpful to someone!  Will answer more of your questions tomorrow, but before I go I must answer just one more quick one.  It's the easiest one to answer but is probably one of the most important:

What if I fail?  
Three little words I want you to remember.  You can't fail.  It's YOUR life, you are in charge of it!  There is no test you have to pass.  Forgive me for sounding all Disney Fairy Godmother-ish but all you need to do is believe in yourself.  And even if you don't yet, once you get out there, you will.

Kayaking among legends

First things first, a huge thank you to everyone who has sent messages and well wishes lately! I'm doing pretty good and trying to keep as active as I can. We're planning a trip to Arrowtown in the next week or two which we're both really excited about, as well as walking the Lake Hayes circuit. They both look so beautiful at this time of year and the leaves are falling fast, so we need to get a wriggle on!

Kayaking in 50,000 year old water.  As you do...

However, before I waffle on about any new adventures I really need to bring you up to date on the last couple of months as we've seen and done heaps. I haven't even finished telling you about Liam's visit back in February, shocking! I really need to do that because in just a few short days we managed to experience some truly amazing things, which all of us will remember forever. One of the highlights was definitely kayaking at Milford Sound. Kayaking is one of my favourite things to do. I would happily do it all day, every day and over the years Liam and I have been lucky enough to do it everywhere from Rotorua and Taupo to Kuaotunu and Tokaanui, as well as many an excursion down the estuary and across the sea to Donut Island (official name Whenuakura) in our old home town of Whangamata. They are all awesome in their own way, but none have come close to Milford Sound. Without a doubt, this was one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life. 

On a wet day there are so many waterfalls the mountains look as though they are covered in spider webs!

There's no such thing as Milford Sound on a bad day (which is just as well, seeing as it rains there 250 days of the year) but conditions couldn't have been more perfect for our tour. Having rained on and off all morning, the mountains streamed with dozens of waterfalls and combined with the dark and brooding landscape it couldn't have looked or felt any more ethereal.

Just the three of us, with our guide, Tiger 

Our kayaking experience began at Harrison Cove, which is only accessible by boat and is also home to the Milford Sound Underwater Observatory. We were lucky enough to have just three in our group; Gareth, myself and Liam, ably led by our tour guide, Tiger. We glided gently into the water and set off at a leisurely pace around the fiord. Our first stop was at an inlet, where Tiger encouraged us to taste the water. 'This is the best water you will ever get', he said. 'It's glacial water. Until around 4 – 5 hours ago, this water had been frozen for over 50,000 years'. He was right, it tasted better than any water we'd ever had!

Where else in the world can you go kayaking in cold tea?!

One of the things which makes Milford Sound so otherworldly is the colour of the water. It's actually sort of tea coloured but looks black. This is caused by something called deep water emergence. The water in the fiord is salt water; however due to the result of the high annual rainfall in Fiordland, there is a layer of fresh water overlaying it and the light is not allowed to penetrate past that layer. This is just one of the many things we learned from our friendly and informative guide. We also learned all about tree avalanche scars and I learned more about Maori legends and our nation's history than I had done in 26 years of living in New Zealand!  I can't resist sharing a couple so please indulge me...

The poor wee lonely Piopio.  Rather like a thrush, this native bird was sadly declared extinct in the early 1900's.

The Maori name for Milford Sound is Piopiotahi, which means 'the lonely Piopio', and the story behind the name goes a bit like this. One day, a chap called Maui - a Polynesian demigod and one of the most famous identities in Maori legends – set out on a quest to try and make humans immortal. He was accompanied in his mission by a small bird known as a Piopio, which sadly is now extinct. Unfortunately for Maui, he failed in his quest and was killed. The poor wee Piopio was so heartbroken, he flew to Milford Sound to mourn his friend's death and lived out the rest of his days alone. As for the sandflies the area is also notorious for? They were released by the goddess of the underworld, Hine-nui-te-po, to prevent humans from lingering too long in such a beautiful place. It certainly did the trick! Despite receiving more than half a million visitors every year, the mystical place now more commonly known as Milford Sound remains pure and unspoilt.

The tui is still my favourite bird, despite being a scaredy-cat!

My favourite story however, as we sat there bobbing about in the silent water, was how some of our native birds came to look the way they are. Tane Mahuta, the god of the forest called all the birds together and asked if they would please come down from the tree tops to help clean up the bugs on the forest floor, as they were eating the trees and making them sick. None of them offered, so Tane Mahuta asked each one in turn. The tui refused, saying he was scared of the dark and was too afraid to come down to the ground, away from the sun. The pukeko also refused, claiming the forest floor was too cold and the earth was too damp. As for the shining cuckoo, he was too busy building his nest to come and help.

