diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 941f42ecb..be5b25a04 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -20,21 +20,18 @@ env:
     - RELEASE="ci-${TRAVIS_BUILD_ID}"
     - DOCKER=docker
 
-before_script:
-  - export PATH=$PATH:$PWD/controllers/nginx/e2e/e2e-internal
-
 jobs:
   include:
     - stage: Static Check
       script: 
         - go get github.com/golang/lint/golint
         - make fmt lint vet
-    - stage: Coverage
-      script: 
-        - go get github.com/mattn/goveralls
-        - go get github.com/modocache/gover
-        - if ! go get github.com/golang/tools/cmd/cover; then go get golang.org/x/tools/cmd/cover; fi
-        - make cover
+#    - stage: Coverage
+#      script: 
+#        - go get github.com/mattn/goveralls
+#        - go get github.com/modocache/gover
+#        - if ! go get github.com/golang/tools/cmd/cover; then go get golang.org/x/tools/cmd/cover; fi
+#        - make cover
     - stage: e2e
       script: 
         - make test-e2e
diff --git a/controllers/nginx/e2e/default-backend.yaml b/controllers/nginx/e2e/default-backend.yaml
index 3c40989a3..739ae2758 100644
--- a/controllers/nginx/e2e/default-backend.yaml
+++ b/controllers/nginx/e2e/default-backend.yaml
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ metadata:
   name: default-http-backend
   labels:
     k8s-app: default-http-backend
-  namespace: kube-system
 spec:
   replicas: 1
   template:
@@ -40,7 +39,6 @@ apiVersion: v1
 kind: Service
 metadata:
   name: default-http-backend
-  namespace: kube-system
   labels:
     k8s-app: default-http-backend
 spec:
diff --git a/controllers/nginx/e2e/e2e-internal/e2e-env.sh b/controllers/nginx/e2e/e2e-internal/e2e-env.sh
index adc0c7e98..b6d3a6a97 100755
--- a/controllers/nginx/e2e/e2e-internal/e2e-env.sh
+++ b/controllers/nginx/e2e/e2e-internal/e2e-env.sh
@@ -3,31 +3,35 @@
 export MINIKUBE_VERSION=0.22.0
 export K8S_VERSION=v1.7.5
 
-export PWD=`pwd`
-export BASEDIR="$(dirname ${BASH_SOURCE})"
-export KUBECTL="${BASEDIR}/kubectl"
-export MINIKUBE="${BASEDIR}/minikube"
+export KUBECTL="/usr/local/bin/kubectl"
+export MINIKUBE="/usr/local/bin/minikube"
+export WAIT_FOR_DEPLOYMENT="/usr/local/bin/wait-for-deployment"
+
 export GOOS="${GOOS:-linux}"
 
 export MINIKUBE_WANTUPDATENOTIFICATION=false
 export MINIKUBE_WANTREPORTERRORPROMPT=false
 export MINIKUBE_HOME=$HOME
 export CHANGE_MINIKUBE_NONE_USER=true
+export MINIKUBE_PROFILE="ingress-e2e"
 
 export KUBECONFIG=$HOME/.kube/config
 
-export MINIKUBE_PROFILE="ingress-e2e"
-
-export PATH=$PATH:$BASEDIR
-
 if [ ! -e ${KUBECTL} ]; then
-  echo "kubectl binary is missing. downloading..."
-  curl -sSL http://storage.googleapis.com/kubernetes-release/release/${K8S_VERSION}/bin/${GOOS}/amd64/kubectl -o ${KUBECTL}
-  chmod u+x ${KUBECTL}
+  echo "kubectl binary is missing. downloading binary to ${KUBECTL}"
+  sudo curl -sSL http://storage.googleapis.com/kubernetes-release/release/${K8S_VERSION}/bin/${GOOS}/amd64/kubectl -o ${KUBECTL}
+  sudo chmod +x ${KUBECTL}
 fi
 
