Meet Linda & Paul Greenalgh (pictured to the left) who got married six weeks ago and took Coco away for a bit of a honeymoon, or should I say “mini-moon” around the South Island.  If you’re keen to check out more photos from their trip you can do so here.  Jealous?  Then apply to take Coco away on an adventure yourself.  She is FREE!  Check out www.jucy4free.co.nz Love, Lucy xx

Day One

At 4am when the alarm clock sounded, Paul didn’t seem overly enthusiastic about Linda’s cries of “Greenalgh Mini-Moon!”-  it would be a reoccurring event throughout the trip!

Having been married six weeks previously, and having hosted a raft of overseas guests, we were SO ready for an adventure and an escape and were SOOO lucky that Lucy had come to the party upon hearing our cries of desperation.

After our early morning flight from Auckland we enthusiastically devoured breakfast in Christchurch airport before heading to pick up Lucy.  And what a sight she was to behold!!  Lucy was a triumph of purple and green and kitted out with all the gadgets a 21st century couple could need – DVD player, sat nav, iPad, digital camera – the works!!  After being sent on our way by the charming Jucy staff, we stoked up with supplies and headed south (narrowly avoiding a tremor in Christchurch!)

Our final destination of the day was Queenstown but about half way there it became clear that sleep was in order – well, we had been up since 4am!! We found a quite rest stop, made the bed and snoozed for an hour.  Bliss!!

What was not so “bliss-like” was the fact that as we pulled out of the rest stop to continue on our journey we realised with sinking stomachs that Linda had left her iPhone on the roof.  Suffice to say, Lucy probably didn’t notice as she ran her over.  Not the best start to our trip but we were determined not to think about it!

We finally arrived in Queenstown at about 6pm that evening, having taken our time to drive through the picturesque Lindis Pass.  As it was dark when arrived, we felt we had no choice but to park Lucy up and head for the pub!!

Day two

After a FANTASIC sleep, with Lucy keeping us warm and cosy despite the cold overnight temperatures, we finally got a chance to view our AMAZING surroundings!  Queenstown is just incredible – no matter which way you look the view, it is spectacular!

We decided the hype about Bob’s Peak must be right so we took a trip up to the Skyline via the Gondola.  WOW WOW WOW!! The views from up there are incredible!  We decided while up there to release the inner-child and we whizzed around the luge track a few times.  The win was contentious so no accolades or names shall be released!

Given it was our Greenalgh Mini-Moon we decided to treat ourselves to a fancypants dinner that night at Wai Restaurant. Yummy!! Check out our delicious dinner below:

Linda started off with Blue skin bay cockles with kale, chilli, garlic, rouille, crostinin and seaweed broth while Paul kicked off with the Warm terrine of pork belly with black pudding, pedro ximenez, quince and savoy cabbage.  Delicious! (though not sure we’re huge fans of seawater foam?!!)  Next we launched into our mains – East coast monkfish with crispy potato, salt baked celeriac, lentils and parsley for Paul and Fiordland Vension Loin marinated in yoghurt, burnt onion, coffee, chestnuts, chard and beetroot.

After that, our ambitions of a three-course-meal fit for a king were dashed!  We were so full we knew there wasn’t a chance we’d make it… So, we rolled our fat bellies up the hill and sunk into Lucy’s warm embrace.

Day three

Day three saw us pack Lucy up and get on the road.  We visited the historical and picturesque Arrowtown, where Paul particularly enjoyed and found what he felt sure was the worlds only Heritage listed dunny!!

We then meandered our way along the shores of the stunning Lake Hayes, whose reflective waters were all the most impressive on a sunny day with all the trees in glorious autumnal reds and yellows. WOW!!

We regretfully left the lakeside (where Paul managed to photobomb a wedding) and headed for another lake adventure – a cruise around Lake Wakatipu in an elegant old cruiser.  Once again, the views were incredible – and we even managed to get our photo taken at the helm!!

Day four

We woke up early on our final day in Queenstown and cooked an incredible fry-up for breakfast in the ever trusty Lucy kitchen.  We hit the road full of enthusiasm as we headed back to Christchurch via Mt Cook. And boy – what a drive!! We must have stopped at least 5 times to take in the truly spectacular views.  We had never seen such beautiful, rugged and vast countryside – WOW!!

Despite all the stopping we finally arrived in Christchurch. Famished as always (can you tell we like food?) we headed for the local Indian for a delicious slap-up meal.  Then it was back to Lucy to relax with a bottle of wine and enjoy a DVD in her handy built-in DVD player.

Day five

Last day = BOO!!

As macabre as it seems, we knew we couldn’t be in Christchurch without heading into the central city to see the impact of the earthquake.

We felt totally unprepared for what we saw – the devastation was vast and it truly felt as though Christchurch had lost its soul.  We wish all Christchurch’s people our love and strength – what strong people to come through the other end, and having to watch the ongoing demolition of their beloved city.

