“Bring the hammer! Two girls are trying to set up a tent with a stick!”

Lake Tekapo

A German man shouted this very loudly across an entire campsite the first night we camped. Good start. You’d think that the ground at campsites would be nice and grassy and flat, but you’d be wrong. We have since purchased a hammer of our own and some heavy-duty tent stakes that don’t bend like pretzels with the lightest tap. We can set up our tent in 5 minutes flat these days! I must say that Becky is much better with the tent stakes than I am…what would I do without her! We’ve been on the road for two weeks now, making our way around the southern half of the South Island.

First stop – Lake Tekapo. New Zealand has the best lakes. GLACIAL BLUE. And glacial COLD. Clearest, starriest night sky in NZ. We camped at a holiday park beside the lake here. Holiday park – a place where you can stay in a cabin, a room, a backpackers, camp in a tent, or set up your fancy campervan.

First night camping

Next – paid a little visit to the small lakes Alexandrina and McGregor, where we attempted to set up camp, but had to leave because the ground was rock hard. This was pre-hammer and embarrassing.

Then – drove by Lake Pukaki (even bluer than Tekapo) on our way to Twizel. Not much happening in Twizel, but a cute little town nonetheless.

And then – drove to Mount Cook, where we took some lovely walks to see some glaciers. Glaciers are dirty. Saw some icebergs. Picture this: we walk to this beautiful lookout point with clear views of Mount Cook and some glaciers, there are several people already there, just taking in the view and enjoying a peaceful moment. We sit down to do the same, and we’re building some little rock statues and then OUR PHONE RINGS. This is weird because we never get phone calls, and why do we have service in this remote spot??? Got some dirty looks – sorry! We also receive some strange looks from what I like to call the fancy campers. These are people who are staying in their HUGE rented campervans, complete with beds, kitchens and bathrooms and libraries and wine cellars, who knows. They set up their tables and white linen tablecloths with fruitbowl centerpieces outside the van and proceed to have a four-course meal, while casting disbelieving eyes and tittering under their breath at me and Becky. These people seem appalled by our cardboard box table, potato flakes, our tiny car packed full, and our tangly hair. I think our way is more fun though. But don’t get me wrong, next time I come here with a lot of money, I’ll be one of those fancy campervanners.

The next day we attempted to walk to yet another glacier, in this beautiful valley with all these swingbridges, but the winds were so bad – actually blowing us over  - that we turned around. Didn’t help matters that it was freezing cold and we were wearing shorts. So, we headed back to Twizel, where we met up with the boys at a bar (typical) and proceeded to camp that night in the pouring rain in the middle of a puddle. Drew’s tent is not as waterproof as one would hope.

After “roughing it” that night, we decided to stay in a hostel for the next two nights in Wanaka – finally!! This place has been #1 on our list because this is where Erin and Laura lived! And now we know why. We spent a whole day walking along Lake Wanaka, and another whole day sitting beside the lake and reading. Maybe my favorite two days of the trip so far. Unfortunately we were a wee bit under the weather, so we didn’t go out on the town, but I think we are headed back here at some point to work a week on a vineyard. We'll see.

Lake Wanaka

After Wanaka, we met up with the boys and headed to the legendary Queenstown, home of the most beautiful people in NZ, the Big Al, and bars that are open until 4 AM. Queenstown did not disappoint. The nightlife here is unbelievable.  I have never seen bars so crowded on a Monday night. There are bars with free mechanical bulls to ride, bars that serve teapots full of shots, and bars with the best people-watching I have experienced. Queenstown is a spectacle. We ended one night by eating Big Als while sitting on the curb. Big Al = Fergburger’s laughably large burger, containing double meat, double cheese, double bacon, double fried egg, double etc for a mere $17. Zach was actually mad about how big it was, and Becky and Les sadly struggled to finish one between the two of them. I'm ashamed to say I didn't even attempt it. Jesse, I will never understand how you managed to eat two in a day and I don’t know whether I should be impressed or disgusted…

BIG AL

Queenstown is also full of every activity you can imagine. Skydiving, canyon swings, bungy jumping, jet boats, ziplines. You can do any and all of these activities if you happen to have thousands of dollars to spare. We settled as a group for the most affordable, but still thrilling, jet boat ride through the Shotover River canyon where they drive way to close to rocks and can run in just 5 centimeters of water. As fun as Queesntown is, after two nights we were exhausted and poor and possibly had a few years shaved off our lives, so we headed to Moke Lake to camp for the night.

We parted way with the boys the next day, and headed to Glenorchy and then to Kinloch, where we set up camp for the night along with half of NZ's sandfly population. Becky is somehow almost immune to them, but my ankles seem to attract them by the thousands. Becky and I have become quite boring when we camp without the boys – we sit by a lot of lakes and read for hours, play some Phase 10, and go to bed around 10:30 when it is sometimes still light out…which is what we have done for the past two nights camping in Te Anau, where we are now! Luckily there is a free DOC campsite here, which we finally found after the first rude Kiwi we have met would not give us directions to because she “didn’t agree with it”??? We plan on spending a few days here, as there so are many tramps in the area, and because Becky MUST watch the Superbowl on Monday. Without knowing it, we camped at the same campsite as the boys last night. Small world. We will probably be camping with them for the next two nights, which is always fun. Then we plan to spend a week around Milford Sound, doing lots of tramping and splurging for a kayaking trip or two!

Life on the road is a good life for sure. It's simple. I like to spend most of my day outside, cook outside, eat outside, and sleep in the tent with a cold breeze coming in. Sometimes it does get frustrating living out a suitcase, and having to take ten things out of the car to find the one thing you are looking for. Anyhow we are alive and well, except for the occasional stomach ache, and looking forward to seven more weeks of this!