We’re slipping into the pace of the place (not that we were in need of much deceleration, having been on the road for 18 months, but…). This is a special part of the country, from Gisborne via Loisel’s Beach and Maraehako to Ohiwa Beach. In hindsight, it feels like there’s a point somewhere around the … Continue reading East Cape
And then there was Maraehako. …Strange I had almost forgotten about it, a marvel of a place we just happened to stop at to stay for a couple of nights. I am wondering if New Zealand is full of these places you just happen to stumble across by chance. This was one of my favourite, … Continue reading Maraehako
Hello, I noticed the last post sounded a bit final. We do still have a few posts up our sleeves that we’d like to share, so you don’t miss out on some special places we have been to. Opoutere, on the West coast of the Coromandel peninsula, is one of those jewels we have found … Continue reading Opoutere is in the air
We’re on the road for one and a half years now. Living in New Zealand full time again, I notice how easy it is to get used to its amazing countryside. When ‘the nature’, as the Germans say, ceases to blow you away on a daily basis, it’s crucial to treasure the small things. It’s meaningful … Continue reading The beauty of small things
A couple of months ago we’ve arrived in Wellington, and this is what it felt like: We have been looking forward to this moment for a long time. Finally in Wellington, WITH our new home. Two nights at Russell Terrace behind the zoo and now we’ve moved to the South Coast. And what shall I say? … Continue reading Wellington
Hello, everybody, and sorry for our absence in the last couple of months. We’re catching up quickly, but here’s a little retrospective first. Nearly half a year ago now, our camera had fallen out of the top shelf, while driving through a curve and it has been broken ever since. Last week we finally replaced it … Continue reading Fantastic Mr Fox River
I have been having this internal debate for the last few months about which of the two bays I prefer: Tasman Bay or Golden Bay. They both mean beach, the elements, tides, and now summer, to me. Our summer started a week before Christmas and has not stopped yet. I think I can get used to … Continue reading Summer to behold
We arrived in Golden Bay four weeks ago and followed the road right up to Collingwood. Sleepy and laid back, it is situated on a tiny tip of land separating the mouth of the Aorere River, in the Ruataniwha (“Taniwha’s den”, or, even scarier, “Two Taniwhas”?) inlet, and the calm waters of Golden Bay. There … Continue reading Colling Woods and Golden Bays
Something about the area around Punakaiki makes your blood fizz. Paparoa National Park is wild and lush and feels like an adventure waiting to happen. In fact, our time in Punakaiki even started with an adventure. A couple of weeks prior to our arrival, we’d detected a small gas leak in our bus, which meant … Continue reading Adventures in Paparoa
Life is ticking on pretty nicely at the moment. Work has picked up a bit more (downside = less blogging), and we have a steady wee routine going, something I’ve been aching for for ages. I’m really enjoying doing a bit more hand-drawn work – a couple of logos and some illustrations for a magazine … Continue reading Hokitika beach life
A couple of weeks ago we were in Okarito. A little nugget at the West Coast, it has been a thriving gold mining town in the 1860s. Population quickly rose to 1200 or so, but only 18 months later it was all over. I tried to imagine the industrious busyness walking down the main (only) street but couldn’t … Continue reading Okarito
Aaaaah, the West Coast. It seems we did have to go the long way around, to finally arrive where we knew we’d love to be. And facing winter in Southland may have made it all the nicer to arrive. It felt like layers and layers of cold and darkness were peeled off us in an … Continue reading West Coast, here we are!
We’ve had the most blissful few days. Four days ago (really only four?), we drove north out of Wanaka, heading towards the Haast Pass to cross over to the West Coast. At the top of Lake Wanaka, we pulled into a Department of Conservation campsite to spend the night. Having stayed in well-groomed Holiday Parks … Continue reading Four nights in the wild
After our Queenstown “on holiday” week (no work… well, not much work, baths every single day, going to the loo inside. LUXURY!), we upped sticks and drove to Wanaka. For whatever reason, this little town seems to sit in the eye of whatever nasty weather pattern is currently hitting the region, so we’ve enjoyed beautiful, … Continue reading Wanaka
After three months, through winter, Liberty has withstood the test of time and we have moved past the novel feeling of life on the road. Romantic notions of frosty days, woodfiry nights, homebaked bread and an overall gypsy vibe have become reality for us. This is now our life. Despite this, or maybe because of … Continue reading A week in Queenstown
There were all sorts of things I was looking forward to about living and travelling in a bus. Meeting new people in unexpected situations – inviting strangers in for a coffee, going to Playcentre in a town I don’t know, or being offered food just because we are there to receive it. I dreamed of … Continue reading Something I didn’t expect
So here we are, truly on the road, with our bus, ready as ever, all packed up and roaring! We had a great couple of days catching up with family in Christchurch, and our first day on the road was appropriately filled with action and drama: The metal flap door (heavy) almost dropped onto Hannah’s … Continue reading There’s light in the darkness