Final Days down South

You know you are in wine country when you travel along with vines planted on both sides of the road.  We were heading for Blenheim, where there are vineyards galore.  The vines have been pruned back hard for winter, waiting for the spring growth. 

Vines growing everywhere

Our stop for the next couple of nights was the Waterlea Racecourse.  Some of the grassy areas for parking had been roped off, but we found a suitable gravel site.  This CAP (charges apply parking) has water, dump station, and toilets available, but no rubbish bins.  

There we are, not far from the grand stand

The weather was a combination of rain, showers and occasional sunshine.  We took the opportunity to visit the local laundromat early one evening.  Our cunning plan was to take care of the laundry, then buy fish and chips from the shop next door for our dinner.  That worked well.

The next morning we drove out to Renwick, the home of Burleigh Gourmet Pies.  We discovered this bakery when we were down in December 2022, after reading about the famous Burleigh pies.  We bought one each for lunch, and some frozen ones to take home with us to enjoy later.

Who doesn't love a great pie!

Then it was back to where we started, Koromiko.  This camp has now been purchased by NZMCA after quite some time spent on negotiations.  New signage has been installed, and shortly the main road will be extended to add a turning bay into Freeths Road  in time for the summer traffic, we were told.  The weather was wet, with strong wing gusts shaking the caravan.  

The lasted NZMCA park

Just a few vans on site

The weather had been overcast over the last few days with little sunshine charging the batteries so Robin set the generator running for a couple of hours.

Generator time again

A storm came rolling in as the day wore on, and was fully fledged by night time.  We could swear that the thunder was right over head, and each noisy clap spooked Gemma.  She ran around the van looking for a hiding place, hunkering down on the carpet at the foot of the bed, with the overhanging duvet giving her the illusion of cover.  Lightening cracked around us, torrential rain came down, and the caravan was buffeted all night by strong wind gusts.  Dear oh dear, what would our sailing be like the following day, we wondered.

Luckily the storm had gone the next morning, just leaving the wind gusts behind.  Time for the final part of our journey, crossing Cook Strait.  We were hoping the return trip would not be too rough, after all that bad weather the previous day.

Boarding Blue Bridge again

Gemma stays in the caravan

We had a light lunch in the cafe as the trip got underway.  Gliding through the Marlborough Sounds, I went out on deck to take a photo or two.  This part of the journey is sheltered and usually nice and calm.

Marlborough Sounds

The remainder of the journey was surprisingly calm, hard to believe after the terrible weather the previous day.  A friendly Irishman (yes, we have traveled to Ireland, we told him)  saw my camera and asked if we would like a photo.  He and his wife were very impressed that we made such good use of our caravan and traveled far and wide around our beautiful country.  "You two are enjoying life and living the dream", he commented.

Two happy campers

Oh look, we are almost in Wellington.  Time to head down to the car deck and get ready.  Off we went, passing the Sky Stadium, known locally as the Cake Tin, and we got on to the motorway.

Sky Stadium

We decided to stop at Plimmerton NZMCA Park for the night, as it was getting dark, and we didn't want to arrive home and unload the van at night time.  A quick meal, and it was early to bed, it had been a big day and we were exhausted.  The next morning after  breakfast we hooked up for the final leg of the journey.

Our final night at Plimmerton

Driving up the Coast Road there was no sign of Kapiti Island, it was was out there somewhere but hidden away under the cloud.  All I could see was the rocky coastline as we drove along.

No sign of Kapiti Island

Home at last we unpacked the van, put the first load of washing on, and sat and relaxed over a late lunch.  Phew, it's good to be home again.  We had 10 days away this trip, and traveled 1110 kms.

Ocean Views

 Moving slowly northwards, we stopped at two "new to us" Pops (Park over Properties) with ocean views.  There are so many places available to park up here in New Zealand, so it's always good to try somewhere new and exciting when we travel.

Leaving Wairau Tavern it was a short 52km  to our next stop, Conway Flat Ocean Edge.  The photos looked delightful, vans parked on the cliff overlooking the sea, room for large vehicles and pet friendly. We turned off SH1 at Hundalee and drove down to the coast, finally spotting several vans and motorhomes parked up in a large paddock.  This is the place.

We parked longways against the cliff edge, not too close, I worriedly told Robin,  not realising till later that the instructions were to park at 90 degrees.  Luckily there were not too many vans there, but I'm sure we would have been asked to move in the heart of summer.  Never mind. we will know for next time.  

