Mount Cook to Kurow

Saturday morning there was just a light drizzle so we drove up another unsealed, gravelly road for about 8 km to see the Blue Lakes and Tasman Glacier. The blue lakes were described in the leaflet as now being green ponds and that was true - we saw 3, the first one being the biggest pond with a reddy-brown leafy growth around the edges of it ( I have yet to look up what this is). The third one was completely dried up so we didn't look any further. The Tasman Glacier, where they do tourist boat trips for $145 a head so you can see and touch the floating icebergs, was the largest glacier lake we saw and we had a great view of it from the elevated walk. I imagine the glacier wall would be quite impressive if you were in a boat looking up at it. We could see a lot of floating icebergs in the water (and saved ourselves $290!)

Tasman Glacier & Lake

A cafe in Twizel was our lunch stop before driving on to the free DOC camp at the Ahuriri Bridge 3 km out of Omarama. There was some light rain during the night before it became heavy around 6.00am and when we pulled the curtains some time later there were huge brown puddles everywhere amongst the muddy ground. We felt quite pleased that not only were we not in a tent but that we didn't get stuck.

The carpark in Omarama was also almost submerged in water and we felt rather disappointed that we weren't going to get the expected beautiful view of all the lakes that we were about to drive past on our gradual way to Oamaru. However soon after we left the carpark the sky started to clear and we ended up with a sunny warm day and perfect views of Lake Benmore, Aviemore and Waitaki. We drove up to the power station dam at Benmore which is the second largest hydro station in NZ - there is more water held back by the dam than is in the Wellington harbour which is pretty impressive. After having lunch at Sailors Cutting where there is a busy campsite and loads of boats waiting to launch onto the lake we also saw the other hydro dams at Lakes Aviemore and Waitaki. It is a very picturesque drive, the low cloud and sun contributing to this. There are also quite a lot of campsites but we decided to head on to Kurow which is about 55km west of Oamaru and spend 2 nights here to be settled somewhere for New Years Eve - shouldn't be too noisy here?!

A street scene in Kurow!

Kurow from the hill walkway

The friendly camp lady told us 3 walks we could do - along the river, into the village and up the big hill on the other side of the road for a great view. We had them all done in 2 hours and that included eating some little yellow plums from a tree near the river and having a large icecream in the village which has a junk shop in desperate need of Len's decluttering skills - rubbish, dust, dead flies, you name it! Not to be confused with the clean, organised one just along the road. We met lots of chatty people on the walk up the hill who are also staying in the campground so maybe we'll know someone to have a drink with tomorrow night to see the New Year in, if we can stay awake that long! We have some young ones in tents beside us so that is a good possibility.

Lake Pukaki, Twizel & Mount Cook

Boxing Day saw us driving to Lake Pukaki where, 8 years ago Len had just about driven off the road when we rounded a corner and were struck by the most awesome view of the turquoise lake and Mount Cook, which is the tallest mountain in NZ at 12,316 feet, glistening with snow at the far end. This time it was a bit cloudier and there were white horses on the Lake but still quite beautiful. There is also a lot of traffic around at this time of the year with everyone heading to the Lakes for their Christmas holidays. Last time here we felt we had all the roads to ourselves!
We stopped for the night at the Southern end of Lake Pukaki in the free camping area between the lake and the trees after buying some local smoked salmon from the expensive tourist shop (I promise I won't do that again Len!)
Thursday we drove on to Twizel where we played golf on the local Ben Ohau course which is flat and parched with brittle brown stalks but it was pleasant to play with partial cloud and a gentle breeze. The Combined Services Club in Twizel was our free parking spot for the night with about 6 other motorhomes and we managed a couple of drinks in the club before dinner.
Today, Friday, has been busy-busy starting with a 3 hour+ bike ride along the Twizel River and back along the Ohau River Track. We thought that the Twizel River Track would take us to Lake Benmore but we could only see it in the distance beyond the 2 rivers and we decided that the first river was too deep to cross safely. The countryside is very brown and arid and the track variable but overall rutted and stony. At times I felt I was holding onto a jackhammer instead of my handlebars but we enjoyed the ride with the mountain views and the cloud cover which stopped the temperature getting too high.

Ohau River track

Lunch and a shower and then we were off up the picturesque western edge of Lake Pukaki which is 20 km long to Mount Cook village and then a couple of km more up Hooker Valley Road to the White Horse Hill DOC camping ground at the base of Mount Sefton. The camp has an ecclectic mix of many holiday makers - a mish-mash of tents, cars, campers and motorhomes. We have a couple of little tents about 2 feet from our back wheels (they did arrive after us!)
We thought the weather for the next few days looked very good but the lady in the Mt Cook info centre told us that there is heavy rain and thunder predicted for the next 2-3 days so we felt some urgency to get moving as soon as we got here so we could do at least one or two walks before the rain arrives. So at 4.30pm we set off at some speed on the 3 hour return walk to the Hooker Valley Lake and glacier which gives good views of Mt Cook and has a couple of long swing bridges over the milky glacier rivers. The glacier is receding quite quickly unfortunately but is still easy to see at the end of the lake. There were a couple of large icebergs broken off from it floating in the water.

