New Zealand North Island

DAY 1

After an 11 hour flight we landed in Auckland. I have to say our kids have become very good little travelers though. They sprawled out across our economy seat asleep with heads in our laps despite the numbness and muscle aches in our legs. Waiting for our luggage the police dog sniffed out our bags and identified us. Turns out he wasn’t looking for drugs, but fresh produce goods. We had had an apple and cherries in our backpack on the plane, but had already eaten them. The good dog got a treat and we got to go through customs.

Our first impression of Auckland reminded us of California, but with a tropical feel. We waited a half hour for a huge yellow bus to take us to the RV rental center. Our good little travels melted down during this stage. At the RV center things were a bit better for everyone. Steven was able to shower, the kids could play in small play area and I filled out the paperwork. We toured the RV, learned how to empty the poop canister (which we’ve been drilling the kids we will NEVER use) and hit the road.

We did get a little lost trying to find the highway; (nothing like doing a u-turn in a RV to make you read a map more carefully.) We headed south on state highway 1 to the Coromandel Peninsula. We heard that there are more sheep in NZ than people, but from our view we only saw cows. Our first stop was at the grocery store/mall in Thames, a small gateway city at the base of the peninsula --wasn’t the best impression. We ate at a dirty McDonalds filled with flies, because it was the only restaurant open in the mall. We then shopped at PaknSav, which seemed to be warehouse-discount store, filled with motley shoppers.

After cramming groceries in any spare spot, we only had a few kilometers to go Dickson Holiday Park. It wasn’t quite as scenic and spacious as the photo shopped website would have you believe. While Steven and I rolled our eyes at the place, the kids were in pure heaven. They grabbed their butterfly nets and took off out the door to catch wild ducks in the creek. They declared the ducks would not be for dinner, but would be a pet only. Lucky for the ducks, they evaded capture. Despite being jetlagged and exhausted we still managed to play in the creek and go for a swim before heading to bed. Steven was able to pop in ear plugs and get some sleep. I on the other hand dealt with wild monkeys lose in a campervan, hopping beds, throwing bedding, going potty (yes-in the campervan on the first night, so I figured I might as well too!) Of course, none of this seemed funny at the time.