Category: New Zealand

This morning we emptied our sewage tank for the first time. It was quite easy and not smelly at all. Then we headed out. We had a fairly long drive from Kaikoura to Motueka, about 4 hours, however, with construction we anticipated it would take significantly longer. Before leaving we drove by a lavender farm. It wasn’t open yet but I walked up the driveway and took a couple of pictures.

We enjoyed the coastal views for the beginning of the drive, then headed inland and Rick thought it looked like the Adirondacks. We drove into Marlborough which is the wine producing region. Grape vines replaced sheep and there were grape vines for as far as the eye could see. There were lots of vineyards that we could have stopped at for a tasting but it was only 10am and it seemed a little early for wine. We have done wine tastings in other parts of the world so we didn’t feel like we were missing much.

We continued on our journey and came to a one lane bridge which is quite common. They have a sign indicating which direction has priority. It was over a beautiful stream and it had a good place to park on the other side so we stopped to take a picture. We took our pictures and then noticed a sign indicating there was a suspension bridge that was only a 10 minute walk away. We walked to the bridge and took some more pictures.

We continued driving through mostly tree covered mountains. Every so often we would see a big area that had been clear cut. And when I say clear cut, I mean a bald mountain. Some areas had been clear cut several years ago and had been replanted. It looks like the clear cutting is well managed which doesn’t surprise us as New Zealand seems like a very environmentally friendly country.

We drove through Nelson which is a fairly large town and saw a sign to Hoglund Art Glass Gallery so we stopped there. They had beautiful glass items but not anything that we liked that would fit in our suitcase.

A little way further we arrived at our campground in Motueka which is near Abel Tasman National Park. We got to our assigned parking spot and just relaxed for a while. After some lunch I went to the office and asked about a local walk as well as walks in the park. After consulting them we booked a trip to the park for tomorrow and headed out for a walk along the bike trail next to the beach in Motueka. It was low tide as you can see in these pictures.

We walked for about 5 miles and when we arrived back at the camper it was time for dinner. We went to a little place in town. I tried to have a burger but it is a law in New Zealand that they have to cook hamburgers well done!   I chose something else. We talked to the owner and he said the well done hamburger law was passed last year and was somewhat controversial. He also said that New Zealanders don’t really make a big deal about eating and it is reflected in the restaurants which generally are OK but not great. He also said the food is so expensive because everything is taxed at 15%, even food. He told us some other interesting NZ facts:

• The total population is about 5 million and 4 million live on the north island.
• On the south island you are never more than 100 km from the ocean
• The south island is the same area as Great Britain

We went back to the campground and relaxed for awhile. The All Blacks were playing so at 10pm I went to the TV room expecting a lot of rowdy All Blacks fans. There was just a man and his son. It turns out to watch the game live you needed to pay so it was delayed by at least an hour on the campground’s TV. I went to bed. The All Blacks won without me cheering for them. They came in third in the Rugby World Cup. New Zealand is use to winning so this was a disappointing result.

Here’s our route from Kaikoura to Motueka.

Happy Halloween (They celebrate it here too.)

This morning we tried out the showers at the campground and they were hot and clean!  What more could you ask for? After getting organized we pulled our plug and drove into town for breakfast at a coffee shop. The coffee shop owner was trying to explain rugby to us. We are still trying to figure it out. He said the All Blacks are playing tomorrow night in the Rugby World Cup, so we plan to find a place to watch it.

We got on the road around 8:30. The scenery along our drive was beautiful. Grassy meadows,  hills with snow capped mountains, sheep and lambs, and cows. Unfortunately there weren’t a lot of places to pull over to take a pictures so I will to bring most of it home in my memory. Here are a few pictures that we did manage to take.

We stopped along the way so I could have some cereal since I didn’t have anything to eat earlier. This van really is convenient.

About half way into our trip we drove along a coastal road. The sea was turquoise and there were snow cover mountains behind the bay—really amazing. There was an earthquake in this area in 2016 which damaged the road so there was a lot of road construction that slowed us down.  No problem, we have time…

It was supposed to take 2 hour to drive from Hanmer Springs to Kaikoura but because of the construction and our stops it took a little longer to arrive at the campground. Here is the view out our windows.

Rick took a little nap and I did research on things to do and see on the North Island. We haven’t make any Airbnb reservations, only a reservation for a car. We checked into canceling the car reservation and reserving a campervan but there aren’t any available from the company we are using. After Rick’s nap we went out to lunch. This area is famous for crayfish so the guy in the campground office suggested we go to a street vendor up the road.

We got there and they showed us a cooler with crayfish cut in half. They were expensive, the price was based on size but most were around US$50. They looked like lobsters without the claws. They were too big for Rick to eat and I wasn’t sharing it so he got a seafood stew. Yum!

After lunch we did the peninsula walk. We walked on the cliff in one direction and then went down some stairs and walked back on the rocks. The whole walk took about two hours. Along the way we met two young men who were walking too. One was from Australia and the other was from the Czech Republic. It was interesting to talk to them and learn about their lives.  We saw seals sleeping on the rocks.