Walking to Hooker Glacier, Mount Cook ahead

At the base of the walk there is a huge rock called Freda's rock in honour of Freda du Faur who was the first woman to conquer Mount Cook in 1903. She must have been an amazing person. There is also another memorial to all those who have perished on the mountain and there are a lot of names.

Xmas Day!

Xmas Day - sunny and hot yet again whilst it rains in the North Island - a slow start to the day as there is nothing that needs doing apart from driving up the little hill into the village to get phone and internet connection so we can skype our NZ family in the morning and our UK family at night to keep in touch with how their Christmas's are going.
We arrived in good time for a pew at the 11.00am service of the Church of the Good Shepherd which, if you haven't been here and you live in NZ, you have probably seen on a postcard. It's a tiny stone church built in 1935 and with a large window behind the altar looking out over the picturesque lake and with bus loads of visiting tourists. It only seats 44 so the Church was full (plus some extras outside) with a third of the congregation being a lovely extended family of Christians visiting from Singapore who we also met up with again at lunch. The vicar asked everyone where they were from and amongst the handful of locals and the Singaporeans the others were from the US, UK, Switzerland, Christchurch and Wanaka with just us from the North Island.
Luckily everyone sang the carols with gusto as the organist was so wanting that I almost felt like stepping in - we sang "While Shepherds Watched" unaccompanied as she couldn't seem to find the page and it was the best carol of all! But good on her for being so brave and giving it a go.

Then off to Christmas dinner!!
We enjoyed our tempura bento at the Kohan Japanese restaurant immensely with the other, mainly Asian diners, a window view of the Lake and a bottle of bubbly. It was the first time we have ever felt full when eating Japanese food and even then we just had to order a dessert each - 3 scoops of their delicious homemade icecream for Len and one of the best desserts I have ever had which was totally unexpected as I don't normally associate Japanese restaurants with great desserts. Tempura banana with both caramel and berry sauce, icecream, a lattice of caramelised sugar and spun sugar that disappeared in the mouth - delicious!

Xmas Dinner 2013

Xmas Pudding!

Afterwards we knew we had eaten too much but because there were no dishes we had the luxury of having a nice little nap in Debussy before driving back to the camp ground where we have had a bit of a chat with neighbours from Timaru and Nelson.

We have both missed our families and seeing all the grandchildren opening their presents but it was still an idyllic, lazy day.

Lake Tekapo

What an amazing spot to spend Christmas if you can't be at home!

Lake Tekapo thro' lupins & Welsh poppies

Lake Tekapo has been very kind to us with hot sunny weather and beautiful scenery - turquoise lake, snow-capped mountains and a nice little view fom our deckchairs. One of our highlights was parking at the little fisherman camp/bach site at the southern end ot Lake Alexandrina which is a smaller lake alongside Lake Tekapo, chatting with a local and walking halfway up the side of the lake and back - so peaceful with not a sound apart from the birds and the occasional splashing of the ducks and uncommon southern crested grebes. I keep forgetting to say in my other blogs how amazing and plentiful the birdlife has been on our walks in the bush down here - a true orchestral symphony of sounds - oh to be able to identify more than the tui and blackbird chatter!

Trish the fish!

After the walk we drove midway up the lake where a little river connects it with an even smaller Lake McGregor - a few more houses/ baches and a nice little picnic area where we enjoyed lazing in the sun and having a couple of swims - once you got in it was really nice, MUCH warmer than the swim we had at Lake Camp and I suspect, because it is shallower, much warmer than Tekapo which the brochure says sits around 8-10°!

......and Len the water hen!

We drove up to Mt John Observatory and admired the view yet again but didn't do the night time astronomy viewing which would probably be very interesting with the skies here being one of the best places in the world for seeing the stars.

Mackenzie Country and Lake Tekapo

Friday saw us leave Lake Camp - it had been a very windy night but the bus was sheltered by the pines which meant that we heard the wind but didn't feel it - and drive on to Peel Forest where it just started to drizzle lightly (ideal for bush walking) as we did a couple of hours walking on firstly the Acland Falls track and then the Big Tree track where there were huge old kahikatea, matai and totara trees, some of which were a 1000 years old. One of the totaras was particularly impressive measuring 3 metres across the trunk.

Trish the tree hugger

We stopped for a while in Geraldine to sample and buy some cheese from the local factory shop as well as chutney, cherries and raspberries. Instead of staying there we opted to drive on to a DOC site between Geraldine and Fairlie but a bit further off-road than we expected down "Beautiful Valley". Another dusty gravel road but a nice campsite called Pioneer Park in a grassy basin surrounded by trees. We were joined by just one other camping couple.
The cloud was hanging really low in the valley in the morning as we set off to walk the hour long Homebush Track at 8.00am in the drizzle once again. We then visited some caves down the road which were meant to have historic Maori drawings but we soon understood why the track was all overgrown (and very wet!) as you needed some imagination to see anything on the walls although the fenced off shallow caves made impressive shelters.