Feeling a little saddened, Paul decided he knew just the thing to cheer us up – a trip to the Airforce Museum of NZ.  Linda did not agree and went for a nap while Paul enjoyed his boy time… apparently it was great!

With heavy hearts, we made our way to the Jucy offices where we knew we would have to part with our beloved Lucy and head back to reality.

We had the most incredible Greenalgh Mini-Moon and we’re so glad Lucy could be a part of it! Thank you, thank you, thank you! xx

Meet Emma & Shannan (pictured to the left) who took Coco on a tour around the “Deep South” of the South Island.  Enjoy reading all about her trip and experiences below – sounds like they had a great time! And if you’re keen to check out more photos from their trip you can do so here.  Jealous?  Then apply to take Coco away on an adventure yourself.  She is FREE!  Check out www.jucy4free.co.nz Love, Lucy xx

Day One – Christchurch to Timaru

We collected Coco from the Christchurch Jucy crew at 2pm, the introduction was great with all of Coco’s redeeming features being pointed out to us, a great way to start a ‘date’! Shan had to head back to work for the last couple of hours of the day. So I headed home to pack all of our essentials into Coco, ready to set a course to Timaru at 5!

Once we made it out the other end of Christchurch five o’clock traffic at Rolleston Coco was well and truly warmed up and ready to tackle the southern end of State Highway One. With a short stop just outside Ashburton to rustle up some dinner, we acquainted ourselves with the Cabana’s cooking / kitchen set up. It has everything you need! Wish my kitchen at home was that easy to work in!

Dinner served and devoured we were back on the road. We arrived in Timaru to a warm greeting from the staff at the local Top Ten holiday park. A very nice place with great facilities. Coco and Lucy weren’t quite ready for bed just yet so we did a few laps of the main street and checked out a few shops that were still open. Lucy mid swing on the side of Coco definitely turned a few of Timaru bogan’s heads.  Early start in the morning so snuggled up in bed to watch a DVD.

We started a game this morning, Jucy Spotting, the first person to call out “Jucy as!” when they saw another Jucy rental got five points.  Jucy Score 5-0 to Emma.

Day Two – Timaru to Invercargill (via the Southern Scenic Route – Catlins Coast)

Alarm went off at 5:15am this morning, we wanted to arrive in Invercargill at a respectable hour with some time left in the day to catch up with family. We stopped in Oamaru to check out the Steampunk Museum and some of the local Steampunk Artworks dotted around town. Very cool!

Coco soaked up every minute of SH1 all the way to Balclutha, with a few photo opportunities along the way. One of Lucy’s favourites was crossing the mighty Balclutha River with it’s enclosed bridge. At the Southern end of Balclutha we turned left to venture our way onto the Southern Scenic Route towards Owaka. Lucy had a stretch of the legs here, with a bit of a burn around to Owaka Adventure Playground. The walk to Jack’s Blow hole (turn off from Owaka) is compulsory, hopefully you time it right where the sea is really thrusting and creating an amazing sight. Well worth 1 hour return walk.

As we made our way around the beautiful winding roads deep into the Catlins we were holding our breath in hope that the tide was right for the Cathedral Cave to be open, we had been there before and were very keen to show Lucy the beauty of the place. Unfortunately they had already switched to Winter hours (what winter it was 20 degrees!) and we were a day early! We promised Lucy we would show here some snaps of last time and one day she might get to go back.  We admired some beautiful scenery along the way, Southland had really turned it on for us today! Make sure you stop at the Curious Bus at Papatowai, an amazing assortment of handmade automata by Blair Sommerville. Read all about it here Plenty of short walks to some great Waterfalls along the way too, this is not a road to be rushed!

As we rolled into Fortrose for a late lunch we found a perfect spot by the water to roll out the cooker. We wished we were staying here tonight, and that Coco had room for our kayaks! Oh well plans made for a return sometime soon.   After lunch we pushed through the glorious sun we were being bathed in and arrived ready to greet many a family member keen to catch up. We had booked a spot in my cousins driveway for the night, I think they were more excited to meet Lucy than to see us! We had a great night sharing a few ales with family.

Jucy Score 20-5 to Emma

Day Three – Invercargill to Bluff

I had promised Shan a feed of Oysters so we had to do it right and go to the home of the Oyster, Bluff.  Sometimes people refer to it as the a-hole of New Zealand, obviously they haven’t been there. Because when the sun is shining, the oysters are in season, I couldn’t think of a better place to be on a Saturday morning. Pure bliss, and you never know you might spot a stunning red head, in a one piece swim suit catching a few rays under the sign at Stirling Point!

