Two days later and the weather has turned bad. Horrendous thunderstorm this morning and torrential rain. We were hoping to head to the Northern tip today but were advised to wait until things improve.

Yesterday we were in Kerikeri where we stopped overnight in our first official camp site with electrical hookup, laundry, showers etc. We had a problem with the campervan – the ‘house’ battery was shot but fortunately Britz (the rental company) has a service centre there and they replaced the offending item. Now I can run my laptop without needing a.c. hookup.

Last night we stayed in a rest area on the beach in a tiny place called Cooper’s Beach. But the sea is angry looking and not so idyllic, however, it is quite mild. We’re off again today to buy gas for our new barbeque and find the elusive Internet.

By the way, if you click on the slideshow you will be taken to a full-size version. Also, if you scroll down to the map of New Zealand you can see our progress starting as a red-line going North from Auckland.