Then it was a drive through Fairlie, stopping to look at the tiny market, onto Albury into Mount Nessing Road the location of the golf club which we joined before our travels so we could play at other courses at a discounted, affiliated rate. So exciting to be about to see our new club!! (Mount Nessing was the cheapest club Len could find to join at the time) After driving about 65 km extra altogether what a let down!!
The grass in front of the roadside clubhouse and the grass in all the paddocks was about knee high and we couldn't even see the fairways. There were sheep all through the paddocks but to be fair we did spot some fenced-off greens.

What????

As we were gaping, open-mouthed a nice young farmer happened by and stopped to explain to us that the course is only open Feb- Sept and looks great once all the mowers and members start getting it in shape. He was actually one of the course owners and we told him that we were members but didn't think we could quite make it back to help out at harvest time!

So we saved ourselves half a day by not playing golf and decided to drive on to Lake Tekapo and get settled into a campsite for Christmas. The views as we arrived here were amazing - the sky had totally cleared, the sun was shining and the Lake is the most stunning turquoise blue. And then there are the snow-capped Southern Alps at the end of the lake. We have booked to stay for 4 nights so will be here for Christmas and then move on towards Mount Cook on Boxing Day. It feels so relaxing already especially now that we have cleaned all the dirt and dust from the gravel roads off the outside of Debussy.

We didn't realise until we were settled in that we have no cellphone or internet connection in the camp but we can get it up the road in the village so we will hang out up there quite a bit, especially on Christmas Day so we can hopefully be in touch with family and friends as needed.

High Country Inland Canterbury

We had lunch at Lake Camp after passing through Mount Somers and Hakatere where there is an 1862 historic house and picnic area and where the road turns to gravel and oh so dusty and hot. It's hard to tell what colour the bus is now - we are in need of dust-busters! There is a waterskiing school at Lake Camp so we were entertained by the school children on holiday learning to ski. We assume it has been named Lake Camp because of the multitude of freedom camp sites amongst the trees along it's length - a really nice spot. Just along the road, on the other side is Lake Clearwater with it's block of well-kept baches between it and the road. You can windsurf on Lake Clearwater and fish in either lake.

Lake Camp ( with Camp Mother in foreground)

Continuing up the dusty high country track we were in awe of the mountain scenery unfolding before us despite the constant opening and shutting of our kitchen cupboard doors as we bumped our way along the gravelly, slightly potted road - lots of rattles but no breakages. The road ends at Erewhon Station, a 35,000 acre property at the head of the Rangitata River in the Southern Alps, and which is the backdrop for the second Lord of The Rings movie and known for being a working horse station and it's large Clydesdale Horse stud.

Winding up the gravel road to Mount Potts Lodge

Halfway there we stopped at Mount Potts Lodge, where from the advertising brochure we thought we would get a "high country" dinner including venison or salmon so we were a little disappointed when we found "the lodge" to be very cafe-like, the best thing on offer being burger and chips, or, in my case, cornfritters! It was quiet but we gleaned quite a lot of local information from a former shearer from Timaru who is now up in the High Country fencing for DOC.
Mount Potts Lodge has recently been bought by a wealthy Russian who enjoys hunting and fishing and there is building going on for some new accommodation at present.
We were able to stay the night as it has recently been added to the NZMCA list of POPS although it is not in the directory yet.

Erewhon Station

Today, Thursday, is another scorcher at about 30° already. After leaving the lodge we continued on up the road to Erewhon Station - the scenery is so spectacular all the way with the snow-topped ranges and Southern Alps behind. Breathtaking as it is it would possibly be even more so in winter when the river is full and the snow is covering the mountains. You get a real sense of the vast, remote and rugged beauty of the high country.

Methven to Sharplin Falls

Tuesday we woke to a cold, drizzly morning and we left our gorge camping ground to drive down the road to Methven, quite a small village but probably humming in winter during the ski season. The helpful lady in the Isite (who was flying up to Mount Maunganui the next day to spend Christmas with her son and his family!) made some good suggestions about where to walk and camp. I was searching fo a haircut (over 2 months since my last one in Wanganui and feeling very straggly) and was directed to Kristy who works from home. She has one of the iconic baches at Lake Clearwater which has a long drop toilet and solar panels and we happened to be heading there the next day.
So Tuesday afternoon we played golf at Methven in the drizzly rain but there was no wind and it was a quiet pleasant parklike course without all the challenges of Terrace Downs. We were able to stay the night in the carpark.
Wednesday we were on the road again passing through Stavely, where Lynda Topp of the Topp Twins has a luxury B&B with her partner, to Sharplin Falls. On the way through the trees I noticed that our radio aerial was pointing forward - it didn't want to be straightened so now it is out and I'm keen to use one of my coat hangers but haven't yet got consent!

Spot the naturalist

Sharplin Falls

Sharplin Falls track is well-formed and beautiful with a rain forest feel and swathes of fresh, lush ferns. Quite a lot of steps but easily done in the 3/4 hour up that is indicated on the sign. There was a twin waterfall around a big rock and a little swimming hole - definitely a great walk to do.

