Life on the road: 2020 wrapped

If there was ever a year to take off work, 2020 was definitely it. We are eternally grateful for the sheer dumb luck that meant during the year where it felt like everything was falling apart, we were tucked up safe and sound in our wee campervan.

This year has honestly been the best one on record for us. We have taken time for ourselves and explored the most amazing country - it’s been 13 months of adventure, relaxation and discovery.

I’m a little late in doing the usual roundup, but better late than never, right? So, without further ado, here it is…

Our favourite camping spots

This is a near-impossible question to answer as NZ is dotted with so many amazing wee places that all offer something different. That being said, the top three for us are:
1. Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park
2. Sapphire Springs in Katikati
3. Rapahoe Bay Holiday Park

Special mention goes to Peski in Geraldine where we locked down. This one is more like a second home for us than a camping location!

Our favourite adventures

1. Unexpected last-minute ferry crossing and camping with the family
2. Albatross watching in Dunedin
3. Climbing up the side of Mt Shrimpton in Makarora

Our favourite drives

1. From Queenstown to Glenorchy
2. From Lake Hawea to Haast
3. From Omarama to Lake Tekapo

Our favourite moments of relaxation

1. Cruising on the gorgeous Faith across Lake Te Anau
2. Hot tub soak followed by campfire building at Mangaweka
3. Having Rotorua Holiday Camp hot pools pretty much all to ourselves as a result of Auckland’s second lockdown

Our favourite swimming locations

1. Swimming hole in Ngaruroro River in the Hawke’s Bay
2. Pelorus Bridge in Malborough
3. Salisbury Falls on the Aorere River

Our funniest moments

1. Driving through to Milford Sound with our anti-hijack alarm blaring away because Dan had decided to see “what pressing that random button did”. Now we know.
2. Kath having to go to the St John tent at the Wild Food Festival because a seagull shat in her eye.
3. Dan shocking our lockdown bubble by dragging a dead rat out a camper air vent with his bare hands.

Our favourite places

1. Geraldine
2. Makarora
3. Reefton

Kratos’ favourite moments

1. Launching himself off a ledge to swim with Dan at McLaren Falls out of Tauranga.
2. Making his first-ever doge friends with furry lockdown buddies Tui and Fred.
3. Playing in snow for the first time in Queenstown.

Our favourite meals

1. Making roast pork in our wee Weber BBQ.
2. The amazing feed at Walter Peak Station.
3. Hokitika Sandwiches.

Life lessons from this year

1. Rural New Zealand is vastly underrated by a lot of Aucklanders. We know better now.
2. Strong relationships bear the test of separation and distance.
3. Sometimes, you’ve got to get lost to find yourself.

Top accomplishments from this year

1. Dan being in a Toyota advert.
2. Kath ticking off a long-term goal of learning to speak Te Reo Māori.
3. Having a stronger, happier marriage despite living on top of each other for 13 months!

Things that didn’t go to plan

1. Delaminating a tyre on the camper as we drove into Oturehua.
2. The fridge dying and it taking far longer than it should have to get the replacement installed and working.
3. The inverter catching on fire due to dodgy wiring.
4. Kath hitting a pothole in the road at speed and buckling one of her rims.
5. Kath breaking her finger pretty badly and then being sent 250km by a doctor to have an x-ray at Dunedin Hospital that wasn’t necessary.

Overall, it’s been an amazing year and we would do it all again in a heartbeat. For now, though, we are heading north back to Auckland where we will be back to real life again from mid-January. That being said - the adventure is far from over. We’re not done with this way of life and have some exciting stuff in the pipelines. Stay tuned!

Happy new year all!