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| Leaving the fog behind |
28 March 2014
11:10, 319883kms, 16 degrees and misty. We're off! At some stage we'll end up in Blenheim, but that is all we have planned for a whole month! Yihaa! First stop Cromwell to do some banking and get Thai Crom pad thai for lunch, which we ate beside Lake Dunstan at Crippletown. Oh yeah!
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| Lunch |
Really hope the weather stays the way it is today for most of the trip: 28.5 degrees at the top of the Lindis - wow! 14:15 - getting coffees at the Wrinkly Rams. 16:30: have spent last while fishing the Ohau B & C headworks. Mike caught a small salmon and hooked a huge one - but not well enough 'cause it got away (bummer, no salmon entree tonight). Now off to fill up with water and go and find somewhere to park for the night. Oh, it's still really warm - 26 degrees - but clouding over. And as we're driving along Mike says to me "oh, I put gook in the toilet" because I'd said I hadn't yet when we first stopped. Haha - the toilet isn't gonna smell then - I had also put gook in! 17:45 - all set up at Lake Pukaki (same spot as with Wendy & Nev 2 weeks ago) after a quick jug at the Top Hut. Glorious evening - spent most of it outside talking to and watching people as the place was chokka with vans but also a cycling/bus tour. Went to bed at 22:00 & it was still 15 degrees (minus 3 here a couple of days back!).
29 March 2014
Up at 07:20 - 10 degrees and overcast. People up and about early - the bus/cycling tour had all tents packed up and on the move at 8am! 10:15 - while getting ready to move Mike yelled out "here's that Lear jet". Saw it parked up at Pukaki airport when we went past yesterday. Even the dogs sat and watched it fly over.
13:15 - lunch (salad sandwich & chicken cuppa soup) done & dusted beside Lake Opuha - which is so low that the southern boat ramp is high and dry so we moved round the lake to the other one to see if that was any better. It is, but no camping round by the boatramp now so still nowhere (other than through mudflats) for Mike to launch the boat. Oh, & as seems to be the norm on trips to Blenheim these days, we forgot the bloody door mat!
Went for a bike ride - Mike on the quad, me on my bike - round to the dam. Boy the lake is low! Sun trying to break through the clouds but not cold - 23 degrees. Stoney wanted to run through every mud puddle he could (& there were plenty). So Marielle thought to dip him in the lake at the end of the run but that made no difference - the edge of the lake is just mud. So only 1 day in and Maggie looks like a pig sty already! Caught up with Maureen (Min) & Pete who we met last night, and campervan newbies Jason & Sandra and their kids and spent the rest of the arvo/early evening talking to them. Great fun, plenty of laughs. And then - just before 8pm in came the fog. Soooo fast - it just motored in. So everyone scrambling to close up motorhomes and get stuff in. But in only a short period of time, everything was damp! Wow. Into bed at 21:20 & another warm evening 15 degrees.
30 March 2014
Up at 7:30 to a huge surprise - no fog! Glorious morning - light high cloud but sun coming through and 10 degrees. Beautiful sunrise this morning. The normal b&e eggs are being cooked as I write this and then we're intending to go and catch up with Jocelyn and Alan at Orari before heading further north. On our way at 11:10 after saying goodbye to everyone. Driving along we get to the sign for Hanging Rock and I said "I've always wanted to see what that is" so Mike carries on to the picnic spot, turns around and the next thing you know we are in virgin territory. Checked out Hanging Rock Bridge and now off on what we hope is the road to Winchester. Nope, it's the road to Geraldine or Temuka - & gravel at that! So heading towards Temuka. And then there's this flying machine on a post. It's a replica of Richard Pearse's "heavier than air flying machine" which crashed here after the first powered flight on 31 March 1903 - 111 years ago tomorrow! And just past that was a signpost to Waitohi Scenic Reserve so checked that out. Awesome spot on top of the highest hill around so great views - of the incoming sea fog! 13:10 - in Temuka getting fish & chips for lunch. 17.5 degrees and foggy. But ended up being a delicious chow mein and 6 oysters instead! Stopped at Jocelyn & Alan's place for a cuppa and by the time we left (15:00) the sea fog had burnt off - yay! But that only lasted a wee bit. Stopped in Ashburton to check out the Vintage Rail & Museum called the Plains - cool! Then onto Rakaia to dump toilet and hopefully to South Rakaia Huts for the night. Last time we were there (May 2011) it was beautiful weather. Really foggy now so probably not so great today, but it's 16:30 and we need to park up! Got South Rakaia Huts and all parked up at 17:10. Took dogs for blat along the beach (glimpsed the dorsal fin of a hectors dolphin) - still foggy/overcast and a cool southerly meant we went back to Maggie and spent the rest of the night inside, after talking to a couple from way up north for a while . In bed at 21:30 after tea of half a steak each with a fresh (picked today by Jocelyn) mushroom and blue cheese sauce!
31 March 2014
Up at usual time to a mild but very grey and heavily overcast morning. Plan today is to go into Chch and do some shopping (a doormat for starters!) and then head inland to where the good weather is. Mike went for a play on the quad while Marielle took dogs for another walk along the beach. Almost drizzling because the mist is that heavy but not cold - 19 degrees at 10:30 as we were leaving. Marielle is in charge of the camera this trip (according to Mike) & forgot to take a photo of camp. 13:20 - got new dinner set for Maggie, new doormat, togs for Marielle ($4 from the Warehouse! !) & had lunch (a chicken and Camembert pancake stack with roast veggies in it as well - yum - and shared a piece of peach & passionfruit cheesecake - also to yum) & now going to find a supermarket for some supplies. 14:45 - set up at Amberley Beach. Lovely sunny afternoon & 24 degrees so didn't want to go any further today. Just want to enjoy some nice weather! Went for a walk/play on the beach, had showers and sat outside 'til 18:30. Had same tea as last night plus a corn on the cob. Bed at 21:30.
