Besides being steeped in awesome natural beauty, New Zealand is a very comfortable country for tourists. The people are welcoming and the amenities are conducive for easy traveling. We love our little camper van! It is just a basic no frills Model… Unless you count the custom artwork of a giant flying kiwi bird covering the van as an upgrade. We can never mistake it in a camp park! It came with sleeping cushions which covert for sleeping or seating. There is a removable back seat table if you chose to dine inside the van… For us, we utilize the cushions for sleeping and just keep them in that position all the time.  We are happy as clams hunkered in our van at night and both of us agree our camping bed is more comfy than our bed at home was. Our van came with dishes and utensils and a portable propane burner. Quite recently New Zealand banned ‘Freedom Camping’ in most locales throughout the country. ‘Freedom Camping’  defined as parking your vehicle in any spot that suits your fancy and sleeping in your camper or pitching a tent. Since 2013 the law states a van must be self contained ( having a toilet) to qualify to ‘Freedom Camp.’ But absolutely everywhere you can imagine there is a full scale campground for very reasonable costs. We take a powered site… Another words we can plug in to the camp source and have electricity! They offer first rate bathroom and shower facilities and  communal kitchens. No campfires allowed … The entire country it seems is on fire alert.  We haven’t had a bit of trouble sliding into a campsite without reservations. We are in the tail end of summer here… the children are all back to school.. So camping crowds have waned.

We set out from north Island’s Auckland in our wild and crazy camper van heading for the Coromandel Penninsula. The views were stunning and the winding roads never straightened out. We stopped often to soak up the scenery and snap a shot. Along the way, we spontaneously turned off on a side road following it to a small harbor area. There were cranes lifting enormous bags off of a boat…they were at the end of their fishing day, loading 48 tons of New Zealand green mussels onto trucks. We watched the process, learning that everyday during the season this boat harvests 48 tons of mussels every single day!  The other boat  that uses this harbor harvests 96 tons per day. The dockman asked if we liked mussels… Of course… So he gave us a bag with enough to feed 10 people! Aha! That night dinner was planned!

Experiencing beautiful beaches on the Coromandel… Noting the Hot Sand Beach as especially memorable.  At low tide, spots are accessible where hot. … I mean V E R Y hot sand is under the surface. It’s popular to bring shovels and dig your own hot tub. Bobby and I experimented with a few sites, then happened to dig our toes in at one place and it was like we were walking on hot charcoals.  No shovel necessary!

Our coastal drive continued through Waihi beach and Papamoa beach … Both with white sand as far as the eye could see. At Tauranga we veered inland toward Lake Rotorua and it’s geothermal wonderland. Our campsite featured hot pools for soaking.  We were surrounded by sizzling natural hot streams and while we relaxed in the pools, steam floated up and around us.

The main geothermal park on North Island is Wai-O- Tapo. Their main geyser can’t hold a candle to Old Faithful at Yellowstone, but as for the area’s geothermal overall activity it ranks third in the world. I will never forget the brilliant fluorescent green mineral pool. It matches my backpack…. And my toenail polish.

People visit New Zealand for it’s unprecedented natural beauty… Here, one wants to be outside, so for us that means skip the tours of the Parliament and the artifacts in the museum. We did spend a couple of days in Wellington… The North Island’s southern most stop and access point for the Cook Strait Ferry to South Island. Alexa said she heard it was like San Francisco… And it has visual similarity…the city rises on hills surrounding the bay… with a cable car and all.  TheWellington harbor area is more beautiful because of it’s immaculately brilliant turquoise water. However it’s vibe is easy going and casual and I think San Francisco is amped up a notch or two.