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We woke to the patter of rain on the camper roof and had a quick breakfast. We decided to abandon our plans to cycle the mountain bike trail to the glacier car park thanks to the weather and prepared for a walk to see the Fox Glacier instead. A 5 minute drive via the most expensive garage so far, took us to the glacier car park which I’d scouted by mountain bike yesterday. The rain had kept people away so there was plenty of parking. It was our first opportunity to try out our wet weather gear and we set off prepared for the rain to continue, which it did. ...

7am start waking up to the sound of the ocean. A quick breakfast and then the kids went to play on the beach while we got ready. Set off by 9am and drove for an hour stopping at the tree top walk for coffee. It was super expensive, but really fun. We walked around the structure enjoying the view and tried to avoid looking down. The tower was exciting and nerve racking as it swayed when people walked up and down the stairs. Wonderful views of the surrounding area and rainforest. ...

6 am alarm and a run along the shore of Lake Rotoiti. Breakfast in the van and set off for Greymouth by 9am. It was too cold to take a dip in the lake before we left, quite chilly without the sun. Twisty roads with stunning views around most of the corners. The sun came out and it turned into a lovely day. The road followed a number of rivers with crystal clear water, growing bigger as we got closer to the ocean. ...

A late start and no longer raining! We had a quick breakfast in the van and the kids played on the trampoline while we got organised, refreshed the camper tanks and then got going by 11am. We dropped into the Countdown supermarket in Blenheim to pick up supplies, as there won’t be any big towns for a while. Onward with a 1 hour drive to Nelson national Park through Marlborough Wine Country. Just like on the photos with neat rows of vines in fields all along the road. ...

Christmas Day and a 4am start, not due to the children but to catch the ferry to the South Island. The kids opened their presents from Craig and Caitlin (Father Christmas delivered to our home in London) and they were really pleased. Alex got some Lego and Bella, The Game Of Life board game. Cold pizza for early breakfast and then we set off. We drove the 10mins to the ferry terminal and queue to check in. 3rd in line so plenty of time for the 6:30am. ...

Christmas Eve! We got up at 7am to the sound of traffic passing on the road nearby. Not that it was particularly heavy traffic, just that it was a contrast to where we’ve been staying over the last few nights. The children didn’t want to get up due to the late night last night but their bed covers the Camper’s table and door so no option but to wake them up to do anything really! ...

We woke up early after a good nights sleep and took a swim in the lake before breakfast which was really refreshing. The water was the perfect temperature and crystal clear, the views amazing and it was the perfect way to start the day. A breakfast of fried egg sandwiches in the camper followed by a bike ride along the edge of the lake in the sun shine. We admired the holiday houses which back onto the lake - maybe we’ll come back one day. The track turned to gravel and sand after a few KM which made it hard for Alex to ride. We turned around after 2.5km and returned the way we’d come. ...

Woke up at 6 to the sound of the waves and the sun rise - an amazing place to wake up. Breakfast all together in the van and then the kids went to play on the playground while we prepared the camper. Refilled the fresh water tank, emptied the grey water tank on the grass in front of the site. Diana and I took a walk along the beach - stunning. ...

We woke up late, it had been a long night. First Alex fell off the bed with a bump, he couldn’t remember in the morning, then the Bluetooth speaker we’d been using that evening ran out of batteries and started beeping which then seemed to be followed immediately by the loudest dawn chorus (The birds, not Bella) I’ve heard in a long time. It sounded like a flock of birds had descended on the van. Needless to say, we woke up not well rested. ...

We woke up early at 6am, had a quick breakfast, packed, checked out and took an Uber to Wilderness Motorhomes near the airport to pick up the Camper. We arrived at Wilderness just as they were opening and spent the next hour checking out the Camper. We decided to hire mountain bikes as they did us a deal - we’d dismissed it before as too expensive. After the paperwork formalities the lady showed us around the Camper. So many buttons, cubby holes and features! The kids couldn’t help themselves in pressing as many as possible all the time. The automatic step was the most popular and continues to be deployed and stowed several times on each entry and exit - that may get tired quickly. ...