26|09|2018, purchase of the car and the first night

Hi guys,

today was the day, after spending the morning at the hostel, we were picked up again by the nice employee of our dealer and we drove to the dealer together with two other backpackers.

Upon arrival, we naturally checked if everything was okay with the car. MOT? Check! Registration? Check! Promised camping equipment? Unfortunately, not there!

Since the dealer's employee has nothing to do with providing and preparing the sold cars, I asked her politely where the rest was that we bought along with the car.

She looked into the car and saw nothing! After a short phone call with her boss, who was responsible for the whole thing, she asked us if it would be okay if Pascal and I drove to the boss's location to pick up the camping equipment.

Since we obviously just wanted to leave and would drive in that direction anyway, we agreed.

Then a little bit of paperwork, payment, everything like the purchase contract, warranty, etc. in writing and then we were on our way. The navigation said it would take 20 minutes to get to the dealer. However, it took me 35 minutes because I was so scared due to the left-hand traffic that I could only manage a maximum speed of 35 km/h.

The handover of the items went smoothly. After the 35 minutes in Vietnam, I needed a little break. Why did the first drive have to be during rush hour!

But overall, I would say that I have finally understood driving on the left side of the road!

After we got all our stuff, we went to the 'Warehouse', a large discount store, where we bought some camping gear.

Then we checked out the canned food section at the cheapest discount store in New Zealand, 'Pak N' Save', and then headed towards a campground nearby.

This place was in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in a national park.

1km before our destination, we suddenly encountered a big 'No Entry' sign. The campground had closed its gates at 8:00 PM.

So, we were stranded in the middle of nowhere, without cell phone reception, at some rest area of the campground. The next campground was a 1.5-hour drive through the national park, in the middle of the night...

The owner had set up a large floodlight on the front lawn, probably because of annoying campers who stand in front of the closed gate in the evening and then come up with the idea to park on the premises. The floodlight turned night into day.

At the 'Warehouse', we met a couple in their mid-20s from Berlin. They had accompanied us so far, and the four of us decided to simply park on the parking lot despite the 'starlight'. As our van has curtains on all windows, the light didn't bother us at all!

To avoid being woken up and facing a €200 fine from the ranger who looks out for unauthorized campers, we got up at 5:00 AM this morning and drove back to the city. We had breakfast in the parking lot of 'Bunnings Warehouse', the home improvement store in New Zealand, and that's where I am right now, writing this text.

We will do some more shopping now and then continue driving north on the North Island. Let's see how the reception is there!

If I get a chance, I'll check in later tonight!

Greetings from Auckland, New Zealand! 🇳🇿

Your Tim! 😊