We fell in love with Bluff and even found ourselves in a day dream at the window of the local Real Estate agents. It’s a shame those nasty Cantabrians have taken away Fred and Murtles Paua house, but the local Fish and Chip shop has taken on the challenge of starting the collection again. Small beginnings, but good on them.

Back into Invercargill late afternoon to see some more family, we were in hot demand, I know!  Lucy was keen for a few snaps around the sights of Invers so we checked out the glorious Water Tower lit up at night. And went to visit the legend that is Burt Munro.
Snuggled up in bed with another DVD, ready for an early start home in the morning. It has been an amazing trip but feels like it will be over all too soon!

Jucy Score 25-10 to Emma

Day Four – Invercargill – Christchurch (Straight up the guts as they say)

We were on the road at 7am with the intention of quite a few stops along the way. We wanted Coco and Lucy’s last day to be a goodie.

First stop was good old Gore, we were hoping to show Lucy a few Ford Falcons but it seems 7:40am on a Sunday isn’t really the best time for Falcon spotting. So onto the fish it was! We love local monuments, a real slice of Kiwiana. I wonder whose fish is bigger, Gore or Rakaia??

Next stop was the Lake at Waihola, once again not a ripple in her and perfect kayaking envy going on!

Into Dunedin around 9:30am and to discover the glory of Hyde Street on a Sunday morning. (Hyde Street is the local student street known for it’s crazy parties) This trip was about doing things a little differently and this definitely made the mark. Whatever went down on Saturday night looked like it had been a good one! Lucy was jealous she wasn’t there. Her favourite house was the one with “The F Hut” emblazoned across it, she was too busy blushing to tell us why though!   Students bring a culture to Dunedin like no other city has. Students, great coffee and a great Art Scene. Make sure you experience the “Real Dunedin”.

Timaru’s beautiful Caroline Bay was the spot for lunch today, Sausages in Bread on the beach. What could be better? Shannan found himself yet again contemplating a move a little further south.  A couple of hours later we were rolling into Jucy Christchurch, Coco and Lucy were back where they started, having tasted a portion of the South Island they are now hungry for someone to show them Queenstown and it’s surrounds, not to mention the beautiful Tasman district.

New Zealand truly is a destination we should be proud of.

Jucy Score 45-15 to Emma. Not bad, looks like Jucy is taking over the World!

Check out this very helpful link to plan your amazing Jucy Southern Scenic Tour. Thanks to Jucy HQ, Lucy and Coco. The memories are ones we will cherish!

Em & Shan

Meet Fiona (pictured to the left) who took Coco on a roadtrip around the South Island.  Enjoy reading all about her trip and experiences below – sounds like she had a great time! And if you’re keen to check out more photos from her trip you can do so here.  If you want the opportunity to take her on an adventure for free (we like to call it a date) check out www.jucy4free.co.nz Love, Lucy xx

The Plan

Day 1- Christchurch to Lake Tekapo via Highway 1, 79 and 8.
Day 2- Lake Tekapo to Queenstown via Highway 8 and 6, Queenstown to Wanaka via unknown main road (amazing drive!)
Day 3- Wanaka to Franz Josef via Highway 6 (Haast Pass).
Day 4- Franz Josef to Westport via Highway 6.
Day 5- Westport to Hanmer Springs via Highway 6 and 7.
Day 6- Hanmer Springs to Cheviot via ‘Alpine Pacific Triangle’
Day 7- Cheviot to Christchurch via highway 1 and 71.

Day 1

Waiting outside my hostel in Christchurch it soon became apparent that I was no longer in Cairns where it was 36 degrees – I was truly in New Zealand – a 12 degree New Zealand but I didn’t care I was too excited to meet Coco and Lucy to begin our adventure. Sadly my travel partner (also my cousin) couldn’t afford the flights anymore therefore it was a date for just the three of us – Coco, Lucy and Me.

Our first stop was the supermarket to stock up on food. Sadly there were no baskets so during the shop extras were thrown in as the size of the trolley was HUGE and it felt like it should be filled- the size of the receipt reflected this EEK! After the shop and formalities had be done and dusted the road trip was underway. And where better to start than finding out exactly what Christchurch looked like – so first stop was out onto the scenic drive up the hills. The view was spectacular, and we were nearly in the clouds for the viewing! The freedom of having Coco was already amazing.

Then the real mileage south started – first stop and home for night 1 was Lake Tekapo. On the way we came across a lone hitch-hiker lady on the road with just 1 small rucksack. We picked her up as she was heading south too- we would take her as far south as the lake but she was happy with that! Turns out she is from Chile and lives in Queenstown where she is working in a hotel and wanting to learn English. This was an opportunity- we taught her some new words- ‘deer’ (like Bambi is what she kept calling them) and cow. Also ‘straight on’ for when she wanted directions. After an hour more of driving we arrived at Lake Tekapo and said goodbye to our Chilean friend and we headed to find somewhere to pitch for the night. Overlooking the lake surrounded by mountains as the sun went down was magical- and with nothing but moonlight to light most of the area the reflection off the water was amazing- with it being a clear night we could see all the stars, it was bloody cold though!!!

