Our Adventure

Another day, another problem with our van! Last night just before we made it to our campsite we realised that our left back indicator wasn't working again. After going about our morning routine and packing up to leave we headed to Supercheap Auto in Blenheim to have to bulb checked. It's so lucky they actually have one of these stores here. It turned out the bulb wasn't the issue so we needed to visit an electrician. We rung all the auto electricians listed in Blenheim in our handbook but unfortunately no one could see us until a few days time or this afternoon. Knowing Picton is 25 minutes away north, as long as you drive on the highway not down the road we did yesterday, we called one there who was able to have a look at it as soon as we could arrive. They discovered that because the van is used to sleep in, condensation had corroded the metal plate where the bulbs sit so the electricity wasn't able to pass through efficiently. I have no idea what they did but after 45 minutes or so they'd managed to fix it and charged the cost straight to Tui Campers so we didn't have to pay for anything upfront which was a bonus. While we were sat there I noticed a large white wooden cross halfway up the hill in front of us. The mechanic told us that some 30 years or so ago a pilot in a single person plane died from crashing into the hill after heavy fog suddenly descended. He knew all about it because he said he's asked daily about the cross so had to research into the story. It was such a tragic tale. With our van all fixed we headed back down towards Blenheim where we visited a supermarket to get enough food to last us the rest of our road trip. After checking the highway to Kairkoura was open we began our journey south, slowly making our way back towards our home away from home. Sections of the highway were pretty much destroyed in the November 2016 earthquake and the road only reopened this year but with on going roadworks and lots of one lane sections. It was a stunning road to drive down and the waits at traffic lights were actually welcomed because you got to sit and admire the scenery around you that still looked breathtaking even after such devastation. One of the best parts was seeing hundreds of fur seals on the rocks to the left of the road that line the shore. It's so reassuring and pleasing to see that despite the changes in the environment these animals have made their way back here to use this area as their home once more. Because of the roadworks you couldn't pull in anywhere for a closer look at the seals but that made it even more special and positive that these animals were getting to have a break from tourists pestering them, almost giving them time to move on from what happened here as well. New Zealand is a country of outstanding natural beauty but it's beauty that has been created by the two tectonic plates it sits on and seeing this earthquake damage first hand is a clear reminder of the price you pay for that. After you reach the end of the roadworks the road bends around to the right and suddenly you are treated to the most spectualar view of the snow capped Southern Alps which had such a breathtaking impact. It was then that we both felt we were one step closer to our little area of the country we've become so accustomed to, where we get to see these insane mountains everyday. We made it to Kairkoura and after visiting the visitor centre we booked to go on a whale watch tour tomorrow and planned a walk to do on the next day. Knowing we were spending two nights here we stayed at the Top10 site and are quite content knowing tomorrow we can just leave the van here and walk everywhere for the day. We had even planned to out to a live music bar this evening but unfortunately I had a headache start to kick in and I really didn't want it to get any worse especially for our trip tomorrow. I'm so excited to hopefully see whales tomorrow and it definitely makes up for another day of getting our van fixed!Okumaya devam et

Turns out Gisborne isn't that exciting. We had a brief look around a farmers market and the city centre before deciding to head out into the country side to see some waterfalls. We drove down a very picturesque road through farmland all the way to Rere Falls. It was a much longer drive than we expected but it was definitely worth it. On route we passed some calves on the road and a couple of cows as well. We couldn't find anyone around nor where they had come from so tried to ring the council to report it but couldn't get signal. We decided if they were still there on the way back we'd call up when we were back nearer town. We've seen many signs with numbers to call about wandering stock and every council seems to have a number for this issue. The waterfall wasn't very tall but what it lacked in height it made up for in width and power. You can actually walk behind the waterfall but we didn't fancy getting wet so early on in the day. Our next stop was further up Rere river at a more sloped waterfall. This one is renowned as a natural water slide because the water has smoothed off the rocks. Many people come here and body board down it and we've even heard of people going down on blow up mattresses. On Campermate many people on reviews said there were often body boards left to be used but unfortunately there were none there when we went. A group of students were there filming some kind of video so we just had a walk around the area to look around before trying to decide if we wanted to actually give this a go. I really really wanted to do it, Nick wasn't so sure but eventually decided to try. We had lunch and got changed into costumes and extra layers before deciding our yoga mat is the only usable thing we have to act as a body board. When the children had left and we had it to ourselves we headed down. Because I was the most keen I was up first and with Nick at the bottom ready to take a video I edged my way across the top of the slippery slope. My golly gosh was it freezing, like blisteringly cold freezing. I had to just bend over and tense up at one point because it was so cold on my feet. I persevered and made it to the left hand side which looked much smoother. Only then did I notice the rocks have quite large dips in them. I climbed down the side of the water and saw they were very deep and I felt our little yoga mat wouldn't skim over them but would nose dive into them sending me flying. I tried to edge out onto the slope below the most major of the dips still clinging onto the green mat but the water was so powerful that it was spraying off my foot halfway up my body. I couldn't do it I determined and after ten minutes of inching all around the place we called it a day and headed back to the van to get warm feet. Socks felt so amazing on my freshly swollen feet! On our way back the cows and calves were still on the road so as soon as I got signal I called up to let the council know. We decided to drive down to Napier which is at the other end of Hawkes Bay. It was a good few of hours of driving and I had a little nap on route but we did share the driving. We arrived in Napier at about 6pm and managed to get a spot at the second freedom camping spot we visited. We are right by the ocean so we get to fall asleep to the sound of the waves tonight.Okumaya devam et