Meet Aaron & Jen (pictured left) who took Coco, our Social Cabana away for a free adventure in New Zealand.  Sure sounds like they had an amazing time.  You can check out more photos from their adventures on our facebook page.  Jealous?  Then apply to take Coco away on an adventure yourself.  She is FREE!  Check out www.jucy4free.co.nz to apply! Love Lucy xx

Day one: Memory Lane
Today was the beginning of our trip with Coco. Being Hamiltonions we needed to get to Auckland before the Jucy office closed at five. And being from Hamilton we underestimated just how horrible Auckland traffic really is at five and at the beginning of a long weekend… After free flowing traffic for 99% of our trip we ground to a halt and crawled our way into central Auckland, making it to Coco with 14 minutes to spare.
Before we knew it the friendly Jucy staff had us all set up with Coco and we were on our way! Or not… Auckland had trapped us again and we began our crawl out of Auckland heading north. Destination?… Unknown!
Easter was upon us and we didn’t want to be lost and hungry on Good Friday, so all we knew is that we needed to stop, get food and stock up on Easter Eggs. We made out way of Auckland to see a big bright yellow Pak n Save to our left. We entered and braved more Aucklanders (who seemed to think shops closed for one day meant the end of the world and therefore they must buy entire store)!
While we were in the neighbourhood we did a quick drive across the motorway to Forrest Hill – Jen’s old stomping ground. We passed her old guide hall, house, vet and were heading towards play centre when we passed the water tower, also known as the ‘skating concrete’ back in the 90’s. Once we got up there it seemed like a perfect spot for dinner. We enjoyed our first night cooking in the back of Coco and enjoyed our meal with a stunning view overlooking Auckland city.
Following dinner we headed north to Jen’s Aunty Julie at Snells Beach. We found a nice spot on the driveway showed off Coco’s awesome features and had a cuppa and a catch up. Then it was time for our first sleep in Coco.
Park in Aunty’s driveway: $0 per night.
Ambience: 10/10 – nothing beats hospitality of family
Shower: Good pressure and free!

Day two: Roads and Beaches

After an amazing sleep in a Coco – we awoke and realised it was already 9am, we slide opened our door to the sound of bacon sizzling – it was the ultimate cue to get up! We enjoyed an amazing breakfast of bacon, eggs and croissants overlooking Snells Beach with Aunty Julie, uncle Richard and cousin Brad. This was only our second meal on our journey – but yet again it was accompanied with an amazing view. We packed up Coco, said our goodbyes and set off on our way.  Once again we hadn’t planned where we were going other than north. Being Good Friday we had limited options on places which would be open but that was no barrier! After a Facebook suggestion by a friend we headed towards Tutukaka – we stopped at several beaches along the way, grabbed a nice Mocha at a caravan in Mangawhai Heads, went for a few walks on the amazing white beaches and checked out the Whangarei Falls.

Using Jucy’s hamap (Jucy.Rankers.co.nz) we pinpointed Whananaki as our destination for the night. Our first pick was the DOC campground (cold showers but only $6 bucks each), pulled up outside to a ‘fully booked’ roadside side. Our second option was the local campground (Whananaki North Holiday Park) – which had all the facilities and a HOT shower.  We pulled in, paid our fee, set up Coco, cooked a meal in the back and had a glass of wine to cheers a great day two.

1x Camp Site at Whananaki North Holiday Park: $30 for two per night.
Ambience: 7/10 – Lots of people but all friendly!
Shower: Kiwi as, clean and 50 cents for 6 minutes!

Day three: To the Capital

This morning we awoke, had a quick breakfast and set off on the road again. This time we knew where we were heading to – Paihia! Heading back down towards SH1 we needed to take a slight detour via Hikurangi, to visit the old pub Jennifer’s grandparents were supposed use to run “back in the day”. Finding it proved easy as the town wasn’t much bigger than the main road. The pub itself was closed and looking for new owners, we might have hung around a little longer to explore except the local police car had a beaten up man in the back and Aaron was scared – we were back on the road.
After hearing about the famous Friedensreich Hundertwasser toilets we thought we better stop in Kawakawa and check them out. As we drove into the town we saw a sign “watch out for trains next 1km.”
“What a silly thing to say, how could you need to look out for trains for 1km?!” Aaron exclaimed and we had a laugh. Until we drove around the corner that is, and a train was very casually driving down the centre of the main road… Turns out you do need to look out for trains in Kawakawa.

The toilets themselves were pretty impressive. The mosaics and bottles created a unique environment and it was nice to have a clean public toilet for once. We also checked out living space and wandered around the mosaics made of mirrors, tiles and pictures. Lucy enjoyed the town where she actually appeared tall!  We continued north to Paihia, what a beautiful place! We found a little “campervan only” camping ground set amongst olive trees and set up Coco. Next door was an adventure park/playground thing so we decided to give it ago. Turns out we’re more vertically challenged than we realised, combine that with a lack of balance and upper body strength and you find adult sized adventure playgrounds aren’t that much fun. Time to move on.