Day 2

Onwards to Queenstown. Starting the drive early in the morning proved difficult- it was still freezing and the low lying cloud meant that a climb up Mount Cook would be pointless so we headed straight to Queenstown. The drive between rocky mountains, in the valleys and up some of the steep hills provided an excellent backdrop for many fun pictures, and the sun came out to heat me up and provide me with added warmth. Driving the windy road was exciting, coming up to the corners you don’t know what’s around there. We rounded one corner and ‘what is that?’ was said out loud. There was a perfectly sky blue lake right in front of us that the sky merged into- you genuinely couldn’t see where the sky ended and the water began!

Eventually we came upon the bungee jump bridge near Queenstown. We got out to have a look and got chatting to some people while nearly hurling at the thought of jumping. A young couple was renting a Jucy camper similar to Coco and seemed VERY jealous of her on board goodies provided!

Arriving in Queenstown the scenery instantly stunned us – what a lovely looking place! Based on the edge of the gorgeous lake and surrounded by mountains, the houses reminded me of the type you get in the European ski resorts with their triangle shaped roofs. I instantly loved the place and wanted to move there now.

It was lunch time, so we parked up, made our butties and was even lucky enough to get a free viewing of the local rugby team training (PHWOAR!). After lunch we made a trip up the mountain on the gondola to view Queenstown, but not without a couple of goes on the luge at the top. Even on your own not racing anyone it was really good fun! When I say not racing anyone, not officially, however I did beat a kid on the first go (well chuffed with myself!). On the second go I went on the faster one though and felt a bit cautious as I had been brave and put on my shorts, I didn’t want to walk around with grazes! So as I was enjoying the scenery and loving my pace of life not paying attention to the track, an Asian man comes whizzing past so fast I may have pooped a little ‘weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ahh sowwy!’ he screams back at me as he hears me scream.

Coming back down to Earth again, heading into the town to do some browsing of the shops a girl stops me ‘excuse me, if you’re travelling on your own and fancy coming up the gondola with me you can, I have a spare ticket!’ HOW BLOODY NICE! That was karma coming back after me picking up the hitchhiker- sadly I declined as time was getting short in the day. I wish I had more time in Queenstown to do some of the other exciting activities there.

With the cold setting in and me still wearing shorts I was getting some strange looks from people in their ski like warm attires so back to the camper I went to change, then the idea of moving onto somewhere else came. Leaving Queenstown and travelling on the next road we climbed the windiest road ever – the type with hairpin bends at the end of each bit that snakes up the mountains. With the sun starting to set behind us it provided amazing views of scenic Queenstown. Over the peak we then begin the windy descent into the valley of the mountain range until we found a cheap camp ground for the night. Making use of the Wi-Fi signal in the back of the van after dinner a Facebook session was had with Mum who was at work back in Manchester, England. Then after a bit of Facebook stalking we retired ready for the next day.

Day 3

Advantage of staying in a campsite – showers!!! Lack of hairdryer sockets provided an opportunity to sport boff hair for the day which was ok as most of the time as we thought we would be driving. On the way out of town though we stopped in at Puzzle World. It was possibly THE freakiest place I have ever been! A room with hundreds of famous faces watching you as you walk around, a room with everything on an angle where snooker balls roll up the table and water flows up instead of down! Then we hit the maze- finding all 4 corners proved to be a lot more difficult than fist expected, however we soon (45 minutes later) found them all….now back to the start!

Back on the road a few stops were made on the way to the next destination of Franz Josef glacier, involving scenery that resembled a TV advert from back home where a bear appears and hits someone round the head with a fish – with no bears armed with fish around, a gentle walk to the river was made where I dipped my toes- FREEZING! (Can you tell I don’t like the cold?!) So back to the car and onward to Franz Josef glacier – on another amazingly windy and scenic drive involving mountain ranges with steep inclines and descents, cliffs, the beach and the view of both Fox and Franz Josef glaciers. Finding the cheapest camping area proved to be harder than thought after the information desk lady didn’t really explain properly, however it was found before dark so all was well- and myself and Lucy had a girly film night in Coco making use of the USB connection available on the DVD player yay!!!!

Day 4

After trying to book a guided tour, the lady behind the counter was disappointed to tell us that as it was Easter everything is booked up. So off to the glacier we went on a self guided tour from the carpark along the valley next to the river and to within 500m of the actual glacier. Standing at the bottom and looking up at the glacier gave another view of how huge the thing is. The amount of rock and rubble at the bottom it had brought down the mountain with it was huge – the best bit about this tour was that it was free  WHOOP!!!

