This morning I wake up happily by the alarm clock, meaning that I finally slept a long night. I pack my bags and go to the kitchen for breakfast. In about one and a half hour a taxi from the camper rental company will pick me up.

During breakfast I plan a bit of a route for today. It’s a bit hard to guess how long the distances will take, but I take my Lonely Planet and set a general direction to go to. I say goodbye to people in the hostel and go outside where a friendly taxi driver from Sri Lanka is waiting for me. The ride is only 15 minutes and it gives me some time to see how traffic is here in New Zealand.

When I arrive at the rental company a friendly lady greets me “Welcome at Spaceships, how can I help you?” I tell her that I’m picking up my car and she shows me my new house on wheels for the coming weeks. They call them Spaceships and they have a bed inside and also hot plates for cooking. Everything looks very comfortable and I’m glad that I’m already happy with my choice.

I get behind the wheel, which is on the right side, and drive away. I had expected that it would take some time to get used to driving on the left side of the road, but for a left handed person like me it actually feels very natural. Driving and map reading at the same time is actually a bit more challenging and I miss a few roads. I’m a bit upset about it for a moment, but then decide to just accept it and enjoy the ride. I’m driving for a couple of hours and then stop at a pretty bay. It’s called Helena Bay, which of course reminds me of my friends in America. I walk at the beach and take my shoes off to feel how cold the water is. It’s actually warmer than expected and for a moment I doubt if I should go for a swim. I don’t have to think long about it, I already know I want to do it. I get my swimming shorts from my spaceship and jump into the water. It’s actually pretty cold after all, so I only swim for a few minutes but I’m glad I did it. First time that I swim in the Pacific Ocean. I happily discover that the travel towel I bought for this trip dries really well and soon I’m not cold anymore. I get dressed again and continue my road trip.

I got some apps on my phone for finding camping places (CamperMate and Rankers Camping) and I drive to a camping place about an hour from where I am. It’s completely departed and right next to the beach, perfect. There is a sign that it costs 16 dollars and I expect to see someone tomorrow morning to pay to. I park my car right next to the beach and get my bed ready. It’s still a bit early so I decide to watch a movie. It’s nice to watch a movie in a camper like this, it gives a bit more home feeling. After the movie I try to sleep, but then a lady knocks at the window and asks me to pay for camping. So I do and then go back to sleep. Softly I hear the waves of the sea and when I look outside the window I see many stars in the sky. Nice location for the first night camping.