Our First Day

The first thing I did when we stepped off the plane was take a big deep breath. All countries seem to have their own smell, much like houses.  It smelled sweet, fresh and humid (if you can smell humidity?)

At first glance, the people of New Zealand seem to be health-conscious, adventurous, outdoorsy and environmentally friendly. Most of the menus have light options and there are messages of recycling and conserving water everywhere. I have yet to see a toilet that isn’t low flush. They also appear to be quite adventurous. Options for extreme outdoor adventure are limitless; we just have to pick a few!

Our first day, Christmas, was spent in Auckland. Although most things were closed, there was a healthy bustle of activity downtown. We spent most of the day driving around and eating, two of our favorite activities!

The next day we were set to pick up our campervan and head north to the Bay of Islands. For those of you who followed our last set of travels, you know very well we can’t get anywhere without some sort of chaos ensuing. When Greg went to pick up the van he double-checked with Britz that we would be dropping it off in Queenstown. We had already booked a flight from Queenstown to Auckland where we catch our flight back home to Canada. I won’t go into details, but there had been a slight miscommunication. We actually have to drop the van off in Christchurch, a 7-hour drive from Queenstown. We spent the first part of the morning at the airport weighing our options. We decided on a drive originating at 3am from Queenstown and a $120 flight change. Given our history with flights, we got off easy!

I don’t have much to post as of yet. We’ve taken a day to get our bearings and relax. A short run, a few camp-style meals, some ice cream and a cave of glowworms are all we have to report. I should mention that we did stop in a small town famous for a set of colorful public toilets. I am embarrassed to say that we did take pictures. We are embracing cheesy tourism to the fullest.  

We are NOT the travelers who feel guilty taking time to not do anything. The best part of a longer-type vacation is the ability to live a lifestyle that is difficult to replicate at home.  Go to bed when you are tired, wake up when your body feels as though it’s had enough rest and plan your day moment to moment as your desires dictate. Those desires don’t have to vie for time against work, traffic, appointments, grocery shopping and social commitments. It’s the life!

Hope everyone back home had a very Merry Christmas!