New Zealand 6 A Few Choice Words

 So, Matt went down back to Tairua with the couple while I stayed behind to sulk.

To make a long story a bit shorter, the rental company called a mechanic who could not unlock the steering column and eventually, to our dismay, broke about the entire ignition and steering column. By the time he was done, there was no key hole or even a place to put a key. We called the rental company again and they suggested we drive the van with a screw driver acting as the key.

Needless to say, we were not happy campers. I had more than a few choice words for the manager and he was actually speechless by the time I was out of breath. So, we informed him that we were bringing the vehicle back and expected a full refund.

Matt and Cynthia (to be continued) 

New Zealand 5 And Then... Nothing

 This time, we made it a couple hours north of Auckland to a small seaside town, just lovely, called Tairua. We had a nice, leisurely lunch by the water, had an ice cream and were on our way again. We were headed for Hot Water Beach, a famous little place on the coast where you rent a spade, dig a hole and lay in a hot water pool. We were really looking forward to it. We got about 10-15 minutes up the mountain to a prettyish

lookout and after a quick stop, got back into our van to continue and then..... nothing. The key simply would not turn - the whole steering column was locked up. At first we thought it was just a safety lock so we tried different things to disengage but.... nothing. We were quite anxious to get back on the road so we asked a couple to try and have a go at it. Both the husband and wife tried to turn the key but.... nothing.

Matt and Cynthia (to be continued) 

New Zealand 4 Until-Your-Teeth-Rattle

 We picked up the van first thing this morning and paid, upfront, for 49 days. Hurt a little, as it was a tremendous amount of money, even with the exchange rate. We got about, oh, 15 minutes out of the city on the expressway and the van began to shake violently. Not a gentle shake, not a mis-alignment, a jolting shake-your-bones-until-your-teeth-rattle sort of shake. A little alarmed, we pulled off and called the rental company. They took it all in stride  (maybe they get these calls often?!) and said "no, problem, bring it back". So we made our way back into the city, switched out the van and after an hour or so, we were on our way
again.

Matt and Cynthia (to be continued) 

New Zealand 3 Chinese Lantern Festival

 Last night we went to the Chinese Lantern Festival and it was fantastic. We ate lots of street vendor food, enjoying every bit, as we know we will NOT be able to do this in Asia. There were several performances, my favorite being the traditional culture dances. Once it got dark, the colored lanterns were all lit in the park and it was really beautiful.

We spent the day walking around the city trying to find a respectable place to rent a camper van. Unfortunately,  all the respectable places were booked clear through to the third week of March. So we settled for a cheap rental company that had vans on hand that were a little "used". We put down a deposit and pick up the van tomorrow. Decided not to go the "tourist bus" route as we want to experience New Zealand at our own pace. Later in the afternoon, we walked to Victoria Street Market (a very long walk) to check out some of the craft jewelry. I bought a few pieces and some old coins, nothing much. Off to bed early so we can pick up the van first thing.

Matt and Cynthia (to be continued)