Sunday 14th May – 14:22am. Ive made it to Hamilton, so it’s about time I caught up with my journal… 

I think the easiest way to describe my journey would be to compare my original plan, with what actually happened. That way we can see the sheer amount of deviation that happened…

Day 1

‘Wednesday 10th May, 08:00am – Hitchhike into Queenstown and get the bus to the airport’

Although I had originally planned to wake and be out by 08:00am, I of course over slept and made it out at roughly 09:00am. I had expected to wait a short while to be picked up, however it took less than a minute. A friendly couple from Auckland were leaving the pub, and offered to take me to Arrowtown, which is 15 minutes outside of Queenstown. They had a fancy rental car, and sped along whilst we chatted about all sorts, meaning I was well ahead of schedule by the time I jumped out at Arrowtown. I then waited a further 10 minutes beside the road, before I was picked up by another man and dropped off at Frankton, which is just next to Queenstown. Here’s where the problems started. If i had of researched Queenstown Airport further, I would have realised it was in fact in Frankton, and not Queenstown. This way I would have simply walked 5 minutes up the road from where the man dropped me off, and would have picked the car up early. I didn’t however, so over the next hour I walked roughly 3km into Queenstown, realised my mistake, and walked back. It took ages, and I was knackered and frustrated by the time I made it to the airport. First stage, of the first stage, of the journey – messed up.

‘Pick up the van at 12:00pm midday, and head straight off towards Christchurch. After roughly 3 hours drive, I will stop off at Lake Tekapo, to take some pictures, take in the surroundings, and have a rest. I will eat, then drive another 3 hours to Christchurch’

The next stage of my journey actually went pretty much to plan. The car had a full tank of fuel, so after a brief stop off an McDonalds for a coffee and chips (sorry mum) I set off towards Christchurch, via Lake Tekapo. The roads were scenic and lovely, and I stopped for a quick photo before powering on towards Lake Tekapo. It was raining when I reached the Lake, so I stopped for a brief rest before heading off towards Christchurch. It took me a total of 7.5 hours to get to Christchurch, which is where my journey took its second deviation.

‘I will eat and explore Christchurch, before retiring to ‘Governors Bay’ to find the free camping site for the evening’

Before setting off, it occurred to me that I actually knew people in Christchurch who I could visit. Regan and Leah both worked at ISTC with me over the summer, and had mentioned to visit them if I was ever in town. I messaged Regan before leaving Queenstown, and he immediately offered me a bed for the night, and to show me around his work when I got into town. Regan works in the air traffic control centre for all flights in New Zealand, so it was quite a cool experience. I got into Christchurch at around 20:00pm, had a quick coffee, and headed off towards the control station. Regan showed me around, and I sat with him until he finished his shift at 21:00pm. I then drove us back to his huge house in Christchurch, and they gave me cake before letting me stay in one of their spare bedrooms. It was an incredibly kind gesture, and I am thankful I didn’t have to sleep in the van on such a cold night.

Day 2

‘Thursday 11th May, 07:00am – I will try to wake fairly early, and get on the road again as quickly as possible. I had planned to drive north and stop off at Kaikoura, but the road was still closed going north, meaning this was no longer an option.

I woke at 07:00am the next morning, and was out of the house and on the road before 08:00am. Taking Regans advice I planned to stop whenever I felt tired, rather than choosing an actual spot on the map. I managed the first couple of hours before stopping, then powered on towards Blenheim. The weather was foggy and rainy, so I wasn’t able to see much of the countryside.

‘Instead of Kaikoura, I will plan to stop somewhere in the Nelson Lakes National Park, perhaps wherever I feel tired and find a nice spot to rest up. I imagine I will only stop for food and rest, then head straight onto Blenheim’

I was physically drained by the time I pulled into Blenheim at roughly 16:00pm, so had a quick rest before I moved onto Picton. It was a quick half an hour drive, and after trying to navigate the labyrinth of roads to get onto the ferry, I was parked up on board and asleep on a sofa in the social area before I knew it. I enjoyed some on board fish and chips, and arrived into Wellington just before 22:00pm. I had been travelling for 14 hours, so was so tired by this point.

