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Rules on the Road
  • Helen Rule
  • Helen Rule

Rules on the Road

We're retired and about to hit the road and live the dream. Read more
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  • Trip start
    February 6, 2025
    Helen RuleRules on the RoadTraveler

    06.02.2025

    February 5, 2025 in New Zealand ☁️ 14 °C

    We are officially homeless and of no fixed abode! We welcomed our tenants into our home and we are now at Lowburn freedom camping for the night. We'll have a last cuppa with Liv on the morning, keep an appointment in the afternoon then head towards Dunedin.
    It's a really strange thing to not have a 'to do' list for work or home. Every day will be one of discovery. We've both got mixed emotions..... very excited and a little apprehensive. Looking at David reclined opposite me, I'm thinking it's not going to be long before we get the hang of being retired and on the road.    Read more

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    Cromwell to Dunedin

    February 7, 2025 in New Zealand ☁️ 20 °C

    We moved into our MH on Monday 3rd Feb after our home was thoroughly cleaned. It's been a real mission to get the house ready but we welcomed our lovely tenants on Wednesday evening and hey presto we were 'of no fixed abode'. We had a couple of nights at Lowburn freedom camping site while we attended to last minute appointments and then we were gone. Had a lovely evening with Ian and Prue before moving onto Brighton via Taieri Mouth and a cuppa with Pete Green. WOW Brighton! Everywhere was packed and then some, so moved onto Wingatui raceway but foiled again..... the races were on! It's great that we're spoilt for choice.... We've ended up at the Mosgiel showgrounds which are lovely. Had a catch up with Penny and Neville then a walk around the grounds. We've woken to a cooler overcast day....a pleasant change from the intense heat of Central Otago.Read more

  • Helen RuleRules on the RoadTraveler

    Update 16-02-2025

    February 16, 2025 in New Zealand ☁️ 20 °C

    We've been busy! A new laptop purchase from Noel Leeming followed by a long walk on St Clair beach; a fabulous catch up with Jenny and Steve.....it really has been far too long....a meet up with Gerard and Sue and the smiling queen, Phoebe, at the Dunedin Botanic gardens. They're well worth a look; lovely. We had a lovely paddle at McAndrew Bay, which was just sparkling in the gorgeous sunshine, on our way to Doug and Judy's home, where spent the night. So so good to see them. We were sad to leave them. We came back into town and revisited the Dunedin railway station. It's been an age since I was last there and all the memories flooded back of all the times I was either embarking or disembarking. The thick, china cups, the pies and the grumpy faced ticket office ladies along with the guard calling to 'Stand clear' were vivid in my mind. The Sports Hall of Fame was really interesting as was the Art Gallery, both up gorgeous old, tiled stairs. We made our way back to NZMCA, Woodhaugh, where we'd already stayed for a couple of nights and after a quick cuppa explored the beautiful Woodhaugh gardens and the walking track along the Leith that is right behind the MH Park. Can't believe that I lived in the city for four years and never discovered them, perhaps my 'other' interests distracted me!!! We had a great night and meal with Marie and Ewan followed by morning coffee with Kate and Noel before David headed back to Central Otago to find his fishing mates while I stayed in Dunedin for the NZ House and Garden show. Barb, Lynne and I had a great couple of days wandering the shops, as you do, and then visiting eight of Dunedin's lovely and varied homes and gardens. This is an annual event for us that we always look forward to, just missing Heather this year. The homes were interesting from quite old to modern, up a precipice to view that one! There was something we liked or loved in all of them. This event is an annual fundraiser for Breast Cancer so well worth the entry fee and of course a girl's trip is always good! I've just had my first night MH'ing on my own as David is still fishing with his mates but we're heading to Wanaka today, when he gets back, to put the MH up on CD's hoist to see if David can sort out a wee issue with our freshwater system. Once that's done, we'll head towards Roxburgh for a MH gathering at the weekend, but first I'm hoping to play Bridge on Monday evening with my Monday Bridge friends. The weather has been fantastic throughout! It's been a sizzling summer.
    See you all next time    Read more