Rakaia Gorge and Terrace Downs golf

Sunday was another sunny, warm day and we did the 4 hour return Rakaia Gorge walk in the morning. It is a superb tramp running in and out of bush, kowhai, cabbages trees, the pleasant scent of elderflower, pittosporums and other natives and undulating along and above the azure river - such spectacular views and we took so many photos as it was all so beautiful. There was the odd fisherman seeking his quota of salmon or trout and we could hear intermittent gunshots from Terrace Downs above us where you can go clay pigeon shooting as well as play golf. We were able to look into the entrances of some old coalmines on the way and were overtaken at times by the jet boat taking thrillseekers up the river.

Rakaia Gorge(ous)

19th century Snowdon coalmine entrance

Today, as Len mentioned in the last blog, we played golf at Terrace Downs resort which is an international standard course with all the confronting bunkers (70) and lakes (11) that go with that as well as large accommodation lodges surrounding parts of the course. It's pretty interesting with snow capped Mount Hutt as a back drop and also very challenging even without the gale force winds that we experienced today. It is known to be windy a lot of the time and it's easy to see why there is a little place down the road called Windwhistle! It was often hard to even stand up let alone keep the ball on the tee so everything considered we were reasonably happy with our games despite my score being the highest I have had for a while. Unlike some others we only lost 3 balls between us!

10th tee to green

We didn't finish playing until 6.30 so have returned to the nice clean camp at Rakaia Gorge for our 3rd night and will head onto Methven which is about 20km down the road tomorrow.

Tai Tapu to Rakaia Gorge

After the nights sleep at Tai Tapu Golf Club, we drove on to Lincoln where we started to get into the Xmas spirit and bought some mince pies and a Christmas cake from an award winning bakery. These are now stored in the "not to be opened 'til Xmas" cupboard.

After another stop in Rolleston for fuel for us and Debussy we continued on to Weedons and played another 18 holes at the Weedons Country Club. Three rounds in 3 days were starting to take their toll by the end and we both felt like a lie down, so it was a couple of Ks down the road to the NZMCA camp ground where we had stayed prior to the Banks Peninsula soiree.

Today, Saturday, after doing some washing, water filling and waste dumping, we drove to Darfield, the town closest to the epicentre of the big quake. Trish noticed that the local butcher was selling West Coast whitebait for $20 per 250g and couldn't resist such a good deal. The same price we paid at Waikanae direct from the fisherman!
I asked the butcher if there had been much damage in Darfield and he pointed to the trays of free range eggs on his counter and said that he didn't lose 1 egg! However there was a lot of damage further out, especially close to the rivers.

Next stop Terrace Downs golf resort for a look see. We had a beer each and took in the view of the well manicured course which boasts 11 lakes and 70 bunkers. With green fees of $135 and carts at $50 we thought it a bit expensive. Trish did offer to caddy for me and we could treat it as my Xmas present. Checking out the fees in the ProShop, we were told that there are often good deals via the net. Sure enough we've booked to play on Monday for $30 each!!

View from Debussy

We are now camped at the Rakaia Gorge camp site with a great view of the river and I'm just filling in time while Trish is slaving over a hot stove!!
The steak's smelling goood -L

Wainui Bay and Tai Tapu

After an early morning walk along the beach we headed over the hill by the direct route to Duvauchelle, the little settlement where the Akaroa Golf Course is. We had a round on their slopey, creek-crossed, interesting course and didn't play too badly for all the hazards.

Number 8 tee

Afterwards we met up with 3 of the last ladies to leave from their morning competition and found that we had just missed meeting the sister of George, the long-serving barman/ handyman at Omanu, who was actually the very first person we met when we started playing there. We didn't know he had a sister here or that his family ran the local Post Office many years ago!
After golf we headed out past French Farm to Wainui Bay where we could just park up on the beach picnic area for the night. A pretty spot with views of the Harbour entrance and Akaroa across the other side. It was nice listening to the gentle wavelets breaking on the beach and big stones.

Wainui Bay

Today (Thursday) we trundled on to Tai Tapu, a tiny place 6 km from Lincoln with a popular Cafe where we only bought some milk and an icecream each as we had already had lunch in the gourmet "Cafe Debussy". We drove to the Tai Tapu golf course round the corner and played yet another round on their flat, park-like 9 holer. They are happy for is to stay overnight in the carpark although they will lock us in.

Akaroa

Akaroa harbour (cruise ship in background)

We arrived in Akaroa, population only 850, mid afternoon and the temperature was sitting at about 30 - very hot. Sunny, picturesque village with French influences, nestled below the hills and looking out over a beautiful harbour with little boats as well as the arrival of a cruise ship this morning.

Cooling down with a cold Raddler

We wandered through the village and the park, had a beer to cool us down in Bully Hayes Bar and were told at the info centre that we could get away with parking in the big area between the Recreation Ground and the waterfront for one night which is what we have done. 3 others doing the same.

View from Ma Maison restaurant

Our guide book said that fish and chips on the waterfront were a must-do but unfortunately the only fish and chip shop in the village has burnt down so we opted to have them in Ma Maison with lovely views over their outdoor seating, white roses, green lawn and pretty harbour. Very fitting with the French name and 2 of the front staff being French in a village with French street names and other French settler influences.