Following the beach we made our way over to the main township, hopped aboard a ferry and set sail for Russell. Twenty minutes later we arrived in New Zealand’s original capital. We enjoyed a beverage in our oldest pub, a walk along the waterfront and watching a local skipper bring in a 132kg Marlin.
Back in Paihia we followed a toilet sign to no toilet (… Grr…) then headed out to ‘treat’ ourselves to a Thai dinner and give Coco a break from her cooking duties. We should have let Coco cook… Her gas cooked hotdogs and steak would have topped the Thai at Paihia any day! However, a visit to Countdown on the walk home to treat ourselves to ice cream topped off an excellent day.
1x Campervan Park @ Olive Grove Campervan Park, Paihia: $30 for two per night.
Ambience: 9/10 – Nice, Quiet, Great setting among the olives!
Shower: Spacious, modern and clean – but most expensive at $2.00 for 4 minutes!

Day Four: To the Top!

We aimed to be out of the Olive Groves by 9am as today was going to be a big day – but we got a little carried away with another cooked breaky and hot drinks out the back of Coco. Once on the road we still managed to get to the Waitangi before all the tourists. We enjoyed exploring the historical grounds of Waitangi. For New Zealanders – this is where it all began…
After learning more about the Treaty history, we jumped in Coco, cranked up some roadtrip music and set off on the two and a half hour hike to the very tip of New Zealand. It was like a massive convoy of tourist – all in campervans, rental vans or 4×4’s loaded with supplies. We passed a few of Coco’s siblings – giving the big Jucy wave to the other vans!
Once we got to the very top – we parked up on the side of the road, cooked us some lunch and sat back over looking the impressive Tasman sea. It was then the hike down the big concrete path to the iconic lighthouse and AA sign. We took some token tourist photos – climbed back up the hill – and set adventure for the next thrill seeking activity – SAND DUNEING!
We carted Jen’s childhood ‘boogie boards’ all the way from Hamilton especially for this activity – it turns out there are only certain boards you could use when sand duning, sadly Jen’s barely moved us anywhere in the sand! So we caved and hired a board from the friendly board hire truck – this definitely got us moving down the giant sand dunes. Once we got our confidence up trialling ‘the babies’ we set charge for the ‘big dunes’. We stood at the bottom, looked up, it looked easy, it was only when we saw tourists fly down the hill smashing themselves up we realised that this sport was really dangerous!
Aaron being the ‘big thrill seeker’ – sent Jen up first. Jen realised how steep these dunes actually were and got half way up and rode down.Next up was Aaron… he set climb (Honestly, it was like Everest!), he got a third of the way up.. and was stuck up there for about 30 minutes. He failed to get the confidence to ride so slide his way back down his path on his bum! Tail between his legs!
Covered in sand, and feeling defeated, we did one last slide down the baby dunes and got Coco on her way! We thought we would aim to get Coco as far down the island we could before joining the end of the long weekend traffic jams – so the rule was just drive until we were sick of driving.
We saw signs for Mangonui – and we had heard reviews about the world famous ‘Fish and Chip’ shop so thought this could be a nice place to stop. We stopped at the very obvious shop over the water, the shop was packed (which was a good sign!). We grabbed a feed of fresh kai moana, and sat in the back of Coco overlooking the lovely Mangonui harbour. People weren’t wrong about them being great fish and chips!
Some locals in the fish and chip line suggested the Hihi Beach Holiday Park as a place to park up for the night – this was as far as we would go after the kms we had done today. We pulled up, found a park and headed down the beach for a nice walk down the bay watching a beautiful sunset. It was definitely a good recommendation.
Hihi Beach Holiday Park: $40 for 2x for one night.
Ambience: 8/10 – Bit dated, but lovely spot – wicked sunsets!
Showers: Again dated – but nice and hot – best bit – FREE!

Day Five: Reality. Home time.

We made the most of the free showers – and had another shower before hitting the road. It was the day we thought we were going to get stuck in queues with everyone heading back home, however we were pretty fortunate – the traffic was flowing and people were courteousWe stopped at New Zealand’s oldest stone building in Kerikeri for a quick coffee and muffin overlooking the Kerikeri river, couple of photos and a sneaky look through the Kiwiana giftshop.  Back on the road, we headed back down thru Kawakawa but sadly no trains to both of ours disappointment. After checking Jen’s phone – she reread the text Jen’s mum had sent about checking out her family’s pub while we were up North. Jen asked “What was the name of the scary town we went to for the pub?”, haunted by the last visit Aaron replied “Hikurangi!”…. Well it turns out we went to the wrong town! Fortunately Google maps showed us the correct town (beginning with H and ending with I) was on SH1 on the way home.

We arrive in the correct town – Hukarenui – to find only a pub and a museum – it was a lot nicer this town than the last. However the pub was shut so we took a look around the grounds and took some photos to say we had been then continued on the way.Just out of Whangarei we saw a sign with free coffee. Being coffee addicts we pulled in and saw State Insurance along with ACC had put on a roadside driver ‘refresh’ stop. We grabbed a nice complimentary coffee, sausage off the barbie and a bottle of water – which definitely kept us going on our journey home.

