Van-tastic NZ: Can Tom Avery survive one month, four wheels and two six-month olds?

By TOM AVERY

The great outdoors: Tom Avery went on the adventure of a lifetime with his wife and two babies


Our 22ft Britz Frontier motor-home was not in the same league as Robert De Niro's palatial version in the film Meet The Fockers, but it seemed to have everything we could possibly need.

Actually, my wife Mary and I hadn't a clue what we'd need for a month on the road in New Zealand with our six-month-old twins, Maud and Olive. Optimism and Dunkirk spirit were clearly going to come in handy.

We began our adventure two-thirds of the way up North Island, in Auckland. Known as the City of Sails because of its yacht-filled harbour, it's the country's largest city by some distance.

As we trundled through the rolling countryside north of Auckland, windows down, Old MacDonald on the stereo, cutlery clanking in drawers, we felt wonderfully free. We had a shortlist of places to visit, but the rest we'd make up as we went along.

Thanks mainly to a huge supermarket shop earlier in the day, it was almost dark by the time we arrived at the Pakiri Holiday Park, two hours from Auckland, for our first night.

With suitcases, shopping bags and nappy boxes piled high in the living quarters - and two wailing babies letting everyone know the Averys had arrived - we fumbled around in the gloom frantically looking for matches so we could warm up the girls' milk. Then it dawned on us that we had forgotten to buy any.

Thankfully, an Australian couple in the van next door heard our plight and came to our rescue with matches and a torch.

It was the first of many instances of the incredible camaraderie that exists among the motor-home set.

It took several hours to put our house in order, finding out where everything was and how it all worked. Mod cons included a microwave, fourring cooker, fridge-freezer, dining table, flatscreen TV, three double beds, shower and loo.


Bath time: Mary, Olive and Maud in the Waikite thermal springs


The cab above the driver's seat would make the perfect bed for the girls; the string mesh across the front hopefully enough to prevent them rolling off.

With beds assembled and everything finally stowed away, we collapsed in a heap, safe in the knowledge we wouldn't have to pack up again for a whole month.

Dawn revealed a magical scene. The holiday park is on a five-mile-long stretch of deserted white sandy beach, with the jagged outline of the Hen and Chicken Islands rising majestically on the horizon.

As a family of black oystercatchers danced in and out of the surf, we set up our breakfast table on the sand and tucked into croissants and kiwi smoothies, taking in the panorama. Our first week was spent exploring New Zealand's subtropical north.

Despite not being the high season, the weather was perfect, with almost unbroken sunshine and the temperature a constant 25C.

With the girls strapped into their baby carriers, we ambled among giant kauri trees in the Waipoua Forest, along deserted beaches in the Bay of Islands and through the 150-year-old botanical gardens on the idyllic Kawau Island.


Stunning: Taking the motor-home enabled Tom to reach secluded areas of New Zealand


We passed the symmetrical volcanic peaks of the Tongariro National Park, the largest of which, Ruapehu, I had tried to climb as a naive teenager on my gap year. Not appreciating it was one of the world's most active volcanoes, I got the fright of my life when it decided to erupt as I was traversing the crater's edge.

New Zealand has a sophisticated network of holiday parks. As well as power and fresh water, the facilities include wireless internet access, barbecue areas and washing machines. There are some real gems off the beaten track. A tip-off from a friendly petrol station attendant led us to an oasis called Waikite, a tiny park with just ten powered sites, up a remote valley outside Rotorua.

A natural spring provides enough hot water to replenish six thermal pools daily, and the girls loved splashing around in the mineral-rich waters under the shade of giant tree ferns.

Just a three-hour ferry ride from North Island, South Island is the adventure capital of the world, even if you have babies in tow.

Before leaving Britain, we had lined up various nurseries and babysitters through fantastic organisations such as Annie's Nannies, who could take the girls off our hands for a few hours every few days while Mary and I got our adrenaline fixes.

Our first day out without children was sedate enough, as we explored the Marlborough wine region by bike, our cycling becoming increasingly wobbly the more wine we sampled.


Foolhardy: Tom had previously tried to climb the active Mount Ngaruhoe volcano in Tongariro National Park


In Otago, we rafted down the gurgling twists and turns of the Shotover River, clinging on for dear life as a succession of rapids with sinister names such as Pinball, Miners Revenge and Toilet tried to flip us overboard.

From Queenstown, our faces were pressed against the windows of a four-seater Cessna as we flew over Lord Of The Rings country, the awe-inspiring majesty of the Milford Sound and the snow-covered Southern Alps, where my team and I had trained for our South Pole expedition in 2002.

The windswept Otago Peninsula near Dunedin is an excellent place to get up close and personal with New Zealand's coastal wildlife.

Kaikoura was one highlight in our 3,000-mile journey. We ditched the motor-home for a couple of nights and checked into Hapuku Lodge, a collection of luxurious tree houses nestled between the Pacific and the Seaward Kaikoura Mountains.

With the girls in a creche, Mary and I were booked on a dolphin swimming trip. It wasn't long before the boat's skipper spotted a 200-strong pod of Dusky Dolphins.


Just the two of us: Despite travelling with young children, Mary and Tom still got some alone time


'Remember, folks, you're their entertainment for the day - so make as much noise as possible,' he said as we donned wetsuits and snorkels. We leapt overboard, straight into the path of the oncoming pod.

Within seconds, the dolphins were cavorting all around us, jumping clean out of the water and mimicking our movements as we swam in tight circles and made silly noises through our snorkels.

After lunching on the most incredible crayfish at a roadside barbeque, we boarded another vessel to watch one of the many Sperm Whales inhabiting the waters off Kaikoura.

With Royal Albatross circling overhead, and a family of fur seals escorting us back to shore, it capped off a truly magical day.

New Zealand may be the other side of the world, but having a baby (or two) shouldn't get in the way of a visit to the ultimate adventure holiday destination.

And six months is the perfect age to take them: they're small enough to fit in a skycot and are sleeping through the night (well, mostly).

The only downside is they won't remember a thing. Which is the perfect excuse to return when they're older and do it all over again.


Travel Facts
Discover The World (01737 218 800, www.discover-the-world.co.uk) organises motor-home holidays to New Zealand from £1,992pp, including return flights with Air New Zealand (via LA or Hong Kong), transfer on arrival and two-berth motor-home hire for ten days. Childcare: Barnardos Early Learning Centre in Kaikoura (www.barnardos.org.nz), Fun4Kidz in Queenstown (www.activecarenz.com) and Annie's Nannies (www.anniesnannies.co.nz). More details about New Zealand: Tourism New Zealand (www.newzealand.com).


source: dailymail