  • Helen RuleRules on the RoadTraveler

    01 March 2025

    March 1, 2025 in New Zealand ⛅ 24 °C

    I've got a bit of catching up to do!
    I made my way back from Dunedin to Cromwell where I met up with David again to continue our life on the road. We spent a night at Lowburn freedom camp again and then moved onto Alexandra where we spent two nights at a Park Over Property (POP) which we really like.
    The NZMCA Clutha Valley branch convened a rally at Hercules Flat between Roxburgh and Pinders Pond. Our long time friends, Ian and Prue, were the rally marshals. The theme was Western and so appropriate when you see the images I sent through the other day. Stu and Karen McKercher built a little western town, from scratch, to enhance their love of all things horse related. It was such a great weekend with a great theme song, Love in Fowl House; the McKerchers own and operate a neighbouring chook farm. Lots of practise was had and along with a dress up western on Saturday night we were assured of loads of laughs. The music was wonderful. Thanks Ian and Prue and your support team. It was a great weekend.
    We made our way to St Bathans via a night in Cromwell and the Alex POP again. We have invited friends and family to join us here to say Hi and spend a wee bit of time with us before we head out of the district. It's been such a lovely few days. Margaret and Paul, Gerad and Sue, Christine and Allan, Pip and Ken, Chris and Ian, Trish and Neil, Tui, Merv and Roger, Kate B and Liv thankyou for making the time to join us. The walking, cycling, swimming are so good here and the weather has been great. We're not sure where to from here but stay tuned and you'll find out when we do!    Read more

  • Helen RuleRules on the RoadTraveler

    ST Bathans

    March 2, 2025 in New Zealand ☀️ 19 °C

    Yesterday was such a lovely day.
    Margaret and Paul went off to the rodeo in Ranfurly...their first ever rodeo....and had a great time. After we farewelled Bob and Judith and Trish and Neil we welcomed Kate, Brandon and Olivia for the day. We explored the area. All except me, sore knees, walked the Loop track to St Bathans where I met them for a drink. Funny to look through the old albums of people climbing through the hole in the wall, at the pub, looking for familiar faces, Daniel Rule, but not spotting any! We drove out to Cambrians and found the quaintest little old settlement. The pics tell the story. We all had dinner together before the Munros headed home. A relaxing family day. Perfect!Read more

  • Helen RuleRules on the RoadTraveler
    Palmerston
    Palmerston

    5th March 2025

    March 5, 2025 in New Zealand 🌬 21 °C

    We left St Bathans with no particular plan and ended up at Ranfurly NZMCA where we sought shade. It was a HOT day. We wandered around after dinner and were surprised to find a lovely wee town. We've been here quite a few times but never explored. Discovered one of my ex-clients and had a great catch up. A real success story from a brave family. Next morning we were up and heading to Hampden for a dose of our happy place, the sea. The seal colony at Shag Point was loaded with Fur Seals. They were huge. We caught up on domestic chores, at Hampden Campground, and went for a wee paddle and a walk, but the weather changed quickly so didn't get as far as we wanted to but did get soaked! The jackets joined the laundry in our shower which we can use as a very effective drying room. We woke to a glorious morning so donned our beach shoes and walked for a couple of hours, mostly in the water. Such a lovely beach! We had a drink with friends, John and Noelene Lister, from Cromwell, last night. Good to see them
    This morning, we made our way to Oamaru via the coast road. We had a late breakfast, toasted cheese scones that David learnt how to make yesterday, at All Day Bay and of course another walk on the beach. Another picture perfect day. Tonight, we have parked up at the Elephant Rocks POP at Duntroon. Will explore in the morning. We need to watch the news tonight in case Daniel is featured after he was invited to lunch with around 20 small businesses with the Prime Minister.    Read more

  • Helen RuleRules on the RoadTraveler
    1

    6th March 2025 Elephant rocks

    March 6, 2025 in New Zealand ☀️ 16 °C

    This site needs a post of its own! We stayed at the POP, Avonlea Dairy, just out of Duntroon, last night. It's a paddock on the farm right next to the rocks. The photos speak for themselves. Loved that one was like a throne! The views are fabulous.Read more

  • Helen RuleRules on the RoadTraveler

    It's been a while!

