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New Zealand and Oz 2023-2024New Zealand and Oz 2023-2024
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New Zealand and Oz 2023-2024

November 2023 - March 2024
A 149-day adventure by Vanessa Read more
  • 17footprints
  • 1countries
  • 149days
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  • TravelerNew Zealand and Oz 2023-2024
    Day 3

    Christchurch

    November 3, 2023, Tasman Sea ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    After a night at the Premier Inn Glasgow and brief stop at the Ibis Budget hotel Melbourne with three delayed flights we arrived in Christchurch after a thirty seven hours. Wet and overcast on arrival at Christchurch but only for one day. Holed up in an Airbnb for two nights to get over the jet lag. Mike was in Queenstown. Spent the next few days getting the van sorted., bike rack, decals and awning rail plus a good clean.
    Then onto our Russel and Jenni’s POP Mousehole where we stayed for two months last year. There are some permanents there now. People don’t have static caravans they have converted buses. Just as nice though, a sweet chestnut orchard with resident Pukekos. Thirteen outside our van when we woke up. The babies are just balls of back fluff. Noisy little buggers though!
    Trip down to Sumner, watched a children’s surfing competition. The Spring flowers are exceptionally good this year, lots a weird and wonderful things blooming.    Read more

  • TravelerNew Zealand and Oz 2023-2024
    Day 10–12

    Akaroa

    November 10, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Went to the Banks peninsula for the weekend. The area is an huge volcanic basin that has access to the sea. Freedom camped in Akaroa for two nights next to the croquet club. Akaroa lovely little town settled by French migrants 100 yrs ago. Bakery does great baguettes. Spent a couple of hours at the Giants House an internationally recognised garden. Created by artist Josie Martin who also trained in horticulture. It is an assault on the senses. Fabulous colour scheme with amazing plantings. Even Steve was impressed!
    Mike came down in the afternoon with friends Wayne and Mel visiting from Oz.
    Steve managed to get burnt, he will never learn, no hat or sun cream. To be fair it was only 14 degrees but the sun was fierce even though the breeze was cool.    Read more

  • TravelerNew Zealand and Oz 2023-2024
    Day 12–14

    Okains Bay

    November 12, 2023 in New Zealand

    Spent a couple of nights at Okains Bay campground about 25 km from Akaroa. Very steep winding roads in and out. Just a handful of houses, one store and a small museum but very popular with families at weekends and holidays. Very safe swimming, the flat sandy bay never gets very deep even at high tide.
    Only a handful of campers whilst we were there. Very relaxing and weather was great!
    Did a walk along the coast to Little Okains Bay. Never saw another soul in nearly two hours walking.
    Visited Little Akalola Bay on the way back to Christchurch. Roads +++ winding and steep but beautiful place to live.    Read more

  • TravelerNew Zealand and Oz 2023-2024
    Day 17–19

    My birthday and Hunanui river

    November 17, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    Well it was my 69th birthday. Booked a first table at the fine dinning restaurant in the arts centre in Christchurch which turned out to be owned by Chillingworth St restaurant where we have been before. Food is first class. The waiter was lovely and brought me a birthday cake at the end of the meal. Then onto One Shot owned by Two Thumbs a company we have shares in. A different sort of bar you can play computer games as you enjoy a drink or meal. First time I I have played Mario. Came twelve out of twelve for the first ten or so racers then Mike explained a few things and came sixth on the next race. Delighted!!! Could be quite addictive though!!
    On Saturday we went back to the place we spent our first night ever in our camper van. A place next to the Hurunui river where someone has created a garden. That was after having lunch on Amberley beach. Steve was going to fish but it was just too windy. Then onto the river where we did some off-roading. Got stuck twice but Mikes van has a winch so was able to use convenient trees to haul us out. I was a complete coward and jumped out when the water came in over the sills. Waded for dry ground. Great fun though! Campfire at night on the side of the Hurunui river, no one else there.
    Tried surf fishing the next day but no luck.    Read more

  • TravelerNew Zealand and Oz 2023-2024
    Day 26

    Christchurch and beyond

    November 26, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    Stuck in and around Christchurch trying to solve the canopy problem. Ordered a c rail but 17-14 day delivery (this is not the uk).
    Table tennis brilliant here could play Tues to Fri if we wanted to.
    Spent a couple of nights at a beautiful little campground on the way to Arthur’s pass. (Kuwaiti Pass domain,Springfield). Chance to get showers and do the washing. Old cricket pavilion turned into a very comfortable lounge with kitchen and dining table and loads of toys for kids. Played tennis, all equipment provided. All for £8.00 per night.
    At last the c rail arrived . Took us four and half hours to fit but pleased with result. And then we were off.
    Two hours drive to Timaru. Lucy text to say there was a serious fire on the outskirts of Perth. They had been told to evacuate. She grabbed the kids, met Allan at the airport, he had been working away and they booked into a motel one and half hours away as everywhere in Perth was full. For a few days they were not sure if they would have a home to go back to as the wind kept changing direction. The poor fire service struggled to get it under control. Eighteen houses lost but luckily no lives. What a welcome to OZ!!!
    We parked on a freedom camp in Timaru, right next to where the little blue penguins nest. We had ,had a tip off as to the best place to watch them returning as it got dark.
    Only eight or so feet from the nest we watched the male taking fresh bedding in and then making quite a racket as he called his partner. There were about Sixty or seventy people watching this dwindled to only three as the night wore on. The warden explained that the nest I was standing next to had a female who was always last to return. Waited until ten thirty but was frozen by then so never did see the homecoming. Very disappointed, will have to come back another time.    Read more