Okains Bay

When we woke on Monday there was already a Cruise Ship in the harbour - the village will have been busy all day - time for us to move on.
The sun was shining and it was a perfect day for taking the tourist scenic route, high in the hills and then over the other side to Okains Bay, a popular summer camping destination. I was forced to confront my fear of heights associated with big views and a bus on a narrow steep road yet again and wonder why I had allowed myself to get in that position but it wasn't nearly as bad as in Italy where, going up a steep hairpin road for a long time in our motorhome, I'd had to retreat to the back and lie with the duvet over my head to allow Len to drive in peace! In comparison this was simple.

Taken on day 2 (the cold one!)

I was imagining that Okains Bay would have lots of little beach baches but no, there is just the odd farmhouse, although there is a little store, school and a Maori & Colonial Museum about a km or so from the beach. The bay itself is quite deeply inset providing safe swimming and has a lagoon at one end, fed by a stream. There is a huge basic camping ground amongst the pine trees lining the bay - any water has to be boiled but at least we are carrying plenty of that.

The hot one (day, that is!)

Self portrait

It was such a beautiful day that we lay on the beach when we got here and had our first SWIM for the summer! The waves were little but we still managed to body surf a few so it was great! We decided to stay another night and do the same today but it has gone back to winter and we have all our clothing layers on again - unbelievable!
So instead we did a bike ride around the valley, walked around a track to Little Okains Bay and visited the Museum - a huge collection of mainly Maori artefacts and all the work of one man. It astounds us that such a collection is in such a tiny place.
We met up with a French tourist in the kitchen who said she has seen us in the bus with the bikes on the front at several spots in the South Island. They will be here for about 5 months too so no doubt we will come across each other again.
Tomorrow we will head back over the hill by more of a direct route to Duvauchelle, the little settlement which is home to the Akaroa Golf Course and where we should once again have internet and phone reception.

Banks Peninsula

Saturday we drove a few km to Rolleston which has quite a lot of post-earthquake new house building going on. We stocked up on groceries, fuses and essential bus tools.
Then we were on the road to Banks Peninsula in the sunshine after that freezing cold night.
We stopped enroute at the Waihora Park Reserve which had been recommended to us as a good low cost place to stay. We just had a coffee there and Len had another chance to lie under the bus, dirty more clothes and continue investigations for why our water pump had started working spasmodically before totally dying. Which had meant that we were having to carry lots of extra water on board. Anyway, this time SUCCESS! Sooo exciting - you don't realise how important a water pump is until you haven't got one. In the end Len had found the culprit fuse, hidden away in the engine compartment, where you would apparently least expect to find one. So if anyone wants some big containers of water we have plenty to spare.
I'm almost wanting to start doing a review of toilets for tourists - some are great as they are clean, have paper and may have antiseptic dispensers for toilet seats as well as hands; others are middle-of-the-road but others are just disgusting. Well the toilets at Waihora Park come into the disgusting category although they did have slimy toilet paper. I don't think the toilet bowls had seen any kind of brush or cleaner in the 30 years they had probably been there and what excuse can there be especially as they have an onsite caretaker who collects the fees for campers who stay.
Moving on - - - - - - - -!
With "pump" smiles on our faces we drove on to Little River where we wandered through the arty galleries and where I couldn't resist buying myself a little white milk jug with personality as an early Christmas present. I don't need it in the bus of course but I have been wanting one for home! The lady in the Info Centre told us it would be fine for us to stop for the night in a nice little parking area at Catons Bay by Lake Forsyth, with black swans and ducks, and next to the rail bike trail which we were planning to do the next day. That was great as our little book said no camping for that area. We felt very conspicuous as it is right by the main road and we were the only ones there before dark although when I was woken by the roosters at 4.00am I found there was another little van tucked away.

It was another nice sunny day on Sunday and we hopped on our bikes to do the Banks Peninsula Rail Trail as far as Kaituna Quarry which had a tourist long drop which Len reports was a very short, smelly drop with no paper (always pays to take your own).
We diverted to Birdlings Flat on the way which is a stony beach known for it's many gemstones - too dangerous to swim at and over the years the stones washed up from the southern rivers have created a long spit called Kaitorete closing off an area of water known as Lake Ellesmere - polluted and unswimmable but with quite a large bird population.
We dug into the stones on the beach to find some pretty gems before visiting Vince Burkes private Gemstone and Fossil Museum which he has at his house close to the beach. What an awesome collection he has - he said it won't be the biggest collection in NZ but is probably the biggest collection on display. They go fossicking up rivers every week and I think I can understand how passionate you could become always trying to find something even better.
The bike trail itself was quite gravelly which will help prepare us for the Otago Rail Trail and almost boring with long straight sections. I felt a little angry to see 5 dead sheep in varying places close to the trail and smell the stench of a couple of others that we couldn't see. Another letter is needed!