‘I have found a free camping site by the coast, at a place called Robin Hood Camping Ground, which I will stay at if I don’t make the 6:45pm ferry to Wellington. If I make the ferry in time, I will arrive into Wellington at 10pm. I will then drive to Owhiro Bay for the free camping by the sea’

Luckily the roads were empty in Wellington, so I quickly drove around the coast and found the freedom camping zone in a small bay. I quickly set the bed up and was asleep within the hour.

Day 3

‘Friday 12th May, 09:00am – I plan to explore as much of Wellington as possible, before heading off towards New Plymouth’

The next morning I was politely woken up at 09:00am on the dot by a traffic warden. Initial panic turned into confusion, when he informed me that the camper van I was sleeping in was in fact not a self contained vehicle, and I was in fact not even parked in a freedom camping zone. I was parked opposite the freedom camping spots, in a regular people carrier. A combination of the traffic warden’s kindness, and my sheer dumb luck, seemed to help me navigate my way out of a ticket. The fact I was awake meant I had actually broken no laws – I was simply parked in a space and laying in the back of my van. If I had of been parked in the opposite space and asleep (which I had planned to be) I would have broken the Freedom Camping Act and could have faced a $200 fine.

Without further hesitation I promptly got dressed and left as soon as I could. I raced into town, found a 120 minute parking spot, and walked into the city centre for a strong coffee. After some quick google searching, I found a well recommended place called the ‘Coffee Hanger’. The coffee was great, the food was tasty, and they even filled my water bottle up for me so I could carry on my journey. It was a whistle stop tour of the capital city, but after my near miss I felt I should just get on my way as soon as possible.

‘It’s a 4 hour drive, but there isn’t much for me to see in New Plymouth apart from visiting Tiaan. If she is free i’ll head up there, if not i’ll spend longer exploring Wellington, and then stay somewhere half way between Wellington and Hamilton. This day is fairly open for me’

I had been messaging T for a few days saying I might be heading up, but unfortunately at the last minute her Gran became ill, so her family left New Plymouth to go see her. This meant I had pretty much a free rein for the day, and turned to my plan B – Taupo / Rotorua.

I left Wellington at roughly 12:00pm midday, and headed straight for Lake Taupo. I had a distant memory of driving round the Lake with Dad in the summer, and seeing loads of camper vans parked up for the night around the edge of the Lake. With this ideal in my head, I started the 5 hour drive with new found hope, imagining a perfect nights sleep next to a setting sun beside the beautiful lake…

As you can imagine, the day didn’t quite end up like that. The weather turned dreadful on the way to Taupo, meaning the roads were flooded and slow. It took me between 6 and 7 hours to make the drive, even after only stopping for very brief periods for coffee / fuel on the way. As I entered the ring road around Lake Taupo, I also realised most of the parking spots were simply rest areas – you weren’t allowed to sleep in them. After my scare the previous day, I didn’t feel much like risking anything. I drove the way into Taupo, and concentrated on finding an internet cafe to charge my phone and laptop, and find a freedom camping zone. To my distraught I found a perfect spot on the lake front, only to find out it had a strict ‘self contained vehicles only’ policy, meaning I once again had to move on. Running out of patience, I searched for a free camping spot in Rotorua, and planned to carry on the drive into the night. I lasted another 10 minutes before I pulled into a forest type lay-by, drove round a further couple of corners, and pulled up for the night. I snuck the van in behind a bush, pulled all of the blinds down, and hoped against hope that a police car wouldn’t turn up. It was a turbulent night, and I woke with a fright every time another car would drive down the road. Around 22:00pm another campervan pulled up 100 metres down the road for the night, which gave me a little confidence. If I got caught, they would too! I did eventually get some sleep, but it wasn’t particularly comfortable and probably my worst nights sleep for a while.

Day 4

‘Saturday 13th May, 09:00am – After originally messing up the days, I had promised Kayla, in Hamilton that I would be there for her birthday meal on Saturday evening’

I woke around 08:00am the next morning and left as soon as I could. I felt I had already risked enough, and after being found by the traffic warden at 09:00am the previous morning, I wasn’t going to wait around till the same time again.

