On the road: Week four round-up

Distance travelled: 446km (4.5 hours) which is a dramatic decrease from previous weeks.

Audiobook on deck: Mistborn: Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson. We aren’t listening to as much because we aren’t travelling as far, and we are falling asleep faster on our amazing new mattress.

Currently watching: Fullmetal Alchemist. Dan has been wanting to show this to me for ages, but since his last “we gotta watch this, babe” anime (Neon Genesis Evangelion) had a SUPER weird ending that seriously pissed me off, there have been some trust issues. Happily, they are overcome.

We were grateful for: Lakefront parking at Five Mile Bay in Taupō for two nights for free. Also, two amazing sunsets on the trot here, with peach and purple skies behind Ruapehu’s snowy peaks.

We missed: Having a freezer to easily store Kratos’ raw dog food. We are going to try using the freezer for only his food, as I don’t think Jimbo’s is really cutting the mustard for him.

We learned: That blackberries are coming into season here in Taupō. I learned that Dan will go to extraordinary lengths and suffer great injuries to get said blackberries - brambles be damned!

Funniest moment: Dan sleeping all the way through from 10pm to 10am, and wondering what year it is upon waking.

Best save: Buying a packet of lime juice (250ml) for the same price as one lime… Seriously, what’s up with limes costing $50/kg? Am I missing an international lime shortage?

Best campsite: Five Mile Bay in Taupō. Hands down winner. The only downside is that there’s only one long drop between about 80 campers, and… well, you can imagine. I went to use it last night, but when I could smell it at 20 paces, I noped out and went back to the comfort of our onboard facilities.

Most scenic location: Upstream from Huka Falls at Hipapatua Reserve. There’s a lovely wooded area by the Waikato River there before it becomes the roaring rapids and the water clarity and colour is just incredible. I swear to God, nowhere in the world has water quite as amazingly coloured as New Zealand.

Most interesting fact we learned: That over 200,000 litres of water go over Huka Falls per second!! And that the Māori name for the falls, Hukanui, means something like “great body of foam”.

We recommend: Brushing your fluffball of a dog every few days outside unless you love vacuuming. Which I don’t.

Number of wrecked cars on the roadside: Two.

Progress made towards our 20 in 2020: We did our longest walk yet (only an hour, but it’s progress) and we also swam in Lake Taupō, which I’m pretty sure was the first time I’ve ever swum in a lake. Chilly, but worth it for the ability to warm up in the blazing sun. Bliss.