Diddley i Potatoes - Phil

We have got a campervan!!!

Well, nearly.

Since we last wrote, we offered Michelle and Paul (Mitsu Delica) less than what they wanted, but they weren't too happy at our pitiful (but realistic) offer, so we didn't pursue that any further. We decided that more van-viewing was required, so that's what we did yesterday (Wednesday).

However, on Wednesday morning, I was starting to feel a bit lazy and un-exercised, so took myself off for a run around the nearby hills. It was fantastic and the route I took afforded the most amazing views of Auckland harbour and the beaches and bays on Waiheke. It ended with a run along Blackpool beach, which made me feel at home.

We hoped there would be a chance to see and stay with Jo Clayton, a friend of Meg's from the UK who has been working in Auckland. So we took a possible change of clothes with us into Auckland. However, we didn't have a very appropriate bag/daysack, so our first task was to get a new bag. I get particularly excited when we get to go into camping shops, so after getting the midday ferry into town we spent about an hour looking at bags and rucksacks, and camping stuff. It was ace. I love my new rucksack, and got to wear it all day. I can't wait for the next time I can use it.

We arranged to see the new lot of vans at the Ponsonby backpackers, the same place as where we had been on Monday. It was just slightly out of town, and was quiet enough for the vans to find somewhere to park and us to look around.

The first one was owned by Nick, and was a long-wheel-base Toyota hi-ace. It was excellent. It had loads of fittings (fridge, sink, bed-cum-sofa) and looked more like a caravan than a campervan. However, we weren't sure about Nick, a mancunian who had just had the van a few weeks and wanted to get rid of it as he was going to be travelling in a group of 5, and obviously the van wasn't big enough to cater for that many people. The van was very sensible, but lacked a bit of character. Also, he wanted quite more money than anyone else we had seen.

The second van was Tobin and Marianne, from Denmark and their Mitsubishi Delica. It was ok, but no better than some of the other ones we'd seen on Monday.

The third van was 2 German girls with their Mazda Bongo. Unfortunately for them they had their van broken into the night before, and had ALL their stuff stolen (except their passports), so just wanted to get rid of the van asap before flying back home. We felt really sorry for them as they had lost all their clothes, possessions, and photos from their travels. But we're still not buying their rubbish van.

The 4^th van was owned by a surfer dude who took great pains to tell and show us the handiwork that he had done on his van. He had built all the framework for the bed in the back, and was incredibly proud of what he had done. Unfortunately he came across as just too pushy so we were immediately sceptical of his selling tactics. However, it is clear to us that we have arrived in NZ at a time when there are loads of vans for sale, but not very many buyers. Most people are really desperate to get rid of their vehicles before they are forced to give it away for nothing to some dodgy dealer.

Our final car that we saw is the one that we are hoping to get. Meg was initially unsure about seeing the van as the advert that had been placed in the hostels just showed a silly, garish, painted van, that was traveller-cliche all over, but when the van pulled up beside us, we immediately liked it. The guys that own the van (John and Jess, a german couple) clearly both love the van and desperately don't want to have to sell the van. They have kept it in good condition, and seemed very trustworthy, and we warmed to them straight away. It is a long-wheel-base toyota hi-ace, so had lots of room, and makes all the other vans seem really cramped. It is high enough to almost stand up straight it, and plenty of room to get changed without having to do everything lying down on the bed. It is a 5 speed manual car and has the gear stick on the steering column which was a bit weird at first, but not too difficult to get used to. It has the ability to get hooked up to electricity points (available at campsites), and comes with a host of added extras: lots of storage space/boxes, some drawers, remote control lights for night-time, a surfboard and bodyboard, 2 wetsuits, a tool box, gas stove, 2 heaters/fans for when it's cold/hot, and lots more. The van has also done a lot less mileage that most of the rest that we had seen..

Although we had doubts initially (when we saw the advert) we have decided we love the fact it has 'Diddly I Potatoes painted on the bonnet, a pegasus-style horse on one side and a BFG on the other. But we figure that if we're going to go travelling, we may as well go travelling in a hippy style van. We won't get the chance to have a van like this again, so why not? We'll certainly remember where we parked it.

We rang John and Jess a few hours after discussing our options, and they came to meet us and discuss the payment. We didn't want to pay as much as they were asking, so they have agreed to lower their asking price so that they have not lost out on what they have paid and put into the van. However, before we exchange monies, we are taking the van for an AA inspection check tomorrow afternoon. Presuming that everything is fine, we will agree to buy the van, and then our adventures can properly start!!

