And nine years later

A wedding in Timaru prompted a 3 week trip to Wanaka. Our first stop was in Oxford at Rebekah and Ryan's and their new pool! It was a  very hot day and the pool was great. Awesome food and of course coffee. How many ways do you need to make it? Some of theirs are very quirky. Unfortunately arrived with a nasty flat tyre... we decided to deal with it the next day but it was filthy cold and sideways rain. I watched while Stephen and Rebekah sorted it with a trip to a garage and new tyre - phew.

Three days later and to Timaru via the back road and many great river crossings. In Geraldine we bought some fantastic waxed canvas things. We stayed in a great motel which had 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and 3 loos!! Nina and Helen were with us and it was great. The wedding - Sam and Stacey. A great time and a bbq the next day at Sams. Really great to meet Stacey, and Mark's now wife Lisa. I bought a spectacular jersey from Balantynes for the cold as I had packed in 30 degrees... and I wore it a lot during the trip.

Onward after 4 days in Timaru. I wanted to catch up with Nick and Sara and Peter and Jane, so invited them to come have a drink at Evans Crossing where we camped by an old swimming hole from my past. They came with Hamish and gf Bailey and John and so a wee party which was fun. Sadly too chilly for a swim.

Next day to Kurow via Waimate and up the north side of the Waitaki which is a great drive. A stop between the 2 bridges at Kurow is always rewarding.

A night at Kurow camping ground and on to Jo's place, towards Duntroon, deep in the country. She has an awesome place in 5 acres, which she is gradually doing up. Her wee dog Jack is very cute... Loved our stay there - Thanks Jo.

On to Wanaka after a fab couple of nights. A great trip through and the Lindis very Lindisy and always feels great to reach Central Otago. Don't think we held up too many cars with our rather slow uphill speeds! We had a short stop at Tarras where I bought 2 new wine glasses for the van. Loved seeing the Clutha after such a long time. We went down to the edge at one end of the red bridge and what a gorgeous spot. 

On to Tom and A Rowley's place they bought after selling Lake Hawea. A huge section with lovely house. They have a large lawned area below a bush bit - which has a cool hut with bed, loo, shower and big outdoor sink. We parked there and plugged into the hut. All worked so well. Great time all round catching up with rellies and a great tiki tour round Wanaka. Gee wizzz... the place is so overcrowded now with no breathing space. Obviously if you have the dosh you can find great spots on big sections. Tom and A's place has spectacular views and no feeling of crowding. Something Tom has really appealed to Stephen - guess from the photos what...

Wanaka done and heading north. Were going to camp at Tekapo but trees all gone round campsite and the place was extra busy. Went on to Fairlie where we had a great stop in their camping ground. Cued the next day at the famous pie shop - well worth it. That day to Christchurch where we stayed at Morley's retirement village place! He had been shipped out to a new higher care place at Russley and Sara was out to clear his house for selling. Had a great evening with her and a catch up with Jeremy. Went and visited Morley in his new home and wow what a spectacular place. Money talks! 

This dog was in Fairlie

Next day to Kaikoura for a night. Busy place again but we stopped in a paddock near the seafood bbq place, which we had been told about. It was a bit too rural smelling... but we bought crayfish for tea - mmmm.

The Kaikoura roads are a bit bizarre after the quake but wow the engineering. The instalment of pou along the way is also pretty cool. A great drive but not much room in some places.. 

All n all a great drive back to Picton. We slotted back into campervan mode pretty quickly and loved every minute.

And that was our 3 week road trip.

March 2014 North Island road trip

At last I hear you say! Stephen and I spent a whole month on the road but Stephen had to work most of the first week and all of the last. Prior to leaving we had bought a new awning - bigger and a room which attached to it. Fiamma sure make the set up easy... This was to be our holiday office in Picton and later Mapua. And so we made our first stop Kaikoura and of course we had crayfish for tea! Dont forget to double click the photos if you want to see them bigger.

And on to Picton. Work for Stephen and our first use of the annex! We wound up using Top 10 camp sites mostly because of their awesome facilities! This one is over the road from the marina which links into town and is a great place to walk in the evenings.

The day before our booked sailing to Wellington, we had a monumental hail storm which showed up a large leak on our main hatch... So we improvised til we got a tarpaulin and rang a boat repair place in Taupo to get a hatch ready for our arrival! I also over heard a conversation re Bluebridge not taking any bookings till later on that week due to a one in a hundred year storm!! So I rang and they said come down to the office and wait and have your name on the list and hope you get on. We plus two others who were booked for later sailings, waited two hours and with everyone else and the trucks all boarded we were suddenly called and got on, to much relief. However while cruising down the sound, I heard a barman say that the other ferry company whose ship had left half an hour before us, had turned round! I said will we too??? No was the answer and we had the last sailing for several days (which was pretty rough, but not hideous). So we made it to Wellington for Ninas 21st - phew all a bit exciting.

The Wellington Top 10 is out at Lower Hutt so that was our home for a few days while getting seriously rained on. Each time into Welly we had to dismantle and reassemble our tarpaulin, and often at night in a wet gale!

Jandles were in order due to the huge puddles around. Ninas actual birthday and the weather improved and the party day it was spectacular. So into the city and her new flat is a short walk to uni and you can park by it so all good. We picked up a parcel at the post shop op the flats, which had come from Jack, to us in Timaru and then up to Welly - all after we had left and there it was on the birthday!!