Onwards from the glacier we headed North to Greymouth. Before we got there though we needed petrol and by overhearing a lady telling someone else the cheapest place was Hokitika we went for it. It was risky though, the petrol light came on and we were desperately low with only 10km to go. We did make it through and just in the nick of time too no doubt! Stopping for lunch we took a trip to the beach then headed off to Greymouth to find something to do.

When we got there though EVERYTHING was shut apart from the information point! We were informed that it was Good Friday and that everywhere wil be shut, there isn’t anything to do here when places are shut. So we continued the journey to Punakaiki where we took a trip around the pancake rock formations. There wasn’t much else here other than a couple of coffee shops so we headed North a bit more to Westport. After all the driving by the time we got here it was nearly dark so we went straight to a holiday park. Asking the woman in reception what activities there were to do she recommended the underwater caving there with glow worms inside the caves and you do rafting, sounded like fun so I booked on and paid the deposit.

Day 5

Having to be at the caving experience early and it taking half an hour to get there we left an hour before it started to allow for 15 minutes “getting lost time” and arriving there promptly 15 minutes early as requested. Turns out we needed more than 15 minutes getting lost time as we were driving for 45 minutes before I realised that yes we were on the right road, but we were heading the wrong way. DAM IT! Therefore caving was out of the itinerary for now. I will have to do this in the North Island instead. For now, not much use wasting the petrol so the next plan of action….Hanmer Springs.

The weather was amazing for visiting Hanmer Springs, it was warm (shock!) and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The thermal springs itself was really busy, and with good reason – catering for everyone. Children in the playpools, adults with the adult only pools and then the fun lovers with the 2 water slides, it was awesome. Despite me being on my own I still wanted to go on the slides (big kid!) so sadly I didn’t have to wait long to find a single person’s tube – the double ones went quickly with all the couples and their couply love. I did get talking to people again, mainly in the sulphur pool where we had something in common to talk about – the eggy whiffing water we were all willingly sat in! GROSS! After staying in the pools or a good few hours to get my monies worth, a campsite was found and a couple of Canadian guys were impressed by the gadgets Coco had to offer – slightly superior to their 2 man tent on the hard group and backpacks (mwah ha ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa) needless to say I slept like a baby!

Day 6

I woke up ROASTING – the sun was indeed shining again and the camper felt like an oven. The sliding door was quickly opened by my foot (this was a well practiced act that saved the energy of having to sit up). The air came in and I snoozed a little more yay!!! Unfortunately the bladder woke me up with the need to pee – badly!!! While looking at the map and eating my breakfast, I again was impressing the Canadians with the kitchen set up at the back of Coco ‘is that a fridge?!?!’ ‘why yes….yes it is!’ I did feel a slight bit of guilt as I sat eating my corn flakes with lovely chilled milk as they had to hunt in the town for something edible. With not much space left to cover on the map due to being ahead of schedule by a day due to Good Friday nothingness, a trip along the ‘Alpine Pacific Triangle’ to Kaikoura was made, where we met a seal colony and took a long walk along the peninsula before returning for THE best fish pie EVER (a treat to myself I went to a restaurant!) MMMMMMMMM. Sleeping well tonight after such a good feed!

Total KM’s driven = 1600km
Total experience = Amazing!

Thanks
Fiona

This awesome couple who are from Spain hired one of our JUCY Condo campervans and did one epic roadtrip around the South Island of New Zealand.

While enjoying their trip they filmed the entire adventure and from watching it you can truly see just how much fun they really had!  If you’re thinking about doing a campervan roadtrip then check this out – you will be inspired!

A big thanks to Adrian and Gosia for sharing this experience with us. We’re stoked that JUCY will be part of your New Zealand memories.

Love
Lucy xx

On Easter Monday the TrackWalk for CatWalk team will set off to run around 51 thoroughbred racecourses in New Zealand in 6 days to raise money for charity.

JUCY’s stoked to be able to help out the team with a vehicle to get them around to each racecourse to complete the challenge.  This is where they’ll be and how many tracks will be ran each day!

Day 1 – Start at Gore & finish in Timaru (12 tracks)
Day 2 – Start at Timaru and finish at Wellington (9 tracks)
Day 3 – Start at Tauherenikau and finish at Palmerston North via New Plymouth (10 tracks)
Day 4 – Start at Palmerston North and finish in Whakatane (8 tracks)
Day 5 – Start at Tauranga and finish at Ruakaka (9 tracks)
Day 6 – Start at Ruakaka and finish at Ellerslie (3 tracks)

The aim of the walk is to raise money and awareness for The CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust.   You can show your support for the team by clicking here http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/trackwalk to make an online donation or by texting TRACKWALK to 2427 to donate $3!

On behalf of the team at JUCY we wish the team all the best and look forward to following the event over the 6 days.