Traffic came to a stand still in Wellsford just out of Auckland – but got flowing again once we got thru the village, it was smooth sailings back to the Jucy Auckland City Depot in time for our 4 o’clock drop off. We were greeted by two big friendly smiles by the lovely Jucy staff who quizzed us on Coco’s adventure.
We had an amazing long Easter weekend in Coco. We conquered quite a few kilometers. Saw a good chunk of Northland. And we have definitely been converted on the way to travel, maybe in Europe we will do some ‘gla-camping’ but when we are back home in NZ after our OE we will be keen to take one of Coco’s cousins for another journey some where in New Zealand experience more of what Jucy & NZ has to offer.
Thanks Jucy and your amazing team for allowing us use of Coco!

Aaron and Jen

Meet Fabian & Alina who are the latestly lucky people to take Rocco away on a free adventure.  You can read about their time with Rocco below and check out more photos from their trip here on our facebook page.  Jealous?  Then apply to take Rocco away on your own adventure for free.  Apply at www.jucy4free.com.au  I’m waiting for your application!   Love, Lucy xx

Fabian and I got so lucky when we read Lucy’s Email that we could take Rocco on a FREE 10-day trip. We arranged our flight to Sydney and left Melbourne without regrets, because we knew that a big adventure was waiting for us. 

We were pretty excited when we picked up Rocco – even though we already rented a JUCY Crib before and knew what to expect – Rocco was something special. He has a different look and comes with a camera, tablet & WiFi. What else could anyone ask for?  So we got started and moved our heavy backpacks into our new home for the next 10 days, Rocco.

To get out of Sydney was even worse than our lonely planet told us, but after shopping and filling up the fridge we somehow made it up North for a quick break in Terrigal.  After a coffee and a little walk on the beach we kept on driving for a few hours with only one more break at Shelly Beach. The weather was nice and sunny that day but it changed when Rocco was on the highway. It started to rain and we decided it would be best to find a campsite as soon as possible. We got lucky in Taree and spend our first night there with Rocco.

After a rainy night the sun was out again and we were ready to move on. After skyping with our families back in Germany and telling them how to find Rocco on the move, we drove to the North Brother Mountain in the Dooragan National Park, where the view was absolutely breath-taking. From there we kept on driving North to Camden Head and it’s Pilot Station Beach where we saw a wild dingo for the first time (okay, we both first thought it was a normal dog). The water was very nice and warm but we didn’t go for a swim as we wanted to drive further up north.  Rocco took us to Port Macquarie when heavy rain started again. We found a campsite which had the rudest staff and was by far the untidiest campsite we’ve ever seen, but Rocco was as usual our nice and comfortable home. In the campsite’s kitchen I saw the biggest cockroach ever, so I decided not to leave Rocco anymore.

Day 3 took us to the cutest Koala Hospital we’ve ever been to. It was located near the central of Port Macquarie and we were seriously thinking about kidnapping one of these cute buddies. Our next stop was Crescent Head with its famous Little Nobby’s Junction beach. Unfortunately the weather was getting worse and dark clouds made it windy and rainy. We then decided to take Rocco to the highest waterfall in Australia, the Ellenborough Falls. On the way we nearly ran out of petrol because one of the Tourist Information must have given us an old map, it showed gas stations that did not exist anymore. Anyway, the waterfall was worth it and we found a gas station right on time. Finding a campsite was pretty difficult this time because it was already late, so we asked someone in Wingham and he told us to go to Manning River. We didn’t find a campsite there but hundreds or maybe even thousands of flying foxes in the sky – it was truly unbelievable.  We kept on driving and got back to Taree and camped at the campsite where we’ve spend the first night. The weather was getting worse and worse, heavy rain storms made it hard to leave the car.

The next day was sunny again and we made a little plan on where we wanted to go. We decided to move towards the Blue Mountains.  We took a much needed short break in Maitland – a little boring town with McDonalds and a bookstore. From there we kept on driving for quite a while, we took Rocco down to Hunter Valley and Putty Road towards Windsor. In Windsor we couldn’t find a campsite so we kept on driving until we found one, which was by far the most expensive one we’ve been to – and it wasn’t even a good one!

From Richmond we took the Bells Line of Road and stopped at Bilpin to have a piece of their famous apple pie. After that we went on to the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden with one of the nicest views from Mt. Tomah.  In Blackheath we had an astonishing view from the Anvil Rock and we saw a Wind Eroded Cave. At Perry’s Lookdown we luckily found a free campsite and decided to stay for two nights. It was just us, Rocco & nature (and some other campervans of course). Then the weather started to get bad again.

The next morning we went to a wonderful lookout at Govetts Leap, where we took a walk to the Bridal Veil Falls. We had seen some snakes in the past, so we were walking really carefully when we encountered another one on our way down to the waterfall. Our lonely planet told us to go to the Coachwood Glen Nature Trail, which turned out to be a little hidden treasure. We took a walk through the rainforest and come to find out it was just us, it seemed like no one knew of that beautiful place.
From there we went on to the Leura Cascades which was a nice walk right next to the waterfall when it (of course) started to rain again. Our last stop for that day was the Gordon Falls Lookout and even though the weather was getting worse and the dark clouds were everywhere, we were absolutely amazed by its beauty!

