On the road!

For the next 4 weeks, as we explore the South Island, our home will be a Britz Elite camper van. It's basically a converted transit van but has a surprisingly well equipped kitchen, a living/ sleeping area and even a tiny bathroom! We've had a bit of a bumpy start with problems with the water pump and nearly over-flowing the "grey water" from showers and washing dishes, but we're getting into the swing of it now and are definitely enjoying the freedom that having our own wheels provides.

Our first night was spent above Akaroa on the Banks Penisula, with wonderful views across the bay. We also experienced our first mysterious pattering on the roof... these Red-billed Gulls were the culprits.

Next we were treated to the soundtrack of the roaring Pacific Ocean as we parked up right near the beach in pretty Gore Bay.

The only disappointment so far is that it doesn't seem quite so easy to camp as we had expected. In every tiny little town there are signs saying No Overnight Parking or No Camping in seemingly ideal camping spots. We're hoping that we won't have to stay in proper sites every night and that once we get out into the wild a bit more "freedom camping" might be possible.

Tonight we are in Kaikoura, further up the East Coast. It is an amazing place with snowy mountains that go right down to the sea! Today we had wanted to go whale watching but our trip was cancelled owing to unsafe conditions at sea. We weren't too disheartened, though, and did a brilliant walk around the peninsula admiring the incredible scenery. We signed up for the whale watching again tomorrow so fingers crossed.

We did see some lovely sleeping Fur Seals today, which gave us a taste of the area's impressive marine wildlife.

Rachel x