Coming into Auckland the weather is glorious and the views from the plane are to die for – the sky is clear and the cliffs on the west coast and the expanse of Manukau Harbour stretch out below us.
We are hiring a car for the whole five weeks of our stay in New Zealand with a company called Juicy Cars who turn out to be a bit of a muppet outfit. They are offering three levels of insurance cover but can’t adequately explain the cover each provides and up until this point we hadn’t been aware that insurance isn’t compulsory in New Zealand and consequently 80 per cent of drivers are uninsured. Of course, hire companies insist that you take at least minimum third party cover but that still involves losing a bond of $1000 even if a no fault a claim is made plus an additional excess of $2,500. There are four levels of cover to chose from but we are struggling to get any clear understanding of what is and isn’t covered. In the end we opt for what must be the equivalent of fully comprehensive – no bond, no excess, every eventuality covered (we think) as even the best of the rest seems only to cover body work and excludes any damage to the underside or roof of the car.
But the best is yet to come when we inspect the car. OK the car category is ‘El Cheapo’ but we weren’t prepared for what greeted us. Almost ever inch of the bodywork is covered in either dents, scratches or peeling paint. Otherwise it is in quite good condition. How it got into such a state is hard to imagine, but at least there is small likelihood of anyone being tempted to steal it!
We have booked (or at least think we have booked) a cabin on a caravan park in Manukau City a short distance from the airport and a few miles south of Auckland. In fact, Manukau isn’t really a city but a small town with a shopping centre – more of an outlying suburb. When we arrive at the Caravan park we discover that they haven’t received our booking and its New Zealand Day national holiday and the park is completely full. We ring the three nearest sites in the same network each at least an hour’s drive away and they are all fully booked. At which point we’re offered a two-room chalet, but it hasn’t been cleaned and we will have to change the sheets ourselves- but we can have it at a discount. We take it! The chalet turns out to be surprisingly spacious with a large living room and a fully equipped kitchen. It’s so good to have such space after months of staying in hotels and hostels and we can cook! After getting some supplies at the local supermarket, I cook for the first time in five months!