New Zealand.

Here's just a quick update on how are planning is going. Scott and I have been busy, busy, busy and we're getting more and more excited with every day that passes.

As you may know, we've already booked our flights. On the 7th January 2018. We begin our journey from Edinburgh - Istanbul - Hong Kong - Auckland. We arrive in Auckland on the 9th. I am the worst traveller and I am so fidgety on planes. Basically, good luck Scott. However, I've already ordered my special veggie meal for the flights - ooh I can't wait to see what that looks like!

Before we get to that point though, we've been organising a few bits and bobs.

Luggage and timeline. We had in our mind that we'd needed a rucksack. However, we're hoping only to stay in Auckland in a hostel or air bnb until we find a camper. Van life here we come! Then once we have a self-contained camper, we're imagining that we will drive along various routes, stay in campsites and then if we're going for smaller hikes we would just need a smaller rucksack. We are trying to make a rough timeline of where we want to go. There is so much that we want to see, but we want to be flexible with our time. We're planning on heading north first, and then making our way south. We still need to make more of a timeline.

Packing. We've had to buy a couple things to ensure that we're a bit more survival-ready. A water bottle with a filter, multipurpose headgear (very handy), warmer socks, lightweight gloves, small torches and NZ adaptors. In Edinburgh I am going to look for some new sandals, shorts, waterproof over trousers and possibly a hydration pack. We've tried packing our Eagle Creek waterproof 105L bags to check the space situation. I think we'll be ok. It's hard to know exactly what to take. It will be summer time when we arrive but I feel like we're more ready for winter. I guess it's cheaper to buy shorts and tees if we need them rather than jumpers, fleeces etc. We've also got waterproof rucksacks for hand luggage - those will be getting filled up too.

Eyes. I have never wished I had good eyesight more than I do now. I have always wore dailies and tend to wear them most days (even though I have glasses), but taking 365 daily contact lens would probably fill up my bag ha. I am trialling monthly lens and hoping that they will be a better option. I will then only need to take 12 x monthly lens packs and solution. That's not too bad, right?! I'll also take a few dailies as back ups, and I've got 2 pairs of glasses, sunglasses AND prescription sunglasses. I do want to be able to see the sights in NZ, after all.

Insurance. Oh the fun. We've sorted Working Holiday insurance through 'Orbit' which covers medical care and evacuation, any pre-existing medical conditions, loss of deposits, baggage cover, insurance in the work place and our personal items. Phew, I think that covers everything. We're also planning on taking a small laptop with us so that Scott can back up his photos, I can blog a little along the way and most importantly, we can stay in touch with family and friends.

Work. We have been looking at places where we can find work along our route. We are keen to try out any kind of work along the way. To be able to work, we need a NZ bank account and IRD number. It's easier to get that once we're over there so we'll organise that when we're in Auckland as you also need a NZ address. Fruitpicking, here we come! I'm glad I've had some practise here in Orkney with picking salal, elderberries and cranberries for Orkney Wine.

Docs. We've got copies of all of our important documents ready - visa, banking, police check, passport, flight information, driving licence, spare photos, insurance and bank statements. Sorry printer, that was a big job!

Info. We've got a National Graphic Travel Map, Rough Guide to NZ and my dad bought us the Lonely Planet NZ's Best Trips and a Handy Atlas from 'Stanfords' - the world's largest travel and book store. https://www.backpackerguide.nz/ has been a very handy website with tips and checklists. Also, Scott found some helpful apps - campermate and wikicampsnz. These will help us to find our way (we hope).

Cheerios. We need to catch up with all of our families and friends before we go and we are in the middle of planning a leaving party in December. I've already purchased NZ decorations (very important of course) - bunting, flags, cake toppers. Oh, and NZ temporary tattoos of course. We are not looking forward to the goodbye part at all, but we know Skype will be essential to keep in touch.

How does that sound? We've just got a few more things to do but yeah, then we'll be on that flight and ready to start our adventure. 

Thanks for reading! This blog has been helpful for us to check where we're at, so cheers.

x gf v x