 if [ ! -e ${MINIKUBE} ]; then
-  echo "minikube binary is missing. downloading..."
-  curl -sSLo ${MINIKUBE} https://storage.googleapis.com/minikube/releases/v${MINIKUBE_VERSION}/minikube-linux-amd64
-  chmod +x ${MINIKUBE}
+  echo "minikube binary is missing. downloading binary to ${MINIKUBE}"
+  sudo curl -sSLo ${MINIKUBE} https://storage.googleapis.com/minikube/releases/v${MINIKUBE_VERSION}/minikube-linux-amd64
+  sudo chmod +x ${MINIKUBE}
+fi
+
+if [ ! -e ${WAIT_FOR_DEPLOYMENT} ]; then
+  echo "wait-for-deployment script is missing. downloading binary to ${WAIT_FOR_DEPLOYMENT}"
+  # https://github.com/timoreimann/kubernetes-scripts
+  sudo curl -sSLo ${WAIT_FOR_DEPLOYMENT} https://raw.githubusercontent.com/timoreimann/kubernetes-scripts/master/wait-for-deployment
+  sudo chmod +x ${WAIT_FOR_DEPLOYMENT}
 fi
diff --git a/controllers/nginx/e2e/e2e-internal/e2e-up.sh b/controllers/nginx/e2e/e2e-internal/e2e-up.sh
index 00275e86c..ee4b650cb 100755
--- a/controllers/nginx/e2e/e2e-internal/e2e-up.sh
+++ b/controllers/nginx/e2e/e2e-internal/e2e-up.sh
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 
-set -eof pipefail
-
 . ./e2e/e2e-internal/e2e-env.sh
 
 mkdir -p $HOME/.kube
@@ -16,10 +14,11 @@ fi
 # this for loop waits until kubectl can access the api server that minikube has created
 for i in {1..150} # timeout for 5 minutes
 do
-  $KUBECTL get po &> /dev/null
+  $($KUBECTL get pods &> /dev/null) || true
   if [ $? -ne 1 ]; then
     break
   fi
+  echo -n "."
   sleep 10
 done
 
diff --git a/controllers/nginx/e2e/e2e-internal/run-e2e.sh b/controllers/nginx/e2e/e2e-internal/run-e2e.sh
index 8678a468b..4318cc001 100755
--- a/controllers/nginx/e2e/e2e-internal/run-e2e.sh
+++ b/controllers/nginx/e2e/e2e-internal/run-e2e.sh
@@ -7,9 +7,23 @@ set -eof pipefail
 echo "Creating test tag for image $IMAGE:$TAG"
 docker tag $IMAGE:$TAG $IMAGE:test
 
-echo "Uploading test image to minikube"
-dockerenv=$(${MINIKUBE} --profile ${MINIKUBE_PROFILE} docker-env | sed 's/export//g' | sed 's/^#.*$//g' | sed 's/"//g')
-docker save $IMAGE:test | env -i $dockerenv docker load
+if [ "$TRAVIS" = true ] ; then
+    echo "Using local docker graph as source for $IMAGE:test"
+else
+    echo "Uploading test image to minikube"
+    dockerenv=$(${MINIKUBE} --profile ${MINIKUBE_PROFILE} docker-env | sed 's/export//g' | sed 's/^#.*$//g' | sed 's/"//g')
+    docker save $IMAGE:test | env -i $dockerenv docker load
+fi
+
+report_error() {
+    echo "unexpected error waiting for nginx ingress controller pod"
+    echo "LOGS:"
+    ${KUBECTL} logs -l k8s-app=nginx-ingress-controller
+}
+
+trap 'report_error $LINENO' ERR
+${WAIT_FOR_DEPLOYMENT} nginx-ingress-controller
+notrap
 
 echo "Running tests..."
 go test -v k8s.io/ingress/controllers/nginx/e2e/... -run ^TestIngressSuite$ --args --alsologtostderr --v=10
diff --git a/controllers/nginx/e2e/e2e.go b/controllers/nginx/e2e/e2e.go
index ccce1d0ea..5edb9ecc9 100644
--- a/controllers/nginx/e2e/e2e.go
+++ b/controllers/nginx/e2e/e2e.go
@@ -285,11 +285,5 @@ func finishRunning(stepName string, cmd *exec.Cmd) error {
 func kubectlCmd(arg ...string) *exec.Cmd {
 	args := []string{"--context", "ingress-e2e"}
 	args = append(args, arg...)
-
-	kb := os.Getenv("KUBECTL")
-	if kb == "" {
-		kb = "./e2e/e2e-internal/kubectl"
-	}
-
-	return exec.Command(kb, args...)
+	return exec.Command("kubectl", args...)
 }
diff --git a/controllers/nginx/e2e/nginx-ingress-controller.yaml b/controllers/nginx/e2e/nginx-ingress-controller.yaml
index e04351e0b..91e789f95 100644
--- a/controllers/nginx/e2e/nginx-ingress-controller.yaml
+++ b/controllers/nginx/e2e/nginx-ingress-controller.yaml
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ metadata:
   name: nginx-ingress-controller
   labels:
     k8s-app: nginx-ingress-controller
-  namespace: kube-system
 spec:
   replicas: 1
   template:
@@ -30,9 +29,7 @@ spec:
           timeoutSeconds: 1
         ports:
         - containerPort: 80
-          hostPort: 80
         - containerPort: 443
-          hostPort: 443
         env:
           - name: POD_NAME
             valueFrom: