Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Camping a la Kiwi

How awesome is camping in New Zealand? Let's just forget all of the beautiful scenery and wildlife for a minute and focus on the actual camping. First and foremost, New Zealand campgrounds have KITCHENS. That’s right, kitchens. Anyone who’s ever camped in the US and Canada can tell you that it’s strictly BYO if you’re looking for a stove on which to boil your broccoli, but not here! They have kitchens! Not to say that they're all spectacular- some are fancy and newfangled with all the amenities, while others are less impressive, i.e. crooked burners, a fridge, and a kettle. But there’s always a stove, sink, and fridge, and usually far more than one of each (depending on the size of the place), so you can take cold stuff like milk and butter (or soymilk and Olivani!) on the road without having to buy ice for your cooler every other day, and there’s plenty of room for cooking and clean-up without having to step on other campers’ toesies. Some places even supply dish soap and towels, and some will lend you pots and pans if you don’t have any. Awesome. The coolest part is that these things are very standard. We never once had to resort to peanuts and bananas for dinner. Not once. In addition, you can take showers for free. In most places showers are included in the price of the campsite, which, by the way, is generally lower than what you’d pay stateside. None of this inserting another 50¢ when you're wet and cold and your 3 minutes are up! All of these things and more: coin-operated internet and laundry facilities at most campgrounds, prime, close-to-all-the-good-stuff locations, wandering pukekos, and the occasional (but awesome) hot mineral pools and geothermally heated campsites, make it all so easy... It's a pleasure to go camping here in NZ! So come and try it! =) You can even borrow our tent. (Tent offer valid for a limited time only. Some restrictions may apply. Due to high demand Tent may not be available at peak times. Blackout dates apply. Offer not valid outside Australasia. Void where prohibited by law. Help control the pet population; have your pet spayed or neutered.)

4 comments:

Barbara said...

Good grief! It sounds like even I might even enjoy camping in New Zealand! It seems to have all the ammenities...oh yeah..except the main one - a bed!! =0

Sarah said...

Some of them have hair dryers, though! I know how much you love to dry your hair! ;)

Janie Chu said...

LOL! I love the disclaimers you left at the bottom. Very Sarah. I think I need to come over just to get the camping experience.

Sarah said...

Yes, I didn't want any confusion about the Tent. You can't be too careful these days! I was going to say "prices and participation may vary," but I was afraid McDonalds would sue me or something! (Punks!)