1 April 2014
Up at 07:00 (lots of traffic leaving to go to work going right past us) to a mild 14 degrees but overcast day. 09:30 - moving. Detoured via Waikari & Hawarden to check out any ancestral stuff we could find - nothing! Stopped at Balmoral for lunch (2 minute noodles with chop chook and a cuppa soup to warm us up as it is still foggy!). And, because we like this place, we stayed for the rest of the day to just chill. Mike played on quad, we walked the dogs, stitched and chilled. Sun came out, 24.5 degrees - great! While sitting enjoying the outdoors, the sun caught Roxies head in such a way it became clear she has a lump above each eyebrow. She's had one for a wee bit now which was infected, but now the same above the other eye! Oh no - we'll need to find a vet! Anyway - chinese honey marinated chicken drums with potato and kumara chips for tea & bed at what is becoming the usual time of 21:30.
2 April 2014
Up at 07:20, 11 degrees and very foggy. 09:45 rolling. Still very foggy and damp underfoot! Took the backroads to Culverden but didn't see much due to the fog! Spent ages at the vet in Culverden - poor wee Roxie has an abscess on each upper eye lid. So on antibiotics again plus 3 x daily iodine baths! Leaving Culverden it looked like we were heading into fog but no, massive smoke bank instead! Had lunch at Mumbles Cafe in Hanmer Springs - the BEST seafood chowder ever. Full of all sorts of fish and seafood. Then spent a couple of hours soaking - oh, we enjoyed that! Now (16:25) on way to Rotherham to park up at the showgrounds for the night. Got to Rotherham 20 minutes later - what an awesome wee spot. A totally fenced paddock off the side of the showgrounds. Dogs happy - we're happy. Still 25 degrees at 17:15. What an awesome day. Had pork chops, sweetcorn & salad for tea and bed at usual time.
3 April 2014
Up at 07:20. Clear skies, ground mist and 5 degrees. Antibiotics have kicked in and Roxie's eyes look much better - way less swollen - yay! Had poached egg on ham/cheese toast then took dogs for a walk round the block via the Cemetery to pay our respects to Mike's paternal great-grandparents. Rotherham is a cool wee place, we reckon. 11:20 - moving! Got to Kaikoura at 13:00 after stopping briefly at Waiau to check out the Cob Cottage (all closed up). Didn't go via SH 70 but went from Waiau to SH1 via Parnassus Street and then Leader Road to join SH1 at the Leader River - another new bit of road. The Kaikoura Coast covered in low cloud but breaking - full on sun inland. Dropped trailer off at Peketa and now heading into town for lunch. Had the fabulous "Mighty Clarence" pizza (salmon/cream cheese, capers, mozzarella) - & it was definitely still awesome. Followed by a lovely Yealands Clearwater Pinot Gris. Got back to camp and spent arvo doing washing/looking after dogs/watching dolphins while Mike played on quad. Unfortunately the cloud never did allow the sun through - but we could see the edge just over a there - very frustrating and disappointing as it kept the temp down at a cool 15 degrees. Lamb steak and corn for tea and bed at 21:30-ish.
4 April 2014
Up at 7:00, 10 degrees and misty. Had breakfast (cereals) and showers & dumped. Now 10:05 & on our way. 11:00 - done some supply shopping at Kaikoura NWD. 12:35 - just had lunch (ciabatta filled with salad, ham, avocado & a couple of cheerios) at the Ward A&P ground - no getting stuck today lol. Lovely warm sunny weather with, normal for Ward, a decent breeze blowing. All set up at the Blenheim racecourse at 13:30 (after a wee hiccup trying to get water when we reversed and got a bit tight, bending the box at the front of the trailer a wee bit (nothing some DIY panelbeating didn't fix)). Visited Dad & spent rest of arvo relaxing. 23 degrees, not a cloud in the sky by the usual E keeping things cool. Angus beef burgers for tea -yummo - and bed late 22:45!!!
5 April 2014
Up at 07:00. 6 degrees and clear skies. Visited Dad and spent rest of the day chilling. Pork and corn for tea, bed at 21:30.
6 April 2014
Up at 06:25 (daylight saving finished overnight!). 13 degrees and overcast. Took dogs for walk, visited Dad and now 10:15 & ready to move. 11:45 - dumped, filled up with diesel, done shopping ($200!) & now on the move. Had delicious lunch (3 different seafood salads and ciabatta buns) sitting beside marina at Havelock and now on our way again (13:15). As we left Havelock we could see blue skies ahead! Got to Cable Bay at 14:45. Awesome little spot. And a lovely 26 degrees when we arrived. Took dogs down to the sea so they could cool off - beautifully clear water and if the weather stays like this I might be tempted to go for a swim myself! And if the weather does play ball we might just stay here for another night. Sat outside 'til the sun disappeared at 17:30. Awesome tea of salmon with a sweet chilli and lime glaze and homemade kumara and potato chips. Bed at the normal time of 21:30 despite our body clocks being out!
7 April 2014
Up at 06:30 - that's when dawn breaks and so that's when Stoney wakes (& to be fair, there had already been a car go past, and not to mention the cockerels!). 12 degrees and it looks like it's going to be a glorious day. Took dogs for a walk along to Pepin Island. At low tide the beach is sandy but for the rest it's all loose stones making for very difficult walking. Stood in the warm sea for ages before heading back. Cable Bay is so called because it was here, in 1876, that the first telegraphic cable was laid between NZ and Australia, giving NZ the ability to communicate with the rest of the world! Spent rest of day just enjoying the weather (high light cloud and 23 degrees at midday). Had AMAZINGLY delicious home made burgers for tea and at 20:20 it was still 21 degrees!
