Lakes Benmore & Aviemore, 17 to 20 February 2011

17 February 2011

18:20 and still beautiful!

285113kms, 12:48, 22.5°C and sunny.  Mike finished this morning so we are off into Alexandra to get diesel and a water timer.  Yeah, I know - what does a water timer have to do with Maggie?  Well, if we don't get a water timer (the old one broke) then we can't go away on Maggie otherwise we'd have no veggies when we get back!  Anyway, we're intending to go over the hill somewhere.  Filled with 55L of diesel at 285123kms.  Left Alexandra at 13:49 and stopped at the picnic spot in the Lindis Pass to change drivers so that Mike could have a sleep.  Got to Twizel at 16:00, filled up with water, had a drink at the "local" and set up beside the canal in the same spot as last week at 17:34.  Sat outside - lovely and warm (25°C when we got here, but got much warmer and it was hot in the sun) - YAY!  But signs of autumn are all around - had fog at home this morning (first of the season) that didn't clear 'til after 10am AND the trees are starting to change colour.  Not ready for it to be autumn yet - so we'll have to make the most of days like today!  Sat outside most of evening (did watch the news) until the sun went down.  Had chicken parmigiana tortellini and broccoli for tea - sounds pretty plain but it was delicious.  Bed at 21:15 for Marielle, Mike watched some more TV and came to bed later.

18 February 2011

Up at 07:30, 12.5°C and high cloud.  Threw the rods in and Marielle caught a tiddly 6" rainbow using the Gulp worms.  Oh, did I mention that the water is as dirty as we've ever seen it?  Really cloudy - could see the fish who sits by the drain outlet in the clear water from the stream, but everything else was really cloudy.  Had a lovely lazy morning - showers, breakfast (cheese on toast), lunch (home made sushi) and nana-naps (yep, BOTH of us!) and it's now 14:07 and we are going to move as it's becoming a bit too windy to be parked beside the canal - it's warm enough (24.5°C) and partly sunny, but it's too exposed to this wind here!  Dumped and got some more supplies in Twizel and had one jug at the Otematata Pub.  16:51 - set up at Wildlife Reserve, overcast but warm and sheltered.  

Set up - Take One

Well, I should correct that - I thought we were set up.  Over the last 2 and a bit years we have prided ourselves on it only taking 2 minutes to get ourselves organised once we've picked a spot - but that was BEFORE satellite!  For the first time since getting the dish, we couldn't find the satellite where we initially parked.  

Set up - Take Two

Ok, that was not helped by Marielle telling Mike to point the dish in completely (and I mean completely) the wrong direction (based on where she thought another camper's dish was pointing) but in the end it made no difference because even when Mike had gone and talked to the other people and looked where their dish was pointing he still couldn't get reception - too many trees.  So, exactly one hour after first starting, we had moved a couple of metres away from the trees and BINGO, we have reception.  Made us laugh - and let's face it - filled in an hour, didn't it?!? LOL.  Lesson for future - use compass and avoid trees!  Did all the usual stuff for the rest of the evening - including sitting outside as it remained warm-ish.  Had corn and chicken tortellini (last night's left-overs) for tea and went to bed somewhere around 22:00.

19 February 2011

Up at 08:50!!  Starting to rain and 14.5°C.  Bacon and eggs and mushrooms for breakfast and sat and puzzled (Mike on his new cellphone, Marielle the old-fashioned way: in a puzzle book :)) and then we decided, at 11:40 that at the very least we had to go and get a paper.  Had thought we might walk, but still raining so took Maggie.  13:28 - just had lunch (Mike's famous salad sandwich and mushroom soup) beside Lake Aviemore just above Waitangi!  We got the paper and decided to look if there was anywhere else we fancied camping - and it looked like the sun was shining at the far end of the lake.  It was, sort of, but it was also blowing a howling gale, and at midday it was a miserable 13°C!  So headed back towards Benmore Dam - checked out Waitangi campground by the boat harbour, but it didn't really spin our wheels.  So we got back to Wildlife Reserve at 14:45 - a long road trip to get the paper! Ha ha.  Marielle threw apples into the lake (lots of apple trees here) while Mike mucked around for 15 minutes or so trying to get a level spot with a good view AND no trees! 

