Postcards from my campsite

A friend and I were talking about camping yesterday, and it made me reflect on my time camping and campervan-ing in New Zealand. I spent six weeks camping in a tent and six weeks camping in a campervan around North and South Islands, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Yes the views and the hikes were phenomenal, but the experience of camping and living out in nature was magical.

There’s something incredibly satisfying about knowing that I can be entirely self-sufficient whilst camping. Okay I know, I know — camping isn’t entirely self-sufficient because I’m still relying on others to obtain many things (I’m not growing my own produce or processing my own petrol), but I’m still taking care of my own needs: putting up and taking down my housing, lighting a fire (on a gas stove) and cooking my own meals, planning and finding land to camp on, and driving myself to wherever I need to go.

It’s also incredibly rewarding to go camping because of the amount of freedom it entails. I have the freedom and flexibility to roam with my car, driving to places that inspire me, pivoting off a random turn to explore something that intrigues me. There’s also the freedom of not caring what I look like because encounters with other people, especially in New Zealand, were few, and there’s no reason to shower every day or dress up — as long as I didn’t smell, I was good.

It’s funny because I never would’ve thought of myself as a camper — I was worried that I wasn’t skilled enough or experienced enough, but really all it is, besides being prepared (don’t be an idiot!), is having confidence in yourself and your ability to take care of yourself. There’s something something kinda wonderful about that.

Here are some postcards of my time camping in New Zealand, accompanied by the beautiful views I was afforded as a result of being able to camp on land near each scenic viewpoint.