28 December 2010
We're in the quintessential New Zealand camping ground. Beautiful east coast scenery, tents forever and lots of kids having the time of their lives.
It's been tough getting here, but in the end that's not going to matter at all. It's just a few days out of the rest of our lives.
The campground is beautiful and everyone is friendly and relaxed. The onsite bakery is churning out delectable croissants and Boston buns, the takeaways are doing a roaring trade and they've got the cleanest toilets and showers you've ever seen!
Bus photos soon, I promise.
Not quite
24 December 2010
What a day it has been. It is almost Christmas Day and we are parked on the street outside the BBC, having a dinner of cheese, crackers and nuts.
An incredible amount has been achieved today; so much more than we hoped. Some things will need to be finished off when we pass back through Taupo in February, but we are absolutely delighted with how the bus looks. Paul and Shelly have done amazing work.
Unfortunately, when we went to leave we discovered they had forgotten to wire in the tow bar. This means we can't tow our little car as we would have no lights. We will have to drive our two vehicles separately until this can be remedied - which won't happen in the next four days of public holidays.
So we're staying put tonight and will drive to Pataua tomorrow, starting our adventure in a slightly off-key way.
What a day it has been. It is almost Christmas Day and we are parked on the street outside the BBC, having a dinner of cheese, crackers and nuts.
An incredible amount has been achieved today; so much more than we hoped. Some things will need to be finished off when we pass back through Taupo in February, but we are absolutely delighted with how the bus looks. Paul and Shelly have done amazing work.
Unfortunately, when we went to leave we discovered they had forgotten to wire in the tow bar. This means we can't tow our little car as we would have no lights. We will have to drive our two vehicles separately until this can be remedied - which won't happen in the next four days of public holidays.
So we're staying put tonight and will drive to Pataua tomorrow, starting our adventure in a slightly off-key way.
What do we do now?
24 December 2010
It is early morning on Christmas Eve and our bus isn't ready yet. We're devastated. There is so much still to do and we really have to leave Taupo today. We've already had to give up the idea of joining my family in Kerikeri for Christmas so we can go straight to the campground where we are due to start working on Boxing Day.
If we do leave today it will be with many things half finished. It all feels like one big string of broken promises.
It is early morning on Christmas Eve and our bus isn't ready yet. We're devastated. There is so much still to do and we really have to leave Taupo today. We've already had to give up the idea of joining my family in Kerikeri for Christmas so we can go straight to the campground where we are due to start working on Boxing Day.
If we do leave today it will be with many things half finished. It all feels like one big string of broken promises.
Finishing
22 December 2010
There is so much activity at the workshop, but progress feels so slow. The BBC are working flat out - 16 to 18 hour days - and we're just doing whatever we can to help so we can drive out of here in the next couple of days. Unfortunately any little hiccup costs us valuable time.
Yesterday Craig did things like wallpapering the bedroom panels, bolting in seatbelts and attaching the fastmounts to the pelmets and bedhead. On the other hand, I spend most of my time trying to stay out of the way, although I can run around picking up things like wallpaper smoothers and a jerrycan of diesel for the bus when she refused to start.
When the bus got back from getting its certification yesterday, Craig couldn't resist demonstrating the mount he made for the hand wringer - on the bike rack, which goes on the second tow ball.
There is so much activity at the workshop, but progress feels so slow. The BBC are working flat out - 16 to 18 hour days - and we're just doing whatever we can to help so we can drive out of here in the next couple of days. Unfortunately any little hiccup costs us valuable time.
Yesterday Craig did things like wallpapering the bedroom panels, bolting in seatbelts and attaching the fastmounts to the pelmets and bedhead. On the other hand, I spend most of my time trying to stay out of the way, although I can run around picking up things like wallpaper smoothers and a jerrycan of diesel for the bus when she refused to start.
When the bus got back from getting its certification yesterday, Craig couldn't resist demonstrating the mount he made for the hand wringer - on the bike rack, which goes on the second tow ball.
Nearly...
21 December 2010
We're feeling very 'on hold' this week. We've left our home, said many goodbyes and are in Taupo. The bus is so very nearly finished, but it feels like there are still a million things to be done. Glaziers, upholsterers and other tradesmen are coming and going; Craig is even helping out by wallpapering the panels for the bedroom.
We had a farewell picnic planned in Wellington last Sunday, but of course the weather didn't co-operate. Quickly transferred it to the local pub and spent a lovely couple of hours catching up with family and friends.
We're feeling very 'on hold' this week. We've left our home, said many goodbyes and are in Taupo. The bus is so very nearly finished, but it feels like there are still a million things to be done. Glaziers, upholsterers and other tradesmen are coming and going; Craig is even helping out by wallpapering the panels for the bedroom.
We had a farewell picnic planned in Wellington last Sunday, but of course the weather didn't co-operate. Quickly transferred it to the local pub and spent a lovely couple of hours catching up with family and friends.
The Emporer's new bus
We're having a farewell picnic on Sunday. It was intended to also be a chance for our family and friends to see our bus before we hit the road, but of course we won't actually have it.
Never mind, it's a great chance to catch up with everyone before Christmas and we're planning some good old-fashioned picnic games like egg and spoon races.
We took an enormous load of gear to Taupo yesterday. We're not bringing the bus back to Wellington before we head north, so we need to get everything up there, ready to be packed in.