The party was at the Boat Cafe on the top deck. We decorated and they did the bar and food and it was awesome. We parked right by the boat and camped there that night!

The next day a chill out with Nina and then off to Lake Taupo - our longest day but such great countryside esp the Desert Road. We started with breakfast at Mana which is a favourite stop by the water and a good coffee bus! We stopped and parked in the National park on the Desert Road where the trampers park and found the volcanic ash fascinating (due to a pretty recent gush from Mt Ruapehu). There is heather everywhere and it is very like Glencoe in Scotland and equally as spooky.

Onward to Taupo and we found a large campsite by the lake about halfway along and put our new bbq to full use. It burns extra hot and tho compact takes our big pot and frying pan (can do pretty much everything with these).  Soo good.

Next day Taupo for several days. The campsite was pretty near a huge new geothermal power station and provided us with a serious pong esp at night.

By day we hung out at the mouth of the Waikato, went to a bungy jumping spot, went on the most outrageous jet boat ride! Went to the Hukka Falls, a geothermal park, and of course the Boat repair chap. The Waikato river is awesome - a fantastic blue/green and so clear. Also extremely deep in places.

Check out the dude in the boat as he waits for customers!

When we bought our tickets for the jet boat I asked if we needed a jacket? He said Nah. We soon realised why not at our expense... We were soaked completely and it was such a hoot esp as it was a very hot day. Glad we had the van and plenty of spare clothes! Not so for some who did it - tee hee.

We chose a boat builder over a campervan place because the hatches are better - we can now cruise off shore! And they know what they are doing... It felt very at home for old boaties. We had quite a wait though!

All and all we had a great time and Taupo is a fantastic place but I expect the summer hols could be hectic. So next stop Rotorua.  On the way we went up a road to Kerosene Creek and stopped at an extraordinary green lake with steam coming off it. The countryside is awesome.

We stopped in a campsite not Top 10, by the lake. You could grab a shovel and walk to the beach and sit in the warm/hot wet sand! We didn't...  we also had several pukeko hang out by the van. There was also a steam hungi where you could borrow baskets and cook your food.
Our first trip to the main lake front, Stephen spied a sea plane and thought it might be a Beaver but it was an Otter (later model) and he has always dreamed of going on one and so as part of the 60 celebrations, we did. It was a great place to see all the volvanic activity from and the Blue and Green lakes etc. Glad we had ear muffs as the engine noise was out there. A very cruisy experience.

Most camping grounds have picnic tables but not always enough so you need to grab one on arrival and put some important stuff on it!

The photo from  the plane is right near the town and is the source of the full on sulphur pong in Rotorua.

We heard at the plane office that another 100 year event was due and could go down the east or west! We were in the middle and decided to do two big things on one day and hole up at the movies during the weather bomb.

We had seen an ex WW2 Duck doing trips to the Blue and Green lakes and went on one. Several hours later after a slow treck to the lakes and fantastic transfers from land to lake and great history talks - volcano action and the covering of the Pink and White Terraces, we coffeed at a very cool cafe by a lake and cruised back to Rotorua. Our driver was very entertaining! Well worth doing.

We also went to Te Puia which is famous for its mud pools, geysers and other extraordinary geothermal treats. The big geyser is the Pohutu geyser and goes off hourly. We waited for this event for a long time in a very hot day... Was worth the wait. There is fantastic maori art around there too.

The chef was from the complex and you could choose your food and get it cooked in the steam hungi. There is no lack of steam in Rotorua - it comes out from all sorts of places and gets used! All a pretty bizarre experience. 

As soon as we felt the weather was ok to go on up to Mt Maunganui, we left. To be honest we had had enough of the sulphur pong. We arrived at Mt Maunganui and decided to camp first at Papamoa Beach. We got the prime spot having worked out when the weather would come right! It was smack on the beach. We spent one entire day on the beach in beautiful hot sun. The surf club was just along a bit and entertainment plus - surfers, kite surfers, surf kayakers, surf patrol practise, surf paddle boarders and more! Fantastic huge sandy beach - what more would you want?

There were lots of these bright little moths around.

We decided to go camp right under Mt Maunganui again right on the beach. I think all of the population walked past to do their walk around the mount. We did the walk and it is a very enjoyable hour. We love the laid back surf culture up there and everyone out walking or on the water. Some great cafes etc near the mount. I could retire there...

Alas time to head south. We spent one more night in Taupo and then on down to Wellington with one night in Foxton. We went and looked at the relics of the first water supply to Rotorua which is on a spectacular river.  Taihape has quite a lot going on round it in the form of adventure tourism. We didn't do any but thought the area deserved a few days sometime.

No problem finding nice places for lunch stops. And some great trains for those who are into them.

We had a couple of days back in Wellington and the usual gastranomic feasts in great cafes and restaurants. Our last meal was at Olive on Cuba St which is a Tapas place and the outside bit is fantastic with live music on a Saturday.

And then an uneventful ferry trip back to Picton for a night. Didn't set up any gear so improvisation was the name of the game...

The next day to Mapua for a week where Stephen worked and we caught up with old friends and enjoyed our old spot at the camping grounds.

Love this place with the beach right by the site and shade when needed.

That was our trip with a stop at Havlock and Waipara on our way back to Timaru. The photo at the campsite which looks like a carpark is in Havlock right by a huge marina and restaurant! They cram them in because most are boaties who fish in the Sounds by day and camp at night.

The pink chairs are so we don't get lost and the following are what its all about.

The End