Heading to Ohaupo

 We farewelled our caravan buddies and got on our way, taking a few days to reach Ohaupo to get our Leisureline caravan serviced.  First stop was not too far away at Sanson, to go to the dump station and fuel up.  It was lunch on the go from the Z Service station, coffee and a pie while we started on our trip - means we wouldn't have to stop on the way.

Lunch on the go

Our stop for the night was at a private property in Ohakune, newly available for fellow Leisureline caravan owners.  It was a lovely rural property, and we certainly appreciated the opportunity to stay overnight.

Leaving the caravan on site,  we just had to call into the "world famous in New Zealand" chocolate eclair shop.  We were served by the former owner Steve, who told us he is "living the dream", making the tasty goodies, chatting with customers and getting paid for it, without the worry of running the business any more.  The new owners have set up a coffee lounge in one corner of the shop, a welcome addition I'm sure.  

The Chocolate Eclair Shop

 Ohakune is also famous for the Big Carrot, proudly standing on the edge of town!  Plenty of carrots are grown here, as well as potatoes and swedes.   In case you are wondering, the name Ohakune means "an opening to a new world" and refers to the descent from nearby Mount Ruapehu into the valley and swamps of the area.

The Big Carrot at Ohakune

A site worthy of stopping for a photo stop is the Makatote Viaduct.  Building was completed in 1908 and the viaduct  is recognised as an important part of New Zealand's engineering heritage.

We drove past Mt Ruapehu as we continued on our journey, it's always such a lovely sight to see.  This is a view from the Western side of the mountain.

Mt Ruapehu

We stayed the next two nights at the NZMCA Otorohanga Park, fairly quiet at this time of year with about 10 vans here each night.  The name means "food for a journey".  There is a legend which tells of a Maori chief passing by, who chanted incantations that stretched out his meagre supply of food to last the full journey.  

Staying at Otorohanga NZMCA Park

We enjoyed  a celebratory birthday dinner for me at the Otorohanga Club while we were here.  The meal was delicious, roast pork and veggies,  bubbly for me, and a beer for him.

Enjoying my Birthday dinner

It was just a short 43km trip to Ohaupo the next day for our caravan service.  The Leisureline service team allow customers to stay overnight and we were joined by Geoff and Eileen - it was great to catch up with them again.  While we were getting a caravan service done, they were collecting their van after repairs had been completed.  The four of us visited the local fish and chip shop for dinner that night, so no cooking for us again.   

One waiting for a service, the other waiting to go home

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

Kaikoura to Christchurch

 We woke to a stunning view at Kaikoura the next morning, the Southern Alps were a snow capped picture indeed.  The rugged Southern Alps are the backbone of the South Island and extend about 650 kms (400 miles) along the western side of the South Island.

Snow glistening in the morning sunshine at Kaikoura

It was a 150km drive and took us up and over the Hundalee Hills, with plenty of sharp twists and turns, and with so many trucks on the road we were almost guaranteed to meet a truck on most corners.   Luckily we survived this notorious stretch of road unscathed and then continued along the coast road.  This road and the adjacent rail line was particularly hard hit and damaged in the 2011 earthquake and a lot of work has been carried out to put it right.  It's always fun driving through tunnels and we went through two tunnels on this trip along the coast, cut through solid rock.  What a job that must have been, back in the day.

Here comes a tunnel

After a short lunch stop in Amberley, we continued on, arriving at our destination about 2.00pm.

Kaiapoi NZMCA Park

Our previous visit to this camp was 18 months ago when it was newly opened.  We were minor celebrities back then when we were interviewed for the local newspaper about our views on the new camp.  Of course we were impressed.  This camp is sitting on Red Zoned land after the earthquake, and many houses were so badly damaged that they had to be demolished.  Further housing and commercial development is prohibited, and the land can only be used for low impact activities, such as this camp, community gardens  and sports fields.

Our interview back then

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.

Time to Head Home

The four day ICA Christmas Rally had come to an end, so it was time to head home.  We decided to have an easy slow trip, and allow three days for our homeward journey.  Our first overnight stop was back to Ngongotaha, in Rotorua, passing along the very picturesque road past Fitzgerald Glade.  There is a nice cafe here, which we have stopped at previously, but not this time. We were aiming to get to Rotorua for lunch time.

Nearly at Fitzgerald Glade

The Ngongotaha NZMCA camp is always very busy.  It fills up quickly during the afternoon, and empties out again each morning.  Of course, some campers stay for days at a time, but we were amongst the overnighters.

Ngongotaha NZMCA Camp

Something obviously caught Gemma’s attention, probably a bird or two,  and she peered intently out of the window.  No, she is not allowed to chase birds, although she would dearly love to.

Let me out, Mum

Driving through Taupo the next morning we saw many cyclists taking part in the Annual Around the Lake cycle race.  This race draws contestants from all over New Zealand and overseas and as many as 5000 cyclists take part each year.  There are quite steep hilly parts of the road for the contestants to deal with, this is obviously a race for the young and fit.  We noticed several rest and water stations along the way for the cyclists to stop at, plus an ambulance or two parked up, just in case medical help was needed.

Around the Lake Race

Once passed all the cyclists, we traveled on to Turangi, another nice roomy NZMCA camp.  Not so many stayed here overnight.  Fish and chips from the local shop were on the menu for our dinner, and then the rain and the wind arrived overnight, and shook the van around. 

Our next night at Turangi

Driving along the Desert Road the following morning, I was thrilled to see Mt Ruapehu in all it’s glory.  This isn't always the case, depending on the weather,  so we stopped for a photo opportunity.

Mt Ruapehu

It was just as well we had stopped to take a photo when we did, and several minutes later the low cloud had rolled in, completely obscuring the mountain.  The temperatures dropped, and we drove through the mist.  By the time we reached Waiouru the weather had cleared.  Our looked forward to coffee break didn’t happen, as the coffee cart was closed!

Pea Soup weather

Our final stop of our trip was at the Marton NZMCA Park, a very pretty little camp indeed.  This used to be a former local council run camp in earlier times, and we remember staying here   many years ago with our caravan club.  We enjoyed the gifted trout fillet for dinner, I wasn’t quite sure how to cook it so pan fried the fish in a little butter – delicious.

Marton NZMCA Camp

From here it was about another 100km to home.  As we drove slowly past Otaki we saw the multitude of patched bikies who had gathered here for the funeral of a high ranking gang member  There was a heavy police presence on the road, with a helicopter flying overhead to keep an eye on the hundreds gathered. 

We soon made it home, unpacked, stopped for lunch, and put the washing machine on.  That’s it till our next trip away, and that’s coming up fast.