We managed to visit the workshop without actually going into the bus - we don't want to see it before we collect it on Monday. A couple of inadvertent peeks did show the ceiling panels look brilliant, and the bench top is place.
There was a bit of a panic about the blinds last week - the manufacturing company made them 10mm smaller in both width and drop. Apparently this is their standard process, but it would have been nice if we'd know. But the brilliant bus builders have managed to work around this and the windows are looking very smart.
Never mind, it's a great chance to catch up with everyone before Christmas and we're planning some good old-fashioned picnic games like egg and spoon races.
We took an enormous load of gear to Taupo yesterday. We're not bringing the bus back to Wellington before we head north, so we need to get everything up there, ready to be packed in.
We managed to visit the workshop without actually going into the bus - we don't want to see it before we collect it on Monday. A couple of inadvertent peeks did show the ceiling panels look brilliant, and the bench top is place.
There was a bit of a panic about the blinds last week - the manufacturing company made them 10mm smaller in both width and drop. Apparently this is their standard process, but it would have been nice if we'd know. But the brilliant bus builders have managed to work around this and the windows are looking very smart.
Petone
12 December 2010
Just 100m away, at the end of our street, is this glorious beach. There are certainly moments, especially at this time of year as we warm into summer, I wonder why on earth we are leaving. This is not a question I ask in the dead of winter, after three weeks of single digit temperatures and driving rain.
But it is a beautiful place to live.
Lounge camping
11 December 2010
We are now camping in our house. We have just the stuff we're taking with us in the bus, plus the TV and airbed which will go into storage at the last minute.
When we shifted all the furniture earlier this week, we were expecting to have the bus by now. However we now have a confirmed collection date of 20 December. So another week of lounge camping for us - although we will have to resort to borrowing a spare fridge off a friend - until now we're been making do with bags of ice in the laundry tub.
While the collection date isn't ideal, we will just adapt our plans to suit the new timing. Everything we've seen shows they build to a very high standard indeed and we don't want pressure from us making them cut any corners.
Moving day
8 December 2010
Yesterday we shifted all our furniture into storage. We kept the television as we still have a few days 'camping' in the house, so there's just that and our clothes to go into the unit later this week.
It all feels very real now - we're finally moving on from the holding pattern of the last few months. Of course we have moments of what feels like blind panic, but mostly it's excitement and impatience to get going.
Timing?
4 December 2010
This waiting is making us really anxious.
Had a text this morning to say the roof panels have arrived and look fabulous. All good, but he also said the kitchen benches will arrive tomorrow.
I know the kitchen is the last thing they're going to finish, but I'm sure he said that would take him three days. Which means the earliest we can really expect delivery would be Friday. At best.
This is pushing things really close to the wire. Friday would give us eight days to collect the bus (and learn how to use it), spend a couple of days around Taupo so we're close to the BBC if there are any little tweaks required, get back to Wellington, pack everything in, spend some time with our kids, have our farewell picnic and get on the road for the Far North on 19 December!
It also leaves no margin for error - if there are any problems with the bus, how will we have time to get them fixed?
Our original delivery date was early November. Various things pushed this back - changes we made and their shift of workshop included - and we accept these things happen.
But that isn't easing the current anxiety.
This waiting is making us really anxious.
Had a text this morning to say the roof panels have arrived and look fabulous. All good, but he also said the kitchen benches will arrive tomorrow.
I know the kitchen is the last thing they're going to finish, but I'm sure he said that would take him three days. Which means the earliest we can really expect delivery would be Friday. At best.
This is pushing things really close to the wire. Friday would give us eight days to collect the bus (and learn how to use it), spend a couple of days around Taupo so we're close to the BBC if there are any little tweaks required, get back to Wellington, pack everything in, spend some time with our kids, have our farewell picnic and get on the road for the Far North on 19 December!
It also leaves no margin for error - if there are any problems with the bus, how will we have time to get them fixed?
Our original delivery date was early November. Various things pushed this back - changes we made and their shift of workshop included - and we accept these things happen.
But that isn't easing the current anxiety.
The people you meet
4 December 2010We're really looking to meeting lots of different people, when we're living on the road.
This week we had some time to kill in Taupo before we visited the BBC, so we went for a drive to Mangakino. There was a lovely big bus parked by the side of the lake near the boat ramps, so we wandered over to be nosy.
We met the most lovely couple, and were lucky enough to spend an hour or so with them, drinking coffee and talking about life on the road.
They've been living in their bus for six years and consider it home. They've never had trouble finding work when they want it - a fact that gives us confidence for our future.
But most of all, they were friendly, welcoming and more than happy to share stories of their adventures and some advice.
Excited much?
1 December 2010
Today we saw the bus for the last time before delivery. Delivery date is late next week, and we're not going to do another visit. The BBC are under instructions not to send us any more photos, even if we beg, wheedle, or threaten not to pay them any more money!
We saw our new captains chairs and they are positively yummy. The fabric is just perfect.
We are beyond excited and really just can't wait to get going on the next stage of this amazing adventure.
Today we saw the bus for the last time before delivery. Delivery date is late next week, and we're not going to do another visit. The BBC are under instructions not to send us any more photos, even if we beg, wheedle, or threaten not to pay them any more money!
We saw our new captains chairs and they are positively yummy. The fabric is just perfect.
We are beyond excited and really just can't wait to get going on the next stage of this amazing adventure.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)