Christchurch

Wednesday turned out to be very hot at 30° and by the time we got to our friends, Helen and Bill's, house the wind had also died down. We could have cooled off in their pool but somehow ended up happy enough to watch their grandson, Leo, enjoy it.
It is always good to catch up with H& B again - the last time was at our place in February, before that in Auckland and then last year in France when we stayed with them just out of Carcasonne for a few days.

On Thursday they dropped us off in the CBD so we could see the earthquake damage for ourselves. Everyone asks how we found it and it is so hard to describe - firstly it is like the aftermath of a war zone where bombs have just been dropped into what was a populated area. Now it is a derelict, ruined wasteland with only a few people, like us about, holding their cameras and feeling this surreal "end of the world", apocalypse like emotion. I couldn't really recognise the area at all - there are vast barren areas where some buildings have been cleared, mounds of rubble and many broken buildings just waiting to tumble. There was an eerie stillness, cranes on the skyline but very few workmen about and lots of parking spaces all around the fenced off red zone area. One of the few buildings still standing in this area is the former Old Post Office which is now a large, licensed coffee bar called C1, next to Alices Cinematique, which seemed to be quite busy.
They have opened up the roof via a spiral staircase for viewing the damage and the vineyard from which they buy their wine has planted some vines up there around the edge of a seating area so once I recovered from the dizziness of getting up there we were once again able to see the utter devastation of Christchurch's heart.
It was light relief to be able to enjoy the quirkiness of C1 - they have an old treadle sewing machine which has been converted into a water dispenser, the pouring being activated by just "turning the wheel" and the water coming up from under the floor by an inconspicuous pipe. Access to the toilet was also an adventure - as you approached a bookcase it slid silently to the left to let you through. I feel that there were probably other things that we missed while we were busy enjoying our coffee and savoury muffin.
Last night we took the bus to the "self containment inspector" as our certificate falls due this month - no problems there and we are now legal for another 2 years.
We had another relaxing night at Helen and Bills and this morning moved on to Burnham, to get our Electrical WOF, which again was no problem and we are now up to date with everything! Just a small matter of our water pump playing up now - sometimes works, sometimes doesn't, but Len is confident he has the skills to fix it.
From Burnham we were going to drive out to Banks Peninsula but there is heavy rain and the temperature has dropped to about 8-9° (from 30° 2 days ago) and we were absolutely frozen until we dressed as though we are going skiing and wrapped ourselves in the sleeping bags! Instead of being on the road too long we have stopped at the NZMCA camp at Weedons, south of ChCh. There are about 50 other motorhomes here but everyone is staying indoors to try and keep warm, except for the man in the neighbouring bus who visited to sell us some LED bulbs which use a lot less power than our halogens.
The sky is starting to clear and we are warming up - I think we'll have a sunny day tomorrow!

Everglades & Windsor golf, Christchurch

Wednesday 5th November
A mechanic in a little quiet garage in Ouruhia, down the road from "Mousehole" put in a new house battery alternator belt on Monday so that was great - all the squeaky noises have gone once again. We spent an hour or so down at Spencer Park beach again while waiting for the belt to come from Christchurch and then once it was fixed we decided we had time to place a round of golf up the road at Everglades 9 hole course where I finally managed to break 100 with 99 for 18 holes. It was a nice feeling even though it was a short, flat easy course. We stayed the night at the club even though there was no-one about to get permission from and were away before the 9 hole ladies started in the morning.
After dumping the grey waste and doing a bit of shopping we made the mistake of heading to another golf course, this time the Windsor Course out at Marshland. It is interesting, but difficult with lots of bunkers (and I found many) and very fast greens especially compared with all the little country courses we have been playing on. It was a real challenge and naturally I went from my best score ever to one of my worst ever (which is what happens at golf - except for Len who is much steadier then me - if he starts badly he can usually turn it round by the 2nd nine).
Anyway we stayed the night in the carpark here, with permission, and on waking I decided that the best option for me was to "get back on the horse" again to try and forget my dog of a game so out we went early this morning before the men got started. And even though I still found a couple of bunkers I did do some better shots so hopefully confidence is restored for next time!
This afternoon we are heading to our friends, Helen (who I flatted with in Dunedin at Physio School) and Bill's house, in Christchurch where we will have a lovely catch-up for a night or 2. They have had a lot of earthquake damage (big chimneys down, lots of cracks and uneven floors etc) and are still waiting for some action towards fixing it. They are amazing how they are coping with it all.
We have had a lovely warm summers morning depite the weather forecast saying we would have gale force winds which, as I write, have just suddenly started. Time to get to our next destination to avoid being blown over I think!

