For two weeks last September, we travelled through the South Island of New Zealand in a camper van. It was a superb family holiday, in a wonderful part of the world.
Carolin and I had visited NZ many years ago and it remains a mystery to us why it took so long for us to get back there. I had forgotten many things in the intervening years, including how vast the distances between large towns are and how sparsely populated the South Island is. Compared to living in Australia, NZ has a sense of home about it, in terms of the cooler, wetter climate and vegetation.
We spent some of our nights in Department of Conservation campsites, which were basic in terms of facilities, but usually stunning in terms of scenery. One of my favourites was on the shores of Lake Mapourika, near Franz-Josef Glacier.