We wanted to make it to Canberra that day, so we had to rush a bit to see the rest of the Blue Mountains. Since the weather had been really bad the night before, it was very difficult to walk to the waterfalls and lookouts – but we somehow made it to the Katoomba Cascades. Our last stop in the Blue Mountains was the Echo Point. It was a nice view but it was the first time we had to pay for parking (1st hour $3,80, every following $4,80) and for me personally there were way too many tourists.  Fabian walked on to the Three Sisters over the Giant Stairway, while I was getting ready for the drive to Canberra.  We arrived in Canberra at around 7pm. One of our friends took us to Ainslie Mountain by where we had a nice view of the sunset over the Capital.

The next day in Canberra we took a walk through the Parliamentary Zone but unfortunately didn’t have the time to have a look at the National Gallery or National Museum. We drove up to Ainslie Mountain again where we saw a huge rainstorm in the distance – a little foretaste of what we would experience in the following two days. From Canberra we actually planed on driving to Jervis Bay but the weather was not good enough to drive to a beach. Heavy storms and a lot of rain made it hard to drive so we stopped at Ulladulla and found a campsite in Mollymook.

From Mollymook we kept on driving towards Jervis Bay but as soon as we arrived there, we found out that they had an entry fee of $11 so we turned around again because there was no point in spending money on something when the weather isn’t good enough for it. The rain and storms were getting worse and every street seemed to be flooded. We drove on to Huskisson, one of the oldest towns on the South Coast and we had a little walk on the beach in the pouring rain. The wind was getting stronger as well so we decided to look for a campsite early this day because driving around was no fun at all. Rocco took us to Wollongong where we found a campsite in Bulli right next to the beach. We just stayed in the car because the rain was too heavy and watched a movie on Rocco’s DVD-player.

Our last day with Rocco had come and the rain had gone again. We cleaned Rocco and got him ready for his drive back to Sydney. Our last stop before dropping Rocco off was a lookout over Bulli beach, truly amazing even though dark clouds were still with us.

All together it was an awesome trip (even if the weather wasn’t perfect) we saw much and this would’ve never been possible if it wasn’t because of Rocco. It was an amazing opportunity to see more than just the big cities and we can’t thank you enough for this free road trip with the lovely Rocco.

Fabian & Alina

Our JUCY Crew are our Family.  We work hard and have a load of fun doing it.  We wanted to give you the chance to meet some of the friendly and passionate people behind the scenes at JUCY-ville – so here are a couple of them!

Meet Maya.  Maya is our JUCY USA Manager who is based in Los Angeles!

Meet Sonia.  Sonia is one of the awesome Team Leaders in our Contact Centre based at JUCY HQ in Auckland.

To read more about other members of our JUCY Family take a look at our staff profiles on our website.

Until next time,

Love
Lucy xx

Meet Elise & Claire (pictured left) who took Coco, our Social Cabana away for a free adventure in New Zealand.  Sounds like they had an amazing time – they loved it so much that they even wrote and sung a song about it which you can watch below.  You can check out more photos from their adventures here http://goo.gl/DPM37 on our facebook page.  Jealous?  Then apply to take Coco away on an adventure yourself.  She is FREE!  Check out www.jucy4free.co.nz to apply! Love Lucy xx

Claire, Coco and I set off late afternoon for the Coromandel.  Our first stop – Burgerfuel!  With fuel in our bellies as well as the campervan we were ready to begin our week long trip around New Zealand’s North Island.  It was dark by the time we reached our DOC campsite, Shag Stream (of course, chosen for the name).

In the morning we went to the local i-site to ask about walks in the area. We picked a couple of the shorter walks which gave us nice views across the lush green valley.

We then drove onto Coromandel Town where we stopped for some yummy food and wifi at the Chai Tea Room – a quaint little cafe with a friendly chilled-out vibe. We got talking to the staff and found out there was going to be a live music gig / open mic-type event there the next night with a number of musicians expected to participate. We decided that this was definitely something we wanted to go to, especially as Claire is a musician! We had planned to be at Hot Water Beach the next evening but decided we’d head over there that night instead and do the hot pools at dawn. 

After a very scenic drive we reached Hot Water Beach just before sunset, sussed out where the pools were then made a light dinner. As we were clearing dinner away and discussing where we would bed down for an early night we got talking to some guys. It turned out one of them owned a winery down the road. He invited us to park our van there for the night and to join them in the house for some drinks! We took them up on their offer. What followed was a fantastic night full of amazing home-made feijoa cider… wine… wood-fired pizza… meatloaf… crumble… music… dancing… table-tennis… and interesting chat with the locals and the resident woofers.

