We enjoyed good sleep in a quiet camp with only one tent camper and a motorhome that seemed to belong to a local farmer.

It was very buggy in the am when we awoke. Laurie found it quite satisfying to see the sandflies on the opposite side of the glass.

Under sunny skies we eventually left camp and drove back on the dirt road past the sheep and cows. From here it was 1.5 hours to Queenstown. The drive continued to be beautiful.

We drove by fields of hops and other lower to the ground agriculture. The lush green fields gave way to more dramatic hills and then snow capped mountains as we approached Queenstown.

Laurie said the mountains around Queenstown reminded her Switzerland and Alaska combined.

Andy found that description pretty accurate. But driving in constant traffic on the narrow, hilly roads reminded him of San Francisco and he couldn’t wait to get out of there.

But before we could leave there were town chores that needed to be done. Laurie attempted to shower the kids while Andy shopped at New World supermarket but couldn’t get any hot water. After a few tries she gave up.

Andy was in the store for a while. It was a major restocking day for us and just as Laurie texted Andy about his eta because Miles was getting hungry, Andy opened the side door of the van with 3 bags full of goodies.

Andy asked for the family to help put away groceries and neither kid replied. He explained that we need to work together and being part of a team means helping with shared tasks.

Still, neither moved. So he said he would eat all the yummy snacks ask by himself and they darted off the bed to see what he had bought.

Ani saw cherries and immediately wanted them. Andy tried to get her to wait until we could wash and pit them but she wasn’t having it.

Miles and Laurie were working together putting things away, with Miles getting distracted and wanting everything he pulled out of the bags.

Ani was now shouting for cherries and Miles turned to try and explain that we needed to wash them. He was really sweet with her and very calm too. Until he tried to take the cherries, at which time Ani doubled down and predictably they all fell on the ground.

Andy could tell Ani was tired so he took her out of the van to the French bakery for bread and the butcher in hopes of finding lunch meats without preservatives.

Almost immediately Ani gave dada a koala hug and rested her head on his shoulder. By the time they got back to the van she was almost sleep.

Andy tried to switch her into a horizontal position in hopes of transitioning her to the bed at the back of the van but Ani didn’t like that and opened her eyes. Once she saw the van she perked up and wanted cherries.

Thankfully Laurie had them ready and waiting for her. The kids snacked as we drove clear across town to fill the propane. Andy feels it’s still pretty full, but since we’re not getting any hot water, this was the low hanging fruit he wanted to start with.

The clerk only filled 1.5 gallons worth and confirmed that the tank was still pretty full. Laurie got on the phone with tech support while we drove back across town to the post office which was close to the gas station with a dump site.

They mentioned something about resetting the circuit breaker, which Andy did and just like that we had hot water again. We were parked on the street at rush hour but when Laurie and the kids returned from dropping off their postcards, they all showered.

Laurie tried to convince Andy to shower too. His gut told him they were low on water but Laurie insisted he try since it felt so good and we were about to dump and fill. Sure enough we ran out of water while he was partially soapy.

Using our drinking water bottle he finished his shower and it was time to go dump the tanks. It was full blown rush hour in Queenstown and trying to get into the gas station was really tricky. Andy was going the right way but was in the wrong lane so he missed the turn into the gas station.

Thankfully there was another dump station only minutes away so Laurie directed Andy to that one. This gas station was big, not that busy and the dump was easy to find.

Unfortunately when Andy opened the lid to the dump it didn’t look so great. Given the time and necessity, Andy went ahead and did what he always does, hook up the grey water first.

Almost immediately he heard the water backing up. He looked and saw the water rapidly rising and shut off the valve to the van’s grey tank before it overflowed.

Andy went inside to see if there was something he could use to unclog the drain but was told by the clerk that the counsel maintained the dump and that he would email them.

Andy put away the grey tank hose, giving up on dumping today. We moved the van, filled up on fresh water and drove out of town the heaviest we would like be. Blue wave was full of fresh water, almost full of grey water and full of diesel fuel.

We headed south along Lake Wakatipu for about 20 minutes, hopeful to find a camp for the night at the first available camping area outside of Queenstown, where they have banned all freedom camping.

Laurie mentioned numerous times how she could live in Queenstown and Andy couldn’t get outta there fast enough. Our desires for where to live are as diverse as the ever-changing New Zealand landscape.

We pulled into Kingston Beach camp and were pleasantly surprised by how big it was. Not surprisingly all of the spots by the water were taken but there were plenty of spots on the grass. We chose a spot that was relatively flat and away from others.

After dinner, Laurie and the kiddos went down to the water with their sand toys and Andy took a moment to sit in the quiet and decompress before joining them.

The beach and mountains are just stunning here. Everywhere you look is so incredibly picturesque. Add to that the sound of the waves crashing into the beach and it makes for quite the soul quenching experience.

The kids dug and ran around until 9pm. Upon returning to the van we were surprised to see more vans parked around us. Apparently we are not the only ones taking full advantage of the long hours of daylight.

Predictably, meltdowns ensued trying to get the kids to brush their teeth. We agreed that we need to have a hard stop at 830pm for the kids no matter what they’re doing because they just get so tired.

At 1015pm, the van was finally quiet. And bug free.