◾️Ready to go to the place you've always dreamed of
We loaded up our custom-made tents and gear and found the place of our dreams.
The heavy lifting was already done: Our truck was loaded with a custom tent made especially for coffee lovers, a full complement of brewing equipment, Sitka gear in the back, and we'd even found a location we'd normally only dream of.
◾️Dreaming of waking up on the water
No flat ground required. Push yourself to the limits.
Filled with coffee and sausages (not a bad combination), we turned our attention back to the still, mirror-like lake before us as the temperature rose sharply with the rising sun. For years, we'd dreamed of waking up surrounded by water. We had no idea if it was even possible, where we'd try, or how long it would take our truck to get stuck. But we were itching to give it a go. After all, we'd built a tent that no longer even needed flat, dry ground. So let's see how far we could take it.
◾️Beyond the white shore
We found some shallow water and jumped into the lake.
We continued along the lakeshore, rounded a protruding headland, and found a very shallow patch of the lake. We knew in our guts that this was the spot we were looking for. The white shore where we'd been sitting was beautiful, but we had other ideas for where to pitch our tent, so we headed out into the lake.
◾️ Embraced by the blue lake water
Even the fear of your truck getting flooded turns into peace here.
Normally, a flooded truck on the beach would be a scary prospect for any owner, but here, the water was all freshwater, adding an extra layer of serenity to the quiet blue campsite. We unpacked our tents and set up camp like never before. As we felt the waves lapping against the side of our truck, it finally dawned on us that our dream had become a reality.
◾️An evening in the hood
The bonnet, which can be used as both a chair and a table, is our special seat tonight.
The hood of the truck doubled as a seat and table while we dried off and got ready for the night.
◾️ Reach the ultimate awakening place
The mornings we wake up here are just like our dreams.
Our goal was to find the ultimate "wake-up spot" for an early morning drink, and we found just that.
◾️If the wind blows
We packed up the tent and took a tour around the bay on our boards.
The wind picked up, so we packed up our tents, got out our surfboards and went for a spin around the bay.
◾️Hidden treasures all over the country
This thrilling encounter further fuels our sense of adventure.
There are hidden spots like this all over New Zealand, and it's mind-blowing encounters like this that keep our sense of adventure burning.
◾️Fulfilling dreams and heading home
All that's left is to test the tent in the best spot and then get home safely.
It couldn't have been a better location to test out the newly completed Kokako x Feldon Shelter "Coffee Lovers" tent. With another dream fulfilled, we turned our attention back to safely climbing back up that dirt road, through the forest, and home.
Words: Joel Hedges - Feldon Shelter
Photos: Josh Griggs