The pukeko is a common sight in swampy, boggy areas.  Now you know why!

But the kiwi agreed, even though it meant leaving his family. Tane Mahuta was overjoyed, but warned the kiwi what lay ahead. 'My friend, you will have to grow thick, strong legs so that you can rip apart logs on the ground. And you will lose your beautiful coloured feathers and wings so that you will never be able to return to the forest roof. You will never see the light of day again'. Still the kiwi agreed. Just as he promised, Tane Mahuta bestowed him with thick, strong legs to suit his habitat. However life was also never the same for the birds who refused to help. From that day on, the tui has worn two white feathers at his throat, the mark of a coward. Pukeko has lived forever in a swamp, with wet feet, and the shining cuckoo never got to build another nest, instead she always lays her eggs in other birds' nests. But because of the kiwi's great sacrifice, he went on to become the most well-known and most loved bird of all.

Looking towards Harrison Cove, home of the Underwater Observatory

True or not, I've always loved myths and legends and the fact we were out on the water, being treated to the most incredible display from Mother Nature made them even more magical. While we weren't lucky enough to see penguins, they are frequently sighted by kayakers. I could have happily stayed there out on the water; surrounded by the mountains and waterfalls forever but Tiger promised there was still a heap more to see at the Underwater Observatory. The kayak station is conveniently located in the same building, so we glided gracefully into the dock and climbed out. We then headed inside, where Tiger led us 10 metres down into the viewing area. It was amazing to see all the marine life which had been swimming right underneath us as we had been kayaking. Who would ever have known that the sea bed was covered in delicate looking black coral? Unlike most aquariums, you are the ones in the tank and the fish swim around freely outside. As a result, you never know what you might see! Enormous starfish, marble fish, spotty's and varieties types of wrasse are commonplace, along with John Dory and kingfish, but it isn't unheard of for the odd shark to make an appearance. I'm glad I learned that after we got out of the kayaks!

There's no place in the world like Milford Sound!

Cruising Milford Sound in a kayak was an experience that is hard to put into words but I don't think I have ever felt luckier, or more awestruck by anything in my life. A big thank you to Southern Discoveries (www.southerndiscoveries.co.nz) for giving us the opportunity. Not only is the tour excellent value and reasonably priced, some things really are priceless. If it's not already on your bucket list, be sure to add it!

Preparing for hibernation

It may be a good while yet until winter but already many people are hunkering down for the colder months and getting ready to hibernate.  Things are much quieter around here these days and I'm looking forward to having a little winter 'village' again, just us and a handful of other nomads who park up here until things have warmed up enough to move on.  We've moved to a much quieter spot and I have to admit, after the hustle and bustle of many hundreds of campers over the past few months it's absolute bliss to be just a few of us all quiet and cosy.  We've made many wonderful friends over the summer and look forward to doing it all over again later in the year - but for now, it's time to just enjoy this quiet time and get through the winter.   After months of 'happy hours', sitting outside enjoying the sunshine and socialising, all of a sudden we're all tucked away for the night by 6.30! 

We get to wake up to this view every morning from our new spot!

For a lot of permanent road dwellers, choosing where to 'winter' can be quite stressful.  It's a bit of a dilemma.  Where it will be the warmest, or the quietest, or the most economical?  It's an area where you need to be pretty organised and plan ahead if you want to be ready and sorted when the time comes.  Whatever the weather, at the end of the day it really just comes down to personal choice.  Some people make a beeline for the Far North, where it's said to be winterless, others favour the top of the South Island, with popular choices being Nelson and Motueka.  But for us, there's nowhere else we would rather be in the winter than Southland.  Let's face it, anywhere is crap when it rains, doesn't matter where you are!  The Deep South is just so beautiful in autumn and winter, I can't imagine being anywhere else at this time of year now. 

Which is just as well because we have no choice but to sit tight at the moment!  I've been having a few health issues for some time now and although we are hopefully getting to the bottom of it, for the past couple of months it has really been quite debilitating.  It's been a pain - literally - and we're just in the process of ruling a few things out, meaning we can't go travelling until the necessary tests are done, the doctors are satisfied (and me too) and I'm on the mend.  It's OK, it's good timing really, I mean it's not exactly going to be the best time to do much travelling over the next few months anyway!  But that's where we're at, and why I haven't been doing much blogging lately.  Life has been one continuous string of appointments lately, I've had 10 in the last three weeks alone!  But I'm fine.  I was pretty down in the dumps for a while but I'm doing much better now. 

