Hokitika

2nd March Sunday
Woke up and had a lovely shower in a bathroom right next to Tiny almost like en suite. Had breakfast (scones again should not have bought 6 of them even though they were on offer) then did a sightseeing tour of Hokitika (not much to see) and kept smelling something that I could not place at first but then realised it was the smell of coal burning that I had not smealt since I was a small boy when they introduced smokeless fuel in the UK. We walked along the beach where there was loads of driftwood and a guy was collecting some to burn on his fire but some of it was made into strange shapes. We found a really nice cafe called The Garden we had a coffee in the garden of the cafe and they had wonderful furniture, sofa made from tree trunks and it had a really nicely decorated toilet. It started raining so we made our way back to the campsite. We spent the afternoon playing scrabble in the lounge at the campsite watching it rain. We eventually saw the weather on tv and it was not good for the next day.

Pancake rocks and blow holes

1st March Saturday
Had breakfast and went to leave but the battery was flat again so got the owner of the campsite to jump start us. We had charged up mp3 player, mobile phone & tablet on the journey from the last place which must have drained the battery. We then did Pancake rocks and the blow holes which were spectacular. We
did a 3 hour walk along the Pororan/ Punakaiki river track where we followed the Pororan river to a swingbridge (which we never saw as we turned off right before it) then along the Inland Pack Track to another swingbridge, across the river Punakaiki to the road and then back to the start.. We tried to have lunch there but there were too many sandflies again so we started our drive to Hokitika until we could find a shady place for lunch. We found a spot at a place called Barrytown and parked in front of the village hall where we noticed that there was live music on that night called Mellow Tunes, bit like Donavon I think, but we decided to forgo the pleasure of that and carried on to Hokitika where we found a lovely campsite called Shining Star which had free internet. We had dinner then walked to the beach and took a photo of the sunset. Finally the highlight of the day was a visit to the Glow worm dell, little glow worms shining in the dark, which was lovely for kids and Chris.

Seal watching and getting wet

28th February Friday
We went to the supermarket to buy some food and use the internet but it didn't work so we went to the library, no food there but internet worked. Afterwards we went to a seal colony at Tauranga Bay before going to see the seals we decided to go for a coffee at The Bayhouse Cafe a bit posh but very nice coffee. Went to seals but it started raining so only got a few pictures not very good as they were too far away and the camera on our mobile did not zoom enough. Drove to Punakaiki and went to look at the pancake rocks and blow holes but it started raining heavily so we went to the campsite and would do the rocks tomorrow. Had a quiet night.

 

New Zealand's biggest swingbridge

27th February Thursday
Woke up to another beautiful sunny day so showered and had a nice breakfast outside in the sun and nothing else. We packed up and left the campsite and drove down to the wharf to walk over the bridge onto Rabbit Island where there is a cycle trail that we were going to walk then come back to the Smokehouse for some chips. After wandering around for a while we asked a local where the bridge was and he said that it was miles away down the coast somewhere and the only way onto the island was by ferry, so plan B (no chips) drive to next location. We set off and the first place we passed was called Wakefield, so we stopped and took a picture of the signpost to send to Chris's brother who lives in Doncaster just down the road from Wakefield. When we got as far as Morchison we stopped and had a massive portion of chips to stop me from moaning. We then carried on to Buller Gorge swingbridge which they claim is the longest swingbridge in New Zealand. We also did a one and a half hour forest walk after crossing the swingbridge to a very nice waterfall. After this we drove to our planned stop at Lyell, a DOC site but when we got there and started to make a brew we were attacked by sand flies so we decided not to stay there and drove another 50k along a very winding road to Westport where we found a very nice campsite for the night (no flies).

bendy

Abel Tasman Trail

26th February Wednesday
Woke up to find that I was suffering from vertigo so was staggering around like a drunk (which I wasn't) over breakfast. We still did a lovely 4 hour walk along the Abel Tasman Trail starting at Marahau and walking as far as Stilwell Bay where we stopped for lunch of a crunchy bar and an apple and then walked back to the start.We met up with lots of people  who were doing the whole track which takes 3 or 4 days but you have to backpack which we don't do anymore. We then had a proper lunch and made our way to our next overnight stop at Mapua where we were going to stay at the Mapua Leisure Park which has clothes optional areas during February & March. The no clothes area are your pitch , pool and the beach and outside of these areas you have to be clothed which we thought was a bit weird but rules is rules. It wa hot and sunny so we had a nice swim in the pool and did some sunbathing which was very relaxing after our walk. After showering which was also no clothes area hehe we went a walk round town hoping to have fish & chips at the Smokehouse but when we got there it was closed for a staff party. So we went back to the campsite and had fish & chips at their waterfront cafe. Then back to Tiny for a game of cards.