We didn’t quite manage to rise before dawn to get to Hot Water Beach but did get there before low tide which was 06:30am so were quite impressed with ourselves.  It meant we still got a good couple of hours to soak in the amazingly warm pools. The winemaker had lent us a shovel but we didn’t need it as an Aussie guy invited us to join him in his pool. He had dug a big hole for his family but they hadn’t managed to get out of bed. He was even happy to pose for some photos with Lucy!

Next stop was Cathedral Cove which was beautiful and another great spot for a photo shoot.

After buying Feijoa Smoothies from a stall (our new favourite fruit) we headed back to Coromandel Town, via the 309 road this time, to go to the music show.  We had a lovely evening in the Tearoom. Several musicians took to the stage and by the end everyone in the room was joining in for a big singsong – brilliant! Afterwards we were invited to stay for a little after-party and Claire entertained us into the wee small hours with her beautiful singing.

We took a leisurely drive towards Mount Maunganui, stopping off at a beach and at a little cheese factory where they make cheese and keep a variety of cute animals.

We climbed the hill in Mount Maunganui where we got terrific views and a magnificent sunset.

After spending the morning on the beach in Mount Maunganui we set off for Taupo where I had arranged to meet a Swedish friend I had met in Australia.

We managed to get a cheap camp spot right on the lake in the centre of town (in the grounds of Absolute Lakeview Motel). Handy for the pubs!

We went out that evening and met my friend who was living at a Hostel in the centre of town. Many drinks were consumed and after a long night we ended up getting a taxi home – which was a bit embarrassing when we realised Coco was only a few hundred metres down the street!

We had a very late start this day and as it was my friend’s last day in Taupo we found ourselves in the pub again that evening!!!

We went for a beautiful drive along the lake and into the mountains of the Tongariro National Park. We took the chairlift up Mount Ruapehu which offered great views of the surroundings and the highest café in New Zealand!

On the way north we stopped again in Taupo to do a short walk along the Waikato River. We had to first wait to get the all clear from the fire brigade who were trying to control a small bush fire. It was particularly hot in Taupo that day and there were many people swimming in the lake.

The walk was beautiful and took us to the raging Hukka Falls then back to the start where we had a rewarding dip in the natural thermal pools which spill into the cold river –bliss! In the evening we set off for Raglan.

Our last day with Coco.  We decided to hang out at Manu Bay and record a song about our week with Coco. 

Thanks for an awesome week!

Claire & Elise

There are so many things to consider when driving in a new place, especially one as large as the USA. Road rules and regulations can change from state to state, but a few things like planning out your fuel stops or paying attention to road closures, always stay the same.

These dos and don’ts will not only help you survive your great American road trip, but make the most out of every second of it.

DO…

Be aware of the overall rules of the road in the USA, as well as individual State driving regulations. AAA is a good source for learning state road rules. Also pay attention the traffic signs while driving, such as those that advise turning your headlights on in the day on certain strips of road.

Plan your fuel stops ahead. The price of gas in the USA soars in secluded area as well as expensive places to live. Plus, each state taxes fuel differently, so while it might go for $2.99 a gallon in Arizona, it costs $4.09 a gallon in California. Websites like Gas Buddy can help you plan where to get the cheapest gas.

Review your route of travel before setting off. A lot of National Parks in the USA are drive through, so rather than planning to stay in one location for three days and keep traveling a destination from there, maybe stay at a few different spots along the way to avoid backtracking.

Look into road closures and warnings. Snow, mudslides, rock fall, ice, potholes and roadworks. There are a number of reasons a road in the USA will close with little warning. Pay attention to updates on local radio stations, especially in the winter months.

Share your road trip with a friend. More than any other form of travel, it’s best to have someone with you on a road trip. Mainly to share those moments when you’re driving along and something incredible pops up and to keep things more interesting on long drives, but also to share the driving, cost of fuel and to help with navigation when you’re behind the wheel.

Bring Snacks. Keep a few food and drinks in the front of the car to save yourself from stopping every time you feel hungry, which wastes time that could be spent reaching a destination. Ideal snacks in the USA include Goldfish, beef jerky, pretzels, water, Gatorade and soda. You want foods that aren’t messy or greasy, drinks that will keep you hydrated and caffeinated.

Remember tunes and entertainment. Losing radio reception an hour into a four-hour drive is painful. Avoid this by bringing your iPod and an adaptor to car stereo systems. It’s simple enough, but something a lot of road trippers forget. Plus, there are a number of games that will keep you and your passenger content for hours, such as 21 questions.

DON’T…

Underestimate distances in the USA. This country is huge. Have a think every time you utter the phrase, “That doesn’t look too far.”, because most of the time, it is. Make sure to find the proper entrance to National Parks. Some can be hundreds of miles long with several entrances, not all open to the public.

Think just because something isn’t far in distance, that it will not take long to reach. Some things that must be considered besides distances include traffic (especially in cities, especially at rush hour) and the types of roads you’ll be driving on (some can wind and bend so much you’re average speed for a while is about 20 mph).

Put off restroom stops. As soon as you have to go, make it your aim to stop. You can go miles and miles of a highway with no exits or rest stops in sight. What starts off as, “I can hold it a little longer”, turns into, “I’m going to burst!”.

