25 June 2016
12:30 334728kms. 6 degrees. Overcast. We returned from our cruise to discover Dad had died while we were away and so we are off to Blenheim to catch up with Angie, who will be travelling down from Havelock North, where she now lives. Such a sad feeling - not just Dad, but also because this is the first trip without Roxie, who died, at home, on 2 June. 14:00 - have dropped in for a quick visit with Kirsty & Carter to drop off souvenirs, got supplies at Cromwell NWD & had a bento box lunch from the Japanese shop sitting beside the lake and now onwards. 16:20 - all went well until we hit thick fog just before Twizel and which is still with us coming into Tekapo. Stopped in Twizel because we discovered there was no water in the flush tank and Mike decided we weren't having a stir fry or Thai anything for tea - we were having meatballs and spaghetti!! Have decided that we need to get over Burke's Pass before we stop for the night as the forecast for Tekapo is for overnight snow, turning to rain tomorrow. We don't want to get stuck on the wrong side of the Pass as we have Maggie booked in for an overdue service (were going to do that once we were all sorted after the cruise) in Christchurch on Monday at 11am. Filled up with 40L at McKeown's in Fairlie at 17:00 & carrying on as it's very low cloud and drizzling and Mike has decided he's not staying anywhere foggy! 18:00 - parked at Ealing for the night. That's far enough for today! Bed at 21:00 - both tired!
Sunday 26 June 2016
Up to heavy rain at 05:37, so we moved onto hard ground & went back to bed 'til 08:10! Lazed around while having coffees and now 09:30!!! & on our way, via the back road which runs paralell to SH1 & the railroad. But then again, no. It went inland, so took next turn right to join SH1 into Ashburton for breakfast. Stopped at Lushington's garden centre and Cafe for a huge and delicious eggs bennie. Ranks up there with the best! Then on to Chch to buy a phone to HDMI cable as Mike had a brainwave last night: we can watch Skygo on the TV if we can hook the phone to the TV. And we can watch video too! Guys at Jaycar super helpful - even came out to Maggie to set it up and test it before we paid for it. Then out to The Groynes to let Stoney run and on to Kim & David's for a cuppa. Left there at 15:40. After trying unsuccesfully to find somewhere with parking where we could buy a takeaway, we drove on to Weedons. Went to take Stoney for a quick walk round the back & ran straight into a a couple from the cruise! Had no lunch so have just devoured a packet of pistachio nuts with our 1st beer! Had patak's butter chicken for tea and read for a while while Mike watched a movie.
Monday 27 June
Awake at 7am after a mediocre night. Woke up at 4:40 because one of the roof vents was flapping furiously due to the wind increasing, & couldn't get back to sleep for ages. 7.5 degrees but a stiff SW wind means it's bitterly cold out. Had breakfast & showers, filled & dumped and headed into town at 10:10 to take Maggie to Armstrong Prestige for a service. And to our dismay, unlike at Hansens, we weren't allowed to stay on board, so walked through Hagley Park to the other end of Riccarton and back again, had lunch at The Running Bull before walking all the way around Hagley Park again to pick Maggie up at 13:45! And because it's been so wet, we are now all muddy, with Stoney wet and muddy up to his armpits! 16:10 - at Peketa. We need to do some washing, given that everything got muddy today. We thought we had enough clothes - & we did, we just hadn't counted in such a crappy day in Chch! Had Pad Thai for tea and bed about 21:30.
28 June 2016
Up at 7am after a good night's sleep for me but Mike was woken up by traffic. Overcast and 10 degrees. Did a load of washing, had showers and breakfast. 10:35 have filled and dumped and got 20L of diesel to get us to Blenheim as the Kaikoura McKeown's site is down today. Now about to do some shopping at NWD before carrying on north. 12:40 - filled up with diesel at the Riverlands Caltex Truckstop just outside Blenheim. Went to the Warehouse as we needed a small extension cord for the new heater (1st time we used it was yesterday at Peketa (the other one all of a sudden refused to go & we suspect the cause was an accumulation of dust as it travels under one of the seats. So I made a bag for this one out of thermal curtain leftovers from shortening the ones in the spare bedroom in Clyde!)). Bought a BK burger for a late lunch & drove out to Rarangi to eat it & give Stoney a walk. Then decided we may as well stay here for a while and chill. Which we did - read & nana-napped until 16:30-ish, when we drove to the local pub at Spring Creek for a shared jug. Had a play and walked out with $160 in our pockets! Back to Rarangi for the night. Avo & ham on toast for tea (still full from lunch so didn't want much) & bed at 22:30.
29 June 2016
Up late at 07:15 to an overcast sky, light drizzle & 9 degrees. Will have breakfast and showers and then touch base with Angie & see what we're up to. And then it started to rain, & rain, & rain. Did stop - at around 4pm. Anyway, caught up with Angie, sat and talked for a couple of hours before driving out to Wairau Wines for a beautiful lunch. Then walked round the shops looking for the boots I'd seen in Cromwell - no luck. Dropped Angie off at her car at 16:00 & headed round to Gaye & Brownie's, who have just moved to Blenheim! Said hi & said we'd be back after setting up camp & taking Stoney for a walk at the racecourse, 1 street over. The racecourse is a complete bog - & we also discovered we didn't have the right change, so off to the Mobil garage to dump and get a $10 note. Back to racecourse, set up on tarseal. Took Stoney for a walk around the racecourse - what a mess! The gallops side had long, very wet grass on top of a 6 inch bog. The trots side was that wet even Stoney left footprints that immediately filled with water! Mike went round to Gaye & Brownie's but I stayed because after Stoney being left alone for large parts of today I wasn't leaving him alone again given how unhappy he has been to be left alone since Roxie died. Next thing, Mike arrives back with Brownie & Gaye in tow! Very cool. Brownie did say it's been raining pretty much non-stop since he moved here 6 weeks ago! And then the gas heating stopped going. And then started again! Sat and chatted to them for an hour or so and after they left I put the jug on. No gas!! Bugger. Thankfully it may be wet and raining but it's not cold!!
