Driving North to Agnes Water, Australia

IMG_5730The plan I had in my head was to drive straight north then slow down and explore on our way back south. On the day we picked up the camper, everything took longer then expected. By the time we left the rental office, it was rush hour in Sydney and already getting dark. Although it was already late, we stopped at a supermarket to stock up on a few days worth of food before getting on the highway to our first campsite. We ended up camping at essentially a truck stop a little off the highway. At least it was a very scenic truck stop along side a neat gorge.

We were feeling refreshed in the morning and started the day by organizing the camper for our month long journey. This was much easier then in our last camper van because this one is so much larger with many storage options.

IMG_5208We drove most of the following day and Sara found a nice free spot for us to camp that night. We arrived after dark to another rest area off the road, but this time Continue reading

Married Life Status Update

image.jpgI guess we haven’t been compelled to write a post on married life in awhile. The rest of South East Asia was a breeze. We got into a routine of picking locations to visit, planning travel, doing fun activities, and eating at restaurants. There seemed to be a nice flow of the weeks and a nice balance between the two of us in the routine. Then we arrived in New Zealand and everything changed.

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Australia Plan – Camping Part Deux

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A quick hop over the Tasman Sea found us in the middle of what felt like a hurricane in Sydney. We made our way through the pouring rain to our friends house where we were going to stay for a couple days. After drying off, there was a tasty lasagna meal waiting for us – my favorite! It was great to have a real home cooked meal again and to be able to relax in a non-public place.

The rain didn’t let up for a couple days and ended up being the biggest storm the city has seen in the last century! We stayed indoors as much we could and took the opportunity to catch up on necessary business. Unfortunately, we had to venture into the rain briefly to go the the U.S. consulate Continue reading

Until Next Time New Zealand

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IMG_5332After exploring Coromandel, we only had two more nights before our scheduled flight out of Auckland. Wanting to spend one of those nights with a coastal view, we settled on freedom camping in Kaiaua. This little town permits camping in a small area next to their boating clubhouse. We arrived just before sunset to dozens of other campers with the same idea. Luckily, we found a nice parking spot with a view although it was near some puddles from the constant rain. The rain let up for sunset and we watched the dramatic sky while enjoying a drink after our wet day. (Read about the wet day in the Coromandel post). That night, we took a break from cooking and walked across the street to a fish n’ chips shop – the fresh fish and large servings left us completely satisfied!

The next morning, we drove to Auckland and first stopped at a library to use their free wifi. There are not many options for camping in the city and we found the cheapest to be Continue reading