8 April 2014
Oh what a night! At 3:30 a digger or bulldozer or something went across to Pepin Island & from then on we didn't really sleep. Then trucks etc! Anyway, up at 6:40, overcast (it blew and rained off and on during the night) and 17.7 degrees!!!! And the reason for all the noise became apparent as a logging truck went by. They been chopping down trees on the island the entire time we've been here & figured they started early to get the trucks through and atrocious bit of narrow road (with numerous places where the road is still under repair as a result of all the slips etc. in 2011) before any traffic. 08:18!! and moving - and it's raining. But we're not complaining - been away a week and a half and this is first rain. First stop in Nelson was the Halifax Vet Clinic as Roxie's eyes are no better. Turns out she has a rare auto-immune hereditary disease and she is now being operated on as the condition would have become painful and irreversible by the time we got home. So this is fast becoming the trip round the South Island via vet clinics! We now also have to stay round here for a couple of days. Tried the seafood chowder at Lambretta's. Quite different from Mumbles or the Wrinkly Ram but still tasty. Went and checked out Nelson Holiday Park but didn't really spin our wheels. So out to Maitai Valley Camp - lovely spot. Unhitched the trailer and back into town as the cellphone reception is marginal and we don't want to miss any calls from the vet. Did some shopping at New World and parked up outside vets til Roxie was ready. Back to the camp. Very windy by now - flattened tents all around. But only spitting now, not raining. Had Pad Thai for tea, hit the pit at 21:45.
9 April 2014
Up at 06:00 because Roxie needed out. She was very dopey & sore last night but wide awake and happy now. Rained most of the night and still raining now, 13 degrees. Sunny Nelson? Forecast is for more rain - hopefully Roxie's pathology results will arrive quickly so we can sort out treatment and go west, as it's good weather there! Doing a load of washing as I write this - for the second time. First load was in a machine that didn't spin, so had to do it again - not much point putting dripping washing into a dryer! Decided to move to see if the rain was localised to the Nelson hills and got to Mapua Leisure Park at 12:15. As we drove up we remembered having been here before and thought they didn't take dogs but they do outside of the busy season. And we also didn't know that this place is "clothing optional" during February and March! Anyway, for a couple of minutes it seemed we'd made the right decision and took the dogs for a walk round the beach. But, alas, it's now raining heavily. They call this sunny Nelson? Poor wee Roxie couldn't have picked worse weather to "ground" us! But we have lovely views of the boats tied up at the Mapua Jetty and the estuary. Finally, at 14:45 the rain stopped. Spent the next 2 hours walking round all the cool little galleries and shops at the Mapua Wharf. Bought some lovely little guest soaps from the French shop "Le Havre" and Mike bought a decent hat from the Straw Hat Factory Shop. Tried to dry the place out by having the heater roaring and all the windows/vents open as it wasn't actually cold! Mike went and had a sauna (he found the sauna unlocked!) & a swim after tea (which was a little pork roast done on bbq and corn and salad.)
10 April 2014
Up at 06:45 after a great night's sleep. Did rain a couple of times but dry when I got up and 14 degrees. Even a hint of sun! Have decided it's not going to be too bad a day here and this is such a lovely spot that we'll stay here another night. The forecast is for rain again tonight/tomorrow so tomorrow will be a good day to hit the road. Walked to the "other" end of Mapua - eg not the Wharf end. Stopped at The Naked Bun cafe for a coffee - & the BEST cheesecake we've ever had! Delicious, rich boysenberry with yoghurt. Just awesome! As we were leaving we walked towards a car with a white fluffy dog in it which took exception to our dogs and literally shredded the back seat headrest. Thought we should prevent more damage so did a u-turn! Carried on to the state highway and found a track to the beach that took us the long way round back to Maggie.
Stopped to give the dogs a drink and on to lunch! The Apple Shed allows dogs and the menu looked good when we looked at it yesterday. Shared the king salmon on a potato & pea mash with creme fraiche and a salsa - YUM, and buttered prawns with tequila which were ok but missing any tequila flavour. Also had a basket of chips. Rolled (ate too much!) our way back home. Rang vets again at 15:15 to see if there was any news - they rang the pathologist and asked us to come in at 16:20, by which time they reckoned they'd have the results. And what results! It looks almost certain that Roxie has a very rare - only 2 dogs have the same thing in the WORLD! - eye disease. Not 100% sure until further stains come in but she's now on a course of prednisone and antibiotics to cover all bases, in the hope this will prevent dry eye - she has all the signs that she is heading in that direction and it is irreversible if treatment is left too late and would result in having to remove her eyes!). So fingers crossed this treatment is right & does the job. We will know very quickly as her eyes should be less swollen within a day. Got back to Mapua Leisure Park just after 18:00 as we also had to go to The Warehouse due to a jandal blowout earlier on this afternoon, which resulted in us leaving town right on rush hour! Had plain old Tuscan chicken and corn for tea - but we didn't need anything else! Mike went and had another sauna but at 21:45 all I wanted to do was go to bed!
11 April 2014
Up at 06:35 after yet another sleepless night - well, from 02:00 onwards due to the rain! God it can rain up here. And it's still raining - and 16 degrees. But there is good news - the drugs are working! Roxie's eyes are much less swollen. YAY! Went back to bed (pouring with rain so might as well!) only to discover that our pillows and mattress are sopping wet!! We had the window open a crack - it's not at all cold - and the rain must have channelled down the insect mesh. Oh well, we're still plugged in to power so the heater is doing it's drying thing again. But I have to say I am a bit frustrated - we have had a month of glorious weather but the moment we take a holiday the weather turns to crap.