Cheers
Lucy xx

Meet Jana & Levke (pictured to the left) who are the most recent JUCY Lovers to take Coco on a date.  The girls took Coco on a roadtrip all around the North Island as far South as Wellington and as far North as Cape Reinga – enjoy reading all about their trip and experiences below! And if you’re keen to check out even more photos from their travels you can do so here.  If you want the opportunity to take her on an adventure for free (we like to call it a date) check out www.jucy4free.co.nz Love, Lucy xx

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine But we don’t want to read only this one page!  That’s why we came to New Zealand!
And….
- For spending an amazing time in a beautiful country.
- For sharing awesome moments with a close friend.
- For discovering the best spots of NZ
- For living the Kiwi Lifestyle

And here the adventure started!  We picked up Coco on Sunday morning from Jucy Rentals in Auckland City and were more than impressed with her equipment.  It gave us the feeling like home – with a kitchen in the back, the bed and the living room in the front and even a TV and Internet for nice evenings!

And then we were off, of course on the left hand side including strange give way rules from Cape Reinga to Wellington, we drove through the whole North Island!
Music on, map on the lap, food in the back and of too Wellington!

9.5 hours on the road. We travelled through rain and sunshine, over hills and flatland – all the time trough beautiful landscapes! Including food breaks in the middle of nature/nowhere (which was fortunately everyday life, loved it).
Finally we arrived in Wellington and were even lucky to enjoy the comfortable bed of Coco!  We were impressed how easy it is to transform Coco from the daytime living room modus to a really nice bed with curtains and a cosy blanket.

Our first night was just fantastic, it rained quite strong the whole night but we were lucky to be woken up by the sunlight and a wonderful blue sky the next morning, so we could enjoy a nice breakfast outside Coco including fresh eggs, boiled on our stove in the boot.  The best start to begin a short sightseeing drive through Wellington.

We started with a drive along Wellingtons beautiful coast line, enjoyed the sun at Eastbourne beach and could even get a glimpse in Miramar on some filmsets of WETA (The Hobbit?!) and enjoyed the free museum.

Lucy was even able to plunge in the world of middle earth, Lord of the Rings, at Mount Victoria.  We continued with amazing views on Wellywood from the thousand of hills around!

Steep streets and small alleys, Coco took us everywhere:)  And in our opinion this is what you should not miss out in Wellington: The Cable Car, a walk along the Waterfront and the Parliament!  We really fall in love with this town and of course Coco contributed to it.

Lucky us had an evening drive to Petone beach and enjoyed yummy Salad Wraps at the beach.  Just enjoyable to drive with the kitchen in the back and eat where ever and whatever is in your boot!

Already over the first two days we realised how happy we could be to be able to explore NZ with Coco and Lucy. “Don’t your wish your campervan was free like me” standing on Coco was so attractive  that we were asked a few times how lucky we were and how the whole thing works.

Tuesday we had another long ride to go….Taupo should be our night stop. We took the route over Napier to see as much as we can.  Driving through a lot of nothing we managed to arrive in Hastings. Had a coffee in a Spanish Art Deco Style house and continued to get to Napier.  A beautiful city which we unfortunately just got to know in cloudy weather.
An evening drive through mountains, darkness and rain followed and finally the night at the beautiful Lake Taupo.

Highlights of the day were the visit of the TUI Brewery as well as souvenir shopping in a Paua Shell Shop.  Lucy just loved it:)

The next day started with a sleep in and a breakfast at the Aratiatia Rapids, followed by a visit to Honey Hives and the fascinating Huka Falls.  Lucy and we just loved the famous Manuka honey, yummy and the highlight of the day.

We took Lucy for a ride, but not as usual in Coco. No, we took her on the sailing boat “Fearless” and enjoyed the beautiful Lake Taupo, combined with sunshine and blue sky.  Impressing how wonderful the Maori Carvings on the Rocks are.  All 3 of us loved it.

We could not convince Lucy to go for a swim in the cold, but biggest lake in NZ. Does not matter. She was safe on board while we jumped in and relaxed in the blue and clear water.  We think she does not like water, because not even the hot springs in Taupo changed her mind. But of course she loved watching us.  Anyway the day ended at a nice camping place in Rotorua and included corn in the Hangi and hot sulphur pools.  Enjoyable!

Thursday we started our day with a thermal walk through Rotorua and the free Maori village. Just unbelievable what force the earth has! Amazing what happens in this little town.

Some action was the next activity.  The world famous ZORB. We rolled down the hill in this massive plastic ball, in warm water and ended up totally wet but with a big smile on our face.  So we were able to continue our journey.

This time we started for an other long drive.  Let’s go up north! See the beautiful beaches and the famous Cape Reinga.  We drove all the way through Paihia, without big stops and ended up on a nice camping place and ready to get enough sleep to be fit for the next day to discover the Far North!