Forget maps or a GPS. Seeing where the road will take you sounds like a good idea, but there are a lot of roads here, some that go in circles or lead no where. Bring navigation devices along, even if you don’t want to plan out your trip.

Stick to the quickest route. Just because Google Maps recommends taking interstate highways, doesn’t mean that’s the best way to reach a place. One of highlights about road tripping in the USA is the drives. Make an effort to get on this country’s famous roads, such as Route 66 or the Pacific Coast Highway. These roads might take longer to reach your destination, but it’s more about the journey anyway.

Speed. It’s really not worth it. Not only is speed tracked by radar from the roads, but it’s also tracked by aircrafts. Plus, the main reason limits are put in place is to avoid accidents and injury. A car crash will ruin so much more than just your road trip.

Don’t forget cash. There are some places that still only accept cash and these places are usually the only ones available for hundreds of miles on deserted highways. Plus, you can save about 10 cents per gallon, when you pay for gas in cash.

Love
Lucy xx

Meet Bonnie & Ella who took Rocco for a weekend roadtrip from Sydney, Australia.  You can read about their time with Rocco below.  Jealous?  Then apply to take Rocco away on your own adventure for free.  Apply at www.jucy4free.com.au  I’m waiting for your application!   Love, Lucy xx

On Friday morning, my sister and I decided to hit up the lovely Jucy team and see if Rocco might be free for the weekend. When we found out we could take him for a spin, we packed a picnic first thing on a very rainy Saturday morn and picked him up!

We decided to travel North and after about an hour, the sky finally cleared and we stopped off in beautiful Brooklyn.. turns out it’s just around the corner After a little perusal at the quaint Broken Spines bookshop and a stroll past the Angler’s Rest, we got back on the road and decided to visit mum and dad.

We arrived at their idyllic lakeside home in the late afternoon and unpacked some lunch – so handy having the little fridge running in the back! It was still pretty rainy that night but the bed was super easy to set up and perfect weather for a cheeky drink & cosy Woody Allen movie.

The next morning we had a lovely brekky, a little walk down to the lake and got back on the road again. It was time to face the music (and the traffic!) and get ol Rocco back to his Botany abode.

From start to finish, the Jucy team were a delight to deal with, and made everything as simple as possible. All in all for a last minute getaway – Rocco was the perfect one-nighter. So much fun and definitely looking forward to our next rendezvous.. hope it lasts longer though!

x Bonnie & Ella Forsyth

Jaime & Matt travelled around New Zealand in Coco our Social Cabana.  They have shared the highlights or their trip below – enjoy!

Love
Lucy xx

During our trip, we embarked on the Sweaty New Zealand Challenge.  15 days. No tour buses. No guided tours. Just the two of us and 15 sweaty adventures. We hiked, ran, jumped, lunged, flowed, biked, and explored our way through the ever-changing scenery of the North and South Island.

Coco the Social (and infamous) Cabana took us throughout the country, giving us a chance to explore all the nooks and crannies we could cram into two weeks. Here are our highlights with Coco. Let the adventures begin!

Hardcore: The New Zealand Women’s Sevens Team
I have a soft spot for anything Olympic oriented. Go figure. So when a friend told us that the Women’s Sevens Team was in the Bay of Plenty for training games, we were there!

These women will have the chance to compete in the 2016 Olympic Games, the first time over 100 years that Rugby will be an Olympic Sport. The day after we watched these gals kick some ass sea bass, they were headed to Dubai for a major International Competition. Good on ya!

Stand Up Paddleboards & Yoga in the Bay of Plenty

For one of our Sweaty Challenges, I led a beachside yoga class with the East Coast Paddler Company. Following our yoga flow on land, we tried out our yoga skills on stand up paddleboards out in Pilot Bay.

It was so exciting to see everyone (of all ages) have fun, laughing, trying different yoga poses on the water, some for their first time ever. What a great way to bring a community together!

We are ambassadors for a clothing line, Hinano Tahiti that just launched its product in New Zealand, currently in East Coast Paddler’s shop in Mt. Maunganui. Here is a press release about our yoga day and inspiration behind it.

Exploring around Mt. Maunganui

Park your JUCY mobile at the base of Mt. Maunganui’s beach motor park and you’re good to go. With views of the ocean on one side and the bay on the other (with “the mount” behind you) you’re ideally located for getting the most out of this town’s cafés, beaches, walks, and shopping.

We were spent from a Stand Up Paddleboard race the day prior, so we opted to take the 3.4k stroll around Mt. Maunganui instead of the steep hike up to the top of it. Though we were told the views are worth the hike! Next time.

Run. Cycle. Celebrate.

Running a half marathon on vacation may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the Marlborough Marathon Event hosted at the Villa Maria Estates was an event to remember. What a morning: running through the vineyards, completing 21.1 kilometers, and BBQ & bubbles to follow.

Staying on a working vineyard, Coco hung out in the garage while we cycled to nearby wineries to celebrate the morning’s events!