The forecast for the next few days is yuck. We are heading west, because it's not as bad there but apparently Monday is going to be awful! 10:25 - rolling. Heading back into Nelson because we need more diesel. Bummer, should have done it that yesterday and then we could have gone from here via the back roads to Tap. Oh well, next time. And, if we ever come back here we need to book camp site 123/124. Prime beach front site! 13:45 - have had lunch at Rivers Cafe (lamb and mint pie for Mike and a lamb shank potato top pie for me - both delicious!) in Murchison and now carrying on - for the first time ever! We have always stopped overnight in Murchison but not today. On and off drizzle along the way but arriving into Westport we had to reach for the sunnies. And stopping to do a wee bit of shopping we realised it was lovely weather - yay! But we were over driving and we also want to explore our way north so we checked into the Westport Kiwi Holiday Park. And we needed to wash some clothes! Very expensive too at $4 for a load of washing and the same for each go in the drier (for 30 minutes) - twice the price of Mapua! But anyway, it's a nice enough spot and clean as. Took dogs for long walk round streets. Finished drying all the washing in the dryers (it wasn't "drying on the line" weather), had pork slices bought from the Murchison butcher and salad for tea and bed late at 22:30.
12 April 2014
Up at 07:00 (but awake earlier as Stoney decided he was going to do his best to get me up). 14 degrees and patches of blue sky visible. Not a bad nights sleep - except for the coal boiler belching out in our direction all night. As Mike said "if I wanted to live inside a smoke stack I would have stayed on the Earnslaw!". Roxie's eyes look almost normal again - phew. The vet rang yesterday to say the stains didn't show any bacteria so the drugs she's on won't do more damage. And seeing as they are working it would appear we caught things in time! 09:55 - @ Mitre 10 getting another couple of gas canisters and then we'll go and explore totally new territory! And wow, what a day! Stopped and spent ages exploring the remains of Denniston and the mining operation, despite at times not being able to see much due to heavy fog. What an amazingly desolate place. We are really hoping for it to be clear on the way back because apparently the views are also stunning. Had lunch up there (cuppa soup and 2 minute noodles with a small tuna of smoked tuna and surprise peas - actually quite yum - before giving a german hitch hiker a lift down the steep and winding 8 kilometer (2nd gear all way up and down!) road back to Waimangaroa. Dropped him m off and back tracked to Conns Creek as we wanted to see the bottom of the Incline. Walked from the wee carpark as we didn't know if there was turning room further up. On the way back met a local walking his oversized pitbull type dog who, after initially being friendly-ish, decided to have a go at Stoney.
Bit scarey for a couple of seconds! By this stage it is 13:30 - and we are still only 20kms from Westport! The joy of having a mobilehome! Stopped and checked out the North Buller Museum at Granity which, apart from the coke ovens, was a collection of old junk. Onwards - and what a gorgeous coastline! And when we got to Mokihinui we decoded that we a) wanted to stay beside the beach and b) wanted to stay where it was guaranteed sunny as further up the coast looked fogged in. Got here at 15:05, took dogs for walk along the spectacular beach and now sitting in the warm sun typing this in 21 degrees in the shade! What an awesome day! Had a couple of jugs at the Mokihinui Pub - nothing special and yet so special, just a lovely atmosphere and now watching the sun set on Maggie. Mike grabbed the buns to make tonight's hamburgers and wondered why the plastic bag was all wet? One going rotten, forgotten about fig (picked by Mike for me at Cable Bay because he knows I love them. They were HUGE but not all of them ripe. So I put them into the wine cupboard and obviously forgot about the last one!!). So quick housekeeping job - no damage done! Had the hamburgers (& Hellers angus patties not nearly as good as Pams ones!) and into bed at 22:00!
13 April 2014
Up at 07:50! Sleep in! Although I did have to let the dogs out at 04:40 - Roxie's drugs make her thirsty which then also means lots of toilet stops! And woke up at 12:30 because it had started to rain. Bit cooler this morning, 13 degrees, and it's overcast but dry. Forecast is for more of the same (for the next 6 days! but the weather forecast is changing daily so we'll just wait and see!). 09:45 - just about to have breakfast (grilled cheese and tomato on toast) and also discovered we couldn't have parked in a better place. All nice and sheltered - on the other side of the hedge you get clobbered by a fierce SE and pelting rain! 10:05 - on our way north as we can see brighter skies. Detoured off the main road just after we'd crossed the bridge over the Mokihinui River to go and check out the other side. Awesome camp spots at the Cowshed café. Narrow windy road in and out though - especially when you get a dickhead in 4WD coming the other way who wasn't budging an inch - and neither were we 'cause there was boggy ground and then the drop off to the river! And then, off to Karamea. And what a piece of road that is.
Everyone says you should go and visit Karamea - but they don't tell you about the 34kms of winding roads - nor the sheer cliffs you are driving on. Very freaky at the top on the passenger side - there were places where I felt I was looking straight down the whole 420 meters we had climbed! Stopped and walked to Lake Hanlon and back just outside of Little Wanganui. Did some shopping in Market Cross - including some diesel as the climb up and over used more than we expected! Carried on through Karamea - not sure why everyone raves about this place - and onto the road to the DoC camp beside the Kohaihai River, which is the end of the road and the start of the Heaphy Track. Not that we'll be doing much walking today - it's peeing down and the temperature is slowly dropping - now 14:25 and it's 16 degrees. Found out from the lady at the petrol station (the very loud Bronwyn) that the road to Oparara where the limestone caves and arches are is not suitable for wide campervans so we'll have to do that when we get a 5th wheeler! Spent afternoon relaxing until 16:15 when the rain seemed to have eased a bit so we took dogs for a walk round. Can see why people rave about this place - simply stunning, even in grey, gloomy, wet weather. Spent 3/4 hour outside in the rain and didn't mind a bit - we are learning to dance in the rain rather than waiting for the storm to pass! But as we got back the heavens really opened and we were glad we timed that right! The temp did drop a bit more but still does not feel cold at 15 degrees. It seems, watching the news tonight, that there is now a watch out for heavy rain on the West Coast! So much for the long term forecast before we left that said it was going to be settled and ok!!! 22:05 - had lamb korma for tea - actually yum! - and now in bed. Still raining.
