South Island - part 1

We just got back from a 10-day trip to the South Island. We flew to Christchurch and then did a circumnavigation of the northern part of the island. It was spectacular - every time we got in the campervan to drive to another campsite, we were treated to incredible views.

This was our campervan - essentially a converted minivan. Noah crammed himself into the pop top - like a mermaid in a clam shell. Val and Luna snuggled below.

According to Luna - her two favorite cars are "Our campervan and a Dodge Viper". She told us we should check the campervan in with the luggage and send it back to Colorado with us on the airplane.

We stayed in some pretty nice campsites. Here is one in the Marlborough Sounds

... and one south of Blenheim on the Pacific Coast.

Some of the campsites came complete with a trampoline - which Luna calls a 'jumpoline' and Dad calls a 'hyper-active child containment facility'.

Of course no campsite was complete without every camper's best friend - a bottle of local sauvignon blanc.

The views weren't too shabby either - here is the scene from one of our campsites in the Marlborough Sounds (and, no, the rainbow wasn't photoshopped in).

The weather was generally pretty good, but a cyclone did roll through NZ while we were there so we spent a day and a half holed up in Nelson. We still managed to do a rainy tour of a local Japanese garden.