Since the 8th of January, I've been driving around New Zealand in our newly purchased but very old van (1982 Toyota HiAce) named Phil along with my travel companions Julia and Susi from Bovaria, Germany. Our goal has been to see and experience as much of New Zealand as possible while keeping our expenses almost solely limited to food and fuel. This means showering at beach showers, rivers, or sneaking into hostels. Getting our drinking water from bathroom taps or boiling water from streams; and charging our camera's, phones, and my laptop by grabbing a seat next to an outlet in a cafe, Starbucks, or McDonalds for several hours.

The trip started out in Auckland where we immediately made our way to the very northern tip of the country, Cape Reinga (now my third and final time there). From the Cape, we officially started our way south, with the intentions of stopping off at nearly every major city along the way. We've kept track of the roads we've traveled as well as every spot we've stopped over night on the detailed AA maps that came with Phil. Eventually, I'll take some photos of the maps and stitch them together to give a full view of the entire journey.

While Phil has proven reliable so far, he's quirky in a way I don't think Susi or Julia will ever understand. When cold, it takes two quick pumps of gas to get him going, pulling the choke to a certain notch so it doesn't stall, and keeping the RPM's above (what I'd guess without a tachometer) 3,000 to avoid a jerky backfiring ride. Once warm, he runs well but doen't start unless you have the gas just about half way depressed followed by a quick pump as you turn the ignition. Regardless, once I managed to figure out his special needs, he has served us well.

Without power, your entertainment is basic, but in a refreshingly primal sort of way. Most days have been filled with hiking, swimming, and sun bathing, but never in the same spot for more than a day or two. We've swam in the Pacific Ocean, Tasman Ocean, black sand beaches, white sand beaches, rocky bays, hot water springs and pools, cold streams, and rapid flowing rivers. (We love the water and have spent the night parked next to some body of water all but one single night.) My biological clock is now set with the rising and falling sun, going to sleep shortly after dusk and waking up shortly after dawn, of course I sneak in a lazy afternoon nap every once in a while. I like to start out most mornings by jumping out of the crowded van, hot and steamy with the heat of 3 bodies cramped into a can, throwing my swimsuit on and diving head first into whatever water we're near that day. It's like coffee and a shower in one, only better! In a way, when living on the road, everything it takes to sustain life becomes an adventure. Whether it's finding a free source of water to refill our jugs, cooking a meal with just a pot held over an open fire, picking apples and plums from a wild roadside tree, washing clothes and dishes in a clear blue river, even finding a suitable place amongst the brush to poop, I find it all fascinating because it's just so different from the life I've been accustomed to.

Other than that, I spend a good couple hours a day reading, I'm almost done with my third book since we began traveling. Unfortunately, the boost in my vocabulary can go to waste when even simple english is often responded to with a "Huh?" by my German travel mates. English can sometimes feel foriegn to me when I have to reword what I'm saying several times before I'm understood. At times, it can be frustrating, (especially when almost none of my humor is understood... I now fully understand Heather's appreciation for adult conversation after spending all day with kids) but in the end I'm exposed to a different culture, and it's pretty convenient when something like 30% of the travelers we meet are from Germany.

Once you escape the high traffic tourist areas, where the locals aren't so sick of tourists, it becomes clear why the Kiwi's are known for their hospitality. On our first night out with the van, we pulled off a gravel road next to a field of cows. We were kind of uncomfortable parking next to someone elses land. As it grew dark a car approached. We were sure they would ask us to get off of their road, but instead we were greeted with a friendly hello and offered a parking spot in one of their free padocks where it might be quieter for us. On two seperate occasions we've been invited into someone's home for some afternoon tea and biscuits. Once by a family whose ranch we had parked in front of, another time by Marty, the sand board rental guy in Cape Reinga. After sneaking into an open room in a Paihia hostel to shower for the first time in 4 days, some of the people staying in the room came in and laughed at the situation, offering us a couple cold drinks and advice on beaches to see during our travels. When camping overnight at the Coromandel Penninsula, we met Lucia who was camping as well with her 9 year old son, Mako, and a couple of his friends. After an evening of fishing, skipping rocks, and telling stories around a camp fire, they offered us some parting gifts; an extra fish Mako caught, and a bottle of Lucia's sweet home made gin.

I'm currently writing this in a cafe in the lakeside town of Taupo, about half way down the North Island. It's the largest lake in New Zealand and is actually a crater filled with water, formed by one of the largest volcanic explosions in the earths history. When we stopped here, we ran into some friends Kit and Rich, from the UK, whom we met in Auckland while looking for our van. We've joined them and spent the last two nights in this cool free camp park situated along the Waikato river (think of our river back home, but replace the desert with rain forest, and paint the water this vivid blueish-green). Tomorrow, if whether permits, we'll be doing the Tongariro Crossing. This hike is arguably New Zealand's best one day hike, crossing through the middle of the national park where we will see a number of pristine lakes and rivers (as well as Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings) as we climb a volcano.

-UPDATE-

I wrote everything above about a week ago but didn't get the opportunity to post it until now. We didn't end up going to the Tongariro crossing the next day as I had planned. While stopping by a random hostel to check their free food section (most hostels have a shelf in the kitchen where people can leave behind food they don't plan on eating) we came across a job offer for lavender weeding. Needless to say, the 5 of us (us plus our English friends Kit and Rich) spent the following days weeding for $10 NZ an hour. I ended up working 12 hours the first day and another 8 the following since it was the first job in a while and I wasn't sure when I would next get a paying job. Near the end of our second day, Rich challenged us to describe the work in two words. Some of the answers were 'back breaking, mind retardening, and suicide inspiring' but it was a new experience and we walked away smelling better than we started.
After the weeding experience we celebrated with a pint of Guiness and 14 hour comma in the van. A couple days later we made it to the Tongariro Crossing. We spent a day in the van waiting out some rain so we pushed the crossing back hoping for better weather. But, the following day we awoke to more of the same rain and freezing wind. It was going to be then or never so we packed up and hit the mountain. A lot of the hike looked just like scenes from Lord of the Rings, especially some of the steep rock climbs. At one point, where we were climbing up the ridge of one of the volcanoes, the wind was so strong we had to get onto all fours in order to continue without being blown over the cliff side into the crater. Kit got a couple cool photos of us defying gravity as we leaned forward into the wind. The Emerald Lakes were the must stunning portion of the hike. At the top of this volcano were a series of large pools with this surreal light blue color that almost seemed to glow. Meanwhile, at our altitude, the clouds were rushing up over the mountain side and blowing right across the surface of the water. I was on the verge of going for a swim, but the wind was so strong and the air so cold I wasn't sure I could finish the hike if I did.

We're now in the beautiful coastal city (as if there were another kind of city in New Zealand) Hawkes Bay, renown for the unique art decco influences found everywhere throughout. We're going to see if we can get a job doing some apple picking nearby. If not, I might try for my firearms license so I can apply for a job posting I saw for 'Bird Shooting' at a vineyard (Only kidding, although I can't help smiling as I imagine a real life version of 'Duck Hunt' for Nintendo back in the 80's). I'll post again when I can, miss everyone!