We returned to the van and drove to the gas station to fill up and then went to the grocery store. Rick cooked New Zealand lamb chops for dinner and they were delicious. That evening I worked some more on our North Island itinerary and I think I have it figured out.

Here’s our route from Hanmer Springs to Kaikoura.

 

We slept well on our first night in a camper (better than on the boat) and were able to sleep in because we have dark curtains on all of our camper windows. We sleep in the back which, during the day, is a sitting area with a small table. We have two tables that become the platform for the middle of the bed. Then we rearrange the cushions so they cover the whole area. The one hassle with it is we have to make and unmake the bed everyday, but we can live with that. Rick made coffee on our outside stove/grill. It pulls out from the side of the camper and runs off propane.

After we got organized we disconnected our power cord and drove off. We drove into Akaroa and found a bakery/café for breakfast. I took a few pictures of the town for the blog.

At a friend’s recommendation I tried to go to the Giant’s House which according to our guidebook has “a large garden crisscrossed by paths fantastic larger-than-life mosaics, and colorful, welded sculptures.” But it wasn’t open yet.

We saw a sign for a scenic drive so we took it and it was very scenic. We were going up and over hills which feels a little dicey to me because I am looking down these hill and we look very close to the edge. But Rick is a great driver so I  don’t need to worry. Here are some pictures from our drive.

We had to drive back through Christchurch to head north. We decided to go to Hanmer Springs which a number of locals recommended. It took us about 4 hours to get there. We stopped along the way at a picnic stop to have lunch.

We arrived at Hanmer Springs and went right to the campground. There were a couple of very nice ladies who checked us in,  They recommended an itinerary for the rest of the trip. These campgrounds are really nice. They have very clean bathrooms and showers as well as large kitchens and laundry facilities.

After we got parked and pulled in, we decided to walk up Conical Hill. We walked through town and then up through wooded switchbacks to the top of the hill. It probably took us about an hour to go from the campground to the top of the hill. The views were gorgeous.

As we walked back to the campground we checked out the restaurants in town.  None of them looked very interesting so we decided to eat in the camper. We also checked up the hot springs, but they didn’t look very inviting. Before dinner I worked on figuring out the rest of our itinerary on the south island. I have a rough idea which we can modify as we go.

Rick had a salad for dinner and I had cold cuts. We had a fancy dinner last night so that was just fine. After dinner it started raining and it was fun to be in our warm, cozy camper and hear the rain on the roof.

Here’s our route from Akaroa to Hanmer Springs.

We slept in this morning, mostly because of the time change.  After nice, long hot showers (still appreciating them after the navy showers on the boat and anticipating more navy showers in the camper), we walked to a coffee shop for some breakfast.  Today is Labour Day so most people are off.

Christchurch feels more like a town than a city.  The population in the city proper is about only 180K.  The downtown felt quite empty this morning.  We see evidence of the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, specifically buildings with braces and the main cathedral is missing a section.

We talked to some locals and they said that the city was still recovering.  After the earthquake many businesses moved out of the city and signed 10 year leases so they haven’t come back.  Many of the people left with the business.  Neither have returned.  There are empty lots which use to be building sites everywhere . They expect it to take 15-20 years for the city to fully recover.  I question whether that will ever become a reality.

We decided to start the day by taking a gondola to the summit of the Port Hills.  We took a bus to the gondola and took the gondola up the hill.  There is a walkway at the top.  From there you can see Christchurch and Banks peninsula, both of which look pretty flat.  In the distance you can see the mountains which make up the southern alps.  Here are some pictures.

While at the top we talked to some nice people from Phoenix and compared notes on where were going.  I heard a lot of American accents today.

We took the bus back to Cathedral Square, the site of the Cathredal damaged in the earthquake that is pictured above.  There were a lot of food trucks in the square with food from all over the world so we found some food, sat at a small table and ate.  Rick had Egyptian food and I had fried chicken.  It was a beautiful spring day and there was a guy singing in the square.  Very festive and tasty!  We enjoyed the whole scene.

Christchurch is called the garden city and I can see why.  There are lots of parks and green areas.  Our next stop was the botanical garden.  Founded in 1863, the gardens sprawl over an area of 21 hectares and lie adjacent to the loop of the Avon River. It was very pretty and tranquil.  

After a relaxing walk through the park we walked over to the Canterbury Museum. It was primarily a natural history museum and told the story of the Moari people and the “British invasion.” It’s like most places during the British colonial period, they arrived, promised the world, stole everything and the indigenous population was banished to the least desirable locations.  Sound familiar?  We wandered around the museum for awhile and then walked back to the apartment.

That evening we ate at an Indian restaurant.  I haven’t mentioned it but our apartment is very convenient to town.  It’s about a block to the central business area.  Dinner was delicious.

We packed up because tomorrow we pick up our campervan.