Discovering Hobbits and Trolls

Wandering around Middle of Middle Earth aka Wellington, we ran into quite a few hobbits, trolls, and even a wizard or too. The World Premiere of the Hobbit was quite an event, which we found was best experienced by bar hopping following the long stretch of red carpet to the Embassy Theatre. Cheers to the Middle of Middle Earth!

Going for a ride

Rent a mountain bike for two hours and unleash yourself into the wilderness of the Whakarewarewa Forest in Rotorua. You find yourself amongst the sweet smells of pine and what feels like a million miles from anyone or anything. Absolutely gorgeous.

Exploring Wellington’s Waterfront

Hidden art work in the rocks, gorgeous water, a scenic botanic garden, a fantastic Museum (complimentary entry, woohoo!), relaxing cafes, and vibrant bars. This city has heaps to explore!

Coco parked herself at the only Motor Park in Wellington, just along the waterfront next to the Interisland Ferries. Yes, it’s essentially a parking lot, but the location is awesome. Just remember to put your pants on before you hop out of the car in the morning or you might scare the commuters walking by.

Yoga…Everywhere!

We love yoga. So why not do it outside to get the most of the spectacular scenery?

Jaime & Matt

Meet Ian & Cass.  They had so much fun with Coco in New Zealand that they wanted to see if Rocco was just as awesome, so took Rocco for a one night stand from Sydney, Australia.  You can read about their time with Rocco below and if you want too check out the rest of their photos here on our facebook page.  Jealous?  Then apply to take Rocco away on your own adventure for free.  Apply at www.jucy4free.com.au  I’m waiting for your application!

Love, Lucy xx

Could you cheat on a true love for a quickie weekend tryst? Cass and I decided we could, putting aside our week-long romance with Coco in New Zealand and hitting the road with Rocco for a 2 day getaway to the central coast and Sydney’s northern beaches.

Australia’s coffee is something we’ve become passionate about after moving here last year, so after a friendly check-in and introduction to Rocco at Jucy’s Botany branch, we hit a local café, before hitting the road to escape the city.

The majestic harbour bridge is always a sight to behold, even on a cloudy day, but as we cruised up the pacific highway, temperatures soared. By the time we circled the lakes near Avoca, Rocco’s tablet was reading 42 degrees celsius and so we were eager to hit the cooling waves at Macmasters beach near Kincumber. Now Cass is not a fan of seaweed, and the popping shore break was launching plenty at her as she dived through the azure water. Catching a few body surfs, we retreated to the beach with our picnic to enjoy a lazy afternoon soaking up the incredible weather.

Taking the scenic road through the Bouddi national park, weaving through a forest of torn red bark and keeping a watchful eye for the birds of prey it shelters, we eventually arrived at the Marie Byles lookout. Sadly no whales were breaching in the late afternoon, but the view of the undulating coast stretching out all the way back to our Bondi home was spectacular.

A friend from the central coast had given us a top tip to find Putty beach, a hidden gem tucked inside the national park and a great camping spot to consider for next time. It’s expansive beach and rocky headland view were perfect to enjoy a tasty Little Creatures beer and admire ski canoeists paddling out towards the darkening horizon.

Dodging a few turkeys (which Cass was convinced were baby cassowary birds!) we headed down to the Patonga head for sunset, overlooking the Hawkesbury river. The plan was to enjoy the famed fish and chips in the quaint sleepy village, sitting on the deck and dangling our feet over the jetty. However, distracted by a huge Pelican perched on a lamppost surveying the tranquil view, we missed the closing time! Thankfully the upscale Patonga Beach Hotel next door offered an absolute feast of fresh off the boat Oysters, scallops, prawns and perfectly fried fish and chips to satisfy our appetites, all washed down with a tasty pale ale and glass of bubbles for Cass.

Capping the night off we retired to the Ettalong beach holiday park to rest Rocco from the full day’s adventure. With good amenities and a selection of DVDs in the common room, we snuggled up in Rocco and remarked how with the flip down DVD player and comfortable double bed, it felt like first class on a plane.

Breakfast in bed remains one of the finest luxuries in life (and one not usually associated with camping!) But let’s be honest, this was glamping- and sharing panettone and fresh fruit salad with Rocco after a steamy 40 degree night made it even sweeter.

After using the tablet & WIFI (super handy!) to look up the best spot to grab coffee, we headed down for a couple of Australia’s famous ‘flatties’ on the esplanade.

We swiftly re-assembled Rocco’s interior by 9am, and were ready to hit the Northern beaches – first stop the famous Avalon beach. We were greeted by a buzzing crowd cheering on speedo-clad athletes in a swim and surf competition. The 63 year old dude who won blew the budgie smugglers right off his 20 year old competition!

A hot rod converted into the daddy of all BBQ’s followed, “The Car-Bequeue” was the ultimate sausage sizzler (and made a great second breakfast!)

The weather suddenly turned so we ran to take shelter in Rocco & ponder our next move. Rain and stormy skies had not been on the radar when we planned this trip!  However, our British roots had us spectacularly trained for such eventualities. We changed tactics from sunbathing to beach-hopping and decided to stop at every beach down the coast from Avalon to Manly (well, nearly all of them!)