Rather than visit Rotorua, I set my maps directly for Hamilton and set off at a pace. The idea of visiting all the fun little towns on the way up the country had been sapped out of me, and all I craved now was a warm comfy bed and a familiar face. Despite this Kayla was with family until the early afternoon, so I had some time to kill. Maybe because the name was familiar, or maybe because I was just trying to eat up some time, I diverted off of the Waikato Expressway 20km outside of hamilton, and went into Cambridge for a brief visit. It was a sleepy little town, with a rather unimpressive food market taking centre stage on the main park. I had a small walk, got quickly bored, and set off again towards Hamilton.

I arrived into Hamilton at around 12:00pm midday, and went straight towards the Flagstaff rugby ground to watch Ash play for the Morrinsville B side against Suburbs. It was good to see him play, and I got to catch up with his family and family friends who I had met a few months earlier. I enjoyed a pint and some wedges after the game, before heading off towards Kayla’s new flat. By the time I arrived I was ready for bed, but had to have a shower and get ready as we were headed out for the birthday meal. By this time I had realised that a misunderstanding early on had meant I thought it was her birthday, only to find out it was her friends birthday and her’s wasn’t until mid June…

By the time I finally got to sleep at 23:00pm I was shattered. I am so grateful to have someone like Kayla who looked after me, as another night in the van would have been nerve wrecking to say the least.

Day 5

‘Sunday 14th May, 11:00am. My first lay in of the trip. I plan to sleep in, relax, and eat food for the majority of this day’

For the first time on my trip, this morning panned out exactly how I had planned it to. I slept in till 11:30am, and then was given a cooked breakfast by some of Kayla’s housemates. It was a nice relaxing morning, and after eating I headed out to a local coffee shop to catch up on my typing and enjoy the sun. After initially google-ing the best coffee shops in Hamilton, and finding the number 1 was now closed, I settled on a chocolate specific place just off the main street. The Caramel Mocca was probably the best hot drink I’ve had all week, and that’s saying something considering I’ve consumed countless coffees and a couple of teas throughout the 5 days. Sitting here in the coffee shop I’ve just checked my maps, and I’ve travelled 923 miles, in 4 days. I’ll catch up after the last 2 hectic days…That night I went out for food with Kayla and her Mum, who was also so kind to me the entire time I was in New Zealand. As well as letting me stay, she also helped me out with my IRD information and was just generally really great to be around.

(Monday 15th May, 17:48pm – Time to catch up on the rest of the journey)

‘Then I will decide to either stay another night in Hamilton, or head up to Auckland early. Either way I need to be in Auckland at 15:00pm the next day to drop the car off’

After relaxing in the coffee shop, I drove to the lake and sat and read my book for a couple of hours. It was a well needed rest, and made me happier to go out for food that night. I decided to stay another night in Hamilton, and so Kayla, Ash and I went out to an Indian. It was a little awkward at first but turned into an alright night and the food was good.

Day 6

‘Monday 15th May, 11:00am. I will again sleep in, then slowly head towards Auckland to drop the car off. Including traffic it should take 2 hours, which is nothing compared to what I would have driven before!’

I slept in this morning until 11:00am, then drove straight to Auckland Airport. After a minor hiccup, when I continually drove the wrong way around the airport pick up and drop off section, I finally made it to the Jucy drop off zone and said my final goodbye to Trisha-Jayne the Toyota Jucy van. It was one hell of a journey, and worth every penny.

‘After dropping the car off, I will bus it into the city centre and find my hostel. Im looking to book into Queenstreet Backpackers. It look’s cheap, has ‘great’ wifi and is a 2 minute walk to the embassy the next morning.

After leaving the van I got the shuttle to the airport, and then caught the bus into town. After wolfing down a Mexicali burrito, I checked into my hostel then made my way to a coffee shop to catch up on some sports tests for camp… yawn. Oh and I bought some new vans in Auckland just because I got paid…

(Thursday 18th May, 16:26pm – Just finished work, so time to wrap up my road trip journal and get back to the daily grind)

Day 6 continued

‘After some nice food I guess i’ll have a few drinks somewhere then get an early night – as early as you can get in a hostel anyway’

After completing both online exams, I realised just how tired I was. Maybe it was the cheap quick food I had been eating, or maybe its my age, but all I wanted to do was sleep. I left Mezze Coffee Shop, grabbed some chicken from New World and walked to the closest pharmacy, to get my passport pictures for the next morning. After a quick photo shoot, I retired to the hostel to read my book, eat and snooze… maybe I am getting old.

