[Christchurch, New Zealand] Time to stop lying in bed and get a move on with our New Zealand tour now. Still feeling very wonky so I wasn’t looking forward to going to fetch our mini camper-van but everything was booked so no choice there. We were both a little worried about what we had booked since the company ‘Rental Car Village’ is almost 50% cheaper than any other company out there – and we checked every single one! We were presented with a Nissan Vannette. A tiny (but big enough) converted minivan. Automatic gearbox, electric windows, central locking, air con (won’t be needing that) and 135 000 odd km on the clock. It has a few dents and scratches but is otherwise in excellent condition. The rear is kitted out with pull-out double bed, gas stove and a small storage unit/preparation table. We thought it was brilliant. All the accessories (pots, pans, plates, rear tent extension) looked brand new. What a win!

Leaving John behind we hooked up V’s phone running Tomtom (GPS) and gingerly headed out of the parking area to find a shop. It’s been 7 months since we drove in Norway and over a year since doing any real driving so we were both nervous. NZ has an odd ‘Right of Way’ rule at intersections that was stressing us even more but we managed okay. It did feel completely foreign.

The plan was simple. Get cash, a local Sim card and supplies for the first few days on the road. Well the first two went well. We even got a complimentary Sim card from the friendly lady at the Vodafone shop (usually they are NZ$30). Shopping for supplies turned out to be another story. I was starting to feel ill again and the immense ‘Pack and Save’ store in front of us was making me dizzy. There is too much choice here and not having done food shopping for 8 months wasn’t helping. What we would have given for our ‘Tesco online’ favorite items list! We gave up and left the store with very few supplies and hoping that the smaller shops outside town would be less daunting.

The GPS got us efficiently back to Ingrid and John’s place where we had a good chance to inspect the van. Rachel thought it was brilliant (She spent ages playing inside). We agree. Tomorrow morning we’ll throw our packs in, steal some linen and camp furniture and head off into the wild.

[Pictures: The little shell on our backs for the next 4 weeks]

– Posted from my iPhone via 3G