Out of the City

To Miranda, New Zealand

Today was mostly dedicated to organization. We hadn't yet come up with a travel plan, and the Pfyffer's still needed to take possession of their new camper, which wasn't ready for them yesterday. As a result, we spent much of the day at a small nearby shopping center having lunch at the food court and buying groceries and other supplies. Etienne and Arno even snuck in a quick haircut.  I figured I was still good letting my super short Laos buzz cut grow out.

Pfyffer shoes drying in the sun

Candy for Arno

Haircut for Etienne

Interestingly, we were both renting from the same Share-a-Camper business. At 3:00 in the afternoon we learned that there had been a mix up and the van was delivered to the wrong shopping center. To save time, a gas station a half hour away was selected as the new pick up spot.

By this time ,we figured out that the solar charging system on our van was not particularly robust. Even in the afternoon sun, the refrigerator, apparently, killed the auxiliary battery. The only way to kickstart the system would be to buy jumper cables and hook up to a good 12V battery. So much for cold food and running water.

Jump starting the charging system

Fortunately, the Pfyffer's new van, a white VW, was vastly superior to the old -- a pop-up top, sleeping spots for five, a small fridge and a two burner stove. Finally, around 7:00, we were all on the road again, having decided to head for the Coromandel region just to the southeast.

As we left the considerable expanse of Auckland, the scenery became stunningly beautiful -- rolling hills, pretty valleys, clean air and lots of farm animals. An hour out of town, we pulled up next to a dozen other camper-vans and motorhomes at Ray's Rest, a beautiful stretch of shell covered beach on the Firth of Thames Bay. The mud flats extended out at least 400 yards and the kids wasted no time checking it out. The super slimy mud laced with thousands of shells was an interesting concoction to wade through. Dinner wasn't ready until almost dark, but, with the thin crescent moon early in its first phase, we were treated to a brilliant star filled sky and even a few shooting stars.

My beautiful feet

View of the Firth of Thames Bay