    March 22, 2025 in New Zealand 🌙 20 °C

    Gosh it's been a while since I posted an update, but we've been busy, and I lost a week with a health glitch! SO, what have we been up to..........
    We moved on from The Elephant rocks and did a wee recce around Duntroon. There are some really interesting bits to see; the Flying Pig Cafe is very good with a lovely courtyard that has a resident roof dwelling dog. It makes its presence heard with each new customer but in a good way! The Brewery Hole, the old jail and the food swap/pay kiosk along with the wee Lilliput type library makes for a good fossick.
    We made our way to Lake Aviemore where we discovered the ins and outs of the 8-month camping pass. It's a great deal and left us impressed and also answered all queries we'd had over the years about why so many set up camp there and further along the hydro lakes. Moving on we found our way to the salmon farm where NZMCA members can park up and make like they know how to get a salmon on a line!!!!! Most wander over the bridge to the actual salmon farm and come home with a wee brown parcel of fresh salmon to prepare for dinner!
    The following day we found our way to the South Island Secondary School Rowing Champs. We loved watching the excitement and commitment from all the students and their supporters and coaches. Later that day I became unwell and long story short saw four Drs and had a trip to hospital in the space of a few days. I had a killer migraine and an anaphylactic reaction to a drug. Loads of excitement in my life. I really felt for David watching it all unfold but here we are loving life and living it. During this drama we had a night at Ohau C campsite, right beside the lake, and were surprised to see the traffic management plan in action. Big hay bales placed strategically seemed to work perfectly well!!!!
    We enjoyed catching up with Kate and Co in Cromwell where we ate cake to celebrate her birthday, albeit a bit late. Cornhole is a big deal this summer...very hot competition! We also caught up with Daniel and Co and got to wish Sarah a belated Happy Birthday too. We loved our few days with Pip and Ken at Camp Golden, in Wanaka. David was really fortunate to score a day on Lake Wakatipu with Ken and his brother-in-law who has a classic boat. They joined others for a regatta. We had a few domestic appointments to catch up with and were due a service on the Motorhome, so we headed to Richard and Jo's in Riversdale. We love catching up with this family so it's a treat that Rich can do the work for us. What about those PURPLE balage bales!!!!!! The following day we headed to Te Anau via a sad funeral in Gore. David met up with his Tight Five fishing buddies and left me in charge of the MH for a couple of days. I really enjoyed a decent walk; the first since I was ill. I'm loving the spoils of the men's efforts. The fish was a mixture of rainbows and browns.
    Today we have begun to wander into Milford Sound. We intend to do all the walks we can and stay at multiple DOC camps on the way in. Tonight, we're at Totara Campsite where the washing has dried on a makeshift line and an old-fashioned prop to hold it up! Enjoy the photos folks. Not sure how but all the pics are out of order....sorry!    Read more

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    2

    MILFORD SOUND

    Mar 23–28, 2025 in New Zealand ☁️ 13 °C

    Totara camp site was lovely. Got the washing dry then happily listened to rain on the roof most of the night. Walked into Lake Mistletoe..... pretty but not overly so. The Mirror Lakes were also lovely but oh my word......THE P E O P LE! SO MANY PEOPLE! Back to the lakes.... there was a breeze so they were rippled but still managed to get some good pics. David wondered about the potential for a duck pond and maimai there! We did the Lake Gun Walk....absolutely gorgeous! The trees, lichen, moss, birds etc were so beautiful. Lake Gun was much bigger than I thought it would be and we had the track to ourselves. Cascade Creek camp was calling so we registered and had a good night wandering around the huge site. We think around 50acres. We counted around 160 camper vans/MH/ tents and a single caravan. The very pretty river was full of didymo. Such a shame. The following day we had intended to walk the Key Summit track but when we got to the parking area we decided against it. Honestly I can't believe just how many people were there.... far too many to allow the space and solitude that tracks like this deserve. May be the middle of winter is the right time for us Kiwis! The Marian Falls walk was gorgeous. We loved it. A short walk but so worth doing. Deer Flat Campsite offers great fishing with parking right beside the river. Very picturesque. Found Murray Guns Camp which had closed for a while for repairs etc. It looks like a huge weather event/ flood has devastated the area. The Chasm was disappointing. I was so looking forward to being with David as he saw it for the first time. I had wonderful memories of this but after a short walk found, as did ALL the other visitors, that it was gated off with no access to the viewing platform. Such a bummer. However, overall the road into Milford was spectacular. The majestic views, the incredible rock faces and towering mountains, the tunnel, the waterfalls etc were all amazing. The road is in great repair and all bar one driver drove well and must have had angels on his shoulders....... such a close call! Not sure if it still applies but the Milford Road had the worst accident rate of any NZ road for quite some time. Once at Milford we walked against the sea of tourists to the visitor center and loved the quick catch with David's cousin, Dean Gibb, who skippers the Milford Mariner. David reminisced as he drove around and pointed out the White House which is now brown but was brand new when he and the lads made far too many memories while on a couple of fishing trips a number of years ago. The drive back to Te Anau was uneventful but gosh it really is so easy to understand why so so many tourists flock to this stunning part of NZ. We'll revisit this area again to stay at another couple of campsites that are gorgeous. Enjoy the pics.Read more

