"We were lost, we were completely lost."
So rang the words of a homeless and desperate mother forced to live jammed in a battered old station-wagon for over four months with her husband and two small boys.
"I remember crying on the side of the road," says Rata (not her real name). "For the first time I didn't know what to do, especially for my kids. The city can be a big and scary place."
The family's heart-rending story - which only ended after the Salvation Army heard of their plight and helped them find a house - began after Dave (not his real name) and Rata left their home in the South Island to come to Auckland where he had got work as a labourer. With them were their two sons, eight-year-old TJ and six-year-old Levi.
Their plan was to stay with friends until they could afford the bond on a rental property.
But when that arrangement turned sour, their ordeal started.
"Things didn't go too well and we basically ended up leaving in the middle of the night," says Rata. "We put the kids and everything we could in the car and just left.
"It was crazy trying to find somewhere safe. We found a park that had toilets and a shower and we stayed there in our car for four and a half months; it was rough, really rough."
Their predicament has emerged as the Salvation Army this week launches its annual Red Shield street appeal to raise funds for its network of community welfare centres. The appeal runs from April 24 on and the money raised is used to help families in situations like Rata and Dave.
Rata says the family had to learn to adapt to doing everything out of their car: "Cooking, cleaning, our wardrobe, everything was in there. It wasn't ideal but we had to live with it because we had nothing else.
"Our boys thought it was a camping trip, but they knew something wasn't right," she says. "It was hard for me to have to explain that we didn't have anywhere else to go, it was just really hard and complicated."
The Salvation Army heard about Rata and Dave last June while helping other homeless people in the south Auckland area. The army's regional director for Manukau Community Ministries Pam Hughes, along with Captain Nicki Dutton, were among the first to meet them.
"Their situation was dire. They were very worn out and the weather was becoming very cold; even though Dave was working they didn't have the money to move into a rental, it really was quite hopeless," she says. "Every time we come across homeless people our hearts are stretched.
"But we noticed they were a very loving family and both Rata and Dave were very good parents. The boys were delightful; they had a good mum and dad doing the best they could for them."
Within a week the Salvation Army, working with a third party, found a house for the family to move into. They also helped with furnishings including beds - and took them dinner on their first night.
Rata says if it hadn't been for the Salvation Army they would still be living in their car. "They were such a big help, it was amazing to have their support, it just means everything; they've given us budgeting advice, have helped with food and clothing parcels and offered us counselling.
"I'm just so thankful we're in a house."
Although Rata and Dave's story has ended happily, homelessness is a major problem in New Zealand. A 2016 University of Otago study based on census data found the number of homeless rose by 25 per cent between 2006 and 2013, a period in which the population grew by 4.8 per cent.
The study said over 41,000, or one per cent of New Zealand's population, were homeless in 2013.
In Auckland the housing crisis is particularly acute. An Auckland Council report, the Auckland Plan, says there is a shortfall of about 10,000 homes in the city while up to 400,000 more homes will be needed to meet a projected population of up to 2.5 million in the next 30 years.
Hughes believes the problem has grown even worse in the last four years. "Here in Manukau we've seen an increase in that time; there would be hundreds who are homeless, if not more, and I think this winter will be as bad if not worse.
"Only a few years ago it was unheard of for families to be homeless, it was mainly singles. It's just not acceptable to have families with young children living in vehicles."
Last year the Salvation Army provided 56,707 food parcels to needy people. Its community ministries welfare centres also help with budgeting advice, accommodation, life skills, parent training, help with drug, alcohol and gambling addictions and help for people to find jobs.
To support the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal, donations can be made by calling 0800 53 00 00 or online.
Watch Rata and her family end their poverty