Life on the road isn't always perfect - but it's pretty darn close!

Just because you're 'living the dream' doesn't mean life is always going to be perfect.  Getting sick on the road is a big fear for a lot of people - big enough to put them off ever doing it.  But the thing is, life on the road is like any other in that if that happens, you just deal with it, same as you would anywhere else.  To be honest I find it far easier being in the van when I'm unwell than I ever did living in a house.  In the van you just get comfy and rest up until you're better, without having to worry about things not getting done and the house falling down around you.  Instead of forcing myself to drag a vacuum cleaner around I'm snug and warm, smiling at the blackbirds bathing in the puddles on the other side of the window.  There's the added bonus too of being able to take your house wherever you need to when it comes to hospitals and treatments and such too! You can't put your dreams on hold because of what 'might happen'.  If we all did that, none of us would ever do anything!  Quite the contrary, we have come across countless people who live on the road BECAUSE of their health issues; people who have survived heart attacks and cancer or who have other disabilities.  Rather than letting it stop them, they embrace everything life has to offer and get on with making the most of it.  Just like we all should.

I love this picture of Casper (Now Llewelyn) eyeing us up when we came to say goodbye.  It's as if he's saying 'You're not taking me away again are you?  I like it here!'

We might not be venturing too far in the foreseeable future but we've still managed to do a fair bit of adventuring lately - enough for me to fill my blogs for quite a while yet!  You may have seen our Facebook videos of transporting our wee lamb to his new home in the van but I'm looking forward to being able to share the full story and telling you all about the beautiful and very special place he now lives and will spend the rest of his days.  He's a lucky lad indeed.  Another highlight was having a very special lady join us for a few days of sightseeing - my mum!  It had been 18 months since we had seen each other and it was an emotional reunion at the airport to say the least!  Spending a few precious days together really brought it home to me what a different life we lead and I struggled for quite a while at the realisation that I had not physically been there for my little mum all this time.  After surviving bowel cancer, a knee replacement and a stroke all in the last two years, she really is quite amazing and I was so proud of her as we strolled along the beach at Moeraki and wended our way around the Otago Peninsula.  It was a really special time and it was nice to be able to look after her the way she deserves and show her some of the area we love so much.  Lots more to come about her visit too!

Mum and me exploring the sights of Dunedin

For now, that brings us up to date as to where we're at.  Sometimes it's nice to just stop and smell the soup.  I say 'soup' because there's no chance of having roses in a van where you're going to knock them over in five minutes flat!  But our little van never smells more homely than at this time of year, where there's always something warm and comforting in the crockpot or on the stove.  And, following on from my previous blog, which seems forever ago now, the new damp-busting bed arrangement is working extremely well!  The temperature has already hit below freezing but all is well.  Over the next few days we'll be transforming Ken back into a spaceship with our annual bubble-wrap-athon and with a bit of luck (I'm touching every bit of wood here) that will see us through the winter comfortably and without too much grief and hassle.  Whatever happens, whatever life throws at us, we will be OK! 

Going up in the world!

Ah, it's that time of year again.  It hardly feels as though there has been a respite from it, yet here we are already, dealing with our favourite nightmare - the dreaded Van Damp.  What made it all the more distressing was that we weren't even out of February yet when we first started getting damp and mould in the mattress.  At least last year it wasn't a problem until April or May, but come on, give us a break universe, this was still summer! 

The only good thing about us noticing it so early was that it gave us time to do something about it before things got REALLY bad.  We discussed all sorts of solutions, from installing vents in the roof (both an expensive and daunting thought at the prospect of cutting holes in the roof of our 'house') to installing a fan in the base of the bed, to provide continuous air circulation and keep the mattress dry.  'What we really need is something with lots of holes in, that we can put between the mattress and the timber, so that we're not sleeping on a solid surface.  Something like a plastic pallet', I said wistfully.  But where were we going to find one of those?  There was nothing for it but to keep racking our brains for ideas and try to come up with a possible solution. 

Recycled plastic pallets - just what we need!