Our stop for the night

Peeping over the cliff we could see the wavelets roll in.  This is a good area for fishing, we were told.    It was a lovely restful day indeed, and we were lulled to sleep with the soothing sounds at bedtime.  There was no show of catching the sun rise over the ocean the next morning, we slept so well that the sun was well up by the time we surfaced.  This is a wonderful place to stay and we certainly plan to return in a future South Island trip.

A great view of the coastline 

It was time to move on the following morning, to our second ocean view stay. The 140km drive up SH1 took us through the busy town of Kaikoura and along the previously earthquake damaged parts of the coastal road.  This netting structure hangs out like a verandah to protect the vehicles below from rockfall - we don't remember seeing this in place when we were down this way a couple of years ago.

And here are the tunnels again

Continuing on our way we saw glimpses of the snow capped Southern Alps again.

Snow on the mountains

We turned off SH1 at the tiny village of Ward, and the first thing we saw was this happy Mama pig.  She wandered over to the fence to show me her very best side.

Hello piggy

The instructions said to place our fees in the letter box next to the large white rock.  

There were a few other campers on site, and we found ourselves a spot overlooking the beach and settled down for the afternoon.    There is nothing nicer than being by the sea.

Overnighting at Chancet Pop

Gemma had a fine time exploring the grassy bank, safely secured with her lead of course.  Goodness knows what she was tracking in the grass, probably little bugs and insects I expect.  This kept her so occupied for such a long time that she didn't have her usual afternoon nap.  You know what cats are like, they generally sleep the day away.

Gemma is hunting tiny things hiding in the grass

Someone started a painted rock collection here and it has obviously grown and grown over time.  

The painted rock collection

The following morning we woke to a pink tinged shot of the sea and clouds.  The weather report promised  fine weather, but very windy conditions, not so good for towing at all. 

Pink tinged clouds in the morning

South island, here we come.

 Our van was packed, including the winter woolies, and we were heading south.  Just a short 10 day trip, to visit my son Michael and celebrate his 60th birthday with him.

We left home on a chilly Tuesday morning, driving along Transmission Highway to arrive at the Bluebridge Ferry Terminal in good time.  Handing the paper work over to the girl in the kiosk, she handed over the boarding pass, and asked us, could we  manage 5 flights of stairs, or she could park us close to the lifts.   We must have been really looking our age, we thought, as we replied, close to the lifts please.  We were guided into the correct line, and sat and waited till the ship berthed.  We were travelling on Cook Strait Feronia.

Here she is, coming into berth

We waited patiently while the northern bound travelers disembarked, then the trucks drove on board.  Finally cars, campervans, our caravan and a couple of motorbikes were waved on board.  And yes, we were parked quite close to the lifts, thanks to the thoughtful check-in girl.

Gemma is hiding away in our van, no doubt wondering what on earth is going on

Everyone seems to make a bee-line to the cafe on these trips, including us.  It was a late lunch for us, so we purchased some sandwhiches, and a drink, sitting in the cafe for a while.  A little way into the trip,  the ship was starting to roll and we decided to leave the cafe and go and sit in the Quiet Room which we had spotted.  Oh dear me, just walking up the corridor was an effort, holding on to whatever was handy, as we tried to keep on our feet.  I'm sure we looked just like a couple of rather drunken OAPs as we stumbled about, it was not easy at all.  We curled up on a couch in the Quiet Room, waiting for the rolling ship to quieten down.  Eventually it did, and we went out on the deck as the ship glided through the beautiful Marlborough Sounds.

Gliding through the Sounds

We made good time, and arrived in Picton a little early.  Our first overnight stop in the South Island was just a short 8kms away at Koromiko.  There were only a couple of other vans in attendance, so there was plenty of room.  This is a lovely place, surrounded by beautiful mature Totara trees.  The custodian came to get our fees, and remembered us from our previous stay.  She used to have a Birman, so was particularly taken with Gemma.

We awoke to fog the next morning, no sign of the other two vans, they must have  left bright and early.

A foggy morning

After a leisurely breakfast there were just a few whisps of fog around, and we got ready to move on.

Overnight at Koromiko

Next stop, Kaikoura, we decided.  After a chilly night, the weather was lovely and getting warmer as we drove along.  We passed through Blenheim, and drove past many, many vineyards, this is certainly the area for fine New Zealand wines.  Oh look, there's some snow on the mountain tops, away in the distance, always a lovely sight to see.

