3 weeks of living in a van, it was starting to feel like home. The day started with one of those mornings that van life is made of. Sunshine peeking through the condensated windows, birds chirping amongst the fresh New Zealand air, and a campsite all to ourselves. We were posted up outside of Westland Tai Poutini National Park, in a tiny town called Okarito.
After some morning reading in the sun, it was time to fire up the propane stove, boil some water for tea, and begin cracking a few eggs. When you’re on a month-long road trip, sometimes you have to skip lunch because you don’t always know where your adventure will take you. Eating breakfast and stocking up on snacks is key.
This morning we took our time. The weather was perfect, and to top it off, there were coin-operated showers with hot water, on-site. It’s the little things. Empty campsites and hot showers are far and few between when you’re embracing the van life. You learn to take advantage of these situations when they present themselves and slowly ease into the day before the driving that awaits. Time was on our side and we’d been enjoying the slow pace of life in New Zealand. After all, we had nowhere to be.
To keep us on the move, at the minimum we needed a plan of attack for the day. We set our sights on Nine Mile, a photographic beach with jutting limestone stacks along the shore. Just outside of Paparoa National Park, it was a mellow two-hour drive north along the western coastline of New Zealand’s South Island.
New Zealand’s natural beauty is truly unparalleled and unique landscapes await you at every turn. We knew there would surely be a few pit stops along the way to soak in the views and capture the scenery.
Feeling refreshed and ready, the destination was set. Time to hit the dusty trail. A picture-perfect day to be on the road awaited us and it was my turn to drive. As we pulled off onto the dirt road, the campsite faded in the rearview as the playlist accompanying us on our drive began. We were off to the next adventure. Little did we know, a turn of events awaited that would change the course of our day and our mindsets for the remainder of the trip.
We were just a couple of hundred yards from the campsite entrance when things had gone horribly wrong. I had made the mistake of veering a little too far left on the side of the unstable gravel road. This is no time for excuses, but as Americans, we are not used to having a steering wheel on the right side nor driving on the left side. As I stayed a little too close to the left on the tight road, the van was suddenly taken over by an undeniable force pulling us into the drainage ravine. Time seemed to move in slow motion. In the blink of an eye, the van was 90 degrees on its side, in a ditch, and there was nothing in our power we could do.
We didn’t know if we were going to take on water and sink or explode. We had a full propane tank in the vehicle to power the stove. Adrenaline kicked in and I immediately forced the driver’s side door open vertically, allowing us to climb out of the vehicle. We grabbed our day packs and passports while saving anything else we could by tossing them onto the side of the road.
The severity of the situation hit me square in the face like a ton of bricks. I fell to my knees on the side of the road in fear after realizing what had just happened. The trip was over as I knew it. There was no way the van could be salvaged. How was I going to pay for this costly error? A million things raced through my head with a heavy feeling of, “Oh shit, I really messed up big time.” But there was no time to waste, we needed help and we needed it fast.
I ran to find someone with a phone. Luckily I had found a local man outside tending to his yard. He was nice enough to call the nearest service station which was around 40 minutes away. I had explained to the mechanic on the phone, “Our van had tipped over into a ditch and it’s almost sideways.” He made no promises and informed me they would come by to take a look and see what they could do. We would have to wait patiently because they would take well over an hour or so to arrive.
Failure and frustration sunk in as I reached one of my lowest points on our trip. Cars passed by and asked if we were okay but were seemingly more interested in how such a thing could have happened in their tiny quiet town. They asked in their friendly kiwi accent, “How’d you lads do that?!” “Oy mate, what happened here?” And our personal favorite, “Yeah, no. Mate, the axle is totally fu*ked, you’ve totaled it. There’s no way you’re driving that van ever again.”
My spirit was at an all-time low. Vito tried to do what any great friend would do and tried to ease the tension of the situation. He exuberated this positive energy and faith that everything would be okay.
“Listen I know this doesn’t look good, but we are totally fine,” he said. “We don’t even have a scratch on us, the van is another story, but we have insurance for that. Whatever it is, we’ll pay for it. Let’s be thankful that we’ve got our health, our passports and we’re okay. Things can always be replaced.”
“Part of me thinks that when this guy shows up with the tow truck, he’s going to pull this thing out, no problem, everything will be all good. We’ll just drive away as if nothing happened…”
Vito
I appreciated the positive outlook but in my head and by the looks of the situation, there was a slim chance everything was going to be fine.
The tow truck finally arrived. To make matters worse, it wasn’t even a tow truck. It was a 1990’s Nissan Patrol SUV with a winch on the front-end. Paul from the Wataroa Service Station and his apprentice were on the scene. The first thing he says,
“You said it was almost sideways…IT’S FULLY SIDEWAYS MATE!”
Paul was going to work his magic and get us out of this jam. After a few failed first attempts things were starting to look pretty grim. I was starting to believe my fate had been sealed. This was the way our trip around the world would end for me.
The second plan of attack was needed. We figured it would be best to pull the van from an angled anchor point before engaging the winch. I felt the tension of the steel cables in my bones. It seemed like an eternity. All sorts of noises started to come from the van and the cable wire while it was pulled upright. After some creaks and thuds, the van popped back up onto its wheels and was slowly pulled back stably onto the road. The old Nissan proved to be as tough as nails. The van was now on all four wheels, but will it drive? We weren’t out of the woods yet.
Luckily for us with a turn of the key, the engine started right up. We couldn’t believe our eyes nor our ears. We followed Paul back to the service station, hoping to get a final inspection. We wanted to double-check and make sure everything was in solid shape and working condition. Paul’s inspection, “Well, mate you followed me all the way back here so it looks good to me! Get back on the road!”
We paid our towing bill of $400, tipped him and the crew, and couldn’t thank them enough for getting us out of a major jam. Vito was right, we drove away as if nothing had ever happened. Sweet relief! We were ready to find a campsite for the night, Vito looked at me and asked if I still wanted to drive, I responded with a, “Let’s do this!” The sun was setting and we were back on the road. Still, in awe of the situation, we wouldn’t let this roadblock stop us from journeying on.
We learned a valuable travel lesson that day and vowed to never forget it. Always keep your faith and the power of positivity will shine through when faced with adversity. If you put positivity into the universe, it is sure to come back to you. The trip wouldn’t be as interesting if nothing ever went wrong, we just were glad the only thing affected by this mishap was our wallets!
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