Just two days later however, the universe provided.  Or to be specific, a very helpful bloke called Dave.  'Bevin says we can have one of these', grinned Gareth, heaving something over to the van and plonking it down in front of the door.  Many motorhomers use wooden or plastic pallets, or indeed whatever else they can find that will do the job as a front door step.  It stops the ground by the door getting trampled and muddy and prevents dirt and grass from getting traipsed inside.  Our wooden step had recently given up the ghost and in its replacement we had just been given a large, square plastic pallet. 

Immediately my eyes lit up.  'Are there any more?'  I asked, hopefully.  'Yeah, there's a whole stack of them, Dave brought them home from work', Gareth said.  Dave was Bevin's son, who when he wasn't working could often be found at the campground, renovating his bus.  'Ohh, you're thinking we could use them on the bed?' Gareth said as I nodded enthusiastically.  'Good idea, I'll go and ask!'  I couldn't believe our luck.  Here was exactly what we needed, right when we needed it - and for free!

Trimming the pallets to size

We waited impatiently over the next few days for the weather to be fine and dry enough to turf everything out of the van, then Gareth set about measuring and trimming the pallets using a handsaw to make them fit.  It took three pallets in the end, which we fitted together like a jigsaw until they covered the entire base of the bed.  Then we made up the bed as usual and admired our handiwork.  As an added bonus, we now had some handy storage space in the pallet to pop our shoes and other bits and pieces in!

The jigsaw is complete

Our new, very comfortable and totally free bed frame!

'You've gone up in the world!' laughed Bevin, when he saw the finished project.  He wasn't wrong there.  Having the pallet as an extra layer had elevated us up a good few inches!  On the plus side, we were now closer to the insulated ceiling, so as long as we didn't bang our heads getting in and out of bed we would be warmer!  I was worried about how comfortable it was going to be, sleeping on top of the plastic pallets but to my surprise we were way comfier than we had ever been sleeping on the timber.  I feel like the Princess and the Pea, tucked up snug as a bug in our big bed of layers!  Only time will tell as the air gets colder, whether we have finally beaten the demon damp but for now things are looking quite literally, up! 

All work and no play? Not quite!

Who in their right mind would try and write an entire book during the height of summer, in a campground crawling with people?  As it turns out, me and is the main reason there haven't been any blogs for a while.  Let me tell you, it's not easy writing to write uninterrupted for eight or nine hours a day in a tin can on wheels when you have to keep stopping at what seems like five minute intervals and showing campers where to pay, how to use the laundry and direct them to the dump station!  But I thought it would be good to follow Marian Keyes' example.  She writes all her books in bed so I figured if I wrote mine in the same way (well - sitting on the bed, not in it!) then it might bring me luck.

First draft of the book!  I felt the title was appropriate :)

I couldn't have done it without Gareth; for weeks he took care of almost everything from looking after campers and doing all the cooking, to trying to fit in his own work too.  It was hard to stay on task and watch him rush around like a mad thing, doing all the jobs we normally shared together single handedly.  But we got there and the result is a 300-page book, which hopefully people will enjoy reading.  The feedback I've had from our proofreaders so far is that it has made them all cry!  I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not!  But it's made them laugh too, which is a good sign.  Hopefully it will invoke a similar response in the publishing houses we have sent it to and one of them will like it enough to print it.  If not, well we'll have to come up with another way to get it out there!  For now, we have to play the waiting game, which can take up to four months just to see if it gets accepted or not.  And we already have a second book planned to get written over the winter!  But for now, I'm enjoying having my life back for a bit and enjoying what's left of the golden weather.

We still get out there adventuring!

Today's blog is just a bit of a catch up.  We still have heaps to share from our travels with Liam, which was a crazy six weeks ago now.  I have no idea where the year is going!  We've also managed the odd day trip, which has been lovely and I look forward to telling you about them.  It amazes me how much there is to learn about our beautiful country.  We've visited some places with wonderful, intriguing and often sad history and I've learned more about Maori tales and legends in the past two months than in my whole 26 years in New Zealand!  Some of the stories are truly beautiful and really make you think, I look forward to sharing those as best I can too.

Milford Sound is steeped in history and legend

You may have seen from our Facebook page that I've been doing a lot of writing about freedom camping too, mainly for news website Stuff.  It seems the media can't get enough of freedom camping at the moment and I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or not.  There's so much propaganda, the whole issue and the public's perceived scale of freedom camping - what it is and their imagined idea of how bad it is, compared to the reality - has been blown way out of proportion.  All I can do, both as a writer and a responsible camping individual as try to counteract each negative story with a positive one and use our experiences of life on the road to show how things really are.  To date, in 18 months on the road we have never witnessed any campers using the outdoors as a public toilet or intentionally dumping rubbish.  The only people we ever have to clean up after are locals.


