Kaikoura 2

Just to say that this is the whale watching capital of NZ. Don't drive through without taking this trip! We did it on 1997 and it was amazing!
We are sitting here looking out for dolphins...., we saw some from the ferry coming over and this is said to be a good place too!

Marlborough and Kaikoura

We changed our minds about staying in the Sounds for another few days, one can have too much if a good thing ;)! So today we drove out from Picnic Bay near Portage to the SH6 at Havelock. Driving towards Blenheim we detoured to Whites Bay thinking we might staythere, but it was a bit busy and there were no pitches with a sea view.... so we had a rethink!! The upshot being that I drove 299km today through the Marlborough wine country and then down the amazing Kaikoura coast road. The views from this road are spectacular, the alpine size Kaikoura range of mountains meet the sea here, but a road and a single track rail line have been constructed between them and the sea, giving great views of turquoise sea and high mountains, a few still with some snow still clinging on. This is a rocky coastline famous for the seals and we saw many as we were driving along. We could smell the sea, we were so close! Prior to this we came through a plain growing mainly vines and then up through a pass of hills which looked like a desert because of the dead scorched grass on them. There has hardly been any rain here for almost three months, and the vegetation is tinder dry!
We are now camped at the waters edge at Boat Harbour near Goose Bay, looking out to sea over the rocks and squabbling red beaked gulls. There is a seal asleep on a rock nearby.
Tomorrow we are going south of Christchurch and out onto the Banks Peninsula where we will probably see some of the effects if the earthquakes, we have been warned to expect a few mild ones still.....

Kenepru Sound

Only drove a few miles from our fantastic lunch spot when we came upon this site. Why drive any further? Settled on and had the first swim :)

Marlborough Sounds - Elaine Bay

The ferry docked right on time at 1.25 pm. The sailing is three hours and the last hour is up the sounds, with lovely views into coves and hills and mountains in the distance. We filled with fuel and set off. We have decided to stay in Marlborough Sounds for most of the week, moving to a different part when we feel like it! The only fixed point on the calendar is next Monday when we leave the van and catch a bus to Wanaka.
We drove out from Picton on the Queen Charlotte Drive, this is a steep twisty road but there are some great viewpoints, so it is worth all the gear changing! We joined the SH 6 through Havelock until the French Pass road, it was 39 km from the junction to Elaine Bay on the Pelorus Sound. Once again the road is hilly and twisty! There is a small DOC site here right on the waters edge with a beautiful view. Unfortunately quite a few other people like it here too and we got the last pitch on the beach edge. As I write this the following morning, I notice that a couple of vans have left, so we may make a small move later on.. We came here three years ago and it is just as beautiful as I remembered !
This morning, after a lazy start, we have walked to Piwakawaka Bay, a gentle 40min walk to a little bay. I was going to swim but the sea feels colder today, or maybe, I haven't got hot enough yet!! So, we are sitting enjoying the sun.....

We walked back to have a beer and some lunch then M went for a walk and I finished off my piece of lace and took it off the pillow .. Lacemakers among you will understand why I am a bit disappointed with it. On to the next project now!

Today,Tuesday we have left Elaine Bay and are making to the Kenepru Sound, currently we are sitting in the sun having a coffee etc in Havelock.

Farewell North Island!

We are in the ferry Q, I am sorry to be leaving, but looking forward to returning to old haunts in the next few days. The plan is to make for a bay in the Marlborough Sounds, not sure how much, if any, phone service we will have.....

