Octopus … my new ride/home in NZ

Getting around in New Zealand can be challenging, especially when you are traveling with heavy and bulky kitesurfing gear. Public transport is limited outside of the bigger cities and not accessible to most of the places we want to visit. We needed our own wheels to explore the beautiful North Island at our leisure. From our experiences in Australia, we knew the most economical option would be to buy a vehicle and sell it before we leave the country … but given the fact that we may have to leave on short notice once we find a boat, this idea seemed a bit complicated. Another option was to rent a car which would cost us around $30/day. In addition to the cost of a car we would have to pay combined $60/night for a hostel or $20-$30 a night to camp at a caravan park …  meaning we would need to invest about $200 in camping gear.

Octopus

the kitchen

We found the perfect answer to our transport and sleeping needs at Escape Rentals where we rented Octopus. The campervan is totally pimped out with everything we need inside including bedding, pots & pans, a gas cooker, cooler, sink, chairs and a table AND it has a really groovy Octopus painted on the side and a sting ray on the other : ). The inside easily converts from a sitting area to a bed.

At $45/day NZD ($35USD) we are able to save heaps of money on accommodation cost since we can sleep in the van and do not have to stay at campsites. We have been living in the van for 2 weeks now and plan to keep touring around the Northland for the next 2 weeks.

We never know where we will park Octopus for the night but it is always fun to find the perfect spot. A great perk of living in your vehicle is that you can always have a room with a view!

We find our new home quite cozy and are enjoying our journey in Octopus!