Next stop, the South Island!

After an excellent week in Wellington, we finally bid farewell to the North Island. The North Island has been good to us, but we’re stoked to head down to the beautiful South Island before the weather turns too cold. Apparently once it happens it’s brutal. Our tickets for the Interislander ferry were actually pretty affordable - NZ$220 total for 2 people and a van. Bluebridge is the other Cook Strait ferry, and we found that one isn't consistently cheaper than the other, it just depends on the day. Also, prices are a lot lower if you've done your planning and can book a ferry date in advance (as per usual, we had not). But we were able to book a mid-morning sailing – the most beautiful part of the ride is when the ship enters the Queen Charlotte Sound during the last hour of the trip. So we settled into our comfy reclining seats by the window and lazed away the morning. The ship we were on wasn’t what we imagined – a hollowed out freighter with rickety car ramps. Instead it was a nine deck marvel. I’ve worked on cruise ships in Hawaii, so I’ve seen luxury vessels underway, and while the Interislander ship might not be up to those same standards, it is way more impressive than it has a right to be for the quick three hour voyage. It comes equipped with a movie theater on the lower deck, several cafés and eateries, coffee shops on the upper decks, fully reclining seats, kids’ areas where boisterous youngsters can watch cartoons or burn off their unending energy away from other passengers, full length windows fore and aft for viewing while underway, a fully licensed bar with a back patio, video game arcade room, satellite tv, and a top deck for taking 360 degree pictures of the Sound. It’s pretty slick.
When the ship landed, Care and I drove Flash onto Southern soil and into the little hamlet Picton. The beach in town is a good place to relax – we took a nap in the grass because we’d to gotten up before dawn to catch our boat – and is a natural gathering place for other travelers. People-watching is pretty good, and there’s a small mini golf course just off the sand. After a quick swim and a spin around the local library (free wifi), Care and I headed to the Kahikatea DOC campsite on the eastern bay of the Marlborough Sounds. It was a removed location with access to the water and great hikes along the sand. We made friends with a paradise duck – they’re usually really skittish, so that was cool – and also chatted with some humans. One elderly couple, Graeme and Jackie, came over to compliment us on our van setup (mostly the twinkle lights), and next thing we know we’re sitting in their snazzy camper talking about the realities of travel, freedom camping, camper van associations, solar power, fruit picking, the harvest trail in New Zealand, glue-gun crafts, and the life that they’ve lead on the road for the past six years. They were such happy, friendly, helpful people who taught us so much about what we’re doing on our trip, but more importantly, what we might do better. It was a great encouragement for us to continue the nomadic lifestyle, and a rad way to get pumped up for the second leg of our trip.
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Flash the Van

What’s the best way to see New Zealand? Backpack? Hitchhike? Kiwi Experience Tour Bus? Nope. The correct answer is from your very own 1987 Toyota Townace Super Extra– “Flash”.

Here’s what he’s packing:

	*Manual Transmission with a little bell that rings when we hit 105 km/h (a blazing speed of 65 mph) *Back seating area with a hinged panel that folds down into a bed *Electric chilly bin (cooler) that we plug into the awesome set-up that Pete built for us *Back pantry area for food and stuff *Fold-out table for eating and games *2 fold-out chairs *2 plastic bins for our clothes *Curtains everywhere (thanks Jude) *2 sunroofs *Gas cooker with two ranges *1 pot, 1 pan, toast rack, a bunch of dishes, and cooking stuff *Spice rack *Electric Kettle *5 liter water pump for brushing our teeth or rinsing off our feet and stuff *Wash bin with biodegradable soap *Febreze (nobody likes a smelly home) *Tape deck adaptor for our ipods *Computer desk *Bookshelf *Game center with cards, Backgammon, Knucklebones, and travel Settlers of Catan *Solar powered Christmas lights *Desk lamp *Mosquito lantern *6’ surfboard *Acoustic guitar …just to name a few things…

Pete rigged Flash with two batteries – one for the car and another that charges while we drive. Then he hooked it up to a monster inverter that charges our laptops and chilly bin. It’s awesome.

We bought him for $3,000 NZD and spent a few bucks buying lumber, bedding, knick knacks, the chilly bin, etc. and outfitting him the way we liked, but the grand total with registration, Warrant of Fitness, and a handmade super van was $1,500 USD each. Pretty sweet, eh?

It was awesome building the inside ourselves. When we started we just had an empty van, so looking back now, we’re really proud of our work (carpentry is hard). Flash is our home on the road, and he’s taking real good care of us while we explore New Zealand.

Quick Travel Tip: Live in a van. Seriously. It’s awesome.

The best part is that strangers initiate ten minute long conversations about how awesome our van is every time we open up the back to make a sandwich. And we make a lot of sandwiches.

Click the photo below to see the complete awesomeness of Flash