Taupo to Taihape

So, we've left Taupo and it's eponymous lake and driven through the Rangipo desert to the Bliss Stick factory, near Taihape. We were greeted by Charles and Cokes' massive sound system and the cats and dogs which run around the factory, which is essentially just a big shed with a kiln and some moulds in it. You can see Charles birthing a little baby Bliss Stick here.

Charles and Coke generously let us camp out on the embarrassingly flat ground at the back of their factory for two nights. Embarrassingly flat because we got the van stuck. Twice. Here we are discussing how to get the van out with Derek, Callum and Merissa, all NZ locals who were working at the factory in exchange for cheap boats (something that we plan to do starting on Monday). What the picture doesn't portray is that it was properly baltic and we woke up to everything covered in snow in the morning.

In the meantime, before we start work on monday, we find ourselves in Napier; a long, long drive across quite steep nature reserves which our van and us didn't really enjoy. More on that next time (epic cliff hanger!)

Catch you all soon.

Sam and Doug.