Unfortunately, we couldn't stay with Jo Clayton last night as she was busy at work, but we will hopefully see her another day. Instead we got the late ferry back to Waiheke.

Today we have spent the day around the house. I have made a cracking spanish omelette for lunch, and Meg went with Heidi to take the childen to playgroup.

This afternoon Heidi took us to the eastern part of the island, which was out of this world. It is pretty much deserted of people, except for a few hippies here and there, and the odd 'bach' (a kind of cool wooden holiday home). We saw the most awesome bays and clifft op views, quite a few vineyards, and forests. Meg took the obligatory photos, and then we raced back home in order for Heidi to take Kirby to the boat so he could go to work.

Tomorrow, we will be doing the AA check with the campervan. If it's considered ok, we will hope to exchange money tomorrow, but it still may take a few days if the banks don't play ball. So the best scenario is that we can head off tomorrow night into the sunset. The less-good scenario is we have to wait 3-4 days for bank transfers to take place, and then we can head off into the sunset. The worst-case scenario is that the AA think the van is rubbish and we have to start off all over again and there is no sunset.

The Campervan Search - Phil

Hello there.


It's Tuesday evening here and we have officially left the UK for 7 days, and been in NZ for about 6.


Since Meg last wrote, we have explored Waiheke a bit more. Heidi has driven us around the western part of the island which is more habitated than the east. She showed us the cool little beaches and cool campsites.




We have been for a good 2 hour walk in some sub-tropical bush-forest in a bird and nature reserve by Onetangi bay. This walk was cool, but it did chuck it down for the 2 hours so we were completely soaked and quite ready for some grub and drink as we reached the cafe by the beach when we finished. And then the rain stopped.


Being an island, there are beaches everywhere, and the island is also very hilly, which makes for some good vantage points and nice enclosed bays. There are only 8000 people that live on the island (making it the third most populated island in New Zealand, after the North and South), but apparently it swells to 45000 in the summer! So there are lots of posh expensive pads in gorgeous beauty spots that people flock to for their holidays. We have come in the off-season, but it's still beautiful and at least doesn't feel crammed full of tourists.


We spent yesterday walking around Auckland. We tried to unlock a phone that we had brought from the UK, but it turns out that it couldn't be done, so we have had to buy a simple cheap phone and are now on the Vodafone Nz network. Our number is 0064 (0) 210672905. (We had our first incoming call today from the bank. It was incredibly exciting.)
We thought Auckland was pretty cool. We have got the impression from other people that it wasn't that great, but on first impressions we thought differently. It is really clean, modern, tidy and had got quite a lot of cool buildings and green areas.



After sorting our phone out, we got a bus to posh Ponsonby, one of the nearby suburbs. We had arranged to see 3 Campervans there.



The first one was a Nissan Homy, owned by a german guy called Matt. He was very nice, but the van wasn't. Although the van was very big and had lots of space, it was a bit battered, and didn't look very loved. Not what we want.
The second van was owned by Eli and Sarah, 2 American dudes. It was a Mistubishi Delica - a people carrier that had been converted to a camper-style van. The van was really cool from the outside and had a mostly-see-through roof, which would be really good, but then we realised that it would make the interior unbearably hot in the summertime. Eli and Sarah had converted the car themselves to a camper-style set-up (i.e. ripped out the back seats and put wooden blocks in the back to support a bed. It wasn't actually that comfy and Eli and Sarah hadn't actually used it that much (they'd stayed in hostels and in farm accommodation mainly), so we weren't convinced.
The Third van was another Mitsubishi Delica and was owned by Michelle and Paul, a Czech couple. They were still living in their van, so it was very messy, but gave us a good idea of how living in a van would be. This was the best van to drive (i.e. smoothest), and had a VERY thick mattress in the back, so would be very comfy to sleep. It also had loads of added extras (cooking stuff and camping equipment). We liked this van.
After Ponsonby, we headed back into town and got another bus to Mission Bay which is another posh suburb to the east of the centre. Cleverly we got on the wrong bus so meant we had to get off and walk up a big hill for about half an hour. At the end we met up with Grant who showed us his truly rubbish Toyota Hi-ace. It was really terrible. We didn't stay long.
Then we had to wait for another bus BACK into town. Even though we are in a major city, at 8pm it turns out that there is still only 1 bus an hour running through a posh suburb a couple of miles out from the centre. This gave us the idea that the public transport is rubbish. Heidi and Kirby have confirmed this suspicion.
This therefore made us late to get a connecting bus out to Castor Bay, which is on the North shore (the city centre is on the south shore). Castor bay also seemed full of big houses, big cars, and yachts. We so far haven't seen any of the less-privilidged areas of Auckland. If there are any.
Castor Bay contained Barry. He wanted to get rid of his Toyota Estima - another people carrier converted to a van. This was ok, but by this time it was pitch black and not the best conditions to see much. This van was ok - better than all the rest except the czech guys.