Sunday revealed Australia’s enduring enthusiasm as we watched a rowing race at Collaroy beach & Narabeen’s “nippers” kids competition in the misting rain. We joined in the sporting spirit with our own 6k barefoot jog up and down Sydney’s second longest beach. We quenched our thirst further South at Dee Why, spoilt for choice by quaint bars & restaurants fronting the beach. The best coffee award of the weekend goes to Girdlers Grind on The Strand, not to mention a sprinkling of (nervous) excitement on top- they’d cleared the beach due to a shark sighting!

As we reached our final stop, thunder & fork lightning swooped in. From our perfect (and dry) viewing spot at Murray’s Craft Brewing Co. the Manly surfers appeared unfazed – until a series of lightning struck water. Sipping an Angry Man pale ale, we felt anything but- even the weather hasn’t spoilt our day.

We reluctantly boarded Rocco for our final leg, and decided to take the long way home via the Anzac Bridge, boasting phenomenal views of the harbour.

Thank you Rocco, you’ve been a fabulous one night stand.

Cass & Ian xx

Our team in Queenstown decided to surprise us all and have done their very own Gangnam Style video. It is awesome, and a must see.  And yes, for the record we do have a lot of FUN at work!

Hopefully this has inspired some of our other JUCY Branches to put together a video clip of their own.  We will wait eagerly to see which branch is next – it’s got to be awesome to top Queenstown’s effort!

Love
Lucy xx

Meet Matt & Maria (pictured left) who took Coco, our Social Cabana away for a free adventure in New Zealand.  Jealous?  Then apply to take Coco away on an adventure yourself.  She is FREE!  Check out www.jucy4free.co.nz to apply! Love Lucy xx

We got the Coco the 30th of December 2012 and we couldn’t believe it could get any better than what we have been told about…. Free campervan, WiFi and everything you need to have a great trip… EVEN A FREE MEAL. Best way to start a great trip!

Our trip plan was basically travel round the North Island. We started travelling from Auckland to the Coromandel Peninsula during the first day. We finally reach Cathedral Cove at sunset, and it was soooo beautiful that Lucy insisted on having some funny pictures there!

The 31st of December was one of our big days because we had to be at East Cape to witness the 1st sunrise of the year 2013 so we had a short visit to hot water beach with a proper freshen up in the sea. After that we continued our trip to East Cape taking the 25 highway with a beautiful view of Coromandel Forest Park.

We then headed to Tauranga and visited Mt Maunganui beach. Being New Years Eve we didn’t factor in the big New Years Eve concert that was taking place, so driving around Mt Maunganui was really hard. We finally decided to park far from the centre and make our way to uptown walking along the beach, soaking up the sun and enjoying the beach!

We even got to the summit track of Mount Maunganui, but time passes so fast when you are having fun and if we spent more time in Mt Maunganui we wouldn’t be able to get to East Cape on time so we got back to the road to keep travelling. We had a beautiful giant, almost full moon travelling with us the whole time and we could see the fabulous landscape of Raukumara and Ruatoria Forest outside the windows. We arrived at the East Cape just in time to have some dinner by the sea side before midnight and then get some rest before going to the Lighthouse.

This 1st of January 2013. I am sure we will never forget this experience. Getting up at around 5am to get to the light house on time, with little daylight, half asleep and without any breakfast. But we made it! Let me tell you all the rushing was worth it. Seeing the sun rising for the first time 2013 was a moment that we wish we could share with all friends and family back home but getting to East Cape means not having mobile signal to speak with your loved ones.

After resting properly we continued our trip to Gisborne, but first we stopped for lunch and for took some pictures of the longest wharf in NZ in Tolaga Bay. Over 660 meters of wharf in a beautiful setting. After that we arrived at Gisborne to spend some more time relaxing on the beach and seeing some beautiful fireworks from the seaside at night.

On the 2nd of January we had another one of the big highlights of our trip: jumping out of a plane at 12.000ft. What other place would you do that than in Taupo, the worlds capital of skydiving! To all our friends and family: we both survived and we are ok! Awesome experience, the adrenaline you feel when you are about to leave the plane behind cannot be described with words.

After that we need some food so we had a treat using our Burger Fuel vouchers courtesy of Jucy Rentals and had some rest after all the adrenaline of this day….

The following day we travelled to Waitomo and discovered a fascinating world under the earth in Aranui, Waitomo and Ruakuri Caves. We even had a boat ride inside the cave!

For the last day we left some very special treats for ourselves, going to Hobbiton and seeing the set of the Lord of the Rings and the recent Hobbit movie. We even got a drink in the green dragon Tavern!! After that we headed to Te Aroha to enjoy the Thermal Pools for some much needed relaxation and got ready to come back to Auckland.

Now we have to say goodbye to Coco but we don’t want to do it without thanking everyone at Jucy Rentals for all the help and for the chance of beginning the 2013 travelling around New Zealand. We may have to leave the Coco but we promise to keep travelling and discovering all the beautiful places New Zealand has to offer.

Happy 2013 to everyone!

Maria and Matt