Cape Reinga here we are and on a beautiful day. It’s just awesome how the seas meet at this spiritual place, and the beaches around make the place even more pretty.  We decided to go to one of the nice beaches around and went for a swim. Catching some waves on our Boogie Boards and sunbathing while having lunch.  It was funny to see some of the jealous views from other people who just wish to have such a campervan for their holiday.

Of course we could not miss out the Giant Sand Dunes.  We loved them and it’s such a lot of fun. Sandsurfing!

Another stop was the whitest beach we have ever seen. So cool!  We swam again and Lucy really did not want to go – she preferred laying at the beach and watching us.
Tips of the day: Eat the huge Ice Scoops at Te Kao. So we did. Unbelievable they were so cheap. And Lucy enjoyed Hokey Pokey ice cream.  So Yumm!  And you must have Fish and Chips in Mangonui.
And then our last day came – time runs so fast!  Back to Auckland we go.

On the way back we drove over the West Coast to see the Giant Kauri Trees in the Waipoua Forest.  Giant, the only word we all could find for it! Lucy looked so tiny next to them!
We loved our time with Coco and Lucy.  With them we were able to discover so many amazing things in New Zealand. We were even lucky with the weather! Sun and blue sky. What else should make us so happy?

We love the nice Jucy Rental greetings and with our good music we definitely rocked the street!

We can just say a terrific trip and thank you so much.

Loved it!
Jana & Levke xox

Ps: How many traffic cones does NZ have? We had the feeling there were more than sheeps!

After having a date with Coco our Social Cabana in the North Island Scott & Julia decided to come along and experience Milford Sound with us too!  They sent us a bit of a story about their time on the water.  Thanks guys, so great to hear you had fun & I hope you enjoy the rest of your time in New Zealand!  Love, Lucy xx

Taking a Milford Sound cruise was high on our list of things to do in New Zealand from the very start. After we had taken Coco & Lucy on a road trip across the North Island, we were thrilled to learn that Jucy offered Milford Sound cruises – JUCY Cruize. We jumped at the chance to give it a try and arrived at the ferry terminal excited for a unexpected clear and sunny day on the water.

After picking up our boarding passes from the colourful Jucy counter, we set sail just after lunch time on the 1:15 cruise meaning we could make the most of the sunshine that day. It didn’t take long at all for our breath to be taken away for as soon we left the harbour, Bowen Falls came gushing into view. As amazing as this natural wonder was, it was just the tip of the iceberg (no glacier pun intended).

Being a smaller ship than most cruising Milford Sound meant that when we spotted some sea lions sun bathing moments later that we were able to get within barking distance and take some great photos of them basking on the rocks. In addition, the nimble Jucy vessel was able to glide right under the mist of Fairy Falls next where Scott got a bit more soaked than he was anticipating as he tried to fill a Jucy crew-provided plastic cup with waterfall water for sipping. Luckily, he was able to warm himself up with some of the free coffee on board.

Next we headed out to the edge of the Tasman Sea and the water below us turned from dark blue to teal as we learned from the captain about how Milford Sound can be hard to spot from the sea and was actually passed by Abel Tasman several times.

As we looped back to the harbor from the sea‘s edge  past Stirling Falls, the other permanent waterfall in Milford Sound, it was hard to believe that nearly two hours had already passed. We took some pictures on the deck and with the help of the Jucy crew were able to procure the perfect shot. In fact, we ended up spending the entire cruise out on deck but learned from the captain that even if the weather had been damp that day, we still would have been treated to amazing scenery as the amount of waterfalls can number in the hundreds during the rain.

Taking a Milford Sound cruise was truly an unforgettable experience for us and will be a highlight of our time in New Zealand. We still can’t believe how lucky we got with the postcard perfect weather and there is no doubt that the intimacy of the Jucy ship and the friendly crew made the day even more special.

JUCY is stoked to be helping out the Tukuleles on their mission to complete an adventure through India on a rickshaw.  Yep, you heard it right – 4 people on a rickshaw travelling through India!  We think what they are doing is awesome and it’s all in the name of charity.  Below is a bit of an introduction on who they are, what they’re doing and what this is all about.

We will endeavour to follow their adventures during the trip and will pop up any updates we get while they’re on the road and when they return.  For more information you can check out their website here and if you can spare a few dollars you can donate towards their fundraising efforts here – I’m sure they will appreciate your support!  Love, Lucy xx

Who are we: we are four kiwis breaking away from the shackles of young professional life and heading over to India to take on the toughest three-wheeled rally known to mankind – the great Rickshaw Run.  With us we bring…. ukuleles.

Perry Jackson currently lives in Melbourne where he works as an Engineer for Arup.  As the only member of the team that can actually play the ukulele Perry will be leading the team in their morning practice sessions of ‘somewhere over the rainbow’.

