She didn't com with out faults, but she's mine.  I've already replaced an o-ring on a fuel injector, and fixed a rattling exhaust heat shield.  But both were easy fixes I was able to do on my own and they've brought me closer to Turangi Libre.  "Turangi" is a small town on the south side of Lake Taupo, where I became "Liberated" of the previous hassel of aquiring the van in the bustling city of Auckland.  Appropriately there were remnants of a construction company sticker on the van reading "Calibre."  So I modified it simply to read "Libre," Free. 

As for my second mission to ski before it was too late, I've been to the Turoa Ski Field on the south side of Mt Ruapehu.  Ruapehu is a massive volcano in Tongariro Nat. Park.  I drove south from Turangi stopping in the park to hike to Upper and Lower Tama Lakes, gorgeous alpine lakes on the shoulders of the volcano.  Then it was south to Ohakune to ski.  I had a great day of spring skiing as it was warm enough for the whole mountain to turn to endless corn.