30 June 2016
Up at 07:15 and immediately packed things away to drive to the nearest bottle swap station to get some gas so we can make a cuppa! Went to the Watery Mouth Cafe for breakfast instead, after getting a new gas bottle. Then did a quick shop at Countdown before starting the 247km trip to Westport as we'd decided that that's where the weather was going to be better. And no sooner had we left Blenheim and the sun came out!! Stopped at the world's flashest public toilets beside the lake at St Arnaud at 11am before carrying on. Decided at the "do we go left or right" intersections to keep going right and visit Bob D at Waimangaroa. Called in and made sure it was ok with him before heading up to the Denniston Plateau as it was a beautiful day (sunny &16 degrees in Westport) & I had never seen the views from up there. Stunning is the only way to describe it. The views are never ending. And a completely different feeling compared to being up there shrouded in mist. Got back just on 16:30 - time for drinkies! Washed one of the back seat covers as poor wee Stoney was carsick coming through the Buller. We had bought extra steak, brussels, bacon and spuds in Westport and Mike cooked them up on Bob's bbq - delish. I went to bed at 21:30, Mike followed not long after.
1 July 2016
Up at 07:15 after an ok night - quite windy but not too cold (at home it's -4.7 according to the metservice app, which means it's actually about minus 8 at home!). Will head off to Nelson Creek today - a spot recommended by Ken Roberts - before heading back over Arthurs Pass and heading home as the weather is set to deteriorate again. Mike cooked breakfast for us - bacon, eggs, mushies & steak after which we took Stoney for a quick blatt on the beach (going down Newcastle and Sunderland Streets to get there!!) before heading back to Westport at 11am for more supplies. And just like that it's midday. Where does time go when you're on a maggot? Anyway, just putting some diesel in the tank before heading south and slightly inland. Oh, actually, just one more stop. There was no hose at the dumpstation at New World, so round to Countdown to fill the water tank. Awesome trip down the coast with jawdropping scenery and vistas - something we've never really seen as this is the 1st time it's not raining! Stopped in Rapahoe to have a late lunch of cheerios, cuppa soup & bread - carried on at 14:05. By 15:45 we had found Nelson Creek Recreation Reserve and parked up, walked around the Reserve and the local area and got the jug on. Lovely spot - can imagine it would be very popular in summer with the creek and numerous walking tracks. Coolest it's been all trip - the roadside verges on the shady side are still white with frost, as are areas in the reserve and it's only 6 degrees. Chilled for a bit, had a cup of tea & then walked up the wee hill to the Pub, where we had 2 jugs while chatting with the friendly locals. Awesome atmosphere! Good old fashioned country pub. Got back to find a quiet Stoney, greeting us with a toy. Yay, maybe he's finally getting used to be an only dog! Had spaghetti and meatballs for tea - & all the time we're eating the temperature kept rising. Was 3 degrees when we walked to the pub and 5 degrees by the time we went to bed, with the occasional light shower.
2 July 2016
Up at 6:40 because Stoney obviously needed out. Raining - & has been off and on all night - & 5 degrees. Left at we don't know what time via the back roads to Bell Hill & Rotomanu to come out at Jackson's. And as soon as we'd come over Arthurs Pass the sun came out YAY! Had to do an emergency stop just before the big climb up to Otira as Stoney needed out - we think he was a bit carsick again, as well as needing a toilet stop. Stopped in Springfield for lunch - Mike had discovered one of the local shops had really good home made pies on the last jet boating trip. I had a salmon one, Mike a venison. I can honestly say it was the best pie ever! Creamy, full of flavour and exactly the right temperature.
Stopped in Mayfield to get diesel & to check out the 2nd hand place called overflow. Carried on at 14:25. Got to Lake Opuha just before 16:00 (after taking a wrong turn and ending up at the dam, & then getting to a closed gate for the North Side so round by the boat ramp. Took Stoney for a walk round further - the lake is still extremely low! Absolutely freezing - have sore toes now as they got so cold - even though thermometer said it was 7 degrees (although it is now rapidly dropping and in the time it's taken my to type this has dropped 2 degrees!). And it kept dropping - right down to minus 2.7 by 19:00, only to then start climbing again, thankfully! Had steak and a yummy brussel sprouts, mushies & bacon mix. Bed at 21:30.
3 July 2016
Up at 06:30 - plus 1 degree! Home day today. Quite looking forward to getting home now - apart from 1 night when we got back from the cruise we haven't been home since 11 June. And we know, thanks to Stoney being stressed out while we were away, despite having Jade there to look after him, that we have some serious cleaning to do at home! Left at 08:15 - just as the sun hit the snow-capped hills. Stopped at Tekapo to dump and have breakfast. Had eggs bennie at Run 76. Well, sort of eggs bennie as there were no greens. But it did have a delicious hollandaise made with whole grain mustard! Left at 09:30 and had a straight run through apart from 1 bad asian driver. Temperature along the route fluctuated from minus 0.5 and a hoar frost at Twizel to 9.5 into the Lindis! Home at midday, 6 degrees, 2060 kms done.