 

Sightseeing in Nelson

25th February Tuesday
We had to decide whether we stayed  here for another night and do a walk or drive into Nelson and have a sightseeing day then go to the next location. We decided to have a rest day and do some sightseeing, I say a rest day but we still walked up to the centre of New Zealand which was all uphill but well worth the effort as we had some wonderful views above the city of Nelson. We decided to treat ourselves to some fish and chips so we found out where the nearest chip shop was unfortunately by the time we got there it was 2:30 and the shop had shut at 2pm, so it was cheese sandwiches for lunch again  ho hum one day. We drove to the Abel Tasman National Park and stayed at MacDonald's at Marahau, old Macdonalds Farm that is a campsite.We did some washing and then settled down for the night.

Queen Charlotte Sound

24th February Monday
Woke up and were undecided as to what to do. We had two different ideas so we tossed a coin and I won so that meant that we would drive to the start of the Queen Charlotte Track at Anakiwa. When we arrived there the sign said that you had to pay to walk the whole track which would take 3 or 4 days, but then we saw another sign which said that you could do the first part as a day walk for free, we had planned to just do a day walk anyway so that was just what we wanted. We walked for 2 hours past Davies Bay to the lookout along a lovely track mostly in the shade with occasional views of the Queen Charlotte sound. There was a campsite and toilets at Davies Bay which were exactly half way on our route for the day and the campite was a DOC site costing $6 with just water and toilets. The track was also used by cyclists who had to give way to walkers and we were passed by quite a few all of them were very good.The views from the lookout were marvellous and we took a few photos and had a drink and a little snack before walking back to Tiny. We did manage to pass one cyclist who was very old and he was pushing his bike, and he did say that it had taken him an our to do 4k. Even we go faster than that on our bikes. On the way back we stopped at the campsite for a toilet break and just after Chris realised that she had lost her sun hat  so we had to go back to find it as it was very hot and sunny by then. We found it beside the track after about 10 minutes walking then continued the walk without any incidents. We drove to Havelock for lunch but decided not to stay and so continued on to our next destination which was Nelson. We eventually found the campsite as it was a different name to the one we had in the book, but we got there in the end for a welcome shower and settled down for the night.

Picton

23rd February Sunday
Woke early had breakfast and packed Tiny ready for our next journey only to find that the battery was flat, luckily the owner of the campsite had some jump leads and Tiny started from his car. We had not started the engine for 2 days and had only used the internal lights so something else must be wrong. We then drove to Picton and picked up some walking information from the I-site. So we chose a walk which I calculated would take 3 hours so we parked Tiny in an area where we could stay for 4 hours. We did a lovely walk along a headland with the sea on both sides but the timings were wrong and it took just over 4 hours. So we were worried that we may get a parking ticket but we were OK, maybe the parking restrictions don't apply on Sundays. We made our way to the next overnight stopoff which was a DOC site at Australia bay which are in areas of conservation and only have water and toilets but only cost $6 each. The area could only take 6 campervans and was on the banks of the Queen Charlotte Sound and I went in for a dip in the sound , a very quick one as the water was very cold. While there we met a German couple with 2 children who had just stopped there to cook a meal. We were just chatting and found out that they had bought a boat and sailed from Germany close to UK then down to Cape Verde, Caribbean, Panama canal then down to New Zealand. Then they bought a car and spent 3 months touring round the South Island and were now getting the ferry from Picton to Wellington in the North Island for another month. Then on to Thailand before heading back to Germany, they had taken a year out of work to travel round the world while their children were young before they started school.

Wineries hic

22nd February Saturday
We woke up to to a glorious red sky, is that red sky in the morning shepherds warning or is it reversed in the southern hemisphere? Showered and had breakfast then spent the rest of the morning tidying the little space we had in the Tiny while waiting to be picked up for the winery tour at 11:30. The minibus arrived on time from Bubbly Grape and we got under way. The driver was very good and gave us a running commentary all of the tour. The first one we visited was Hunters where we sampled about 5 wines and were given some history about Hunters by a very nice lady, then walked to a gallery in the garden where the artist was actually doing a painting. Went on to 4 other wineries during the tour one being the very famous Cloudy Bay, Allan Scott, Glieson & Spy Valley. At Cloudy bay after the tour we had lunch there which was very nice. On the way back to the campsite we visited a chocolate factory and watched them making some of the chocolates, we resisted buying any though, back in the van the driver gave us a chocolate each that he had bought in the factory. We arrived back at the site around 5pm after having a nice relaxing day. A couple on the tour were from Otley in Yorkshire and when we were talking to them we found out that they come over to Villanueva del Rosario(which is only about 5k from where we live) every summer doing a cycling holiday, what a small world we live in. Back at the campsite we had a nice swim but the water was a bit cold for us so didn't stay in too long, then we fed Eddie the eel and Tommy the trout who live in the river that runs through the site. Then we did some sunbathing, had dinner and had an early night.