  • Helen RuleRules on the RoadTraveler
    222

    To Manapouri

    March 31, 2025 in New Zealand ☁️ 16 °C

    We left Te Anau not really knowing where we'd end up but had thought maybe Cromwell. We got to Fairlight where David discovered a fishing spot behind the old station. There is fishing system on the Upper Mataura called beats. I'll post a photo so you can read about them. We thought it a good way to manage a fishery that there'd been some squabbling about. As we left it began to drizzle so decided to explore up the Nokomai Road. David was given a beautiful painting by a lovely friend, some years ago, and we wanted to see the landscape it was based on. Well, we discovered a gorgeous valley with a really beautiful freedom camping area for self contained MHs and caravans. It's on private farmland. Generous farmers! The photo doesn't do it justice, it was raining!
    There are 2 clusters of enchanting fishing huts that really do remind you that life can be very simple.
    We ended up at the Lumsden NZMCA camp for the night.
    Next morning we drove to Manapouri NZMCA and really didn't do a thing! Read, socialized and had a very lazy day but made up for it on Saturday. David fished at beautiful Supply Bay and despite my chanting; Here fishy fish fish... there were none to be had! It was a GORGEOUS day! We drove into the start of the Kepler Track and walked some of the river track that takes you through to Dock Bay. Beautiful native beech forest with glimpses of the river as you rise and fall along the way. The significant thing about this track is the VERY stable swing bridge at the start of it. I even stopped for a selfie in the middle of it and David did not need to stand guard at the end of it!
    Yesterday was wet wet wet! Did the laundry and used a dryer, first time in forever, then binge watched a series on Netflix. The Residence. It was ok.
    Today we've discovered the Home Creek Riparian Walkway right behind the NZMCA camp here in Manapouri. It's a loop track that's up and down but really lovely and David scoped out possible fishing sites. He'll go back tomorrow for look.    Read more

  • Helen RuleRules on the RoadTraveler
    11

    Manapouri Te Anau Cromwell

    April 5, 2025 in New Zealand ⛅ 13 °C

    We stayed at Manapouri until the 2nd April. The NZMCA camp is great and we loved just meandering around. Walking, biking and exploring and happy hour each afternoon introduced us to lots of friendly and interesting people. We moved onto Te Anau for the 60th Anniversary GBC boat marathon. A number of us 'oldies' who had competed from the 70's, gathered for a memorable time, full of laughs, embellishments of the truth, over indulging in life's bounties, eh Colin and Ewan, and reminiscing. We were also proud to join our son and 2 nephew's and their families who were also competing. Davey, a life member of the club, made a speech recounting the history of this event and included a few stories. Daniel had two fabulous wins, yay, and Davey and crew, Ian, placed an impressive 7th in the nominated speed event, the best of all the 'oldies'!! Of note Gary beat Ewan!!
    We moved to beautiful Henry Creek DOC camp, on the Milford Road, for a night then to a rainy Kingston freedom camping area for one night before coming home to Cromwell. We joined members of our local NZMCA area committee for a working bee at Rotary Glen Camp. They're such a good bunch of people. We really enjoy their company.
    Came across the annual Pork Pie rally pulling into The Gate.
    We'll mooch around here for a few days filling up the cuddle bank with hugs from the grandies and doing a bit of R and M on the MH.    Read more

