We made good progress on the road north from Christchurch and decided to turn off the main highway and head for the beach, after one dead end we found the pretty little settlement of Motunau, while we weren't allowed to camp by the beach there was a small basic campsite where we parked up and had our first night in the van.

After leaving our payment for the campsite in the honesty box we drove down to the beach for a bowl of porridge on the shore, it really was a beautiful first stop after a quick stroll on the beach we continued our drive north. With the luxury of time we were able to take a detour to drive along the scenic route through Gore bay and along the country lanes, already really relaxing experience.