Wellington Day 2

We have had an excellent day here. We walked to the Cable Car, which is actually a funicular, and paid $4 each for the short trip up the hillside, but that was all we spent all day....except for a little shopping ;) There was a volunteer guide at the entrance to the Botanical Gardens, she saw my camera and proceeded to give appropriate advice!. After taking in the views and the museum we proceeded to walk down hill, taking in the wonderful landscaping, trees, plants and flowers on the way down. This culminated in the rose garden, which was full of colour and a large conservatory where begonias are grown. A real riot of colour in there. I am hoping to have some good photos which some if you may see on cards in the years to come ;). The walk brings you neatly out at the parliament building area. There are three generations of building here, the most modern is known as the Beehive, and was designed by Sir Basil Spence! The actual Parliament building is Victorian. The oldest one houses the Parliamentary library. We visited the modern cathedral which was impressive with some beautiful stain glass and a really beautiful silk patchwork hanging behind the altar. We went to look at the old St Paul's cathedral too, but unfortunately it was closed to the public for a wedding. The bride looked nice!!
After lunch and some food shopping we returned to the Beehive to join a tour. We had an excellent guide, the tour took an hour and was free !! It's well worth doing if you are in Wellington. The interiors of the building were, obviously, very different , the select committee room for Maori affairs being the most decorative. We learned about the basement separation which was undertaken to 'earthquake proof' the building and about the parliamentary system which over the years has been adapted from the original Westminster model.
We then separated for a short while, M to hunt for bookshops while I indulged in another possum jacket ;) back to the van for feet up time and a cuppa, then to spruce up to go out for a meal tonight at Shed 5.

One thing to note if you are planning to use this motorhome park: there is a very good New World Metro supermarket in the railway station, about 200m away. We are stocked up now, so will be able to get back into the wilderness once we get off the ferry in South Island tomorrow afternoon.

Thank you Wellington City Council for providing the Te Papa, the gardens and all we have seen today!

Wellington!

Wow! Here at last! This is our 4th trip to NZ and the first time I have been able to negotiate a stay here. To be fair, we had planned for half a day three years ago but the ferry was 4 hrs late leaving Picton so that scuppered our plans. We are staying in the motorhome park on the waterfront. Essentially this is a car park with toilet and shower facilities and power and water to vans. However it is a very central location so that is the reason we booked it. We drove the 255km from Waverley Beach this morning, stopping in Foxton for essentials, like the dump station, coffee and supermarket ; however Levin a few miles further on may have had a better offer.
This afternoon we walked to the Te Papa museum and spent most of the afternoon there. After 4 visits we find we know quite a lot about NZ history, flora, fauna etc, but this museum was still well worth a visit. Lots for children to see and do too .... and plenty of places for 'oldies' to sit ;)
Just enjoying a G&T whilst writing this them we plan to go and look for some 'fush and chups' ;)
Having only seen three Wilderness vans in the whole of North Island, there are now three of us in this park.... including one of the super duper Escapes! Had a look inside it, it's very swish !
More exploring of Wellington to do tomorrow, the cable car and the botanic gardens are on the list, plus a bit of shopping maybe ;)

The Forgotten West Coast!

We have had another two spectacular days. Yesterday we drove south from Raglan on real back country roads. Up hill and down dale through wonderful bush scenery dropping down to bays and harbours or river valleys with cows grazing. Eventually we reached Tongaporuti where we had hoped to freedom camp, but the signs were uninviting! We came across an amazing 'motor home ' there complete with window box and french windows!! We drove on south to Urenui where we booked into a camp site located on the river mouth and beach. The beach here is the blackest sand I have ever seen. The sky clouded over during the late afternoon my photos were poor, however this morning we woke to beautiful blue sky, see photo later! I had a "long lie in" to quote M......until 8.30!!, yesterday was pretty tough driving.
We set off from Urenui about 9.45 and were fortunate to have clear views of Mt Taranaki/Egmont , NZ's Mount Fuji . The top was soon ringed with cloud and then completely clouded over with an hour or so. Today we have pootled along down the Surf Highway detouring from time to time, first to see a large stand of Californian redwoods at Lucy's Gully and later to see the surf and Cape Egmont lighthouse .
We stopped to make lunch in a delightful place called Karakoponui Scenic Reserve. There was an excellent campsite here too, small, but perfectly formed !!!
We then drove south for about an hour to Waverley where we turned off to look at the beach. Some great cliff/ cave scenery here on one side and a very long surf beach with ancient tree stumps on the other.
We have settled here for the night, unless we get moved on, which we think is unlikely, with a great view of sandstone cliffs and black sand bay; and the waves rolling in.
We are using the Frenzy Guide by Scott Cook which was sent to us electronically by Wilderness when we booked. Although it is probably written for a much younger clientele, we are finding his information most useful. We keep stopping to 'see what Scott says'........he has sent us to some lovely places, many well off the beaten track.
We gave been very surprised by how few tourists we have seen, especially today when we have travelling on a main highway, hence the title of this blog.
Tomorrow we are making our way to Wellington for two nights before taking the ferry to South Island......