  • Helen RuleRules on the RoadTraveler
    3

    Wheels at Wanaka

    April 18, 2025 in New Zealand ☁️ 13 °C

    We left Cromwell for Wanaka on the 16th and have been here for 2 nights. David and I are volunteering ourselves to help at this monster event. We're doing a variety of jobs from setting up the big shed for Prizegiving on Saturday night, gate keeping, monitoring people coming in and out of various sectors, driving shuttle vehicles etc. We'll take photos of the actual event tomorrow and post those later but today I've had a wander around the camping area where we, along with loads of others, volunteers, exhibitors etc, are staying. The array of set ups is interesting from the rudimentary to the very sophisticated. Have a look at the pics!. The caravan with all the stickers belongs to Ian Begg, from Wyndham, who has taken it and the tractor all round the world. Dinnys Dunny belongs to set up before it.Read more

  • Helen RuleRules on the RoadTraveler
    The winners!
    The winners!Beautiful Pisa MooringsDavid's Dad had one of these series one land roversSome had impressive paint!

    Wheels at Wanaka 2

    Apr 23–27, 2025 in New Zealand ☀️ 6 °C

    Well gosh! I never in a million years would have thought I'd be so very impressed with this massive event. All the truck loving, big machine loving etc genes missed me out but WOW! This is impressive on so many levels. The organization, the management, the huge team of volunteers, the banter and friendliness of almost everyone I encountered, the effort and expense so many people had made to get their gear, some of it absolutely enormous, here from all over the place, the camping set up etc. We've had a wonderful few days in the midst of it all. Alan Dippie and his team deserve huge congratulations and certainly get my admiration.
    We're now back in Cromwell to spend time with family, catch up on domestic chores and play Bingo! Yep Bingo! We had such a fun night last night with Kate, Olivia, Poppy and my sister Margaret at the T and C. David, the tin bum, won 4 houses and Kate won 1. It was a giggle for sure. It was great to catch up with Trish and Neil and have a walk through of their beautiful new caravan. Lots of wonderful trips to come for them! We have a planning meeting for the NZMCA national rally 2026 on Thursday and then the weekend will be devoted to supporting Daniel as he heads the team for the Lake Dunstan Power Boat Marathon.    Read more

  • Helen RuleRules on the RoadTraveler
    Liv ANZAC Day
    Liv ANZAC DayA special moment for Davey and TullyDaniel is in there....I think thirdThis is the best cocktail maker I've ever seen. Hilarious!Couldn't resist these for Davey, Bob and James!Tank is empty.KnackeredLiv in action.Fungus abounds at the moment.Girl time..... so specialThe Munro boys looking the part!Our Walk this morning... meet a mate! Little buggar tried to nip me!31

    Update time

    April 25, 2025 in New Zealand ☁️ 10 °C

    It's been a while and we've done a bit, mostly centering on friends and family.
    A quick round up goes like this:
    Attended ANZAC day service at Cromwell cemetery and was very proud to watch Olivia help the young Cubs lay a wreath. She's proving to be a patient Patrol leader.
    Daniel managed the Cromwell Power Boat Marathon again and so David was happy to support him. It's always wonderful to catch up with boating friends and family. Our nephews, Richard and Paul, and their families are always at these events and we love spending time with them, however brief it may be. Racing is the priority and rightly so!
    David left for his annual Duckshooting weekend, with Bob and James, on Friday. They've notched up 51 years of being together for opening weekend. A special time for them. No photos from David but do have some of the Munro males. Had a lovely girls night with Kate and Olivia. We don't do this often enough. 😔
    We watched Josh, Harper and Liv in their respective xcountry events.
    We finally caught up with our lawyer.... the bill got to us before we were home!
    It was fantastic to finally go and spend some time with Claire, Sean and Ferdia at their home in Queensbury. I'm so proud of Ferdia. He's loving life and doing it all so well. He's awesome!
    I have finally got the pain in my shoulder, arthritis, under control. Thank goodness. So onwards and upwards.... walking, riding again. 🙂🙂🙂
    We have a couple of commitments before we hit the road including Joshua's and Sam's formal on the 17th. After that though we're heading north and the exploring can begin. Cannot wait.    Read more

