Our arrival in New Zealand was less than glamorous after getting there via a redeye flight from Melbourne, Australia. In the end we made it to Cathedral Cove Beach. But fist, we breakfasted and brushed our teeth in the New Zealand airport before boarding a big yellow bus to the RV rental place. Upon arrival we learned there was going to be a 3-ish hour delay in getting our RV because some sort of maintenance light was on. Obviously we were distraught but the RV company did offer to pay for taxi rides so we could get on with enjoying our day.

We opted for this option and so headed into the capital city, Auckland. Unsure what to do we debated on how long it would take for us to go bungee jumping from the Auckland bridge but, instead, succumbed to our exhaustion and ended up in one of the city parks where we exclaimed over the large trees and found much comfort in napping on the mowed lawn.

Time elapsed and we found new, and slightly more crazy, taxi drivers to take us back to the RV rental place where we spent another 2 hours waiting. Side note, from what we gathered between our own experience and from other RV renters we met along the way, this is standard procedure. These agencies are large, understaffed, and overbooked. I actually felt bad for the manager we were trying to work with. Once we were (finally) all loaded up and ready to hit the road, the real fun began! 

We left the two boys to have the front, one to navigate and the other to drive… down the left side of the road. Energy and fun blossomed anew as Scott drove us through and out of Auckland. Our first necessary stop was a Woolworth’s grocery store where we purchased food and beer that packed our fridge to the max – it would be the only grocery run of the entire trip. Then we hit the countryside.

And the countryside did come in the glorious form of the Coromandel Peninsula. The windows were down and the energy was high as we stared at the view before us. Sparkling water met vibrant green coast and the narrow blacktop road curved tightly along its edge.

Scott pulled off on a slow vehicle turnout to let others pass and this was our first experience with happy honking. That’s right, people in New Zealand honk when they are happy, rather than when they are mad. At first, this confused us Wisconsinites. 

A few hours into our drive and one “wrong side of the road” experience later, we were finally pulling up to Cathedral Cove beach. I cannot describe the immense beauty of this place nor the feeling of elation I had while standing there. It’s an incredible place and the shoreline beauty was refreshing in both sight and sound. I wish we could have been there all day. 

One consequence of our late RV departure was the fact that we got there with no time left to enjoy both the beach and the Cathedral Cove cave, which was suppose to be a 45 minute hike from the North end of the beach. My friends did make the dash to the Cathedral Cove cave in time to enjoy the picturesque spot in the dregs of the evening light. Upon learning how far away the cave yet was, Scott and I decided to turn around on the trail and head back to enjoy more time on the vast beach where the pastel sky was magical.

Needless to say, this stretch of Earth is stunning. If you plan to go, I highly recommend giving yourself ample time. 

But the days events weren’t over yet.

Once it was dark and we were all back in the RV we still had over an hour drive to our campsite. En route we learned why there was so much roadkill here. Possums come out at night and Scott was dodging them the best he could. We pulled up to the campsite past check-in time to discover the gate was down! We thought we were locked out for sure. However, one level-headed and non-panicking travel companion discovered a kind note taped to the office door instructing us how to get in. Hallelujah!

Yes, we were the noisy Americans that rolled in late at night and probably disrupted all of the other campers while trying to figure out how to make our beds, cook dinner, and shower. And, all three of these tasks gave us grief as the fold-down kitchen table bed was broken, the oven’s igniter wouldn’t light, and a NZ dollar coin was needed to take a hot shower at the camp’s shower facility.

Sigh.

In the end, the bed never leveled out, the second pizza was only half baked, and only Scott and I got to shower as nobody had any change except for a lone coin that was generously given to Scott since he safely drove our asses here. 

We got to bed after midnight and we were jolted awake early the next morning by the sounds of happy children screaming excitedly in the surrounding campsite. 

Karma. 

Thus was our first day’s experience in New Zealand aboard our RV dubbed Fiona the Fiat!