Coast to coast !

Today we drove from the Pacific Ocean to the Tasman Sea, sounds good doesn't it.... But it was only 145km from near Thames to Raglan. Once again the countryside was stunning. We came across a wind farm and a 'wind farm viewing area' think they must be a novelty here ;) We also drove through the open cast coal mining area near Huntly, but it was all very well screened .
We arrived in Raglan mid morning, had a coffee and then drove over the river to the Kopua Domain holiday park. I needed to do a big load of laundry, that was accomplished and hanging out in the sun to dry by lunchtime . Time for a well earned beer and a bite to eat then we walked over the footbridge into town. This place has a fantastic location on the river mouth . Later M went for a walk , I wrote the campervan blog, then did some of my lace. At gin o'clock we sat down with the maps to plan the next couple of days. We are going to take the reputedly very scenic coastal route south of here, maybe out of reach for a while! We are booked into the motorhome park in Wellington CBD on Friday and Saturday nights and are sailing to S Island on Sunday .
By the way please excuse typos and strange words provided by predictive text, I am doing this on my IPhone

Our campervan

I thought I would just tell you about our transport and home for the first 26 days of this trip. We hired a Basejumper 2 campervan from Wilderness Motorhomes. We have not hired from them before but had seen one of these vans on our last trip. The saying " you get what you pay for" is really true in this case. Previously we have much older vans which were much harder and heavier to drive than this. Driving it is easy, there is plenty of power for the hills and the steering is light.
This van is very well designed and good quality knives, pans, crockery, cutlery and glassware is provided. The bed, as you can see from the photos is formed using the thick cushions, I think twice as thick as previous vans we have rented. The fridge is 90l capacity which means that we have been able to stock up for a few days at a time and it has a small freezer compartment so I can have ice in my G&T!! The hob has four rings and a very good grill. Two gas bottles are provided so there is no problem if you run out of gas whilst preparing dinner in the back of beyond - as happened last night! There is a very large storage space at the back, under the seating, plenty of room for bags, boots and the rubbish!
The house batteries seem very efficient and the hot water system is excellent . The shower is surprisingly powerful. I brought a kitchen knife, but didn't need to! It's a good idea to bring some ice cube making bags and bring some plastic storage boxes, but you can buy some cheap ones here in the supermarket . Needless to say bedding, towels and tea towels are provided.
One of the really great things is that the back doors open right back against the van, held in place by magnets, so you can sit inside to eat if and still enjoy the fresh air.
The van is completely self contained so you can overnight anywhere where it is permitted, so far we have done this only once but we have used lots of basic DOC sites which are usually located in beautiful surrounding as you have seen from my previous blogs .
Suffice to say we are happy Wilderness campers!!

The Coromandel.

We spent a very relaxing day at Port Jackson bay on Saturday, a walk, sitting in the sun, making lace, swimming in the sea etc. We then decided that perhaps we should try to see more of this peninsula , so on Sunday we drove back down 27km gravel road to the outskirts of Colville and then 14km on another gravel road to the DOC site at Waikawa bay. The actual bay is beautiful, but we were disappointed that the camping sites do not have a view of the beach! It was a very large site, which would be heaving in the main holiday season, but was quiet for us. The 41km on these roads took 1hr 15 mins including a couple of photo stops. The second road was in much better condition than the Port Jackson road which is very corrugated in places. We spent another relaxing day, on the beach for an hour before lunch then for me sitting in the shade of the van making lace in the afternoon, whilst Michael disappeared for a couple of hours!!

