A digital traveler exploring NZ
Well since Covid has gone and ruined travel plans for most of us in 2020 and for the foreseeable future, I am one of the lucky few in the world who happens to live in a country where travel is very much on the cards and I intend to make the most of that by exploring this lovely country of mine. Instead of my usual hotel rooms and swimming pools in big cities, I am trading that in for a tent and camping grounds around NZ. That is not to say I am going to be roughing it in anyway at all, I am a digital traveler after all, comfort is required! I won’t be able to go camping every weekend but instead will be aiming to head out once a month or so. I will however endeavor to head out to various sightseeing spots as often as possible and blog about those.
So the camping grounds I intend to stay at will need to fulfill some basic requirements, and yes I will be staying at camping grounds, off the grid, freedom or going bush camping just isn’t for me. And while this isn’t quite ‘glamping’ it is close enough. So powered sites is a must. Luckily these days most camping grounds have plenty of powered sites and after buying me a trusty 3phase RCD power cord, I am good to go. The second requirement is internet. Now while I would like to rely on camping grounds to provide WiFi, the reality is that most rural places in NZ still don’t have fiber yet and are stuck on VDSL (yuck) so having solid 4G coverage is a must.
Being able to stay connected and either do some work or just relax with my Laptop beside a beach or lake is my definition of relaxing and is my way of recharging myself. All those going back to nature or unplugging etc ideas might be great for some, but that shit so isn’t me.
At the moment I have all the basics I need, a good tent, inflatable airbed, table, chair, small sun gazebo and chili-bin but after taking a couple of small camping excursions already, there is def a few extra things I want to add to this. The big thing is a small electric chili-bin or mini fridge, keeping food cold so it will keep for a few days is something I never really thought of but makes sense since a lot of our camp grounds are a decent drive away from a local supermarket. I would also like to upgrade my sun gazebo at some stage as well since my current one is just a cheap one that looks like it will rip after a few more outings. Lastly a Kayak is something I am hoping to buy for next summer, really enjoying going out on the water and not just swimming in it so this would be ideal for me.
Keep an eye out as I travel around and give my impressions on various places to stay around the country. The pictures are of various beaches around the country that I have already stopped by during my travels. Yes, I do get around!
Marcus Powell has been living and working in South Korea since 2010. He has now returned back to NZ and works for Digital Natives Academy as the lead education program designer. Aside from writing his own blog, he is also a popular Club DJ, Gamer, Community manager, esports fan and anime enthusiast.
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