Roadtrip, part 2

It was a long day on the road, broken up only for a quick walk on the beach and to switch drivers.  However, time flew as we looked out the window and just go lost in the beautiful, lush scenery.  Hills, snow capped mountains, beaches, lakes, rivers, bridges, livestock, and rain.  So much rain.  It rained from the moment we got in the car to the moment we got out, 10 hours later in Blenheim, just near the ferry terminal to the north island!  We set up camp and walked to the tavern across the street for some dinner.  On the way home we got stuck in the rain, so we made a beeline to the tent and bundled up, only to be sound asleep by 10pm.  Gotta love camping!!

drunken santa on the left!

my "I'm not ready to be awake for cameras" look

snooze cruise

this one's for Dad and Grandpa--literally ALL the cherry orchards were screened in!!

Wednesday was our ferry day, so we had a little sleep in, some instant oatmeal and coffee, and were off to the ferry terminal!  We spent the 3 hour ride playing cards and trying not to be sick, as the ship was experiencing higher than average swells.  Time flew and soon enough we were back in the van on our way to the next destination: Levin!

quite the bumpy ride...

our lovely camp sight in Levin

We had all been craving pea, pie, and pus (meat pies with mashed potatoes, gravy, and peas on top!) all day, so instead of paying $15 a pop, we hopped into the grocery store.  6 pies, instant mashed potatoes and gravy, and peas and we were set!  After we set up camp, we moved to the kitchen to make our dinner, only to find a few other inhabitants there as well.  We sat and talked to the 4 other Kiwis, 2 young guys and 2 older men.  We all had our own beverage of choice, mine being a cider called boysencider.  One of the old men, who had a beard down to his belt and the thickest glasses I've ever seen, pointed out the hilarious double meaning of my drink (sound out each syllable) which started the night off with a good laugh.  We ate our delicious dinner, hung out for a bit more socializing, and then retreated for bed.  Not long after, we were nearly asleep when a staff member came and shined a giant spotlight into our tent to inform us the cops were on their way to get us!  What?!  Apparently they thought we were hiding more than just 3 people in our tent, so they called the cops to take us in for theft.  Luckily we were easily ale to prove him wrong and the situation was fixed, thank God!  What a rude awakening!

Thursday we were off again, stopping along the way to dip our toes in the beautiful Lake Taupo and take in the sights of one of NZ's biggest volcanoes.  We set up camp for the night in Rotorua, BBQ'd some sausages for dinner, had a nice workout on the trampoline, and passed out by 9:30pm!  Apparently sitting in a car all day is quite tiring!  However, the long night of sleep served us well, as Friday was to be our final day of driving, and it would be a long one!

Lake Taupo

We slept in, had some breakfast, and set off for Auckland!  Expecting the drive to take all day, we were shocked when we saw the "Welcome to Auckland" sign after 4 hours!  In Auckland, we were staying with Jaimie's old friend from Waimete, Olivia.  However, Olivia was at work until 5pm, so we killed 3 hours driving around Auckland trying to find a beach.  After an hour, we were successful, and found the most beautiful black sand beach with caves and tide pools and intense waves!  We headed back to Olivia's house at 5, said our hello's, and were quickly swept off to the Air Force base where Olivia works to join her and her co-workers for a work BBQ.  Lots of beer, sausages, and a giant lamb slow cooking on a spit, not to mention loads of gorgeous Air Force men!  We had a great time meeting all her friends and socializing and watching her drunk boss make a fool of himself!  We moved on to a local bar after the BBQ, but called it a night around midnight as we were leaving early the next morning for the Bay of Islands up north!