We are a couple of semi-retired teachers living in the Philadelphia suburbs. For each of our “big” anniversaries since number 25, we have taken a “big” trip. Ireland and Hawaii were enjoyed as a reward for putting up with each other. This year, for number 40, a really big trip to New Zealand is planned. Why pick New Zealand?
As we mentioned in our last post, In 2002 an exchange student from New Zealand joined the track team that I coached. Her host became ill and had to cancel plans for trips over the summer. My wife and I were planning a rv (pop-up) trip across the country to Berkeley, California to visit our new born grandson and our daughter who was studying at the university there. Since the exchange student was going to be stuck in the Philadelphia suburbs for the summer, we invited her to accompany us. She and her parents agreed.
Admittedly, she saw a lot of interstates. But she did see Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, the Arch in St. Louis–not to mention Northern California and a lot of little towns along the way. In return for showing her our country she gave us a picture book of New Zealand. We fell in love with the scenery and her parents invited us to come there and let them return the favor. So, let the planning begin.
Searching the web for options, we realized that camping over there seemed to be the most logical for us, since we have been RVers here in the states for many years. Various companies offer “campervan” (motorhome) packages, but we liked the options in an Air New Zealand package. The deal included air fare, the campervan, and the ferry crossing from the North to South Islands. Their representative was informative and always available via email.
We added a hotel for our first night in Auckland, the largest city and international airport gateway to our itinerary.
Now we are down to the nuts and bolts. Where, exactly, are we going to visit? What is doable this trip and what must be put off for another time? The father of the student who is now married and has a 2 1/2 year old, sent material that he had accumulated. We are now in the process of filling in the blank pages of a notebook with a date on the top line with all of the adventures that await us.
–John and Cathy