After getting back to the city, we ended up having a beer on Vulcan Lane in the city centre before catching a late ferry back to Waiheke. We got home at about 11pm, and were very tired. Therefore we went to sleep.





So, in conclusion to the campervan situation: the Czech guys have got the best one. However, they want slightly more than we can afford. So i've told them what we want to spend and am leaving it with them to think about. I don't think they really want to lower their asking price, but there are not too many buyers around at the moment (it being the end of the season), so I am hopeful that they'll see sense and agree to what I'm offering. In the meantime, we are gonna hopefully see some more in the next couple of days. I am keeping a very keen eye on trademe (NZ's version of eBay) and the backpacker's website for any new additions.

Today we have set up a bank account!! This is good, although we have yet to find out how long it's going to take to transfer funds from our UK accounts.
It is our first ever joint bank account, which apparently is a stronger commitment than marriage. There is no going back.

We have also set up a meeting on Thursday with Mr Tony Gray. He works for the inland revenue, and needs to meet us in order to give us an IRD number - we'll need this if we want to get some work later on in our stay.

Heidi and Kirby continue to be incredibly kind to us, and are putting up with us camping in their garden and being around their house. They are both very cool, and been very helpful in every way. The kids are good fun too, and Elizabeth is obsessed with the film Mamma Mia! For those that haven't seen it, it is exactly as annoying as you imagine. I have had ABBA songs in my head for the last 3 days, which must be unhealthy. There was a brief reprieve when we got to watch Finding Nemo. But now it's back to Mamma Mia!.

Here we go again. My my.

Waiheke Island - Meg

Tuesday 21st April.

I don't think I thought I'd ever make it to the airport. I just seemed to find more things I hadn't done. We all know how good I am at leaving things until the last minute, but I REALLY thought I'd been as organised as I could.

Anyway the 21st of April finally arrived and I was first in the car ready- addmitdly I had left the dificult bit of lugging the bags down stairs and putting them into the car to Phil.
So we bade farwell to Wicky Bicky and the cats, and set off for the airport. Mum and Becci arrived at the airport long before our arranged meeting time (today was a day for unheard of things, me 1st in the car and Becci being early!) They reassured us that the parking was easy and there were some nice place for lunch. Great what could go wrong? A few minutes later we had another phone call informing us that there had been and evacuation in terminal 1. My mind started woooring, OK, right, eeerrm, this will be fine, errmm....there'll be more flights to NZ tomorrow... eerrmm, well it might mean we get a night in a nice hotel, uuumm, we might even get a nice dinner thrown in, wonder if the hotel has a swimming pool, actually that sounds OK, then there was another phone call to say it was all false alarm and they'd been allowed to be back in. Phew. I didn't want to stay in a hotel anyway.
We had a lovely lunch, followed by a teary goodbye to Mum, Bec, and Phil's Ma and Pa.
Then we were finally on the plane, phhheeeewwweee.

Thursday 23rd April.
4 films, one stop in LA (in a room that made you feel like you were being held captive), lots of miniature - but nice(!) food, a distinct lack of peppermint tea, a few games of chess, a few sniffs of lavender and geranium oil, some sleep, some star gazing, more miniature food and we were there. Yes we made it to NEW ZEALAND! All the talking, planing, ebaying, car booting.... we were finally here. HOOray!

The customs people took Phil's tent (they check your walking and camping equiptment) to be checked for cleanleness, only to return it a little dissapointed at their lack of mud findings " a very clean tent sir". Phil was a happy man. It can't get any better, arrive in New Zealand AND be told you have a clean tent. Brilliant.


A bus journey and then a boat ride and we arrived on Waiheke Island. WOW dude! It is gorgeous. I can't belive I have friends who live here. We're staying with Heidi and Kirby and their daughters, Elizabeth and AnnaMaria. In their garden, it's a lovely garden too.


Heidi took us for a look around today. The bits of Waiheke we've seen are full of little wooden houses, each with it's own unusual post box at the top of the drive, big leafed plants and trees, hills. The beaches are amazing. You can definetly tell that winter's on its way though. It feels like there's a storm brewing. We've tightened the guy ropes.

We slept for nearly 14 hours last night so I think we've got the jet lag under control!
Hopefully seeing some camper vans over the weekend and then we can start our exploring... there was one for sale with big stars on, think it's got our name on it!
:-) x

LAST DAY IN THE UK - Phil

Cripes, that went quickly.

