So we made it safely from Sunny Fiji to Rainy, freezing Auckland and boy was that a shock to the system! Our first night was fairly uneventful as we didnt arrive into new zealand until about 6pm. It was too late to collect our campervan so the first evening was spent at a hostel next to the airport. We were collected there by the man who runs the hostel and the whole journey from start to finish had been pretty painless! The first priority was to get some dinner so we took a walk to the only two restaurants anywhere near the hostel. An indian wouldnt have been my first choice after such a long flight but beggars cant be choosers! We then took the first opportunity we had had in 3 weeks to call home using the skype! About 2 hours later we had just enough energy to read some of the thousand tourist leaflets we got at the airport before collapsing into bed!

The next day was the big day that we collected the campervan! I was apprehensive to say the least as i had just let Michael book the whole thing and i just kept saying just get the cheapest so i had no idea what to expect at the hire shop! I knew it was small and i knew it had a toilet which i had insisted on for during the night and emergencies!! We arrived at the shop and it took ages to sort out the paperwork as there were some problems however we soon had the keys and the woman took us round to introduce us to home for the next 71 nights.

You will see from the photos that it is very very small i have no ides how they manage to fit everything they have into the tiny space but they did! The couches come together with the use of two pieces of plywood and the cushion pads become your mattress! There is a tiny toilet/shower cubicle and a little kitchen area with sink and two gas cooking rings. All i could do for the first 5 minutes was laugh thinking there was no way we could survive in such a small space for so long! However we went through the briefing with the lady about how you get hot water, how you empty the toilet, fill up the water tank and empty the old used water away! Soon we were let loose and on our way, the first stop being the supermarket to get supplies!

The plan was to have 3 nights in Auckland before heading up north for a few nights. We found a camp site about 15 minutes from the centre of town and were desperate to get powered up and unpack our things. Not surprisingly there are no drawers or wardrobes in the van however there were some overhead bins where you could put everything from inside your bag. Having had 4 months of constantly packing your things in and out of the same bag where the thing you needed always seemed to be at the bottom, to unpack everything as sad as it sounds was heaven. Our first afternoon/evening was just spent at the camp reading over our guidebooks trying to decide what we wanted to do in Auckland and try to formulate a plan as to where we wanted to go next. We also got tucked into our duty free vodka which was taking up a good 40% of our compact fridge space! When it was time for bed we had a good giggle trying to set the bed up with the two plywood planks and the seat cushions for a mattress. To be completely honest it was much more comfortable than I was expecting and I was maybe starting to come round to this campervan thing! Our first full day out exploring and the first stop was the rather predictable sky tower. We picked this for two reasons, firstly as the sky was blue and it wasn't raining for the first time since we arrived we wanted to get the best views and photos possible and also it makes a really good way to orientate yourself with where all the volcanoes and other landmarks are. The view was not a disappointment the sky was blue and you could see all the dozens of volcanic mounds dotted around the skyline. Auckland is known as the city of sails and it was easy to see why. The harbour literally had hundreds of sail boats visible from the tower and there are apparently more boats per head of population in Auckland than there are anywhere else in the world. After taking in all of the 360° view we next headed to Queen Street the main shopping area in Auckland centre. Our main agenda for shopping was to get some warmer clothing and for me some warm and cosy PJ's because whilst the bed had been comfortable that first night when I woke up around 4am it was absolutely freezing and my little shorts and vest PJ's were just not gonna cut it for the New Zealand Spring! Unfortunately the shops on Queen street were a bit of a disappointment partly due to a lack of decent shops but also the shops were starting to get their summer gear in. So while we wanted hoodies and jackets the shops were selling bikinis and sundresses! After a couple of hours walking around we managed to get some bright and garish spotty PJ's and if you bought the jammies you got to buy slippers for $5 which is about 2 quid so I thought it was rude not to. After the shops we decided to take a closer look at some of the beautiful yaughts at one of the many wharfs. It is from Auckland Harbour that the annual Americas Cup boat race begins and I think ends here. They had some of the racing boats and it was really cool to see just how tall they are up close but also to see the living space or lack of space. There doesn't seem to be anywhere onboard that looks big enough to sleep in (maybe the campervan wasn't so small after all)! After walking the wharfs it was time to head back toward the centre of town for dinner. This time we walked along K street and High Street before Michael who desperately wanted a haircut spotted a barbers with a wine bar next door so while he got sheared I got wined up in the bar. On our travels we spotted a wagamamas restaurant which back home we love so we needed no persuasion to have dinner there. (It should have been pasta or a cheesy beano in the van but the wagamamas won out)!Day 3 of our Auckland stay and after spending the morning with a very temperamental washing machine in the camp laundry we went to the Museum. We had been recommended by a few people we had met to go and visit the special Maori exhibit which was only there for a limited time. It certainly didn't disappoint as we learned loads about the history of the Maori, their culture, lifestyle and also got so see some of their carvings as well as the tools and weapons they used everyday. It was really informative and by the time we had toured this one part of the museum we had little time left to see anything else. We had a look in the nature exhibit and then of course the Volcanoes section to learn more about the natural phenomenon which has shaped the landscape we were standing on. After the museum we took a drive around to mission bay as the barber who cut mikes hair said it was worth a look. It was a nice seaside town with lovely views back to the Auckland skyline however the sun had set, the wind had picked up so after a short walk around we headed back to the heat of the van to warm up. It was then off to the supermarket to collect some dinner supplies and then back to cook up a storm at the campsite kitchen! Day 4 and we left this part of Auckland to head to an area called Devonport. It is a much quieter and more laid back part of town with a seaside feel about it. There were also the two well known extinct volcanoes called Mt Victoria and North Point both of which you could either walk or drive to the summit to get the most amazing views of the Auckland skyline. We first parked up in the town and had a look around some of the local shops. There were a few domestic bits and pieces we wanted to get for the van that didn't come with the hire so we picked up what needed and also some things we didn't! After a pleasant stroll around the town we decided to take the van to the top of Mt Victoria and with our onboard kitchen cook ourselves some lunch and eat it surrounded by wonderful views and a "refreshing" sea breeze! The volcano had once been occupied my Maoris and you could still see some of their excavations in the side of the mountain to make it more habitable. The volcano also had the last remaining disappearing gun in New Zealand. It was basically a massive cannon sunk into the mountain to protect The North Island from the threat of attack. It however was never fired in anger and was actually only ever fired once as a trial but it smashed everyone nearby's windows so was never fired again! After our tour of Devonport was over we had to drive to the nearby town of Takapuna to get a campsite for overnight. We were not expecting much from the campsite however were pleasantly surprised when the friendly man and his huge dalmation dog escorted us to a powered site pretty much on the beach front with wonderful views of the ocean and surrounding landscape. At this point my head was really turning with the whole campervan thing as how many people for about ten pounds a night can open their backdoor to such an amazing view knowing that the view the following night would be very different! We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the town, again another beachside town before getting dinner supplies and heading back to the van for another chilled out evening in our new home!