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Peanut Butter, Bacon & Banana Sandwich, a.k.a. The Elvis Presley

In the smaller towns around New Zealand, it’s still common to get your meat from the butcher, vegetables and fruits from the local stand and the rest of your goods at the local grocer. After spending many hours gawking through butchers’ windows, we thought it high time to indulge in some good, fatty bacon.

On this sandy is some of the finest bacon NZ has to offer, so said the butcher where we bought it. Bacon is a key staple in the Kiwi “brekkie,” or breakfast which you can be found served all day in most towns. Needless to say, it was fantastic and won’t be repeated any time soon.

Nope, not beef - lamb burgers

A whopping 45 million sheep graze New Zealand. That’s more than 10 times the amount of people, people. We’re all about equity, hence lamb burgers for dinner. Topped with white cheddar cheese, carmelized onions and a grilled bun, we highly recommend it.

Wash it down with our favorite New Zealand micro-brew, Mac’s Hop Rocker Pilsner, for a killer combo.

A favorite design for Kiwi baristas - the Silver Fern

New Zealand is home to some of the best baristas in the world, and they know it. This is a country that takes its coffees very seriously. Drip coffee is more than looked down upon here. It’s non-existent.

The flat white pictured is one third espresso, two thirds steamed milk, a touch of swirled froth and a lot of love. Like a barman with a pint of Guiness, Kiwi baristas like to add their special touch to each cup. New Zealand’s national emblem, the Silver Fern, topped off my cup of joe.

And so with our campervan Bertha as our dutiful guide, we set out for two weeks of exploring the beauty of the South Island. Here’s a look at some of the memorable roads we traversed:

Fiordland

The cream of the bountiful crop of New Zealand’s attractions is, undoubtedly, Fiordland National Park. Tucked into the remote southern corner of the island, it’s here where you experience the awe-inspiring fiord of Milford Sound. Fiords are long, narrow inlets of the sea that lie between steep slopes, and the fiord found at Milford Sound’s has attracted international tourists for over one hundred years. We took in the majestic experience aboard a boat that brought us face-to-face with the towering mountains and some fantastic wildlife. We also cruised by colonies of penguins and watched a school of dolphins jump and flip for our cameras. Photos barely do justice to the beauty of this land, but any NZ visitor can attest, it’s a must-see for any traveler.

Vineyard Hopping

Home to New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blancs, we spent a day sipping our way through the Marlborough region. We made it to some of the big guys, like Cloudy Bay and Scott Family Wineries, and to the ‘cellar doors’ of some of the lesser-known boutique wineries like Bladen and Seresin. Here we got a chance not only to sample the best of the region’s viticultural offerings, but we also got to know the faces and stories of the people behind them.

Southern Lakes

Deep in the South Island are a handful of pristine lakes. Some are a seemingly bottomless deep blue and others are a refreshingly, clear green hue. And all are set against the unrivaled backdrop of the Southern Alps. Most of the lakes are accompanied by quaint villages lined with a few cafes offering strong brew and the catch of the day. Many of the locales are an adventure-seeker’s dream, with outfitters ready to take you jumping, gliding or climbing up, down and around all corners of the area. To keep the pocketbook in check (or at least pretend we were), we opted for taking in the sights on some fantastic hikes and from the charming towns. A true highlight of the area was our hike up to Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain, for some of the most dramatic views in the country.

Rainy Tasman

We heard fabulous things about the waters and hikes through Abel Tasman National Park so our next adventure brought us there. Regrettably, recent rains clouded the typically turquoise waters , but with our sunny day ahead Ryan signed us up for (another!) 15 mile day hike. We hopped on a jet boat they call a water taxi that dropped us off in the middle of the park. Our plan was to spend the day hiking back, however, half-way through the trek we experienced torrential downpours. Ill-prepared for the rapid change in weather, we had no choice but to hitchhike back ‘boat-style.’ Drenched, sore and freezing cold, a piping hot plate of New Zealand’s famed green-lipped mussels did more than ease our discomfort.

Our mobile digs gives us unparalleled mobility and flexibility. We aren’t tied to any plane, bus or train schedule so we can take in the sights and sounds at our own pace. This made stops at every scenic lookout point and roadside farmer’s market customary and exploring the remote countryside a reality.

Best of all, New Zealand is made for campervan travel. There are thousands of motor camps dotting the country that welcome oversized loads like our Bertha. We soon learned, however, that the real experience to be had is all in the Department of Conservation.

New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (God bless them) has mapped out the most breathtaking locales in the country and converted them into remote, pristine campgrounds. It is here, in the most majestic settings imaginable, that we go to bed each night and wake up each morning. We find ourselves sleeping at the foothills of snow-capped mountains, on the banks of crystal-clear streams, on the beaches of deep blue lakes, atop roaring waterfalls, hidden in the forests of National Parks and among the wildlife of maritime reserves. Each evening as we pick out our campsite, scoping the map for those cheerful blue dots, we feel like Magellan about to embark on an incredible discovery. And upon our arrival, we are never disappointed.

Discovering these sites and the beauty that surrounds has been a true highlight of my New Zealand experience. Here is a look at some of those places we are experiencing:

Deer Creek Flat | Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

Kinloch Scenic Reserve, NZ | Round We Go

Boundary Creek Lake Reserve, New Zealand | Round We Go

Moke Lake Reserve, New Zealand | Round We Go

True to the isolation of the grounds, campsites are basic with minimal facilities. Often with toilets there is rarely running water and showers are a rare treat. The vistas, however, surely do more than make up for the loss of luxury. I find it much easier to adjust to showering out of a bucket each morning knowing the frigid waters are a small price to pay for the surrounding beauty and my New Zealand adventures.