House on wheels

Marc and I spent Sunday in Akaroa. After Ira decided to moisturize the upstairs bathroom with half a bottle of hand lotion in the morning, and time out was on the schedule for the day, we decided to hit the road. Akaroa is a town on the ocean on the rim of an extinct volcano. We drove the windy road to get there, had lunch and found a 4 hour hike to do. My poor prairie girl legs are not yet in any kind of mountain shape so I huffed and puffed my way past sheep and foxglove until we got to the top and had some beautiful views of the bays below. Felt so good to get moving again!!


Yesterday we picked up our "house on wheels" and drove it back to Eric and Sue's. Marc headed out to get the change of ownership paperwork done and get the oil changed in the truck. Amazing how some things here are the same price as home, and some things, like oil changes, are more than double the cost.

Lucky for us we bought a caravan that has been certified "self contained" That means that we can "freedom camp" ie. park in someone's pasture, at a DOC camp site or at the hundreds of POP's 'park over properties' that are part of the caravan association that we just joined. Rather than being fully serviced caravan parks with laundry services, toilet and shower areas and big kitchens, these are just a safe place to park if you are self contained AND cost about 5 dollars a night rather than the $40 for a regular camp spot. Having this option will add more 'flex' to our budget.

Once we brought the caravan home we toured Eric and the kids through it. The little ones LOVE our 'house on wheels' as everything is just their size. Though rated as a 5 berth caravan, once Eric 2 kids and Marc and I were in it, I do not see how anyone would be able to travel at full capacity without murdering each other. It will be just big enough for the 2 of us.
Our caravan also came with a full awning. It attaches to the side of the caravan and is the full length (about 18 feet) and about 8 feet wide. It adds a nice bit of covered outdoor space for shoes, sandy towels and a place for a table and chairs and our yoga mats.
We're heading off today to get the caravan kitted out (get the plates, cups, cookware etc that we need). There are plenty of second hand shops in the area that should have all that we need, and Sue has some extra bedding that she said that she could lend us.

This is starting to get exciting.

Take Care
Erin