#VanLiving
New Zealand
September 2018 - May 2019
“Simplicity is not passive, a benign detachment from the turbulence of life;
it is a way of placing our finger upon the pulse of our life and discovering the ways of liberation”
-The Buddhist Path to Simplicity
Over the years 2018-2019, I lived in a van and traveled the countryside of New Zealand with one of my very best friends.
What led to such a choice you may ask....
Well, my friend, Nettie, and I have always shared a love for travel and a desire to live in a faraway place. When we found out about the ease of getting the Working Holiday Visa and the avid backpacker lifestyle of New Zealand, we knew we had found the perfect place to make this dream a reality.
Keeping our budget low and our minds open, we opted for van living which meant leaving many luxuries (such as extra space, refrigeration, and indoor plumbing) behind in favor of a minimalist life on the go.
This was a small price to pay for the amazing adventures we had exploring mountains, lakes, coastlines, and cities throughout the country…most important though was the lessons this experience taught us about ourselves and our lives as a whole.
This page (& a few blog posts) are dedicated to that adventure.
Keep reading to find out more about how we managed it all and took on this
minimalist, on-the-go lifestyle.
All photos featured are ours!
North Island: The Jungle
Despite the locals referring to the South Island as the place to be, most of my favorite memories are from its Northern counterpart. With jungles to hike through, scenic drives along the coast, and rich history of the Maori people to experience...it felt like we had everything right there at our fingertips.
We were still finding our groove as we left Auckland and started exploring. We headed north to Cape Reinga where I spent my 28th birthday. We did a really cool tour out to the lighthouse at the tip of the island, followed by some dune riding, and driving back on the sand all the way down 90-mile beach.
Next on our list was the Shire (Hobbiton)! Walking among the hobbit homes, complete with smoking chimneys and hanging laundry, was surreal and we topped it off perfectly with a pint of ale at the Green Dragon Inn. Equally as magical was the town of Rotorua where we got to experience a traditional Maori village, treat ourselves at the thermal mud spa, and made some van friends!
Then we were off to the East Cape, which became one of my very favorite spots in New Zealand. Here, we sacrificed sleep and warmth to get up at 3 am and venture out to the East Cape Lighthouse along a windy road (which turned out to be right on the cliff edge along the ocean) so then climb over 800 steps to the top. But, the reward was by far worth all of the efforts as we watched the first sunlight in the world for that day ascend over the horizon.
Just a few of the truly amazing experiences I will never forget
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That Wanaka Tree
Oh Wanaka, the perfect little New Zealand town. We made ourselves a little home away from home and fell in love with every bit of this place. But the lake, by far, is the most magical and unforgettable part.
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South Island: The Jewel
Life on the South Island was so different. Here we settled down a lot more and instead of new campsites each night, we were making friends at Mt Aspiring Holiday park where my friend got a job and I buckled down on school work. It was Summer now too and most of our afternoons were lazy, spent down by Lake Wanaka. Those were definitely some of the best days.
From here we did venture into Queenstown, the Milford Sound, and Dunedin. We saw penguin colonies and found the steampunk capital of the world (best playground ever). We also went to some amazing farmers markets and made amazing dinners by the beach, watching the sunset. On the way to Milford, we went through one of the most expensive and hard to maintain tunnel roads in the world and cruised through the glacial cut fjord land on the other side.
Here, we finally got the chance to use the boat we had been carrying with us, a blow-up raft that we promptly loaded with wine, sandwiches, and plenty of sunscreen. When we weren't floating on the lake, we took the gondola up to the mountain top in Queenstown and did the mountain top luge! Friends and family visited us here and we got to show them all why we loved New Zealand so much.
I saw the most amazing sunsets of my life here, met the nicest people, swam in some of the clearest water in the world, and saw the moon rise and milky way shine like never before.
Even with all of this, there is still so much to see & I cant wait to get back and see more of it.
