Hi from way down under! NZ.
I live and own with my partner, a kiwifruit orchard in the Bay of Plenty - we've been on the property for nearly 28 years!! My god that's a long time when you see it written down!
Anyway it's time for a change - relationship falling down round our ears, a half empty nest and closer to 50 than 40.
My pride and joy (son - nearly 17) left for Switzerland on 22 Jan. He is a snow kid, for the last 2 years he's worked every weekend (during the winter months) on the only mountain in the North Island with ski resorts - a 3hr drive from home. Obviously a very accomplished skiier.
He is such a nice kid that a Swiss friend of ours (one of Europe's top terrain park builders) offered to be his chaperone in Switzerland. He is there helping build huge terrain parks for Europe's biggest freestyle events, rubbing shoulders with the worlds best freestyle skiiers and snowboarders and of course loving it.
So I still have a daughter (13) at home, she is her father's daughter - they couldn't be more alike!! She is a beautiful girl.
BUT
I have a dream - to buy a VW camper or similar, probably in Britain and drive to Switzerland the slow way, more than likely by myself taking 3 months +, to get there, meet up with Mike (son) and do maybe another month's travelling with him before coming home.
This is where (hopefully) you lot will walk through my dream
I can get my head around buying the van and doing the drive but it's the logistics of costs, route and how realistic am I being trying to drive that far on my own!
I will be on a minimalistic budget and could think of nothing worse than running out of money half way.
Is there anyone out there that could guesstimate what it would cost in fuel (hopefully diesel) to do something like this. Then there's the gamble of owning the vehicle should it breakdown.
Are camping grounds or safe places to park a camper for the night plentiful?
I am a backpacker kinda girl and intend to live out of supermarkets or village shops rather than restaurants.
Doing the expensive sightseeing thing doesn't really interest me, I guess it's more that I want to soak up the countryside and culture and I think pleasing myself when, where and how.
I feel as though I have written the first paragraph and now need help to finish the story, so I am wide open to suggestions.
All ideas greatfully received.
Cheers Teri
