Driving through the North Island of New Zealand in a camper allowed us to do many things off the beaten path, including set our own timetable, make our own meals, and take a day off to visit friends in KatiKati. I hadn't seen them since their wedding 10 years prior.

However, following great timing arriving in holiday-rests from the Coromandel to Rotorua, and beating bus-tourists to our favorite sites more often than not, …

We planned badly for our return to Auckland and landed smack in the middle of Friday afternoon rush hour. With a child who had a distinct 3-hour in-vehicle limit. We nearly ran out of gas. We hurtled last minute into a station that might never have seen a camper before (there was lots of staring, perhaps from the howls of rage coming from inside the van). And we were hoarse from singing itsy bitsy spider.

Still, following return of the camper (a smidge after it was due - Mr. Camper Rental Guy, thank you so much), and some helpful entertaining by my sister and her husband in Orewa after she fell asleep in her non-moving pack-n-play, we looked back on the whole week with wonder. And started planning our next trip, in a couple of years, to drive around the South Island, and hopefully hike one of the routes down there.  And the fjords in Marlboro Sound - must go there too.