NZ South Island Campervan Vacation Day 01

11 Nov 2010

The plane landed smoothly at about 1145hrs at Christchurch International Airport.

As we were unsure if the stuff (milk powder, health supplements, instant cereal drink, coffee, biscuits, camping tent etc) we brought would clear the customs without declaring, we decided to go through the DECLARE lane so as not to risk the NZ$400 fine. The customs officer who checked our stuff turned out to be quite friendly and especially lovely toward Rachel. Our luggage went through the x-ray machines and we were good to go. No problem with the stuff.

DL decided to get a SIM card from the airport and it took him quite a while to decide which ones to get. Meanwhile the kids got active at a small arcade centre at the airport. They were no one there so they basically jumped onto a ride and then hopped onto another.. without paying any coins of course. :)

After DL got his SIM card, we quickly made our way to the pickup area where the Pacific Horizon (PH) representative was. She drove us to the PH office which was located within minutes drive from the airport.
We saw our campervan and it looked pretty big. DL had to go through a briefing and made some checks on the campervan. The staff was kind enough to show us how to transform the seats into beds and many hidden gadgets of the campervan.

By the time we unloaded everything, it was almost 3pm. I was extremely tired and hungry by now. The kids were also starting to get cranky. But we still need to get some groceries before we can hit the roads to Kaikoura Top10.

Went to Raewards' Fresh Produce to pick up some fresh vegetables, fruits and meats. Their locally grown vegetables looked so big and fresh. I marvelled at how palatable they looked. Then we hopped over to New World Supermarket (NW) to load up on diapers, milk, pasta, biscuits, chips etc.

By the time we reached Kaikoura Top10, it was already 8pm.

Mum got to cook her first meal on the CV while we washed up. I did a dry bath for the kids simply because it was too cold and they was no detachable shower head.

We had pasta bolognaise for dinner and it tasted so yummy! After that, I went to get a shower and was glad that the water was hot, despite it lasting only for 7 minutes.

Hit the sack soon after and didnt remember how I made the kids sleep. I guess I was super concussed.
Thanks to DL for transforming the bed all by himself.

 Campervan with all our luggages

 Rear of the campervan which is used as a dining table for meals

and transformed into a double bed at night. 

We kept it as a  bed throughout our trip!

Stove Top (right) & Wash Basin (left)

Bar Fridge (below)

 The tiny bathroom that is indispensable when nature calls!

NZ South Island Campervan Vacation Day 00

Day 00 - 10 Nov 2010

One of the things that we wanted to do this year was to have a family vacation, either the four of us or with the extended family. As DL has always wanted to experience traveling on a campervan, we finally agreed to do a 14-days trip down under with his parents.

New Zealand's North Island was the place where we spent our honeymoon. Five years later, we were back but this time, we headed for the much acclaimed South Island.

Departed Changi Airport on 10 Nov 2010 via SQ297 at 1945hrs.
Rachel was very excited with her "first" flight experience. I doubt she remembers any of her previous flights as she was still very little. This time round, she got to choose her own toy, was given a pair of pink earphones and had her child's meal.
Ariel fell fast asleep shortly after we boarded the plane and was already in dreamland when the plane took off. But he woke up in time for his meal (post weaning meal which consists of meiji milk, mashed potato, cauliflower, tomota and chicken; all mashed up). After he's done with the meal, he started to poo. A very efficient digestive system he has!

At 2250hrs, we experienced pretty rough air turbulence. That was also around the time when Rachel cried as she was force-led to the toilet by GM. I comforted her and brought her to the seats at the back rows and continued to have my meal there with her. The seatbelt sign was on and we couldnt return to our seats even though I was already done with my meal. It didnt help when Rachel wanted to pee (again!!) and one of the crew told me that "this (referring to the air turbulence) is really bad..."

I didnt like air turbulence at all. It bothered me as my very first flight experience was pretty turbulent. I always wondered if the plane would stop functioning and crashed due to the bad air turbulence. DL, on the other hand, is never worried. Oftentimes, he would be fast asleep and unaware of the rough ride. I tried to be calm as I sat next to my little traveller. We prayed together for the air turbulence to clear so that she could go pee pee. We sang "Jesus Loves Me" for a good 20 minutes...

Half an hour later, we were able to return to our seats. She released herself and finally managed to find a cozy position to sleep. Ariel slept in my arms after I nursed him and thank God, I was able to put him into the bassinet without awakening him. I did that as I could not hold my pee. The others were sound asleep.

I was tired but I just couldnt get myself to sleep. I could only close my eyes for a couple of minutes, opening again to see if Ariel's doing okay in the bassinet and if Rachel's neck is resting on the cushion... I think I did that for about half an hour before they started to offer the next meal.

 As long as the kids are travelling with me, the mother instinct in me would be to make sure that they are well-rested. My basic needs can be met later...

In another 3 hours, we would land in Christchurch. Yippee!!