Day 12: Cambridge & Camping
Saturday, September 7th
We wake up and hit the road right away. On our journey to our next campsite.
We stop to get gas on the way, and Christopher decides to grab some McDonald’s. I joke with him and say he needs to become a rewards member, because we go so much now. (The only thing we ever get are iced coffees and he gets an egg McMuffin) But, I have to say, the McCafes in New Zealand (and the ones I have been to in Europe) are quite nice. They even had almond milk as an option here. So of course we got that. AND cinnamon! They were delicious.
As we get into town, we stop to do a little exploring and shopping. We are still on the hunt for hats, gloves, and some warmer clothes. We hit the jackpot (AGAIN!) We have the best luck shopping. Everything is 40-70% off. We find a bunch of hats/headbands for incredibly cheap. Christopher got a super cool jacket/rain coat and I got two sweaters- a cute flowery one, and another one that said active. My favorite part about this one was it said the best views are after the hardest climbs, National Park. And it had 1995 on it, which was the year I was born. Bonus, it fits Christopher as well.
We get to a Holiday Top 10 park in Cambridge. These are the “trusted” and well-known campgrounds here. We sign up to be members, because we are taking the Interislander ferry from Wellington to Picton which we will get a discount for, so it automatically becomes worth it with just that! We will continue to receive 10% off all our bookings, which will add up! The lady who checked us into our campsite was such a joy. She was so helpful and kind.
We park the van and explore. The campsite is lovely. It’s small, right next to town, quiet, and CLEAN! The bathrooms are spotless, we have power, and wifi. Although, Christopher’s version hotspot works better, and my t-mobile service (which isn’t good) is still holding up better in comparison.
Today was a productive day!
Christopher worked on mapping out the next few days while I workout and goof off while making a funny workout video. Hey, it’s great content, and I am giving people awesome ideas for workouts when traveling and camping! Christopher helped me set up the tripod and then I used my bands, a gallon of water, and my suitcase for weights.
On our way out of the campsite, we realize there’s a huge rounded blow up thing. Have you ever heard of a “jump pillow”? It’s like a trampoline, and we have a blast jumping around.
We then go to explore town a bit more. We have to cross a little bridge and river on our way. It reminds me so much of Colorado.
We swing by the grocery store to pick up some more chicken and lettuce. I was going to get Blueberries, but they were outrageously expensive and moldy.. maybe blueberries are not readily available here.
On the way back we go to a cute little restaurant called Alpino. (Yes, we carried our bag of groceries in along with our paper towel) I joked with the host and told him we brought our own napkins. We sat at the bar. I got a delicious salad with pear, walnut, and gorgonzola and Christopher got a caprese pizza which was also incredible! We both enjoyed a glass of Sovereign Blanc wine and a flat white. We love our coffee that’s for sure.
We head back to the campsite. Shower. Blog. Look up hikes, and get to sleep nice and early, because tomorrow we have HOBBITON!
My highlight today was this morning when Christopher woke up he cuddled me. Sometimes the smallest moments mean the most. We feel so at home in this camper van, and it just makes me so happy that no matter where we go in the whole world, we are so happy and comfortable.
Christopher’s highlight was exploring the town. Also an incredible part of the day. But truly, we rarely ever have bad parts and when we do, they always turn into laughter. Laughter makes everything better.
