New Zealand Days 1, 2 & 3a

The first day in New Zealand we barely got to our hostel by sundown. On the bus from the airport to the hostel, we passed a Wendy's, a cookie shop, and a McDonald's with a dollar menu. All three were very beautiful sights for sore eyes and empty wallets! While the exchange rate was good in Australia, the dollar just didn't buy very much.

Anyhow, the second day (first full day) in New Zealand we were lucky enough to rent a campervan without actually having a driver's license with us. So we set off on our next adventure. The weather was crisp, the grass green, and God even sent a rainbow to welcome us to the most beautiful country in the world.

They drive on the wrong (lol) side of the road over there, I was just glad I didn't have a standard transmission.

(Keep in mind that this is the middle of winter in NZ. August in NZ is like February in the North Hemisphere.)

We drove from Auckland (about 3/4 of the way up the north island) to Mt. Ruapehu and nearby Whackapapa Village, a dormant volcano that boasts excellent skiing and tons of snow in the wintertime. We needed to find a place to sleep and decided that the snow-covered parking lot at the visitor's center would be ideal! Here is the view out the windshield when we woke up. We were blanketed with about 2 1/2 inches of snow overnight. We opened our eyes to icicles on the roof of our van.

Two miles down the road? The snow was nowhere to be seen and the river at Tawhai Falls was flowing free. Jen went for a swim but I said "NO WAY!" (Do you believe me?)


Just a bit further down and on the other side of the road was a walking trail through the Volcanic Mounds. This field is full of volcanic debris from eruptions thousands of years ago.

To finish the day, we drove down the West Coast of the North Island, stopping here and there to enjoy the majesty of untouched wilderness and enjoy the surf.