People think of freedom campers as being only young travellers from overseas.  If they knew how many pensioners were also out there living the lifestyle, they may not be quite so quick to accuse us all of making a mess and leaving nasty presents in the bushes!  Just the thought of it makes me laugh.  I'm not saying it doesn't have its problems, there are always a few bad apples in every box but it is just a few, not every one.  It's one of those subjects that nobody will ever agree on.  The only thing they all agree on is that the current system needs to change in order to work for everyone and allow the thousands of us who live on the road to preserve and continue to enjoy the lifestyle we love.  I've written about it so much lately I'm even dreaming about it, so that's all I'm going to say on the subject here!

It may have been almost 'all work and no play' around here lately, but fortunately not quite.  When we haven't been working we've been having a very sociable time of things!  Once the school holidays are over it was time for the Kiwi motorhomers to come out and play, and what a lovely, friendly bunch they are too.  The last few weeks have been a neverending stream of invitations, happy hours and pot luck dinners and we have had the pleasure of making many new friends from all over NZ, as well as more far flung places like the US, UK and Germany.  Some afternoons there will be just four of us for drinkies, others you can find 16 or even more of us sitting out in the sunshine sharing stories.  We have a lot of laughs and it's such a great way to learn about different parts of the country or indeed the world, places to visit (or not to visit!) and generally just be around good people.  I can't think of any other way of life where you get to socialise with a whole bunch of new and likeminded people every day.  So to finish today on a warm, fuzzy note, here are just a handful of the new friends we've made lately.  If you've met us recently and there isn't a photo of you here, you'll just have to come back and see us again so we can take one!

Blowing the 'bad freedom camper' reputation out of the water, we had the pleasure of the company of these awesome Americans for several days.  Left to right we have Madi, TJ, Greg and Haydn

We had a wonderful afternoon of laughs with these travelling Kiwis!

Left to right: Corrine, John, Brent, Sue, Barbara and Wayne

Us dressed up for a change, celebrating the wedding of fellow road dwellers

Fiona and Steve, along with new friends Andrew and Annie

When John and Lynette came round for a coffee, we didn't have enough mugs or 

chairs in our van, so they brought their whole bus with them!

It's Happy Hour again!  With John, Wayne, Leanne, Lynne

Ross, Mark, Toni, Clive, Yvonne and Jan

No Filter Required

Before we lived on the road I had never seen most of the picture postcard places NZ is so famous for; the Lord of the Rings country and all that.  To be honest, I'd never even seen the Lord of the Rings movies until Gareth insisted I had to and by then we were already in the van!  Once I saw them, I could understand instantly why visitors flock here in their tens of thousands every year.  Who wouldn't want to? But until I saw them in person with my own eyes, I honestly believed that the stunning images in all the tourist guides and social media weren't quite real.  I mean, nowhere could possibly be THAT perfect; they had to have been doctored or Photoshopped in some way, surely?  After all, I'd never seen any places like that in 25 years of living here!  Like many people though, before embarking on our journey I had never really travelled far from my own backyard. It's easy to get stuck in a rut and so much more convenient just to not go anywhere!  But boy, do you miss out on a lot.

The Homer Tunnel is 1.2km of hand carved access through the mountain

As it turns out however, I wasn't alone in thinking all those flashy images were too good to be true.  Fortunately, Liam was to learn the truth far sooner than I did.  We left our little cabins at Manapouri early to beat the traffic and were soon on our way.  'This is the end of civilisation as we know it', I smiled to Liam as we headed out of Te Anau and onto the only road which leads to Milford Sound.  Fiordland National Park is the largest of NZ's 14 national parks and until 1953 Milford Sound was inaccessible by road.  Fortunately a couple of enterprising and rather helpful chaps, one of whom was named William H. Homer, thought it would be rather a good idea to build a tunnel through the saddle they had recently discovered.  This commenced literally with five men using picks and wheelbarrows and thanks to avalanches and other disasters, the project took 18 years to finish.  You only have to drive through the Homer Tunnel today to see what a monumental achievement it was, and as a result well over half a million people now visit Milford Sound every year.  

Milford Sound on a typically broody day

You don't get waterfalls like these on a fine day!