Today, Monday, we have explored more of the peninsula, driving over the hills to the east coast to Whitianga, where we had coffee, got money, shopped (supermarket!) and dumped our waste. We then continued up and down the twisty coast road, detouring for a break by a beach in the mid afternoon. We are now parked in a farmyard of a small farm in the Kauaeranga Valley to the west of Thames. Before we left home we joined the Native Parks scheme. Various hosts allow campers to park for up to 24 hrs. This is the first time we have used the scheme. The farm grows lavender as well as having stock. They have a small shop called Lavender & Luffas, but it is closed on Monday and Tuesday ;)! . The hosts are Sarah & Ian Thompson, they were welcoming , and told us how to get down to the river so we could swim. Our own private pool!!! It was lovely!

A note about driving on this peninsula: be aware that all the roads are twisty and it takes a lot longer than you think it will to get from a to b!

I am attaching a couple of photos of the views seen on the way, including an example of the forest which we both find very attractive . Tomorrow we are moving to the west coast of North Island to the Raglan, New Plymouth, Taranaki region.....more pastures new!

Port Jackson, Coromandel

We drove here yesterday, 398km, which doesn't sound a lot, but is a long day on NZ roads where only about an hour was motorway and the last 27km is gravel! We had plenty of stops, food shopping, coffee, lunch and tea! We came up here for one night on our last trip and therefore knew that it is a great location. We have got a site on the beach and the sun is shining as I write this! After a very lazy start this morning we walked out over the headland to our right, coming to a small bay where M stopped to have swim. The beach was stony so I didn't see the point when we have a sandy beach on our campervan doorstep! I walked on on the coastal path reventually reaching the gravel road. A sign indicated that it was 1 hr walk back to our campsite but I did it in half that time. I think they allow for very slow walkers ! I saw some Pukeko on my way. They are mainly black, with a blue breast and a large orange/ red beak, bigger than a moorhen , smaller than a goose. They live in the ditches at the roadsides and are often used as a symbol of New Zealand.
Now we are back at the van and I am planning to get my lace out for the first time! Later I will have a swim. :)

Forgot to say.....

This is our 100th night in a campervan in New Zealand.....over 4 trips!

Kauris!

The first rain since we arrived, it only a few showers and then it has cleared up into a sunny but blustery day. We drove south from Hokianga harbour into the Waipoua Forest, and stopped to walk to look at the largest Kauri tree in NZ. It has a girth of 13.8m and the trunk is 17.7m and it is believed to be over 1250yrs old. This forest has over 300 species of trees, plants and ferns. I love these forests especially where the tree ferns are coming through the other vegetation. Their leaves shine in the sunlight. You haven't seen tree ferns unless you've been to New Zealand!

The road was hilly and twisty, so the going was slow, eventually we left the forest to come out onto open moorland type countryside. We dropped down to sea level again at Dargaville crossing the very wide Wairoa river, the road then followed the river south, turning east at Ruawi, some of the flattest straight road I have seen in NZ! We were aiming for Matakohe to the renowned Kauri Museum. We had previously decided to book knot a 'proper' campsite tonight, so that we can fill up with water and use the laundry facilities. So.....we booked into the Matakohe Kiwi Park a short distance from the museum. Lunch made, washing done and blowing in the wind, we walked back to the museum. This is a 'must' for visitors to this part of NZ, an amazing collection of artefacts and history of the settlers in this area. It not just about the kauri, but how life was in those early days, from the tree felling, use of the timber, gum digging, farming, and the domestic side of things. We spent about 2hrs there, but some people could probably spend a lot more....

Back to the camp site for a cuppa, then a shower, which I have to say was disappointing, the shower in the van is better!! Now we are moth logged on to the internet , me writing this blog and M catching p on emails etc as he has not got any 3G.

Another relaxing day, wonder what tomorrow will bring......we haven't had the map out yet......!