Coastal walk in Kaikoura

21st February Friday
We awoke to low cloud and realised that whale watching or seal spotting and swimming with dolphins were off the agenda for the day so we opted for a walk along the coastal track (shoreline trail). We started the walk from the I-site (tourist information) and made our way down the esplanade which consisted of a lot of motels and hotels on one side and beach and trees on the other. We passed the new and old quays which were closed as this part of the coastline is now closed to fishing to preserve fish stocks, they used to hunt whales from there.  We passed Jimmy Armers beach which contained only one building which claimed to be the last toilet along the coastal walk (no longer true) shortly after that we came to Kaikoura Seafood BBQ (see photo) which had lots of fresh crayfish and scallops, unfortunately it was only 11am and we were not hungry. Next we came to Kean Point car park (nobody knows who Kean was) and found a lot of seals basking in the sun on the rocks only about 3 meters from the path (another toilet there). The path then continued uphill to follow the cliff path to South Bay. We should have been able to see the North Island from there but could only see about 50 meters because of the low cloud, but you could still see the steep drop down to the small deserted beaches and flat rocky rocky bottom through the clear water. When we arrived at South Bay the route markings for the walk disappeared and we wandered around the boatyard and moorings until we came across the path leading back to the start. This started in a beautiful forest and then rose up to the cliff path again then went across the peninsula back up to the esplanade via Scarborough Street (not actually marked in any way) and Toms track (which was marked) Tom was a local hero who died trying to save the life of a whale. This was a lovely track filled with beautiful trees and flowers. Finally made it back to the start in 3 and a half hours. We then had lunch and then started the drive to Blenheim our next port of call. The route there was through beautiful countryside with mountains on one side (a bit like the Howgills in the Lake District) and the Cook Strait on the other. We decided to stop along the way for a treat at a place called 'The Store' which was an upmarket cake shop in a place called Kekerengu (which consisted of the store and maybe 2 houses). We had coffee, apple pie and yoghurt and fruit crunch and cream for $20 but it was worth it for the sea views and nice building and the staff were very nice Italians. We arrived in Blenheim to find our chosen campsite full but found another one 6k away that had a nice pool. Blenheim is the centre of the Marlborough wine trail and we decided we wanted to visit a winery or two. We enquired at the campsite reception about the wine tours and they gave us some information. $65 each for a tour of 5 wineries gulp, so we decided we would walk to the nearest one only which was called Saint Clair which was 2 kilometres away. Eventually we decided to book on the tour of 5 wineries, the tour was called "Bubbly Grape wine tour" as it would be a shame to miss this once in a lifetime experience...hic. Just before retiring for the night we decided to go to the toilet and we left the light on inside the campervan and when we returned and opened the door a load of sandflies followed us inside. So we spent the next half an hour killing them all.

  

Hanmer Springs

20th February Thursday
Had a good sleep, shower and breakfast and had to leave the campsite by 10 am (which we thought was a bit early but nearly all the campsites in New Zealand have the same rule). Drove back into Hanmer Springs and stopped at a carpark next to a nice little lake and made a brew and sat at one of the picnic tables and fed the ducks. We also experienced our first encounter with sandflies which happened quite a lot during the holiday. So after drinking the brew we found a chemist and bought some insect repellent, very expensive but worked well.  We went on our first walk in New Zealand round a beautiful park and forest only walked for about an hour as we were still feeling tired from the flights. We had planned to go to the Spa in the village but when we got there we saw that it had flumes and looked like a waterpark for kids. There was a posh Spa there but not what we thought it was going to be, so we went into the library to use the free internet to send some emails to family and friends back home and in the UK. Then drove 2 hours to our next destination Kaitkoura which was on the east coast and found a campsite which was twice the price of the fist one at Hanmer Springs but it did have a swimming pool and hot tub.

first day in New Zealand

19th February Wednesday
Phoned Backpacker Sleepervans from North South Holiday Park to get them to pick us up to take us to their office to collect the campervan.  While we were waiting for them we walked out of the site across the road to a transport cafe and had a coffee each. It was the cheapest coffee we had all holiday $2.80 but you had to make it yourself. Then went back to campsite to wait to be picked up. They took us to the office to sign paperwork for the very, very, very small van. Then drove to supermarket to get some supplies and soon noticed a big difference in the prices to Spain!!!!
We then made our way to our first destination Hanmer Springs, both of us taking it in turns to drive so that we could get used to driving it which was automatic transmission which Chris had never driven before!!! While Chris was driving she almost nodded off to sleep, I had to shout to wake her up or we would have ended up in the ditch, we were both very tired from the journey still. Got to the village and had a walk around, it looked a bit like Ambleside in the English Lake District with fewer people and not raining, and surrounded by hills. Found a nice little campsite just outside the village, had dinner then went to bed about 8pm as we were so tired from the flights. This was our first night in the van which we called Tiny for obvious reasons.

London to Christchurch (eventually)

February 16th to 18th Sunday, Monday & Tuesday.
Had breakfast then Robert, Cindy and the twins Evei & Maddie came round to see us. Also Frank Christines dad came round to see us. Went for a little walk to get some fresh air. Then had dinner and taxi driver came to pick us up to take us to Heathrow, the taxi driver was nice so we gave him a £3 tip, never before in history has Chris given a tip getting soft in her old age. Got to airport in good time despite lots of traffic even though it was Sunday. No problems but it was a bit stressful because the booking agent said that we had to re confirm the flights 72 hours before, which we could not do and also tried to do online checkin within 24 hours which we could not do either. So just turned up at the airport with a copy of the email confirming our booking which was all that was required in the end, pity they had not said that, it would have been a lot less stressful. Qantas London to Sydney via Dubai in economy seats not the best but acceptable. You got quite a bit to eat and drink so it broke up the boredom of the flight. We had supper then breakfast and then landed in Dubai for a couple of hours to refuel. Watched a few films.I was happy because I could eat as many packets of crisps as I wanted. Time went very slowly and my body was stiff due to lack of movement. We went to the toilet a few times just for the exercise and dozed a bit but could not sleep much.
February 17th Monday
Lost in the time changes.
February 18th Sunday
Arrived at Sydney airport had to go through transit and book in for our next flight from Sydney to Christchurch, changed our seats so that we could sit together. We realised we were then stuck in transit and the check in clerk told us we could not go out of the airport now as we may not return for our flight. We didn't want to spend the next 12 hours at the airport so we went back to where we were scanned in and told the security man that we had come into this area by mistake and he let us out through the staff entrance. A little white lie is not so bad is it? We then had to go through customs and finally after filling out forms we were out of the airport ready to go into Sydney. They did not even look at our visas that we had printed out which we were supposed to need to enter Australia. Good job we did not pay the £125 which one website wanted to issue them for us, we managed to get then free in the end. Found the train into Sydney the fare was $68 Au for the two of us and the man in the ticket office apologised for them being so expensive, this took a big chunk of $100 cash that we had brought with us to spend on our sightseeing tour. Got to Central Quay and walked out to see the Opera House. Having seen lots of pictures of it and the Harbour bridge it all looked smaller than we had expected. Walked through the royal botanical gardens which were very nice to Mrs Macquaries Point where there were great views back to the city it was full of tourist. We walked back to Central Quay where went into Mcdonalds for a coffee and to use their internet. Sent emails back home then carried on towards the harbour bridge passing some Aborigines in traditional dress playing didgeridoos  to a snake curled up in front of them. Walked under the bridge and then back into town for some lunch. Only had about $15 left so we watched were the office workers were going and found a sandwich shop where we could afford one sandwich each luxury no coffee. We found Australia a bit expensive so wont be coming here to live. Went back to airport and waited for our flight to Christchurch it was 6:50 pm when it took off. Had some more vegan food on the flight, they didn't do veggie stuff but I managed to find some cheese at the back of the plane and some M & M's so had them as well. Landed at Christchurch airport at midnight feeling a bit tired now. Tried to get a taxi to our luxury deluxe cabin but the taxi driver pointed us in the direction of a minibus which he said would be cheaper for us. He must have known that Chris was from Yorkshire!! what a nice man. The minibus took us to the North South Holiday Park to our cabin where we showered and collapsed into bed, seemed ages since we last slept in a bed. We had lost all track of time but slept OK.