Gipatik: 31.10.2017
Left Waihi Beach at 8 am for Rotorua. The day was very rainy and I'm already looking forward to the Waikite Valley, a thermal bath with a campsite. But this does not happen because the engine overheats and the radiator boils. So I struggle up every hill with the VW bus to Rotorua and then call the manager of the van rental company. She tells me to visit Deniz and gives me the address. Deniz is a camper specialist and not a mechanic, but super nice. He kindly asks for my hand and then writes the address for the workshop on a pen 🙂
In the workshop, I have a few really friendly conversations, the van is prioritized even though it's Friday afternoon and everyone wants to go into the weekend. In the meantime, I go to the hardware store, get some New Zealand gin from the liquor shop, take a walk through the Redwoods, and then sit down in a cafe. Then comes the call, the van will be picked up tomorrow, a new one will arrive tomorrow morning, and I should just go to the campground in Rotorua. That works for me and I'm looking forward to the next day.