There was just one thing which put a dampener on our day - literally - and that was the rain, which whilst it wasn't torrential, was pretty much incessant.  Despite people telling us that the rain was actually a GOOD thing, we found it hard to believe.  Last time Gareth and I had visited, it had been clear and sunny and we couldn't have hoped for better.  Still, seeing as it rains in Milford Sound around 250 days of the year we couldn't be picky and besides, we had a boat to jump both on and in, with wet weather gear assured.  Two hours later, we arrived at Milford Sound and I could see Liam was impressed as Mitre Peak loomed massively in front of us, all dark and brooding and shrouded in mist.   Rain or shine, it's impossible not to be blown away and for what was going to be many times that day, I was very grateful to that nice man Mr Homer for his tunnel.

The dainty looking but drenching Fairy Falls!

The rain kindly stopped as we boarded our Southern Discoveries vessel, the Lady Bowen for our Encounter Nature cruise and as we sailed out of the dock I was immediately impressed both with the ship and our friendly and informative skipper.  Our vessel was busy but not overly crowded and Gareth, Liam and I were able to secure a prime spot at the front of the ship.  As soon as we hit the water I had to eat my words about 'touristy things being overhyped and not worth it'.  Already this was better than anything we had managed to see in our last visit!  Seriously, you just can't compare standing on the shore admiring from a distance to literally being close enough to touch it.  There is so much more to Milford Sound than we realised, so much more depth and sheer size that you simply won't see any other way.  We passed colonies of fur seals, lounging on the rocks, who waved lazily at us with their flippers and got very wet at Fairy Falls, which is one of the few permanent waterfalls at Milford Sound which actually has a name.  The reason that so few of them have names is because whilst there are literally thousands of waterfalls streaming down the mountains on a wet day, they quite literally disappear half an hour after the rain stops.  This means that you will never see Milford Sound looking the same two days in a row as most of these waterfalls are completely unique.  Cool, huh?  It also meant that once again I had to eat my words, as the whole place takes on a completely new dimension when it rains that you don't get treated to on a sunny day.  It's true what people say, Milford Sound really IS better on a wet day!

Looking glamorous after stopping at Fairy Falls!

Which is just as well because we were getting incredibly wet on our cruise, even with our raincoats.  You didn't have to - the boat was incredibly comfortable and well equipped if you wanted to sit inside but we didn't want to miss a thing!  The Fairy Falls was one of my favourite stops, not only for its beauty but also for the story behind its name.  It got its name from a group of sailors who had been away at sea for a very long time.  Upon seeing land for the first time in months, they were so delighted they hit the whiskey big time and went on a bender for three days, by the end of which the captain was convinced he could see fairies dancing at the foot of the waterfall!  Our own skipper also delighted here in being able to guide the front of the boat actually into the waterfall, drenching unsuspecting passengers as they prepared to take the obligatory selfies! 

Where the fiord meets the Tasman Sea 

It's not surprising Captain Cook sailed past here twice!

On we cruised, marvelling at our surroundings with each second that passed.  Liam isn't a fella who says much as a rule, he's not one to gush or enthuse about things but you know he likes something when he starts taking photos and he took a LOT of photos!  'So this is where the cool stuff is', he grinned, looking around.  'Honestly, you see all these videos on TV and the likes of Unilad and I always thought "Where the hell are these places?  Are they even really in NZ, 'cos I've sure as hell never seen them?!" but now I know they're real.  Now I know where they are'.  'Yep, this is where the cool stuff is hiding!'  I laughed.  Eventually the water started to get a little more choppy and we reached the watery gateway to the Tasman Sea, where it was time for us to turn around and head back.  From this direction it is actually very hard to see the entrance to Milford Sound and Captain James Cook, when exploring the area in his ship the Resolution and compiling his map of NZ actually sailed past it twice, completely missing it!  The man responsible for first discovering the Sound by sea was actually a Welsh chap by the name of Captain John Grono.  He named Milford Sound after Milford Haven in Wales, although it should technically be called Milford Fiord, as it's not actually a Sound at all!  Sound or not, Grono's arrival was very bad news for the native fur seals.  Over the 20 or so years which followed, seal numbers in the area went from two million to less than 50,000; until the government discovered what was going on and seal hunting was banned nationwide, along with Grono and his men.

You just don't see any of this from the shore!

