Ohmigod, I think we've been hit by lightning!

6 days left in the country, but we couldn't get out without just a bit more excitement... We have returned back to the North Island, and are therefore back in the comfort of the Smith's Kombi- which we missed dearly as we toured around the South. We picked up the Kombi in Wellington on Sunday, and have since been trundelling up the east coast to visit all the spots we missed on our way down. Yesterday we were on our way to Rotorua and for the first time in weeks it began to rain. I casually commented on how nice it was to have the warm dry Kombi (since we've been tenting for the last 3 weeks). Then it started to rain harder. And I mean- real rain. The type of rain that we see at home that actually makes you stop work to look out the window and watch. Like, a LOT of rain. Again, I commented- "We haven't seen rain like this in ages." And then- KABOOM!! We both jumped 3 inches from our seats and, had it not been for the seatbelts we would have both suffered concussions. It took us a second to realize that the windscreen was shattered- not cracked, but shattered. Cam said "We've just been hit by lightning" (and is now driving with no hands for fear of touching things...) but the white glow was just from the light refracting in the million cracks. We flicked on the hazards and pulled off to the side of the road to appraise the damage. The Kombi is from 1973, and so is the windscreen- which means no laminated glass. There were a few holes, appropriately placed over Cam's lap, the water was coming in, but we feared to touch it or even drive in case the whole thing caved in on our laps. We saw a sign pointing up a side road to a nursery only 600m away so we carefully made our way up there, Cam viewing through the 2 inch hole, both of us wearing our sunglasses to protect our eyes. The nursery was, of course, down a windy little road that we would barely be able to navigate in good conditions, let alone in the gray, pouring rain, wearing sunglasses, and looking through a shattered windscreen. We did make it to the bottom and Cam opened his door to check where we had parked and, realizing we were in a small lake, he closed it again. Oops. The windscreen collapsed in our laps causing Kristin to shriek and the owner of the nursery to come out. Now the pouring (POURING) rain was coming into the van, as though it could get worse. Ah, but it can. Turns out when the rain is just that heavy, and the van is on just the wrong angle, and all the forces of the universe combine, water can leak in the back and quite effectively soak all bedding and cushions on which you plan to sleep...

Fortunately, Carl (the owner of the nursery) is the nicest man on the planet (rivaled with the man who returned our camera...) and he helped us get the front end of the Kombi under cover, and then stayed with us while we sorted out the next steps. This included letting us make long distance phonecalls, inviting us up to the house for a warm cup of tea and biscuits (to soothe Kristin's visibly frazzled nerves), helping us clean up the glass mess, and then, with his wife (Cherry) and daughter (Amanda), offering us dinner and a warm evening in their home. We didn't tell them about our wet bedding as we already felt they had done too much for us, so we patched together a warm and dry enough nest in which to sleep, and did so in the Kombi in their driveway. This morning we woke to sun- fortunately, and after touring their 12 acre property (how ironic is it that we end up at a nursery, with an owner who loves flowers and photography...) we drove into Rotorua to get the window repaired. When we had called yesterday and told the glass shop what vehicle we were driving, we were recieved with a laugh :) Turns out 73 Kombi glass isn't the easiest to find. However, they managed to ship it overnight from Auckland, and at 11:30am we were told it would take about 30 minutes to put in... 2 1/2 hours later we pulled out, after the shop foreman had struggled to make it fit and told us "I did the best I could." Comforting... Anyway, the van is patched up, everything is dry, we're only one day behind, and we have met some more fantastic kiwis!