We have a new HQ - "Henney Quarters" a High-top Toyota Hiace 2.4L manual transmission camper van, which the rental company named "Hennessey." We almost got "Yoda" but it had bald tires, so m/v Henney will be our home for the next 6 weeks. I like living on a boat because you don't have to traverse a half-mile of carpet when you need something from another room. Now, we barely have to blink to get from the kitchen to the dining room/bedroom. It's a new challenge for Alison the Organizer. I've been hounding thrift stores (called "op shops" here) for plastic boxes and fruit baskets, welcome mats and hand towels. Our new digs come equipped with a 2-burner stove, a fridge (which seems to be working harder than it should and we're a bit worried about battery drain on those nights when we don't want to park in the powered campsites), a little cold-water sink, a large inside table which converts to a spacious bed with a bit of effort, and a little flip-down outside table. We augmented with $10 folding camp chairs, our own pillows, a cooler for drinks and ice, and miscellaneous accessories that make me happy. I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

Camping in New Zealand is easy stuff. The roads are great, and there are so many campgrounds it's sometimes hard to choose. They all seem to have amenities like kitchens, laundry, BBQ's, and sometimes things even basic spices, dish soap, sponges and scrubbers. Of course all campgrounds have the trade shelf where you can leave the book you just finished reading, the purse you hate, the plastic container with the crummy lid, and a few other things that just aren't working out. And if you forgot to bring cooking oil to the communal kitchen, someone cooking next to you will likely be happy to loan you a dollop. The camps themselves span the gap from fantastic, rural, clean and/or beautiful to run-down, minimal, questionably maintained and/or noisy.

Last night we stayed at Piha Beach, famous for dangerous surfing and a rock outcropping called Lion Rock, the "eroded core of an ancient volcano, and a Maori pa sight" according to my guide book, which says it's so named because "the 'mane' glows golden in the evening light." We were there on a cloudy day, so we missed the glowy mane, but we did take a lovely, long walk on the black-sand beach, which is soft-as-silk on bare toes and has a luminous, metallic sheen. Known for strong undercurrents, submerged rocks, large waves and something else perilous, we're surprised anybody even swims at infamous Piha Beach, let alone goes surfing. The guide book says its' attributes inspired a reality TV show called "Piha Rescue." No accounting for bad taste, is there?

Right now we're back at Muriwai Beach, home of the gannet bird colony, under cloudy skies and a light breeze. It's a bit chilly and I'm glad I have my new fleece, which I found at an op shop in Rotorua. We snagged the same camp spot as the last time we were here, and saved some room for Michael and Gloria, who have returned from their trip back home to Canada, repossessed their car and camping gear (which as you may remember they generously loaned us for the last few weeks), and are now our camping buddies for the trip around South Island. It was Gloria who coined the term "HQ" when she commented that Henney would be our camping headquarters, the perfect augment to tent camping.

They arrived Wednesday, and since we haven't seen them since early September, we had lots to catch up on. We enjoyed a great evening on Luxurious s/v Curious, cooking up a scampi stir fry and then taking a long evening walk around Auckland. Yesterday they headed to Opua to check on their boat, Paikea Mist, which has been on the hard and having some work done, and will join us here in a few hours.

One night here, and then we head for Waitomo, home of the world-famous glow worm caves.