We all left Dunedin today bound for different places around NZ - the Krumms to the north island and I&M to spend an extra day before they headed off back home. My parents were traveling with us up to Christchurch where were going to pickup our campervan for the next phase of our trip - a week of true sightseeing. Now this may seem like an unusual way to see NZ, but I think it is the method of choice to visit this relatively small south island. Driving around as tourists and most likely at least every other vehicle you see is some sort of campervan. Note: these are normal sized campervans which range from the usual VW microbus size up to about the smallest RV you would see on the road in America. Certainly no vehicles the size of buses here! You wouldn't make it very far on the narrow roads.
A whole ecosystem is there to support this, even in the most tiny remote town there will be some sort of holiday park, which is sort of like a campground that specializes in campervans. They have dedicated water and electric hookups, a common kitchen and dining room, and nice laundry and shower facilities. (Another nice perk: most have some sort of playground for the little guy!) In short everything you could want while living the nomadic lifestyle. We picked up two identical vans both about the same size as a van in the US, one for us and one for my parents. Our camper in theory could sleep 4, but it would be very crowded. As it is it was a pretty cozy fit, where your eating table folded into your bed at night. But it had a mini-fridge, stove, toaster, and coffee press.
They allow a tremendous flexibility on what you want to do and where to go, which was why we picked this as a way to do it. No making hotel reservations a months in advance, just phone up the holiday park at lunch, and roll into your spot for dinner. Simple!
A whole ecosystem is there to support this, even in the most tiny remote town there will be some sort of holiday park, which is sort of like a campground that specializes in campervans. They have dedicated water and electric hookups, a common kitchen and dining room, and nice laundry and shower facilities. (Another nice perk: most have some sort of playground for the little guy!) In short everything you could want while living the nomadic lifestyle. We picked up two identical vans both about the same size as a van in the US, one for us and one for my parents. Our camper in theory could sleep 4, but it would be very crowded. As it is it was a pretty cozy fit, where your eating table folded into your bed at night. But it had a mini-fridge, stove, toaster, and coffee press.
They allow a tremendous flexibility on what you want to do and where to go, which was why we picked this as a way to do it. No making hotel reservations a months in advance, just phone up the holiday park at lunch, and roll into your spot for dinner. Simple!
From Christchuch we decided to head north up the coast to Kaikoura. It is a beautiful ocean side town that is famous for the whale and dolphin watching courtesy of the ocean floor plunging to unfathomable depths not far from the coast. We drove most of the way north in a constant rain, and pulled into the holiday park near dusk. We made a quick trip to the town to pick up some provisions, and all hit the hay relatively early. (The cold and rain helped with that).
We woke up to a beautifully sunny day. We knew our holiday park was right on the ocean, but when we woke up and cracked the curtains we were greeting with a beautiful view of the ocean and the famous black volcanic sandy beach just behind us both totally obscured by last nights weather. We spent the morning and early afternoon walking around the town and taking photos, chatting to locals, and general sightseeing. We headed out just after noon, so that Connor's nap would coincide with the drive to our next destination. Up next the Marlborough wine country!
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