  • TravelerNew Zealand and Oz 2023-2024
    Day 27

    Timaru to Twizel

    November 27, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Heading towards Twizel we stopped at Tekapo. The Russell Lupins are out and line the sides of the roads and can be seen in huge swathes in friends and along water courses. Beautiful!
    Have been to Tekapo before. Decided to climb Mt John again, up to the observatory where there is a cafe which sells wonderful GF banana loaf. The walk up takes about an hour but is quite steep is really hard and on the legs both going up and coming down but the view from the top is one of the best in NZ. You can see Mt Cook the highest peak in NZ at 12,354 and many others too. Not to mention the wonderfully blue Lake Tekapo.
    Overnight at the Combined Services Club in Twizel. Like many of the clubs you can stay in their car park or in this case a quiet grassy area at the back of the club. had a meal and a drink and entered their raffles. People were very pleasant and welcoming.
    Next morning we set off to Mt Cook village where we had booked a trip to the Tasman glacier. Met the others on the trip at the Hermitage hotel. What a place! Would loved to have been staying there.
    The hotel has a museum dedicated to Sir Edmund Hillary. He did much of his training here before he attempted Everest.
    The tour was great, learnt so much about glaciers. Of the 3,000 in NZ this is the largest being 23km long, we could only see 11kms. It contains 1/3 of all the ice locked into the glaciers in NZ
    About a fifteen minute bus ride, twenty minute walk and then an hour the Tasman lake.
    The weather was perfect! We could only go to within 200m of the glacier as ice sheets break off and cause tidal waves. Quite a lot of new ice broken off since the day before we were told.
    The colours in the photographs do not look real but they are spot on.    Read more

  • TravelerNew Zealand and Oz 2023-2024
    Day 29–35

    Twizel and Hooker Valley hike

    November 29, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Spent several nights on Poaki lake DOC site. Just love it here. Just a few miles from Twizel the area is criss crossed by canals but not like we know them in the UK. They are massive and are part of the hydroelectric system. Water running through these canals provide 1/3 of NZ an energy needs. One of these canals is right next to Poaki lake. Steve was able to pop up and try his hand at catching a trout or possibly a salmon, on a number of occasions but only caught a small one so had to put it back. It’s a start though. He is confident he is going to catch a good one at some point, he made me buy tartare sauce.😂
    Went back up to Mt Cook village to walk the Hooker Valley trail. I would guess the most popular walk in NZ. We arrived at 10am and the car park was already full. It’s an easy walk supposedly one and half hours each way. We did in a bit less. The weather wasn’t great when we started out but bit by the clouds lifted revealing the summit of Mt Cook. Magnificent!! Well worth the walk.
    Walking back we glad we had set out reasonably early as there were bus loads of people coming the other way including hundreds of Asian people who cannot walk twenty yards without taking at least twenty photos. Very annoying when you just want a quick snap.😜
    Spent two days on Lake Benmore. This area really is like Scotland where mostly NZ isn’t. Haven’t felt so relaxed for ages. Beautiful area, beautiful weather but as yet no trout😊    Read more

  • TravelerNew Zealand and Oz 2023-2024
    Day 32

    Twizel to Cromwell

    December 2, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    One last afternoon trying to catch a trout on Lake Benmore and then south towards Cromwell. After driving for only half an hour we did a detour to visit the Clay Cliffs. They were on private land and we had never seen this type of landscape before in NZ. Formed by erosion from wind and rain they were quite impressive.
    Then onward over the Lindis pass. The lupins were particularly abundant in this area with mile after mile lining the roadside.
    Stopped at a DOC campsite Turned off the main onto the old coach road and drove for 5km. Truly one of the nicest we have been to. The site of the Historic Lindis Pass Hotel it was bounded by a river with its banks smothered in lupins. Only one other couple camping.
    This is where I tried fishing and hit a tree three times and the water once, lost the lure🥴
    Lupins by the way were introduced from America to grow as green fertiliser but they escaped and farmers have long since stopped growing them.    Read more

  • TravelerNew Zealand and Oz 2023-2024
    Day 33

    Cromwell and back to Twizel

    December 3, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Arrived in Cromwell, you can guess what the area is famous for. Our intention was to do some of the excellent cycle tracks but they turned out to be mainly linear. Ideal for electric bikes but too far for us. So we did one of them for a way down the side of Lake Dunstan. Nineteen miles in total, beautiful but very twisty and up and down. We camped a few nights at the Recreational reserve Bannockburn. The Saltire flag was flying outside the old grocery shop.
    The names of places in this area reflects the population who settled here examples being, Ettrick, Criffel peak, Mt Cardrona, Dumbarton, Kelso, etc, etc.
    Decided to go back north to Twizel but first a visit to Clyde, a lovely little village/town at the end of Lake Dunstan. Spectacular scenery we could see the cycle route on the opposite side of the lake cut out of rock in places.
    A long day so we stopped at The Lindis Pass Hotel DOC site again.
    Spent a few more days around Twizel with another night at the Combined Services Club. Did really well on one of the quick raffles with number eight coming up three times in the same draw.😀
    More attempts to catch that elusive fish, with no luck.
    Visited Lake Ohau DOC site next to Middleton Lake. Loved it here but the challenge of catching a fish lured us back to Poaka DOC for a few more nights.    Read more

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