I've been quiet. What's going on?

It's been a long time since I last wrote a post, and I'm so sorry for neglecting you all. I've actually been incredibly busy starting a life in a new country. And that (hopefully!) is no exaggeration.

Since my last post, I have been offered a permanent position as assistant manager at The Camera Shop where I work. And though there may only be 4 staff members there, this technically puts me in a higher position than my dad (many of you know as the infamous manager of Park Cameras in the UK), an achievement that I'm pretty proud of anyway.

It's official. I have a business card

This role has been keeping me very busy, and is a LOT to take on, especially after only working for the company for 2 months.

Joe also recently landed himself in a good job, and we're considering the prospects of extending our visas for the foreseeable future, and quite possibly, forever.

But enough adulting, before all that can happen, we need to go on an adventure.

Keeping us busy on our days off from work is Gimli, who not only has taken us to some of the local scenic areas, but has been undergoing a complete makeover. Meaning, we removed everything from the back of the car including seats, shelves and bed frame, and completely re-assembled a structure in order to make our van self contained. It now includes a travel toilet, sink, water tank, and foldaway bed/seating area.

Freedom camping in New Zealand is legal, but there are many campsites that have amenities only available to those in a vehicle that is marked with a valid self contained sticker. The vehicle must be approved by an official self-containment dude to gain this classification. We will hopefully be getting our self contained sticker this weekend.

So, why such a rush to get the van fixed up? This friday will be the start of our month long adventure travelling the whole country before going back to work. There's a lot of cool places to fit in to this visit, and I can't wait for what we're going to encounter! We're not quite sure where we're going yet, but our top 3 must-sees are:
1. Hobbiton movie set
2. Franz Josef Glacier
3. Rotorua geysers and natural spas
...and a lot of awesome scenery and breathtaking views on the way!

Piha, Auckland
The cold will still never stop me going to the beach

Currently in New Zealand it is winter time, and unlike Australia, the kiwi winter is actually cold. Where we live in the north is a very mild climate, mostly sunny and slightly warmer than the UK, but the south where we are headed is bitterly cold and snowy. I love the snow, but I'm a little worried about how well we'll survive living in a van in these conditions, as it's not something we've ever done, so any advice would be welcome!

So that's where we're up to now. I will definitely write more posts about where we go on our trip. For now I just have to get through one more day at work! If anyone has any advice for us on where to go during our trip, please leave a comment - we want to see as much of the country as possible!

Walkies at Goat Island