Here I am, with about 18 hours to go til the flight. I have just about squeezed all the essentials into my rucksack and suitcase, but am still fearful that I have packed WAAAY too much stuff. Ho-hum.
Have been with the folks in Essex for about 10 days now, joining Meg and the cats, who have both been very comfortable. We descended on my folks with about a hundred times the amount of stuff that they were expecting, and we have consequently filled about half the attic with our boxes of things that we can't seem to let go of.

We cannot wait til we are actually on the plane and can chill out. Leaving the UK for even just a short amount of time has proved to be quite a challenge, informing all the necessary banks/insurance people, etc. I rang Student Loans today to let them know that I will be out of the country (and unemployed) for the foreseeable future, and they were aghast that I was leaving tomorrow and hadn't informed them earlier, '....But you are supposed to fill out one of our forms! You can't go until you have filled out a form!'.

So despite the Student Loans insistence, I am still going to New Zealand tomorrow. The form will have to wait. Phil 1, Student Loans 0.

Leaving work was a bit odd - on the last day I gave our house keys back to the landlord, and then the car keys were handed in at work, as well as the phone, and also the laptop. I felt a bit odd without those things that I had depended on for the last couple of years. Anyway, it now feels a bit liberating, and I have been phone-less for 10 days and I feel pretty smug about it.
We have still dished out for a new TINY laptop to take away with us, which is what I'm writing on now. We've also got a cool new Canon G10 to take lots of incredibly arty landscape photos on. I am hoping that we will have some money left to spend when we get to NZ.

While I've been at home, we've had a chance to catch up with all (well, most of) our friends in london and been treated to a visit from Tanya and Luke. We went to the Greenest of Men for an evening of pie, wine and cheese.
Meg spent a few days with the Augurs in London, and they also came out to Wicky Bicky (and bought me the T-shirt to prove it) to see the Kerrs. Meg also spent an evening with her uni girls in Haverhill, in which they painted the town an amusing shade of lilac pink.

Here is a picture of us all in Wicky B.




The final thing to do is to make sure we have some reading material and music to listen to on the plane for the 25 hours we'll be in the air. I have conveniently gone and wiped all the contacts from my iPod (that was the only place I had all my contact numbers as I had returned my phone back to work). Therefore if you are reading this, could you please send me your phone number? Thank you in advance.

Next time you read this, we will be a LONG way away, and will hopefully have some more pictures to prove it

STILL IN RAMSBOTTOM - Phil

Meg has relocated to the hills of Essex and the county town of Wickham Bishops. The cats have also flown the nest. I am alone in 5 Bank St, Shuttleworth, Ramsbottom. I am the king of our deserted castle. I survey the surrounding vales and hills, and await the enemy, silent and deadly. I will take no prisoners.

In fact, I await the father of the landlady, as he is inspecting the property in order to return our deposit. We hope he glances over the scratch marks that adorn their leather sofa, the torn muslin curtain in the bedroom (again, the Cat's handiwork), and the burnt rubber marks on the wooden floor in the bathroom. We hope.

I have one day of work left. That's tomorrow. Then after a final heroic game of Foobar in the evening, I will also be jaunting southwards towards Wicky B. Thereafter follows a week of chaos and relaxation. We will be sorting out our money, our insurance, our backpacks, our post-redirection, our debts, and other apparently important stuff. We'll also be seeing friends and family, some of which we won't see for quite a while. At least a few months.

Our plan is as follows: Fly to Auckland. Stay with Heidi+Kirby+children for a few days. Buy a car or van. Go to some nice places. Keep going until the money starts to run dry.

Our plan is water-tight.

It seems, on the surface, like nothing can go wrong. Everything seems to be accounted for - Phil, Meg, Van. I am sure we will have overlooked some of those important things but they always make themselves known sooner or later. We'll muddle through.

So I thought I had better start putting entries into this blog. We are taking Meg's computer away with us so can keep the blog updated, but also maybe buying a netbook which will be slightly more practical to use.
We have been doing lots of reading about New Zealand, but feeling slightly overwhelmed by all the possibilities. Our main aims are to see hills and lakes and oceans and mountains and snow and sunshine and stars. Admittedly, you could argue that all of those things are present in the UK (except mountains and oceans. And sunshine), but we have seen those ones and now want to see what they look like upside-down. In the photos they look great, and apparently the camera never lies.

I am sure over the next week or so we may come up with a slightly more advanced plan (whereabouts to go etc), but in the meantime we'll just assume we'll go everywhere we can.

So, 13 days to go.