Ahhh, the luxury of a shower. Last night, Kathy took a quick “shower” in the campervan (turn on water, get wet, turn off water, soap up, turn on water, rinse, turn off water – do NOT repeat). She then commented on how much water we have used and wondered when it might run out. It ran out shortly after Kathy’s shower. Dave crawled into bed feeling a tad bit like Charlie Brown on Halloween, he got a rock and Kathy got the candy!!! Kathy was the Shower Nazi: “No shower for you!” Deciding Dave needed a treat, we decided to take ourselves out to breakfast, which was harder to do than one would think. New Zealand has lots of “takeaways”, but very few restaurants. The hotel parking lot in which we camped advertised a great restaurant with good food. Dave got another rock! They only served lunch and supper. Dave Googled the next restaurant and we followed the GPS to the next restaurant, which was closed for remodeling. He got another ROCK!!! Feeling sympathy, Kathy said, “There is a McDonald’s.” Dave was really hoping for a real breakfast. Thank goodness for Google, we found a restaurant that was open. Dave eagerly ordered an omelet and orange juice while Kathy had Belgian waffles with Yohgurt and jam. (And, yes, it is spelled that way by the Kiwis and is crunchy instead of soft.) Nice touch — it had whipped cream and syrup. Kathy was feeling rejuvenated as she had two cups of “Americano” coffee, which each must be paid for as they don’t offer refills. Well worth it.
Next steps in the process: find a way to refill the water for the shower and sink, empty the grey water tank, and empty the black water tank. First stop – a “holiday park (RV campground.), A quick, “Not here.” By the manager, and Dave again got a ROCK!! Google sweet Google, we followed the directions for a tank dump station and, yes, it was closed. Dave got another ROCK!!! Luckily, they had a sign, “Dump station at such and such intersection.” Halleluiah! it was open. We quickly emptied and refilled the tanks, cleaned out the campervan, and away we went. Dave still had not had a shower, shave, brushed his teeth, or put on clean clothes!!! Driving towards Milford Sound, we stopped for gas and Dave finally got a candy!! They had showers!! Both decided to take advantage of the NZ $8.00 (about $6.00 USD) shower, which was hot and strong!! Sweet Bliss!! Best shower we’ve had since arriving in NZ.
Feeling rejuvenated, we started towards Milford Sound where we stopped at a visitor center, had lunch, and went for a nice hike. We booked a boat cruise for Thursday to “Doubtful Sound“, since Milford Sound is currently not able to be reached due to flooding. We were fortunate to book the cruise. Since the cruise line in Milford Sound was closed due to the road wash-out, everyone had to go to Doubtful Sound, so their cruises go booked up quickly. We took another hike along the river and basked in the warmth of the sun. Heading towards Milford Sound, we decided to look for a campground. Sitting in a nice camp, we enjoyed the peace and quiet of the area. Our portable WIFI won’t connect to update you right now, but tomorrow will be soon enough!! Tonight, we just relaxed enjoying dinner together and spending time just relaxing.
Really had fun reading this post. Frieda even read it as she usually doesn’t have the time to read them and giggled at some of it and Reid even read it. Hope things get better. Love, Mom.
Love you too!!