  • Helen RuleRules on the RoadTraveler
    Tully
    TullyHarperDavey was helping Ken outWanakaWanakaWanaka.... hadn't seen this beforeFairy houses Wanaka Walkway2Siblings catch up CromwellTully Harper and us CromwellT and H ... so grown upDown the hatch....zambuccaGlenorchyGlenorchy Lagoon walkway swanGlenorchyGlenorchyGlenorchy Canada Geese

    A catch up

    May 10, 2025 in New Zealand ☁️ 9 °C

    We've had a few nights relaxing. Cvicks park over property in Alex is lovely and we returned there for a couple of nights. We enjoyed a lovely dinner with friends in Wanaka, and stayed with the ever lovely Pip and Ken at camp Golden. I played my last round of Bridge and now we're in Glenorchy. We walked the Lagoon Walkway yesterday....OMG the scenery is too die for. So so fortunate that we have this in our big backyard. Josh and Sam have their School Formal on Saturday so after we've watched the handsome pair.... I'll probably cry..... we're heading off until the end of November.Read more

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    100 Days

    May 16, 2025 in New Zealand ☁️ 8 °C

    WOW! 100 days traversing Otago and Southland! That is all about to change as we head north for the winter. If you zoom in on our map it's a real spider's web! One last family event on Saturday night then we're off! There will be pics! XxxRead more

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    1St John finally got round to giving me this!

    Canterbury

    May 17, 2025 in New Zealand 🌧 14 °C

    Time for an update! Longish one this time!
    We begin this post with Josh and Sam's School Formal. They looked absolutely fabulous. So handsome and dressed to the nines of course. It was entertaining to watch the males in the house tying a tie! We loved the banter and fun of the evening! Josh and McKenzie traveled, in style, in a gorgeous old, gold Holden that Kate and B had used as a wedding car while Sam and his mate arrived in a great big Kenworth truck driven by Daniel. Just a bit different from my mode of transport back in the day! As soon as we'd watched the boys enter the venue we high tailed it for Edendale where we stayed overnight at the Rugby Club. The following morning we had a lovely catch up with Dorothy and Ernest, they're both looking wonderful, before heading to Invercargill for Maureen's surprise 70th birthday party and what a surprise it was! We had a really lovely time celebrating this special long time friend with her family and friends; how fabulous to catch up with so many people we hadn't seen for. ages.... including lots of David's old girlfriends! There should have been a photo! Thankyou Elaine for the pics you gave David... they're fabulous! I'll attach them to this post.
    Once the celebrations were concluded we drove to Balclutha where we caught up with Mary. She is certainly living her best life and loves the Rest Home. It's so good to see her active and happy.
    We spent the next night at Harington Point, Portabello where we explored the Albatross Colony site and of course the beaches. It's a gorgeous area.
    We had a very special time with Doug and Judy before we drove up country, via our special place, Waikouwaiti, where we were nearly blown off our feet, and spent the night at Weedons NZMCA Park. We had the following few days around Chch, Rangiora and Kaiapoi catching up with family and friends, thanks Christine and Allan, walking, cycling and seeing a medical specialist who confirmed I get migraines and attending the NZMCA show. We loved spending time with Julia, our Brazilian daughter, and her partner Brad, before the MH show, and also Bev and Russell at West Melton. We've changed our nonplans and have been exploring South of Chch which we'll continue to do for a wee while as we wend our way anywhere we want to. It's a wonderful life! Enjoy the photos! The older ones are dated 1973. Take more of Davey fashion!    Read more

  • Helen RuleRules on the RoadTraveler
    Willows NZMCA track
    Willows NZMCA trackWillows NZMCAHardy's POP 7751Gerard and Sue Rakaia POPMethven Enchanted ForestMethven Enchanted ForestMethven cycle wayRakaia HutsHot Ppols Methven2Swim Up Bar/ restaurant

