The Van Days: The Beginning

19:36

So somehow I managed to pack up this disaster



and the next morning I went off with the crew to pick up our new homes on wheels. Somehow the embarrassment of driving bright green vans that said "LIVE JUCY" and screamed w0w I'm a tourist! balanced out with the fact that drivers knew to avoid us on the road. Let's not forget that kiwis drive on the left side of the road. That means the driver sits on the right, blinker on the right, windshield wiper on the left. I can't tell you how many times I hit the stupid windshield wiper by accident, except I usually needed it anyway due to the daily downpour the driving gods bestowed upon us. 

The crew, thrown together in a matter of days, consisted of six girls going to Lincoln (Caitie, Chloe, Beth, Ava, Joanne, and yours truly), one going to Auckland (Rebecca), and three guys going to University of Canterbury (Johnny, Graeme, and Graham [yes, pronounced the same way--that wasn't confusing at all]).

So that made ten people, with five sleeping in each van. Emblazoned on the side of one of the vehicles was the tagline "This condo campa is perfect for 2, great for 3 & a party for 4."
"What does that make us?" was our first question. "A struggle," someone suggested. 

The rides:

I slept here.

Our baby was equipped with a stove, a sink, two beds, the worst stereo you could ever ask for, a window that leaked rainwater, another window that rattled and whistled constantly, a TV that was loud enough for an elephant maybe, and an emergency toilet with the policy don't you even dare.


The van rental was for eleven days. As we set off, I couldn't help but think I don't know you people what am I doing send help. Our first stop was going to be the glowworm caves at Waitomo, so we tried to find freedom camping nearby for the night. Freedom camping is a term here that really just means camping for free, and in our case it meant pulling into a picnic area off the side of the highway. And peeing in the grass due to lack of bathroom (or long drop, as they call outhouses here). And being overall cold. Plus acclimating to having the ceiling a foot and a half above my face. 

Surviving the first night, no matter how uncomfortable, was definitely encouraging (as long as I focused on "wow this is doable" rather than "wow I have nine more nights of this"). I admit I wasn't really a key player in the planning of the trip (though much of the itinerary changed along the way), so at the time I had no sense of the magnitude of our undertaking: 



But it became clear soon enough.

You Might Also Like

0 comments

Most Read Post

My New Project

Thought of the Day

"And it's the wonders I'm after, even if I have to bleed for them." - September Morning Bell