Kia ora once more. Tony already introduced you to our camper "Dougie" in his earlier post. Here's a few more pics showing how we've been living the past 2.5 weeks and some interesting bits about New Zealand.
First, our home away from home, D. Howlett our Rugby World Cup RV:
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| Tony's now an expert RV driver after 2 weeks navigating the NZ roads. |
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| Dougie at the beach |
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| Our lounge/dining/internet area |
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| Looking toward the cab- kitchen on the right, bathroom on the left, bed straight ahead. It's a pretty comfortable setup with lots of room, and besides it's got a double bed with a ladder; can't beat that! |
I have to admit that before we arrived in New Zealand I had low expectations of what the food would be like, but I was happily proved wrong and we've had some really great treats while we've been here. Travelling around in the RV we've been able to do most of our own cooking. Nearly everything in the grocery stores is imported and Kiwis only get the "2nds" of the produce grown here; however, we learned that if you seek out local butcher shops and fruit stands there is some really excellent stuff & great deals to be had. Between eating fresh blue cod fish and chips, lamb cutlets, saveloy sausage, yams, sweet potatoes (kumara), pears, apples, oranges, and, of course, Kiwi fruit I think we've packed on a little during our stay.
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| Our typical Kiwi breakfast....Middle cut bacon... |
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| ...and soft boiled eggs |
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| "Tasty" cheese- like cheddar but better :) |
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| This is a "Flat white," espresso + steamed milk. Pretty much a latte. Coffee here took some getting used to- they don't use cream, only milk, and coffee you buy is either instant or espresso. We have a french press in the camper as well. In the background is a salmon "slice." Kiwis love their casseroles and most coffee shops offer sweet and savory slices. |
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| One more time- chowder and fish pie from Fleur's Place...yum yum! |
Coming to New Zealand in winter has been great- empty roads and attractions. Besides the sheep we've had pretty much the whole place to ourselves. The only problem with winter is that it's cold! Well, most of the trip has had lovely weather and been mild and dry, but when the first cold snap came through we had some pretty chilly times. We ended up buying some Icebreaker baselayers (NZ is the home of Icebreaker) and some cheapo $5 hats. Something interesting about New Zealand is that there are a bunch of indoor outlet malls with discount product from big brands like Timberland and Patagonia. I had never seen a Patagonia outlet before the one in Christchurch. Since NZ seasons are opposite the Northern hemisphere it makes sense that US & Euro companies drop their extra product here at the end of the season. However, since there everything is imported and the selection of quality products in NZ is small, the prices for samples and 2nds are much higher than you'd expect at outlets in the US.
...Anyway...what I'm leading toward is that heating in NZ is pretty minimal. Central heating is non existent outside large stores. It doesn't usually get that cold here, but when it does the only way to stay warm is to pile on the layers and cuddle up (which isn't that bad either). Here's what you can expect for heat...
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| In our nice B&B...this was the only heat source for the huge, all tiled, bathroom. |
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| This is a "heat pump," probably the closest thing to central heating. Not sure how it actually works- don't think this one ever gave off substantial warmth. |
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| Most common and brilliant heating device in New Zealand. This is an electric mattress pad. It's like an electric blanket except it heats the mattress and the heat rises up and warms the whole bed. Makes way more sense that heating a blanket on top of the bed! |