Mousehole, Ouruhia & Christchurch North

Sunday 2nd December
Yesterday we headed in the direction of Kaiapoi as planned but we were only a km or two down the road when one of our 4 belts on the bus broke - luckily it was the house battery alternator belt which we can do without when driving but it means our house battery doesn't get charged up (except by the solar panel). Unluckily, it is the same belt we had replaced in Otorohanga about 2,000 kms ago so we think that there must be some misalignment of the pulleys for this to have happened again. We hope to find a good mechanic somewhere tomorrow (Monday) to get it sorted. in the meantime we need lots of sun, which we have, (in the 20s this morning already) or electrical connection to watch TV/ use lights etc.
We did carry on to Kaiapoi and arranged to stay in the Kaiapoi Club carpark but not long after parking and having a walk around the area we didn't feel that comfortable. They had just had a carnival through the town and there were already a few groups of drunken youths about. Also the earthquake damage was rather unsettling - Kaiapoi was badly hit and there was a huge, wide crack in the carpark we were on. They had filled it in with stones and gravel but it was still very obvious and the Club itself, which looked quite new needs extensive repairs in part of it. The people we have talked to down here have been, and still are, severely traumatised and no-one would want to be in their shoes. So many people still waiting, 2 years down the track, for their homes to be repaired. A couple we met at Amberley Camping Ground have $600,000 worth of repairs to do and will be living in their caravan for 6 months while this is done but at this point the insurance company is still being difficult.

What a whopper!

We decided against staying in Kaiapoi after all and moved on to a POP called Mousehole - a 3 hectare chestnut orchard at Ouruhia a few kms closer to central Christchurch. It's a very tranquil spot and is nice to be parked amongst the trees. There are another 7-8 caravans/motorhomes here, some of them belonging to people from Christchurch whose houses are too damaged to live in. There is a famiy of 5 in one of the hugest "buses" we have seen.
The youngest girl in the family (?about 8) told me they were having it built when the big earthquake struck and so have been living in it for 2 years. They have just spent 6 months in Tauranga and plan to stay at the orchard for a couple of months - they are home- schooled.
We are parked out at the beach area of Spencer Park where the air is a little cooler, and have just had a good walk beside the sea which is quite busy with surfers and the Surf Lifesaving juniors practising. It's going to be togs-on now and back to the beach - it is such a scorching day but so far have only dabbled my toes in the water. It still feels pretty cold but you never know! After the beach we will probably head back to our "mousehole" and watch the delayed rugby, All Blacks vs England, which we don't know the result of yet but I guess one of us will be happy and the other sad!

30° high for Christchurch today

STOP PRESS: Len happy, Trish less so!

Hanmer to Hurunui

Wednesday 28th November

Tuesday we left the Top 10 Campsite, feeling very clean, and did the Conical Hill walk through Pine Forests for a good view of Hanmer and the surrounding mountains. We met up again with a couple , he from Austria and she from Korea, who Len had talked to at Marble Hill. They are here, travelling round for 2 years, and hope to get residency.

View from Conical Hill top

After lunch we went to the Hot Springs for which we had been given a 2 for 1 voucher by some other campers so it only cost us $18 for as long as you want in the various pools. So we had a very relaxing couple of hours moving from pool to pool - some placid pools, some therapeutic with good strong jets and of course the smelly sulphur pools - all great. The temperatures over all the pools range from 35 - 42 but we also had a swim in the tepid laned pool. It was a little cloudy overhead so we found it cold when walking between the pools - we just had to make sure that we kept drinking lots of water while we stayed in them!
Afterwards we enjoyed a hydrating glass of Montieths at the Monteiths Bar & Cafe before driving back to the NZMCA camp just south of Hanmer - our 3rd night there. We had a great sleep after the pools as we were so relaxed! And I hadn't even felt the need for that massage I had been promising myself! Will just save it up for another time!
Today we drove through the lovely valley by the turquoise Waiau river to the Amuri Golf Course which is just north of Rotherham and played 18 holes on their 9 hole course - they do have different tees for the second nine however. Again, the course is in a basin surrounded by the distant mountains - the scenery is so awesome down here. The Amuri Club only has about 60 members and you wonder how the courses survive - the fairways were a little like a cut hay paddock but the greens were springy and manageable.
The land is very dry all around this area, virtually ever since we left Nelson. There is vast sprinkler irrigation everywhere and the paddocks that aren't irrigated are really just dry stalks, like the golf course fairways. And its not even summer yet although we have had some lovely hot days recently.

Relaxing after a long drive (22km)!

Since the golf, where again we saw not a soul, we have moved on to the Balmoral Recreation Reserve, just out of Hurunui - it is a huge treed area fairly close to the river with space for 100s of campers.
There are probably only about 6 vehicles here (miles away from us) at the moment but apparently they do get busy over the holidays. Just $5 for a family to stay and there are toilets and fresh water.
We had a walk down to the river and linked up with a young guy, with dreads and barefeet, and one of his dogs. (He has two). He has "been on the road" for 15 years so maybe he's in his late 30s - he "lives off the land", no benefit, and has always just walked the South Island with his dogs which he loves. Two years ago he was given a malnourished "5 year old gelding" which turned out to be a 3 year old stallion and it is now in good condition, as we found when we met up with it at the river where he has been staying the last few days. He showed us the good swimming hole a bit further up the river but we're not quite sure yet if we'll do that! The water felt a little nippy! Anyway "Indiana Jones" now travels with his horse and 2 dogs. Last week he gave horse rides at the local A&P show and was rapt because he made $50 and was able to get a lot of apples for himself and the horse. I just so wish that I had had my camera with me - these different moments are quite special and we would so much like to know more about his background and what happened in his life that he ended up on the road. Perhaps we will meet up with him again tomorrow and I can get that precious photo!