14 April 2014
Up at 7:30 (after also getting up at 05:00 because I realised it wasn't raining and that Roxie would probably need to go to the toilet, so took the opportunity of a "dry" toilet stop. And at 7:30 it still wasn't raining! Yay. 13:10 - had lunch (salad sandwich). Have spent the morning outside, covered in Aerogard admittedly, but the weather has been great. The sun even came out for a while! Currently 19 degrees and a bit muggy for us - 75%. Played on the beach, just admired the scenery and watched DoC being ferried somewhere over the hill in a helicopter. It's now clouding over a bit but that's ok - the morning has been an unexpected and welcome surprise! Went and checked out the start of the Heaphy Track. Started out just going to do the Nikau Walk (which was awesome) but ended up carrying on to Scott's Hill Lookout, which I thought was pretty cool but Mike thought was too hot - he ended up walking without a top on because it wasn't at all cold! Had a Beef Flintstone and salad for tea which Mike cooked outside on the bbq under the mood lighting of the headlights of the quad. And it is starting to become clear that we need new batteries on Maggie. We ran the gennie for a couple of hours today, yet had a low battery warning when we were watching TV. Ok, the fridge seems to be running an awful lot, and we did have TV and the Freeview box on, as well as a light, but we've never had a battery problem before in the same scenario. So time to spend some more money? Anyway, I am about to go to bed (just having a yummy caramel coffee) and it's 17 degrees at 21:30! Oh, and we've seen the front that is causing heavy rain elsewhere on the coast all day, but we have been dry, except for a couple of little showers late in the day. The forecast for tomorrow is horrible, but we'll wait and see.
15 April 2014
Up at 07:20 and it's been raining off and all through the early hours of the morning. But, again, not cold - 17 degrees. And after we'd had breakfast (cereals - this is turning into a "healthy" trip as that's the second box of cereals finished!) the rain stopped and the sun almost came out, so took the dogs along the beach before hitting the road at 8:49 - so early because the sand flies are horrendous this morning! It took us 40 minutes to do the 26 kms round the Karamea Bluff - it is so steep and windy. Detoured to check out Seddonville, drizzling. Didn't do the Chasm Creek walk as the bridge is closed "for safety reasons", although the local publican said it was ok. Stopped in Westport to get supplies - we are out of everything! Gas, fuel for the gennie, fuel for us and fuel for the dogs! Then on to lunch: we had seen a picture of a salmon dish in the latest AA Traveler magazine that looked superb, from The Bay House at Tauranga Bay, by Cape Foulwind. Well, it was a little hard to find, as the sign had blown over so we carried on along the main road without a sign of the Bay House. Found a place to turn around and back to the parking area. Through the parking area, oh, there it is. But no parking for us. So to the end of the road to a very small turning area - so small, we had to have 2 goes at it - and whilst backing the back of Maggie once again collected the box on the trailer.
The new box that we're having made might need a design change as it can't come any further forward - it might have to go up in height instead? Anyway, by now it is hosing down - and the dogs need a pee stop before we go and have lunch - so out comes the umbrella but despite that, my jeans were pretty wet. Got to the Bay House at about 13:15 to find that the salmon wasn't on the menu but seafood chowder was. And another very tasty version, with the seafood perfectly cooked. And superb service (& a complete twat of an spoilt Englishman at the next table!). The rain is still pelting down, and when Mike checked the model he decided south was better. So onwards. At Charleston we noticed the pub had gone and that the Underworld Rafting now have their own big, flash building. And the weather had cleared at bit - but not for long! Checked out a motor camp at Rununga but that wasn't doing it for us, and it is now bucketing down. On to Greymouth - where it is, if possible, raining even harder. Decided there was no point in paying to camp somewhere seeing as the only reason we would go out into the rain is for the dogs, and all the tanks that need to be full are full, and those that need to be empty are, so why pay to use facilities you're not going to? So found Jellyman Park, right on the beach with a good hard, if not dry, surface under our wheels. And at 16:22 that was it - over driving so here will do. The rain eased long enough to take the dogs for a quick sprint up and down the beach, but since I started typing up today's events, the rain has come back in thick and hard! Had antipasto for tea ( crackers, cheeses, salami, ham, avocado, tomatoes) as we were still full from lunch. Had long phone call with Kirsty and went to bed at 22:00-ish.
16 April 2014
Up at 06:50 - and it's not raining! And not cold either, 15 degrees. A bit blustery but that we can handle. Had a bit of a disturbed night as for some reason we were both wide awake at some stage for a wee while, but other than that all good. Going to do a bit of washing today (the sheets haven't been done since Nelson) and then find somewhere to hunker down and dry out a bit. Tomorrow's forecast is for gale easterlies over this side, and we don't want to be driving in that! Much to Mike's disgust we were out walking before 9am. I suggested that we should take the dogs for a walk before it rained again. But it's now nearly 14:00 and no rain - in fact, it's been gorgeous - sunny and 25 degrees at times! Currently sitting outside a rip off laundromat - $4 for 10 minutes in the drier (because it doesn't have a "memory to add up the coins you've out in - if you put the coins in one by one it's only $2 for 10 minutes. And to be fair, both the load of sheets and the clothes were dry in 20 minutes)!!! I reckon one of the biggest expenses when you're on the road, after fuel, is doing your washing! Aired out Maggie this morning, and took the carpet and underlay out and gave them a good shake - full of sand. And needed to hang everything out just to try and dry stuff. Left Greymouth at 15:08, also went to the Warehouse and bought me some more socks (didn't have enough that fitted in my boots with me and need to wear socks/shoes cause of the sand flies) and a hook for in the bathroom to hang wet gear on, even though Mike said we shouldn't need it because we don't travel in wet weather. Yeah, right! And as we were driving out of Greymouth it looked a bit damp where we were going and Mike said "if it starts to rain, I'm turning around".