Cape Reinga to Hokianga Harbour

The last three days have been spectacular !. We left the north of the Karikari peninsula on Monday, driving to Kaitaia to stock up and try to get our step fixed. The first was accomplished but not the second, however the guy that Wilderness sent us to did get the step to retract using power from a car battery. ... So we bought a small folding step ( to be reimbursed) and went on our way up the cape road. We stopped to make lunch overlooking Houhara harbour then drove on making a couple of detours to look at a view and eventually reached Tapotupotu DOC campsite about 4.0pm. What a great location! Right on the beach. Booked in for two nights.
Yesterday we walked on the coastal route to the Cape Reinga lighthouse , the most northerly place in N Z. The walk was 5km each way and the signage indicated it was 2 hrs 30 mins, we did it in 1hr 45 mins each way plus a lunch stop in Sandy Bay. There were two long steep ascents and one long descent on the way out, and, obviously , the opposite on the return! This was the longest walk I have done in over a year. The coastal views were great'
I paddled in the sea here rather than swim, as there was a strong rip/ undertow . Spent the rest of the afternoon lazing in the sun.
Today we returned down the cape road stopping off to see the largest sand dunes on 90mile beach Te Pake stream and taking another detour to look at this famous beach. We got diesel and a few groceries at the excellent Pak n Save in Kaitaia then drove south down the SH 1 crossing a pass between Mangataiore and Mangamuka, lots of twists and turns!! At Mangamuka Bridge we left the main road and made for the ferry across Hokianga harbour, the scenery was vet reminiscent of Scotland. Just a few miles further and we found another idyllic camp site, at Koutu, on the waters edge, what's more it has only cost $5....in an honesty box. This ban is great, we are so self contained that we can park almost anywhere. Time to explore the beach again!! Tomorrow I think we will be kauri hunting !!

East coast explorer!

First stop Whangarei to look at the Town Basin then on to Whangarei Falls. 26 m falls with a good circular walk round toget the views. Well worth a visit. The we took a very scenic coastal route with some problems due to map reading errors ( wonder who that could be ;) )... I am the driver ;)
We ended up driving much further than planned to Matauri Bay which is up north east of Kerikeri. Drew into the campground just behind a Dutch couple is had met this morning! Secured a beach front site as we do not need power. A really idyllic view. Swam in the sea again although the surf was a bit strong for me, but the beach was sandy and shallow so quite safe. Made use if the somewhat dated facilities including a full load of washing most of which was dry in a couple of hours.
Drove 231km
This morning we had a lazy start,M went for a walk and I caught up on my journal. We eventually set off about 12 md and took the "million dollar view" coastal route. The views are spectacular looking out over rolling countryside to sandy bays with islands beyond with, of course, a sparkling blue sea! We dropped down into some lovely bays. We then rejoined the SH10 making our way west along the north coast. We then turned off to go north up the Karikari peninsula. Here the scenery became much flatter and open. We are camped at the DOC Maitai Bay site which has sheltered sites but no sea view ;(. After a restorative cuppa we walled along Merti beach. There are two bays here separated by a small spit. We both swam in the sea again then walked back, climbing up onto the spit to take the 'guidebook ' photos ! I have never see beaches like these. There are so many that there is room for everyone, none of them are at all crowded even on a summer Sunday afternoon

Auckland to Mangawhai and on to Waipu

After a relatively good first night in our camper we set off North! Tomtom took us on an unexpected route out of Auckland but eventually we reached the SH 1 and then branched off to Orewa to avoid the toll. Stopped for coffee at the I-site at Estuary Arts. Then on up through Warkworth, where we stocked up in the Countdown store, pausing for lunch at the Dome Lookout . A few km further on we turned off the main road to take the scenic route, which it certainly was! Undulating countryside with lots of cows grazing in places, and bush with tree heathers and tree ferns etc in others. I had not expected to negotiate a small pass with hairpin bends on the first day, but I managed it without too much trouble, having had plenty of practice on La Palma ;)
Eventually we found the DOC Uretiti site located behind the sand dunes on Uretoti beach. This is a huge beach with hardly anyone on it at 4.0pm. We have both had a dip in the sea and now it's time for a per prandial! More about our campervan later ...

So far so good

Left home in cold wind and snow, arrived in Dubai to early morning sunshine. Just had some breakfast in Carluccios in terminal 3. Interesting navigation around the airport including a train ride and longest escalators I've seen in a long while, passing a 'wall of water' on the way up. Onto the next leg now to Auckland with a stop in Brisbane on the way

Snowdrops and a winter garden as we leave.
Just testing this app on my phone .... In preparation.

Just setting up a new blog for our trip, not sure it will be quite as adventurous as the last blogged trip.....but you never know!!
Will try to keep posting.........