While Roxie was "apple-bobbing" she got some shampoo rubbed on her back as she had tried to roll in something last night, and although it wasn't hugely offensive it wasn't that nice a smell either, so Marielle decided to get rid of it.  Then took Roxie for a walk along the track towards the Dam to dry her off.  Got back to Maggie, puzzled and read the paper and tried to keep warm - in Roxie's case by getting covered in layers of newspaper!  Had corn and sashimi (from the High Country Salmon farm - got it yesterday coming through) for tea - MMMMM

20 February 2011

Up at 07:40, 12°C and very grey and gloomy.  Heading home today, and planning to stop in Cromwell and catch up with Kirsty who's "doing lunch" there!  Had showers and breakfast (muesli) and now 10:27 and rolling.  Pulled over at the turn off to the Ahuriri Conservation area to let a slow car (doing only 90kph) get away, as we didn't quite have enough grunt to overtake him but as we were parked there we realised we might as well just keep going as it seems the road is very busy today - and there's lots of trucks, cars with trailers etc.  So looks like it's going to be a slow trip.  Actually, it wasn't too bad in the end, most people pulled over when needed.  Had left over sashimi sitting beside the Cromwell boatramp on Lake Dunstan - beautiful day now - bit breezy but 24°C and definitely too hot for jeans and socks and shoes!  Saw Kirsty and Cody for a quick catch-up and then headed home.  Got home at 13:50 - 285594kms - 481kms this trip (like I said, long way to go and get a newspaper - LOL!)

Ohau C, 10 to 12 February 2011

10 February 2011
13:08, 19°C with sun and cloudy bits (yeah, I know - it's February and we're supposed to be having 29, not 19!  But that's the story of this summer - since 18 Dec 2010 it's been wet, cold and often miserable.  The occasional good day thrown in, but nothing spectacular!) and we are off over the hill.  Odometer reads 284740kms as Marielle took Maggie into Alexandra last week to put some diesel in her, hoping we'd go away then - but no joy, as the weather was not great.  So very keen to get out for a couple of nights - have to be back Saturday afternoon as Mike starts day shift on Monday.  Got some supplies from Clyde 4 Square, and after Mike has finished checking the tyre pressures are ok (he's doing that as I am writing this) we can hit the road and keep going 'til we get to the other side.  Did stop and check out Crippletown, thinking we could stay there instead of driving all the way over the hill, but didn't spin our wheels.  Got to Ahuriri River for a stretch at 14:59, then carried on into Twizel to get some water - and decided we might as well have a drink before parking up.  Oh, and realised as we were leaving Clyde that I'd forgotten to pack the camera - so no pictures of this trip.  Not that this will be any great loss, because it's not like we haven't been here before!  And if we do happen to catch "the big one" there's always cellphones!  Anyway, parked up and all set up right beside the canal at 17:19.  Talked to a couple from Oamaru for ages - lovely couple with a beautifully home built bus called Mac's Gold.  Warm enough all afternoon to just have shorts and T-shirt on, but by no means hot.  Watched TV and had butterfly pork, corn and home-grown spuds for tea and climbed in between the sheets at 22:21.

11 February 2011

Up at 09:05!!!  OMG - what a massive sleep-in!  And, it was a really good night's sleep as well.  YAY.  Overcast and only 12.5°C, but weatherman Jim told us last night that the cloud would burn off.  And it did - eventually, but the day never got hot.  In fact, when the sun ducked behind clouds, a sweatshirt was required.  Despite that, we spent most of the day outside - Mike spent his time cutting in, polishing and waxing the 3rd side of Maggie (did the other 2 last week at home).  Pretty sure people think we're mad - parked beside a beautiful stretch of water and we're polishing and waxing!  Drew some strange looks from people boating past, anyway!  Also tried to catch fish - no luck.  Tried once again to get the big one which hangs out by the pipe - but there's a reason he's so big - he's too smart to let anyone catch him.  

Feeding the ducks!

And I know I said no photo's - but Mike took a couple of shots on his cellphone - and some video too.  So I've included that - something different!  Marielle also spent a little bit of time trying to tame the local ducks - just about eating out of her hand now, much to Roxie's disgust and confusion.  One minute she's allowed to chase them, and then she has to watch while they're being fed!  But then again, the ducks are pretty confused too - one minute she's not allowed near them, and the next she's chasing them into the water! LOL.  Had chicken and veggie stir-fry for tea and spent the evening alternately watching TV and sitting outside - it was a beautiful evening and felt, for quite a while, warmer than anytime during the day!  Bed at 22:55.

12 February 2011

Up at 08:15, after another good night's sleep.  Overcast and 13.5°C and after a couple of coffees each we went to Twizel to dump before heading home.  Slow trip through the Lindis because we had so many "brakers" in front of us - idiot tourists who speed along the straits and then throw out the anchors when they get to a corner - even one where they can see all the way round!  Anyway, stopped at the Stables for a stretch and to let Roxie have a run before going to Nichols' Garden Cafe and getting Southland Sushi (as they call their massive, and delicious, cheese rolls!) and Smoked Salmon Strudel for lunch - YUM.  At that beside the lake and then did our grocery shopping at Cromwell New World (saved us having to drive into Alexandra once we'd got home).  Got home at 13:07, 285112kms on the clock - so that makes a 372km trip.  And an enjoyable and relaxing one, at that!