As we passed Seal Rock, where seal numbers today thankfully flourish, the view was quite possibly even more spectacular heading in the other direction.  The rain may have eased but our drenchings were still not finished, as we sailed into the final two permanent waterfalls - the 146 metre-high Stirling Falls and the landmark one which can be seen from the shore, the 160 metre Lady Bowen Falls.  This was first named after one of NZ's first governors, Sir George Bowen, who declared it to be one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen upon laying eyes on it for the first time and decided to earn some serious brownie points with his wife (who was standing on the deck next to him at the time) by naming it after her. 

The spectacular Lady Bowen Falls

So how did our taste of commercial tourism compare with doing Milford Sound under our own steam, as we had done the previous year?  Quite simply, you cannot compare the two, the cruise wins hands down.  The experience and value we got from Southern Discoveries far outweighs anything we were able to see previously and we learned so much along the way, none of which any of us knew before.  Seriously, I could keep talking all day about the things we learned - and our adventure wasn't even over yet, we still had to go kayaking!  Our advice to anyone thinking of seeing Milford Sound by boat? Just do it, you won't be disappointed; in our opinion it is some of the best money you can spend on a tourist activity and is worth every cent.  Huge thanks must go to the team and crew at Southern Discoveries for taking us out and showing us such an incredible time!  These guys are super professional, their gear and facilities are great and we would recommend them to anyone.  But don't stop there - wait until we tell you about the kayaking!

Thanks for an awesome cruise Southern Discoveries!

A Spontaneous Adventure

My goodness, what an amazing week of adventuring it's been.  In four days alone we drove 18 hours and almost 1500km!  Was totally pooped by the end of it but it was so worth it.  And the best thing of all was that I was able to share every bit of the awesomeness with my eldest, Liam.  The timing couldn't have been better as I had been feeling a bit blue up until then. It's been over a year now since Gareth and I have seen either of our mums, or Ali my youngest and I had been struggling with both the guilt of not seeing them, as well as missing them dreadfully.  Liam's spontaneous visit and the change of scenery was just what the travel doctor ordered!

Liam at Devil's Staircase lookout

Last time Liam came to visit was back in September and seeing as it was still pretty chilly we stayed in a motel in Dunedin.  This time I was looking forward to finally being able to give him an insight to life on the road and why his crazy mother loved living in a van!  The adventure started the moment I picked him up from Queenstown airport.  The drive from Gore to Queenstown is one of my favourites, as it winds past one of our most memorable freedom camps at Kingston and the mighty Lake Wakatipu.  As soon as the lake comes into view it makes me smile and I couldn't have wished for a better day to share it with Liam as the sun shone on the crystal clear water.  I could tell instantly that he was just as impressed as he took in the view from Devil's Staircase.  We stopped at Kingston and ate sandwiches at the little beach.  Liam is a champion at skimming stones and he paddled in the water for ages, sending stones skipping across the water.  Eventually we made our way back to Gore, where Liam was in for a very colourful welcome!  Unbeknown to him, he had arrived on the busiest day of the year at our campground, the A & P Show.  Far from the peaceful, pastoral scene I had described, he was greeted by hordes of people, fairground rides and enormous inflatables; not to mention goats, donkeys and even a few Clydesdales!

Skimming stones in Lake Wakatipu

So happy to share this special place with my boy!

Being Liam, he took it all in his stride and once everyone had packed up and gone, sat happily in his camping chair with a beer as we cooked dinner outside.  Several other campers stopped for a chat before we went for a walk around the grounds and to see Casper, our foster lamb who is now very much a sheep rather than human and hangs out with his flock but still knows who his mum and dad are!  Minnie loved having Liam around again and was most upset the next morning when she got taken to boarding kennels but no dogs are permitted in Fiordland National Park and that was where we were headed.  Milford Sound is a place which should be on EVERYONE'S bucket list and I had been watching the weather forecast incessantly leading up to Liam's arrival.  It wasn't looking the flashest but we decided we would bite the bullet and go.  Besides, everyone assured me that the rain didn't matter up there, in fact quite the contrary.  I failed to see how it could possibly be any more spectacular than it had been a year ago, when the sun had shone and we could see for miles, but one thing I knew for sure, you don't miss ANY opportunity to go to the Sound!

Walking the Kepler Track

Walking out of the bush into a rainbow

We arrived a couple of hours later in Te Anau, which was bustling with people as always.  The weather as predicted was drizzly and none too warm but we still had time to fit in a walk so parked at the Control Gates by the lake.  There are heaps of good walks of varying distances in the Te Anau area - in fact you can walk for days if you want to do the whole 60km long Kepler Track!  I would certainly love to do that one day but for today we contented ourselves with just a short walk to Dock Bay.  After our obstacle course hike at Piano Flat a few weeks earlier, this track was a dream!  So enjoyable and well maintained.  The many trees provided shelter from much of the rain and grey as it was, the lake still was broodingly beautiful.  As we emerged out of the bush on our way back, the sun came out and a gorgeous rainbow stretched out in front of us.  As the saying goes, you can't have a rainbow without a little rain!