And no sooner had he said that than it started to rain! But we kept on driving anyway! And Google maps sent us the long way to our destination - sent us right past Stafford Road and further down to Stafford Loop Road - which meets Stafford Road about 4kms in! Anyway, all this is new territory and got to Goldsborough DoC Campsite just on 16:00. And despite the drizzle it's a lovely spot. It's an old goldmining area, and in the DoC shelter hut is a gold pan and a riffle box, so you can have a go. Quite a few walking tracks around - as well as heaps of bellbirds. Took the dogs for a walk around, and headed off up one of the tracks but wouldn't you know it - it started to rain! Oh well. Spent rest of the day playing rummikub (which we have done most nights) and dodging showers while toileting the dogs. And we have decided that maybe we do need an awning after all. Not for the sun, but to make getting on and off Maggie drier! It would give us an area we could leave wet shoes, jackets and umbrellas and also an area to dry the dogs BEFORE they hop onto Maggie. Because we do often wrestle with wet dogs - and not just when it's been raining. It's often dewy, or when they've gone for a swim. Had Chinese for tea which Mike had bought while we were at the Laundromat - pork chowmein with cashews. And as per normal with Mike he'd bought way too much so we'll be having Chinese again tomorrow!
17 April 2014
Up at 07:15, dry and 12 degrees. It has got a bit windy, and needed to get up and close the vent at 06:00. But what a good nights sleep for both of us. And because of the warm wind, the grass has dried out so for the first time in ages no wet dogs after their morning constitutional! Had cereals for breakfast, and headed off to explore (on foot!) at 09:45. Walked down the road - we only remember it being a wee way, but was more like 3 kms - to the Tunnel Terrace walk. This wee walk takes you through the remains of gold diggings, including a handmade at either end. Very cool. And just as we got back 1.25 hours later, the wind picked up, and then the rain came. Very happy we're parked here as we are relatively sheltered and we can see the trees on the tops of the hills being whipped around. It occasionally hits us, but mostly goes over the top. And this weather system is wreaking havoc around the country today with slides, power cuts and flooding in Auckland and Wellington and raining everywhere. It is much colder this afternoon though, the temp has dropped down to 9 degrees a couple of times during squalls. Have had the gennie running a couple of times today - things like the electric toothbrush were getting down, and with marginal batteries everything drops pretty quick so Mike though it would be good to give them a decent charge. Just relaxed all afternoon - and watched Mike get frustrated with his games. Whenever he didn't succeed at a level, he bounced all over the seat, making the dogs sit up because Maggie was rocking so hard. 18:10 - just watching the news - it seems we could not have picked a better spot! And thank heaven we made the right decision and decided to hunker down. State Highway 6 and 7 are closed at the moment, power is out all around the area. Granted, we've now had a few small branches/twigs hit us which did give us a fright, but we are safe and sound here. They are forecasting that it won't be 'til tomorrow afternoon 'til the weather eases but we're fully stocked and fine. And anyway, we weren't going to be going anywhere much as it's Good Friday so nothing will be open. Had Chowmein for tea - yum - and bed at 21:30 with the temperature having climbed to 16 degrees! It is still blowing hard though.
18 April 2014
Up at 07:00 - blue skies with the odd cloud and 18 degrees! Still blowing, but not as bad. And despite the wind, we had a good night's sleep (in my case, earplugs are wonderful things!). Took dogs for a walk while it was dry (forecast was for more rain this afternoon). Decided to do the "short" one - the Pack track. Turns out it's pretty much straight uphill for 30 minutes and then back down again! Oh well, that's today's workout done. There wasn't even a view at the top, but was a cool little walk because it once again just followed all the mine diggings. Then off - and didn't get very far because there's a big lot of trees down across the road. But this dude was already swinging a chainsaw and had cut enough of a clearing for us to get through. But from him we learnt of damage and devastation all around. Apparently Greymouth has coped it with roofs off all over the place. And Arthur's pass is closed because of lots of trees down. Are we glad that we decided to keep going south, or what? This guy said there were reports of 180 kph winds in Greymouth. And it seems, once we got into cellphone coverage, that the damage is widespread around NZ with trucks blown over and flooding and trees down - but it's bad up here. Thank god we found somewhere safe to hunker down yesterday.
We came close to deciding to stay in Greymouth! Went and explored and found a wee power station (of course!) on our way to Kumara. Also stopped at Londonderry Rock, and the historic swimming baths site at Kumara before heading into Hokitika to dump. Now 13:00 and sitting in the sun waiting for fish and chips for lunch (which were delish)! 22 degrees. Went to get some diesel but no luck as the card reader wouldn't work. But while there, we got talking to a truck driver who told us about trees down, power lines but also campervans blown over - including ones in carparks!!! With every person we have talked to, we are realising just how lucky we have been. Today, though, we have had good weather. We made the most of it too. Went to check out the Hokitika Gorge. Awesome. An amazing wide valley, and flat as and then all of a sudden "poof" there's the Gorge. And it's just beautiful. And it's 24 degrees! Went to check out the Whitcombe Valley Road to see if there was anywhere to park as it looked like a decent dirt road. But didn't get to the end, it just seemed to go on and on. Talked to a guy who'd driven down there but it's just a carpark for the start of the track. So decided not to risk not being able to turn around and drove back to Hokitika and got ourselves sorted at the NZMCA park just before the rain hit. And boy, did it hit. For the first time ever we weren't able to watch TV for a couple of minutes due to rain fade! But again, not cold, and we're snug as a bug so no worries. Had Pad Thai for tea (after defrosting yet another piece of chicken - the one in the fridge had gone off. We just can't seem to get the fridge right this trip - it's either running all the time or not running enough resulting in warm chicken!). Bed at 21:30.