Len has made a delicious chilli mince and nacho dish so it's now time to eat!

Hamner Springs

Monday 26th November

I think Sunday was our first real day of just "blobbing out" in the last 2 months - we enjoyed just staying on site at the NZMCA camp just out of Hanmer Springs, catching up with the reading and the puzzles in the Listener and some magazines we had been given. Len did his bit for the roadie community by helping Gaylene and Brian from Paeroa, who live in their caravan, set up Skype so they can talk to family.
Today we drove into Hanmer Springs which is really just down the road and played golf at their nice flat course which has a spectacular backdrop of mountains all around, some still with some snow on their tips. I played one of my best 2nd nine scoring 48 so was very happy wth that!

Waiting fo T to take her shot and she took this one instead!

Trish's tee shot at the 17th landed in their pond!

After golf we came to the Top 10 Holiday Park as we felt like a good shower and we needed to "dump" and fill up with water + do some washing which is already dry.
We have just had a lovely dinner out at Whatever Restaurant, thanks to my special friends at home (you know who you are!) who gave me a very generous restaurant card for my birthday. (And we still have some credit left for the next dinner treat!) Len enjoyed his twice cooked pork belly and I had a nice fillet steak with mushrooms, all washed down with a superb Aussie Shiraz - thanks all!

En-route to Hanmer Springs

Saturday 24th November

Start of St James Walkway at Lewis Pass

We woke to another beautiful sunny day at our Marble Hill campsite and continued east on the Lewis Pass stopping at the car park for the western end of the St James Walkway which we heard was the longest tramp in NZ at 66km and 5 huts. We had decided to do the 1st day of this, up the Cannibal Gorge, along the Maruia River, to the first hut and back, which would take up to 7 hours - probably less for us with Len just having a day pack and, spoilt me, none at all.
We loved the beginning of the walk near the carpark - so much lichen hanging from all the beech trees and so still - it just looked like a magical fairyland and we felt quite awestruck. Such a pity that our little camera can't truly depict the same sight and feeling.

The walk is described as being a relatively easy one for trampers but it was quite steep and zigzaggy going down into and out of the gorge and in one place, before we got to the swing bridge, the track had virtually disappeared from a past avalanche which, with no snow, looks like a stony landslide. If you're bothered by heights, like me, you have to concentrate on being really careful not to slide down the stony cliff. DOC had thankfully fastened a rope to hold on to for negotiating the missing path and I was very pleased not be carrying a big pack. It felt much worse than the photo!

What you don't see is the big drop into gorge on left.

Parts of the walk we enjoyed and parts were tricky and I think we were quite tired still from yesterday's walk so after about 1.5 hrs (about halfway) we stopped for lunch and made the decision to turn back so we wouldn't be to tired for negotiating the tricky bits on the way home! On our return we met 2 large group of trampers, the first group being students from Aussie and the next group from Christchurch. They were all doing the 5 day tramp and some of them were finding it quite hard too!

A cup of coffee and a little siesta and we were on our way again having decided that we were ready for some cycling country after all the walking. We have had a little glimpse of Hanmer and are now camped a few km south in the NZMCA Park which we will use as our base for exploring and enjoying Hanmer Springs - I think a massage is a must and as we are allowed to stay in this camp for 3 nights we may make the most of it and stay for the whole 3.

Lewis Pass Day 1

Friday 23rd November

We left Camp Murchison about 10.00am after dumping the waste and filling up with fresh water - an essential as we know that the water around the Lewis Pass area, where we will be for the next few days, is non- potable without boiling first and one doesn't want a contaminated tank! It was a nice drive through the valley to Springs Junction and then on to the Lewis Pass road. We are parked at the Marble Hill DOC Camp which has been recommended to us by a couple of people - there are a lot of parking areas off to each side of a long gravel driveway to the river, so you can be amongst the trees or in the open. We can only see a couple of others in the distance from where we are parked which is right beside a sign saying "Alpine Fault Line"! We trust we are not linked up with Mt Tongariro and all will be calm tonight.

Guess who!

At 1.00pm after lunch we decided to do the 5-6 hour return walk up to Lake Daniells which goes from here and it is one of the walks in our book. It was a great walk, mostly along the Alfred River and whenever it left the river there were lots of little streams and waterfalls so there was always the soothing sound of running or rushing water to be heard.
The track is well formed with lots of boardwalks over the muddy areas and it passes through beech forests with a medieval feel created by the huge carpets of moss covering the ground and the trees.

Must use a different hat!

Lake Daniells

Lake Daniells itself is very peaceful and has a jetty running out into it (for what we don't know). Although there is a DOC hut there the track doesn't carry on any further. The return trip took us only 4.5 hrs but we do run the odd downhill bit and I think we are getting fitter by the day. We didn't come across anyone else throughout the walk and even the mozzies stayed away from us - they defintely don't seem to like our special detol/babyoil mix! The track was our favourite so far of all the walks we have done from the book.