Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler

What a delight to meet up with Jeff and Katie of Kina Campers this morning, along with his uncle at left, at the Waitakere train station near the uncle's house. After towing the caravan from the South Island, crossing on the ferry, and driving north, they spent last night with him.

We had a good catch-up and a tour of this newer caravan, which Jeff had specially retrofitted for us so it could earn NZ's self-contained designation, meaning water and toilet needs can be met for a minimum of three days without requiring any external services or discharging any waste. (Particulars upon request.) The bottom line is that it lets you park just about anywhere in this gorgeous country.

We returned to the cottage to organize and load between rain showers.

 Time out for a raw lunch

Cukes, tomatoes, and basil from the garden here (am I in my element or what).

 Jeff's t-shirt made me laugh.

Scarlett runner beans gifted us by the proprietors. 

For we who love vintage campers, the kitchen updates are notable, including retractable faucet with drop-down cover to produce more counter space.

 Same for the range top. More in the coming days. Tomorrow we're going camping.