Wild Weather

We were under no illusion that starting our journey on the road in winter would bring on some challenges.  Winter in New Zealand is generally very wet, windy and can be really cold.  And despite the fact that we decided to hibernate over the winter in "winterless" north, having no winter at all in any part of New Zealand would be a myth.

At the start of our journey, we certainly had the most amazing weather over May and June here in Northland with fantastic warm temperatures and lovely sunny days - but hey, we knew that winter would be lurking around somewhere ready to give us a smack with some crazy weather.

And on the 6 June, the wild weather arrived at Hihi.  We were certainly buffetted with heavy winds and rainfall for 3 days, so we had no choice but to hunker down in our caravan and keep warm and dry  Fortunately, we were parked away from the beachfront winds and well shielded by trees and vegetation.

Heave dark clouds and choppy seas at Hihi Beach

This wild and wacky weather bomb was a really good reminder never to underestimate the power of nature.  There was a sting in the tail of this winter storm when a tornado descended out of nowhere on Coopers Beach, a small town only about 15 minutes away from where we were parked.

Fortunately, we had no trouble from this little twister.  We were certainly very grateful that we were parked on the opposite side of the bay and nowhere near its path.

Realistically winter can bring on all sorts of weather bombs, from wild winds to torrential rain with other hazards like tornados and flooding.  Being full-timers on the road, we are very aware of this and will be vigilant and move if required.

But hey, the way we see it .... life is all about taking the bad with the good.  Getting caught up with worrying about the things we cannot control will destroy our inner peace and rob us of our joy of living.  And storms don't last forever, they too will pass.

Enjoy the simple pleasures of life