We started this blog in 2014 as we embarked on a big adventure – emigrating from the UK to NZ and taking an extended journey through Europe, and then Australia. The blog was our travel journal, and a way of sharing our journey with family and friends – we figured if we could give others a laugh at our misadventures or inspire another family to throw the cards of life up in the air – all the better.

We started off in Europe (March – September 2014), travelling by motorhome, volunteering through workaway.info and staying in all sorts of accommodation.   As a family, we experienced the many varied lifestyles that people have chosen for their own families, and learnt a lot about ourselves and the joy of travel.  We were also secretly hoping to find a Mediterranean gem to come back to in the future (we found a few 😊).  The blogs from that trip are all here to read if you have time on your hands….

In October 2014 we headed back to the UK to pack all our worldly possessions into a clingfilm wrapped package bound for NZ, shed many tears saying our final goodbyes and flew to Australia to spend another month exploring north Queensland in Bron’s parent’s bus.  An unfortunate broken arm combined with very high temperatures saw us head south a little early to start our NZ adventure.

A couple of years on, we are now well and truly settled and we are ready to start finding more winding roads to explore….so we would like to introduce Elfie.  He is a whole different kettle of fish from Baby Burstner.  A whole lot smaller, a whole lot older and needing a whole lot of love to make him shine again – but a complete character. We’ve gone part shares with Bron’s folks (we only own the rear bumper I think), and we’ll slowly do him up over the next few years.  In this blog, we’ll take you on Elfie’s journey and on our journey’s to explore the many wonderful beaches and campsites that surround us.

Sometimes it’s hard to see a reason to leave when our own local beach…Red Beach is utterly gorgeous but NZ has so much to offer, it would be a shame not to….

So…a bit about each of us….

Papa Dean-e, a born and bred Londoner never thought travel was his thing but is now a convert to exploring new places – it’s the freedom of escaping the everyday that really appeals.  He did vast majority of the driving in Europe and is honing those skills again on the NZ winding roads.

Bron left NZ in 1992 or 93 and has been on a long winding road home ever since!   Having lived in Indonesia, England and Finland – Bron is enjoying being back in the bosom (everybody needs a bosom for a pillow)… Bron continues to be in charge of the itinerary and the map reading and so we continue taking tiki tours despite there being a quicker way!

Will, now 12 and going to Orewa College (no more school of Mum and Dad), is itching to go travelling again.  He thinks Elfie, while smaller and older, could actually turn out to be cooler.      The Kiwi lifestyle is certainly agreeing with him, and he’s looking forward to exploring more of what NZ has to offer.