    Update from Hampden

    May 27, 2025 in New Zealand ☁️ 13 °C

    Hi again!
    We're still wandering and loving it.
    The Willows NZMCA camp was lovely. We really enjoyed our walk along the Waimak River and the detour along the stop bank. Saw a really unusual planting style.... not sure of the why but surmise it's about water retention or flood control.
    Rakaia Huts camping ground was ok but the access to the beach is limited and with large stones was not walkable but still lovely views. We were joined by Gerard and Sue at Hardy's Retreat POP for a night. Great to catch up with them before we moved onto Methven for two nights. WOW! We highly recommend the Hot Pools. It was well worth paying $64 for the adults only area with a swim up bar and cafe and alcove areas that offer a quieter experience. The booking system ensures that there are no crowds. The ambience is really lovely. The private bathrooms, robes, towels etc were great. Quiet sitting areas to relax afterwards with a coffee or a wine top the experience.
    Next day we biked about 20ks along the river, exploring the Methven area. The enchanted woods are delightful! We decided we both really like Methven. We'll be back!
    It was so good to catch up with Heather and Colin for a night at a wee POP on the outskirts of Ashburton. The next day we cycled around 35km to Lake Hood. Had an oops at the start which found us on a Grade 3/4 track. Definitely not for us! We backtracked and got on the correct track! Lake Hood was a bit of a revelation. Quite the exclusive area with massive homes/holiday homes, a gorgeous man-made lake which we understand was purpose made as an aquatic resort. We had a cuppa and soaked up the scenes. Beautiful!
    We spent a couple of days at Ashburton NZMCA to be handy to town for a catch up on domestic stuff and then moved onto Waimate where we saw Steve Wotten from Brokn Free Solar. He reviewed our set up and made a few changes which have made a big difference. Highly recommend this business. Well set up and know their stuff!
    The Oamaru A and P showgrounds are VERY wet so we stayed on the sealed drive for the night. There's been loads of snow and freezing temperatures inland and it's been really wet on the coast so it was a bit concerning when we got home from The Army Brass Band Concert, in Oamaru's beautifully restored Opera House, that we discovered our gas heater wasn't working! We're so very pleased we have a very well insulated European MH! We were cozy in our bed and once dressed we were warm. We'll make some calls tomorrow, Monday 9th to find a place to get it fixed.
    We're currently in Hampden. The beach is wild and wonderful and the walks along it fabulous. That's it until next time! Love and hugs to all.    Read more

  • Helen RuleRules on the RoadTraveler
    The cloud bank that stretched from Nirth of Pareora to South of Dunedin.

    The next installment

    June 8, 2025 in New Zealand 🌧 6 °C

    We finally managed to get a decent walk on the beach at Hampden after huge tides and wild sea tamed a little, not as far as we'd have liked but the low tides were really half tides so battled to get there and back with dry tootsies!
    We headed to Dunedin Motorhomes to get the heater looked at. The guy there was so good. We learnt a lot.
    We also booked into Carters Tyres where again we had fantastic service. The manager there really knows his stuff and got us sorted with higher weight rated tyres. David is happier now!
    It was lovely to catch up with Kate and Noel and Marie and Ewen, long time friends, while we were in Dn.
    St Claire Beach was wild with a very full tide.... beautiful but no walk today.
    Jude told us that Doug was a bit more stable so we decided to head north once more to Rangiora with the intention of going further north however we received the really sad news that Doug had written his final page in his cancer journey so we about turned to make our way to Dunedin.
    With beaches being our personal therapy we had long walks on a few. Waikuku Beach, Woodend Beach, New Brighton Beach and peir, also Warrington and Long Beach. They were all were solace for our hurting hearts.
    Along the way we stayed at a POP out of Amberley, Weedons NZMCA, a POP at Pareora, Warrington NZMCA which is really lovely and a couple of nights at NZMCA Dunedin.
    Today was Doug's farewell. A bitter sweet service filled with love, laughter and dignity and of course Doug's precious Jude and family along with his friends. We're so lucky to count ourselves as friends. We're going to miss him! RIP Doug. Promise we'll watch over Jude for you.    Read more