Day 7

‘Tuesday 16th May, 07:30am. Queue my busiest day. I will wake up early, and head to the embassy for 07:45am. My appointment is at 08:00, and I need to be out and at the airport for 11:30am. It’s going to be tight, but what’s life without risk hay’

It was imperative that I stuck to the plan for this day, as my time frame was far too close for comfort. I woke early, had my chicken left overs (somebody had stolen my baguette…) and headed to the Embassy. I had booked the closest hostel to the embassy, and I actually arrived 20 minutes early. Little did I know the place didn’t even open until 08:00, so I slumped away to a coffee shop rueing the extra 20 minutes sleep I could have had. The meeting itself, considering it was the reason for my 1000 mile road-trip, was a rather underwhelming experience. As expected, I queued for half an hour, had a 5 minute chat with one worker, sat around for a further 15 minutes, had another 5 minute chat with a different embassy employee then was free to go. I was out before 09:00am. So I headed straight to the airport on my sky’s return ticket, and was relived to be ahead of schedule for the first time in a week.

‘I plan to head straight from the meeting to my flight, nip back down to Queenstown, then hitchhike from the airport to Cardrona, and have even offered to help out at work that evening if needed… it’s going to be hectic but I cant wait’

As it was a domestic flight, something I have little to no experience of, I had no idea just how quick it would be. I didn’t have to have a passport (which is lucky as I had just left mine in the embassy for them to stamp my visa into and sent back to me at Cardrona), I was put in a speedy queue through the security desk, and I was even allowed to take a larger water bottle and deodorant can on the plane. Despite flying domestically once before, I had no idea, and so felt like a celebrity in the airport. Even though I only left 2 hours between leaving Auckland, and my flight departing, I still made it to the gate with 30 minutes to spare, and was quickly bored wishing the flight would leave early.

Before long I was touching down in Queenstown and lugging my bag up the road towards my ‘hitch-hiking’ pick up spot. 20 minutes later I was dropped off at the bottom of the crown range road, and quickly picked up by another friendly Kiwi. Another 20 minutes passes and I was back in Cardrona, in my comfy clothes, watching youtube videos. It was an insane, expensive, tiresome trip but I don’t regret it one bit. I drove over 1000 miles, consumed nearly 20 coffees and slept very little, but I loved it.

As expected I was back at work the next morning, and have been on my usually morning shifts ever since – the only slight positive being the pub now requires me to come in at 08:00am, instead of 07:30am… YAY.

After eating like crap for the last week, and month in general, I’ve decided to start sorting my figure out. Ive lost probably 4/5kg in muscle, and gained a small amount of fat I intend to shift before long. Im currently trying to cut out carbs from my diet, and it’s not going too well. Ive done it before and lasted 4 days, so heres hoping it works better for me. As it’s Thursday i’ve come into town for rugby training, but could only get a lift early, so am sat in the ‘Big Fig’ coffee shop, catching up on my journal and killing time. I have officially planned my last 3 weeks in New Zealand, which should go as follows;

Tuesday 16th May – Thursday 1st June. I plan to work as much as possible, and try to save some money for the next week and a half, where I will be without income and moving around a lot. 

Friday 2nd. Fly to Auckland, then get a bus to Whangarei to meet Liam and get ready for the Lions Game. 

Saturday 3rd. Watch the Lions beat the NZ Provincial Side, and have some (a lot) of beers. 

Sunday 4th. Recover. 

Monday 5th. Wake up, say goodbye to Liam and his family, and bus it back to Auckland. 

Tuesday 6th. Relax around Auckland, and try to explore as much as possible before I run out of time. 

Wednesday 7th. Watch the Lions beat the Auckland Blues in Auckland, and have some (a lot more) beers. 

Thursday 8th. Wake up, recover, and then travel down to Auckland to meet Kayla. 

Friday 9th. Drive to Whitianga with Kayla, and enjoy a short break. 

Saturday 10th. Return to Hamilton, and enjoy Katie’s 21st party. (Ash’s sister)

Sunday 11th. Recover and Relax. 

Monday 12th. Ash and I will travel up to Auckland (not quite sure how as of yet) then catch our flight to the US. Cue quite possibly my last ever experience in NZ, how upsetting.