19 April 2014
Up at 07:00 to a light shower, but now 08:00 and there's this yellow ball of heat in the sky. What is it? YAY SUN!!! And that lasted about 5 minutes! But we're excited as we're heading off to the Treetops Walk and Cafe. We're booked in for 10:00. And then again, maybe not. Pulled up at the turnoff and there's a sign saying "closed". But that can't be, we're booked in. So up the driveway and sure enough the gate is locked with a sign saying closed due to no power. BUGGER. Rang up bookme.co.nz, and no worries at all in getting a refund ($60). Will have to save this up for next time. So back to Hokitika to fill up with diesel and do some grocery shopping. And coming out of New World the heavens once again opened, and that was the final straw for Mike! We checked the road info last night which said that the bridge between Whataroa and Fox is for light vehicles only, one at a time. So we were going to phone up the NZTA to see if we'd be ok. But given the weather forecast for the West Coast is all about showers (and we've just experienced what a quick shower does to you in a couple of minutes - poor old Mike got soaked unloading the shopping!) Mike said "that's it, Arthur's Pass here we come!". And going past Kumara we could see the damage to the native forest by Thursday's storm - trees down - some really big ones - everywhere! Poor old Maggie got very hot under the collar puffing her way up the Otira Gorge - in first gear up and over the viaduct! But good old Maggie got us there.
Now 13:10 and sitting at a DoC layby beside the confluence of the Bealey and Waimakariri Rivers having a cherio and salad sandwich. The sun is trying to shine through light showers, and the temperature has dropped from 21 degrees in Hoki to 18.5, so not too bad. All of a sudden we see some poplar trees on full autumn colour and because we haven't seen any autumn colours yet, they really stood out and almost made me homesick. And carried on just a wee bit further and decided to check out the DoC camp at Hawdon Valley. To get there you turn off into Mt White Road, travel down a quite narrow dirt road 'til you get to the railway line. Which you then proceed to cross despite not being able to see if there is a train coming! From there you go across a long one lane bridge and then on to the camp up the valley in the bush. But we'd gone right past the perfect spot BESIDE the river, so why on earth would we want to park in the bush? Hehe. But anyway, we are sort of over bush after the last week and really keen to park beside the river - and being a DoC camp in Arthur's Pass National Park it's no dogs anyway. So back to the river. Where, while we were deciding exactly where to park, Roxie decided to eat some human waste, which Mike then discovered was everywhere by the bridge abutment - Mega YUCK! So she got a mouthwash with dog washbar, while Mike moved Maggie to the other side. But the dogs were super happy to be able to run around off the lead. And this is a stunning spot with amazing views down the valley.
There is another potential spot by Lake Pearson, about another 15 kms on, which we did think about because we can see blue skies down there (whereas here it is overcast, with occasional showers) but don't want to take the risk that it's no dogs and end up having to drive all the way to Springfield. And to be honest, despite it raining a wee bit, this is by far the best spot we've seen in a few days. Although we are very surprised by exactly how much traffic there is. We sort of thought we'd be "in the middle of nowhere" - which we are, really - but it seems everyone wants to check out this road! Oh, and at 15:40, it's only 15.5 degrees, and still dropping. That's the coldest daytime temp we've had in ages - maybe even the coldest night time temp! Had ham and cheese and peppers on a toasted ciabatta bun for tea as we'd had cheese, salami and crackers for a late afternoon tea and didn't need a big tea and also, it was blowing and raining a bit and we didn't want to cook the venison sausages we were going to have inside as it would make the place stink. Bed at 22:20!!
20 April 2014
Up at 07:10 after an ok night due to a bit or rain off and on, 2 trains in the early hours of the morning (although Mike never heard them, so he had a good night!) and someone coming past in a car when it was still pitch black. It's 8.8 degrees (that's the coldest for a long time!) & overcast but I can see a lightening in the weather in the direction we're heading. And while I'm watching the dogs, Mike is packing up to move! What? Haven't even had showers! But he's so over the rain that he just wants to get moving. 08:25 - on the road having had showers and breakfast (cereals!). 08:50 - checked out Craigieburn forest camp and there were so many people there that there was no room to turn without unhitching the trailer! Well, one guy could have got off his arse and moved his car, but foreigners aren't that friendly or helpful, we've found on this trip. They don't give way, they walk on the right of tracks and don't move, and they won't be helpful and move their rental either! Stopped at Castle Hill Village - cute wee place, with lots more houses than last time and the locals organising an easter egg hunt. Then onto Springfiled, where we couldn't decide what to do, so decided we'd think about it over a cup of coffee at The Yello Shack, beside the Springfield donut. Well, the citrus slice was nice, the coffee was burnt, we had to ask for our change as she'd run out of $5 notes and had to go back home to get some, and then forgot about it, so not the best stop ever. And by the time we'd drunk our coffee the only thing we'd decided was to have a drive around the place, to see if we could find some more ancestral stuff. But didn't find the Kowhai Pass Cemetery, but did find the Domain.