Our cute little cabin

Whilst Te Anau is a nice little town, I really like Manapouri just down the road as it is quieter and in my opinion even more beautiful.  I knew just where I wanted to stay too!  The Manapouri Motels & Holiday Park looks out right opposite the lake and although we had two vans I decided to book us cabins, so that we could all travel together and Liam could just relax and enjoy the views.  As it turned out, this was definitely a smart option, as the prices were so reasonable it worked out cheaper for us to stay this way than it would have cost to fill the other van with petrol!  This quaint wee place is rather like going back in time but that is all part of its charm.  The cabins are very basic (the lady on the phone wanted to make sure I was very clear of that when I booked as many people think they are getting a motel) but are adorable and very cosy.  I slept better that first night in our cabin that I have in a long time!  'If this is what a tiny house is like, we could definitely live in one of these!' we smiled.

One thing I would definitely recommend however when visiting Te Anau is to bring your own food.  Whilst we brought enough with us for breakfasts and lunches, we had forgotten how expensive it is to eat there, not just to dine out but also in the town's only supermarket.  We managed to get through a couple of hundred dollars in restaurants on what was frankly some seriously mediocre food.  Next time we won't forget to bring the camping fridge with us!  Much better to spend a little time making decent food to take with us beforehand, even if it seems like a hassle at the time.  Despite the age and quirkiness of the campground at Manapouri, we all agreed that both the communal kitchen and the bathroom and shower facilities were some of the best we had come across.  It was funny for us being back at a regular campground after all this time, especially during peak season.  Our campground in Gore is so relaxed and spacious, there is plenty of room for everyone and you never have to worry about not being able to get in the showers or toilets.  Here however there was a queue!  In fact there was a queue for everything from the kettle to the toaster and I remembered gratefully that this was why we had decided to stay put in our peaceful Southland paradise for the summer, rather than join the merry throng of overseas tourists.

Still, it was good for Liam, who aspires to do some travelling of his own to see what it was all about and to realise the sheer extent of people touring the South Island under their own steam.  I say 'the South Island' rather than NZ as a whole because despite being from the Coromandel Peninsula, which is in itself a tourist hotspot, the number of travellers and people living the van life is nothing in the North Island compared to the South, where it's really next level.  This became even more apparent the next day when we set off for Milford Sound and every single vehicle we encountered was either a camper van, tourist bus or rental car.  The road to Milford Sound is notorious and has a reputation for being dangerous but it really isn't.  I'm the biggest wuss on the planet when it comes to challenging roads and I find it a pleasure to drive, it's easier than driving from Thames to Whangamata!  It's not the road which is the problem; it's the drivers.  We saw two accidents on the road and in both cases there were no other vehicles involved, both were Asian tourists and occurred on straight roads.  It seemed as though they were simply distracted by the scenery and veered off the road, quite spectacularly.  I guess it is pretty easy to do when the scenery is that incredible!  But in case you have also heard horror stories about the road, don't stress about it.  The main thing to remember is to use your lower gears, even in an automatic because it is very easy to 'cook' your brakes, particularly on the last 30km or so and trust me, you don't want to be out on that road needing a mechanic with no cellphone reception for 140km!

Last year's trip to Milford Sound was spectacular.  Could we possibly top it this time?

Last time Gareth and I visited Milford Sound we had no idea what to expect, just like Liam didn't now.  But this time was going to be just as different for us as the first time, and not just because of the weather.  On our previous visit we scoffed at all the touristy things, preferring to 'do' the Sound for free.  Us, pay for a swanky cruise or a helicopter flight?  No thank you very much!  We'd rather do things under our own steam.  Besides, there was so much to see along the way, the journey itself was just as good as the destination!  That's what we believed anyway; after all, we had already seen some incredible sights just from the roadside.  This time however we were going the whole hog.  Thanks to the team at Southern Discoveries, the three of us were going on a cruise through the Sound, and not only that, we would be kayaking too!  It goes without saying we were excited to say the least.  But how different was it going to be?  How much better was the touristy experience really going to be, compared to our previous el cheapo one?  All will be revealed in the next blog!