Sarah Martin is an Operations Manager for New Zealand tourism company Low Flying Kiwis. Sarah speaks Italian – which unfortunately is not an official language in India. She will however be bringing her paparazzi skills to the fore as chief photographer for the team.

Nicki Florence is an accountant at Stanley Morgan in London. Nicki is looking forward to ‘going wild’ in India and dispelling negative stereotypes about accountants. Nicki will be managing the team budget and monitoring real time and indicative currency exchange rates on the FX Market.

Lizzie Wesley-Smith is a Regulatory Advisor for Genesis Energy. Lizzie’s life-long ambitions include eating naan in India -which is convenient- but not terribly useful for the team. Lizzie will be putting her ‘active’ vocal skills to good use as team cox.

The challenge: one rickshaw and two weeks to battle our way across 4500km of the Indian subcontinent.  The heat will be on, in more ways than one, as we go head-to-head against seventy teams from around the world.

Our route: the adventure begins in the tropical city of Cochin and finishes in Shillong deep in the tribal North-East of the country. We have a general feel for the direction we are heading but will well and truly be at the mercy of the road and whatever it throws us along the way. There are some beautiful spots that we hope to swing by including the rock-cut temples on the beach at Mamallapuram and the former French colony town of Pondicherry.

The charities: in our mission to the finish line we are raising money and awareness for two charities:

Frank Water funds the establishment of community owned and run water facilities to provide local communities with access to water sources that are clean and sustainable.
Aravind Eye Care System provides free and affordable eye care treatment throughout India. Cataract surgeries form 70% of all operations.

Find out more about us at: http://thetukuleles.com/

Thinking of doing a roadtrip in Australia?  Then watch this!  These guys travelled around OZ in a JUCY Campervan and filmed their adventure from start to finish.  The clip is awesome and captures what a roadtrip holiday is all about. Enjoy!

Love
Lucy xx

Meet Scott & Julia (pictured to the left) who are the most recent JUCY Lovers to take Coco on a date.  Sounds like Coco, Lucy, Scott & Julia all had a fabulous time – enjoy reading all about their trip and experiences below! And if you’re keen to check out even more photos from their travells you can do so here. If you want the opportunity to take her on an adventure for free (we like to call it a date) check out www.jucy4free.co.nz Love, Lucy xx

We picked up Coco & Lucy on a Wednesday afternoon in downtown Auckland and proceeded to take them up, down, and all around the North Island for four days. We ticked the touristy boxes with them like going to Hot Water Beach, Zorbing in Rotorua, and getting up close and personal with some glow worms in Waitomo. But just to make sure we didn’t only do touristy things, we also cruised with them through the Coromandel Forest Park and on Lucy’s insistence, watched the sunset on the beach in Raglan.

Day 1 – Auckland to Hahei Beach

We hit the road and on Lucy’s advice, Julia drove us out of Auckland since she is used to driving on the left side of the road (Julia‘s a Pommie, fyi). Lucy said that she would have to see Scott drive on some side roads before he was ready for State Highway One. We made a brief stop in Thames to check out the historic downtown and its gold rush era buildings. Upon arrival at Hahei Beach, Coco was pretty exhausted from the trek up and down the hills of Coromandel Forest Park, so she napped while the three of us headed to Hot Water Beach. We dug our own hot tubs out of sand and just relaxed after a long day.

Day 2 & 3 – Hahei Beach to Rotorua

Coco woke up refreshed and Lucy said Scott was ready to get behind the wheel so we meandered our way to Rotorua. We grabbed lunch in Matamata (or Hobbiton depending on who you speak to) and checked out the giant L&P bottle in Paeroa. We arrived in Rotorua just in time to make one of the last runs of the day down the hill at Zorb. We both strapped ourselves in the giant orbs and rolled down the hill. Sadly neither Coco or Lucy could participate in the fun due to size restrictions (both large and small), so they both watched from the side-lines. Back at the Holiday Park on the banks of Lake Rotorua, both Coco and Julia made friends with a band of merry ducks who were very inquisitive about how much bread could be stored in Coco’s deceptively large kitchen. The next day, Coco got a bit of a rest in Rotorua as we took in the “world famous” sheep show at the Agrodome and checked out some of Rotorua’s signature thermal activity.

Day 4 – Rotorua to Raglan

Fully refreshed and having seen enough rain for a few days, we all headed out to the coast with a stop at the Waitomo Caves. Coco was asked to stay in the parking lot since caves can be pretty treacherous, but the rest of us headed underground and were treated to an enchanting scene. Glowworms dotted the roof of the cave and it was truly a sight to behold for all of us. We headed to Raglan to finish the day with an amazing sunset on the beach where Lucy insisted we snap her photo a few times until she liked the picture (she said something about it becoming her Facebook profile picture). As the sun went down, we toasted an amazing few days with a glass of New Zealand wine and enjoyed a movie on Coco’s entertainment system. Sweet as.