It was lovely weather, and the place is quite cute, so decided to stay here. Washed the dogs, did some washing and then had lunch. That's how early we got here! Got talking to Rochel, the caretaker, found out where the cemetery is. Also got talking to a couple from Whangarei. And it's now 14:45, starting to cloud over but still 18 degrees and the first time I am sitting down since we got here! Oh, dogs have had a ball, there's a big paddock beside us where they are allowed to run free. And this place has a dump station, rubbish and water, showers ($1 for 4 minutes) and hot water taps at the basins - all for $7 per night for the 2 of us!!! After the 1st of May it's going to be $10 per night for up to 2 people - best value spot we've ever found! Except for one thing, but we are getting used to them - trains! Because we came in to the domain off Domain Road after doing our Tiki tour, we didn't realise that we are, in actual fact, parked pretty much right beside the railway tracks! Went to try and find the cemetery again - not up Kowai Road, but in actual fact right on the main road. Did find the graves of some ancestors. But the really sad thing is how many headstones are still broken as a result of the earthquakes. Had venison sausages on an open salad sandwich for tea, bed at 22:00.
21 April 2014
Up st 07:10, 8 degrees and the SUN is rising!!!!! Good night's sleep, apart from planes, trains and automobiles! Had bacon and eggs and left over sausages done on the bbq for breakfast. It's a beautiful morning, and we just don't want to waste this nice weather driving, so have decided to stay here and do a bit of local exploring. Let the dogs go for a run in the paddock, and Stoney decided to go and check out the other end. I called him back, he just kept going. Called him again thinking "I hope that fence isn't live" at pretty much the same time as he walked into the fence, yelped and high tailed it back to me. That'll teach him to listen! For now. Had showers at the showers in the shower block - $1 for 4 minutes, and they're good ones. Then decided, at about 10:30, we'd go and check out the area, as a lot of Craigheads farmed around here. Well, that little escapade almost got us stuck! They've had truck loads of rain round here, and driving away from Russell's Flat (which is now nothing other than a sign on a field saying "Russell's Flat Community Air strip") we ended up going down a metal road which was ok to start with as we got further along it became obvious it had been underwater not long ago. And it got softer and softer but at this stage we had no choice but to keep going. As Mike said, speed was the only answer!
Phew, that was close. Anyway, no evidence left of school houses or church halls at Russell's Flat, so onwards. Got to Sheffield, where everyman and his dog is at the Famous Pie shop, and weren't keen to go on any further, so took the back roads back towards Springfield. Did detour down a wee track to get down to where the Kowai River runs into the Waimakariri and then, on going back to town, found Domain Road. We could have turned down that straight back to camp, but decided it was lunch time. Now, we had experienced the Yello Shack yesterday and had no intention of doing that again, but there is also a cafe at the Arthur's Pass end of town so we thought we should try that. Drovers Cafe, it's called - and we highly recommend it to anyone. The best value lunch, bar none, on this whole trip. And super delish. We had 2 lattes which were excellent, and a salmon filo pie and a salmon tart, both of which were excellent. All served with a friendly smile, and only $25! Got back to camp at around 12:45 - it is clouding over a bit, but the sun is still around so hoping it'll come out again! Well, it didn't and it got colder and colder as the day progressed. Oh, well - needed another relax day! Actually did some stitching. And discovered that Roxie's eye is swollen again - at the original site where she was first operated on! Bugger, now what? Well, she's still on antibiotics and prednisone, so we'll just wait until we get home - unless it gets really bad. Went to the local pub for a drink, which had only been reopened in November by a couple from Brisbane! Had angus beef patties on toast with all the trimmings for tea and bed around the usual time.
22 April 2014
Up st 06:40 (back too sore to stay in bed) to an overcast day and 5 degrees. Had thought, yesterday, that we might head into Christchurch today but given that the weather forecast is for rain in Chch, we might bypass and head south. Time will tell! And within 5 minutes of me writing this, it had started to rain. It's now 07:30 and even Mike is up and dressed, ready to hit the road! Just having another coffee. And then, Mike's running around like a madman, putting stuff away because it's now really raining, and the ground underneath us is becoming a large puddle. Given that this was all flooded a few days ago, Mike thought it best to move onto the gravel before we finished our coffee! 08:00 - on our way, with me having absolutely sodden socks and shoes because the dogs needed to get out before we started moving. Stopped in Sheffield for a pie (chicken and apricot for me and a venison and herb for Mike) and on our way again. Rain, rain, bloody rain. We are on our way home. We have, for the last couple of weeks, been ever optimistic that the good weather will come back. On Sunday, the forecast was for the weather to be good again by now. But we have lost hope and are completely over rain. Had lunch at the Wrinkly Rams - our favourite seafood chowder - and thought the weather might be breaking towards Otematata. It is dry, but very overcast. Got to wildlife after buying some milk at the local store. When Mike opened the fridge to put it away, he was confronted by an orange mess.
The yellow curry paste bottle had fallen over and was upside down leaking all over the place! In the meantime, I'm looking after the dogs, who have run off towards some people in the caravan beside where we stopped. They get yelled at by some very dog-unfriendly people. And then I discover one of the boat tie downs lying, broken, on the quad. Thank heaven we have redundant tie downs and not just relying on one, otherwise the boat would have flown off! And, it is dry, but only just. And there's a cold stiff breeze blowing, and after all this, we decide it's quite simply just time to go home. Even though we don't really want to, we'd much rather be parked up in the sun somewhere, but this is starting to not be fun anymore. So at 14:00 we start the last leg of the journey home. Unless a miracle happens and the sun starts to shine consistently, we will sleep in our home bed tonight, not our Maggie bed! 6 days earlier than we had hoped. And pretty much as soon as we were in Central Otago, the sun came out. No sign of any rain here. We've said it before - these long trips away just don't seem to work of us. The weather just doesn't play ball when we go "on holiday". So, we're back to thinking that whereas it is fun to explore new territory, the best trips are the ones where you park up beside a lake or a river in nice weather, without driving miles and miles every day, or every other day. And today is the furtherest of them all - this morning just inside North Canterbury, and now coming up to home. 15:45, home, sunny and 18.5 degrees. 322856 kms. That 2,973 kms for the trip.