There's snow in the distance

Driving along the coastline, we were looking for a nice place to pull off for a lunch break.  How about this, with a great view of sea.  It was such a pleasant place to relax and eat our sandwhiches, watching the waves rippling ashore, and smelling the salty sea air.

Not a bad spot to stop for lunch

We were only 20kms or so from Kaikoura so got on our way, and soon pulled into the Kaikoura NZMCA Park.

This camp consists of several bays, so after checking them out, decided on the lower one.  Not too full, so plenty of room again.  It was such a nice day we sat outside for a while, making the most of the warm South Island sunshine.  But once the sun started going down, we could tell we would be in for another chilly night.  Just as well we have an efficient diesel heater to keep us warm and toasty.

Staying at Kaikoura tonight.

Just staying the one night here, then moving on again in the morning.  Next stop, Christchurch.

Moving on to Kaikoura

After a quick trip to Hellers Factory Shop, we stowed our bargains away in the fridge and freezer and hooked up the caravan, stopping at the dump station and we were finally on our way heading up SH1.  Our first stop was at Amberley to see the statue of  Charles Upham VC and Bar.   Born in  Christchurch in 1908, he gained  a Diploma in Agriculture and his working life began in the high country and hills of the Hurunui District where he was a shepherd.  Charles Hazlitt Upham is probably New Zealand's most famous soldier. He became one of only three people ever to win the Victoria Cross twice for his actions in Crete in 1941 and Egypt in 1942. He is the only person to have achieved this as a combat soldier.  In 1953, Upham was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal. In 1992, he was presented with the Order of Honour by the Government of Greece, in recognition of his service in the Battles of Greece and Crete.

Charles Upham VC and Bar

We stopped for lunch at the Parnassus  NZMCA Park – only one other van was in residence.  It’s always good to stop, stretch your back and legs and have a little walk around after traveling a while.  Parnassus must have had quite a lot of rainfall, as a sign stated “Park on the grass at your own risk”.  We stayed on the hard while we had our lunch break.

Lunch at Parnassus

Well fed and rested we were on our way again, driving along as the road hugged the coast.  Oh look – tunnels.  There are two sets of these tunnels, carved through the rock.  They may look tiny but plenty of large heavy trucks pass through them on a daily basis, so there was no problem that we would fit.

Driving through the tunnels

This looked interesting, obviously erected as protection from rock fall onto the road and passing vehicles.

Protection from rock fall

We have arrived

170km later we rolled into Kaikoura NZMCA Park, the second one in this area.  This park has been open for three years and just like the Kaiapoi Park, has been developed on red zoned earthquake land.  Quite large, it is made up of five separate “blocks” with one set aside for those campers who want to use generators, and caters for about 100 vans.  We soon found a space and settled in.

Parked up in Kaikoura for the next two nights

The next day we went out exploring.  Kaikoura township was buzzing with cars and campervans, the tourists had certainly come calling.  The car park at the Whale Watch encounter was packed with vehicles as the customers had climbed onboard the boats for a thrilling trip.  Down at the coastline the bleached white uplifted rocks from the big earthquake were ghostly white in the sunshine – all this coastline was originally under water.  There were several seals basking in the sun – some people walked over the rocks and got alarmingly close to them. 

Uplifted costal rocks by the earthquake

The lookout high on the hill was calling to us, so up and up we drove.  Lovely views, but it was a matter of “hang onto your hats” while we were up there.

Views from the lookout

We were wondering how many campers were staying at the original NZMCA Park by the Trotting Club so drove around to check it out.  There were a few there, about a dozen we thought.  Guess the new camp is more popular these days.  We finished off our outing with an ice-cream.  Not a real ice-cream, the vendor was selling either Gelato or Sorbet.  We chose a gelato each and sat down in the sunshine trying to consume them before they melted in the sunshine and dripped all over our fingers.  It was a nice finish to our afternoon.

Gelatos for two please

Our South Island Trip is being cut back a couple of weeks as Robin is having issues with his leg.  After two lots of antibiotics it is still not right so we decided to cut short our trip and the earliest return sailing we could get is next week, 23rd February.  Sadly, we had to miss out on several places we wanted to visit, including Hanmer Springs, not possible with Robin’s leg problem.  Never mind, we can always come back to the South Island again, and I’m sure we will.