So I had some sort of epiphany while I was sleeping Monday night. I woke up on Tuesday and decided that I was going to try to return my campervan and rent a car instead. What? Why, you ask? Well -- although I liked sleeping in it (and the powerports, fridge, sink, water, etc.) -- I didn't like maneuvering it around. It was surprisingly easy to drive on the road -- it was difficult to maneuver through small streets --- and very difficult to park (not my strong suit in any certain circumstance). Also difficult to just stop at small shops or along the road to take a snap of a beautiful view. And now that I've seen the cabin units at the holiday parks -- and all of the cute small motels all over the place -- figured that I wouldn't have a problem finding a place to sleep at night. And honestly -- I knew that I was never going to go "freedom camping" -- I found it creepy enough to sleep in a camping area -- so I was driving around this big thing with a toilet & shower that I was probably never going to use. So, Tuesday morning -- I called the campervan people and asked them if I could return it early. I had to talk to a lot of people -- and was on the phone for close to 1 hour -- but finally got agreement that I could return the camper and only pay a couple of nights as penalty. So I dropped it off in Auckland (which I was going to drive by anyway) and picked up a rental car (a Toyota Rav4). Took a good part of Tuesday to get all of that done --- didn't get into Hamilton until close to 4:30pm.
Tuesday night, I went to dinner at the house of friends of friends (Mary & Wendy -- friends of Melissa & Tom). Had a wonderful evening with them (and delicious food --- most of it grown in their garden). I think the best part though was the pavlova with whipped cream & blueberries & passionfruit --- very very tasty. (click on the link if you don't know what a pavlova is --- it's like the national dessert down here in NZ and Oz). They also gave me some good advice on where I should go on the North Island in my remaining days.
So plans changed up a bit --- and going to have to figure out my next couple of days.
Weather: sunny, 75 - 80F
Motel: Atrium on Ulster, Hamilton (very very nice)
Miles Walked:
km Driven: 288.7
(and no pictures --- the internet at Tuesday night was abysmal -- and now I'm at a place that doesn't allow uploads/downloads --- very 2000)
Tuesday night, I went to dinner at the house of friends of friends (Mary & Wendy -- friends of Melissa & Tom). Had a wonderful evening with them (and delicious food --- most of it grown in their garden). I think the best part though was the pavlova with whipped cream & blueberries & passionfruit --- very very tasty. (click on the link if you don't know what a pavlova is --- it's like the national dessert down here in NZ and Oz). They also gave me some good advice on where I should go on the North Island in my remaining days.
So plans changed up a bit --- and going to have to figure out my next couple of days.
Weather: sunny, 75 - 80F
Motel: Atrium on Ulster, Hamilton (very very nice)
Miles Walked:
km Driven: 288.7
(and no pictures --- the internet at Tuesday night was abysmal -- and now I'm at a place that doesn't allow uploads/downloads --- very 2000)
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