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The North of the South 2021
  • Amanda Carnie
  • Amanda Carnie

The North of the South 2021

An open-ended adventure by Amanda Read more
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  • Trip start
    October 8, 2021
  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie

    Heading for Hanmer

    October 12, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 8 °C

    After a weekend of beautiful calm and sunny weather, it's all turned to custard today and we are back in the winter woollies!
    We've driven to Hanmer Springs, through a wet, wild and very windy storm, so unfortunately plans for a walk in the woods have had to be shelved. And we can't have a dip in the hot pools either, as they are only available if you have a booking (numbers reduced due to Covid) and being school holidays, they are booked out all week.
    We did however meet up with Justin and Lu plus Hank and Hana (who turned 10 on Sunday) and Joe, and spent a couple of very pleasant hours at Monteiths catching up on all the news.
    Charlie picked up fish and chips (they got a bit soggy when his umbrella blew inside out) and we headed to our overnight park at the NZMCA site next to the Hanmer river.
    The weather was so bad I didn't even take a photo, although we do have this lovely one that Lu sent us of some of our grandkids.    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie

    Kai (food) Koura (crayfish)

    October 13, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 8 °C

    No improvement in the weather this morning, and the news headlines were forecasting gale force winds up the east coast of the South Island (just where we are headed!) "Oh well," we thought, "we'll give it a go!" So we did.
    We had intended to take the inland road from Hanmer via Waiau that comes out onto SH1 just south of Kaikoura, however we must have taken a wrong turn (or missed one) and instead found ourselves just north of Cheviot! It was a very interesting (narrow) and winding road, but very pretty scenery despite the rain.
    Once the Hundalee hills were behind us we caught our first glimpse of the sea, and stopped for lunch with the seals beside a particularly rocky patch.
    We carried on into Kaikoura and managed to get out of the very strong southerly wind on the northern side of the peninsula near the seal colony. The rock formations here are fascinating, as is the history of the area.
    We found a food cart selling barbecued seafood, and have just devoured 2 massive patties each - 1 crayfish and 1 paua - for happy hour. Not sure if we'll have any room for dinner!    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie

    Up to Ward Beach

    October 14, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    The worst of the storm seemed to have blown itself northwards this morning and we set off in (mostly) blue skies and sunshine to explore the shops in Kaikoura. Didn’t take long! After coffee and a scone and a brisk walk along part of the beach we headed north again, this time bound for Ward Beach.
    A couple of funny things have happened… before we left home, we decided to lighten the load in the motorhome by decanting some of our spirits (not that we’ve taken a lot!) out of glass and into plastic bottles. Unfortunately, we also travel with a couple of (the same) plastic bottles full of water, which we use for making cups of tea, etc. So you can imagine how easy it was to get them mixed up! We did manage to work out that it was vodka we were pouring into the kettle BEFORE we turned it on, but sadly Charlie didn’t realise he was taking a big swig of neat vodka to wash down his pills last night until he was choking on it!
    The Kaikoura coast is a beautiful drive, and although we’ve traveled it several times before, we have never done it at such a relaxed pace. We stopped several times today to take in the dramatic coastal vista, pick up a crayfish from the iconic Nin’s Bin, and watch the young seal pups at play on the rocks around Ohau Point. The cliffs above the Point are the only place in the world where a particular species of rock daisy grows. The species was almost wiped out when 95% of the known plants were obliterated when the cliffs collapsed in the Kaikoura earthquake. Seeds from the remaining plants have been cultivated and replanted around the Point.
    Karen and John have been frequent visitors to Ward Beach, but this is the first time we have been here. It’s a stunning spot – we are overnighting at a ‘park-over property’ (or POP) which is privately owned land made available to NZMCA members in return for a donation. We are parked on a slightly elevated section overlooking the sea and have been for a walk up the beach to the Ward Beach Boulders – similar to those at Moeraki only a little smaller – which were raised out of the sea during the earthquake.
    Tonight for dinner we will enjoy our crayfish with garlic bread and salad – and a bottle of bubbly… Bliss!    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie
    Parked at Marfells Beach
    Awatere Valley4 shags in one afternoon! No comments please...Wild silverbeet - delicious!

    Marfells Beach

    October 15, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Today we’ve had the weather we’ve been hoping for for the last week: cloudless and warm, with a light onshore breeze. Bring it on!
    We had a huge drive today to Seddon (NOT!) about 17km from Ward Beach. Found a very nice café for morning tea and the best cheese scones in a long while. You can tell we’ve hit wine country: the Awatere Valley is covered in vines as far as the eye can see and we passed many vineyards we’ve never heard of. We took a drive out to Yealands country and wondered how their business is doing since the scandal – they were convicted of adding sugar to millions of litres of wine that was to be exported to Europe.
    We backtracked a little to go round to the south of Lake Grassmere (where they produce salt) and back out to the coast and another DOC camp, at Marfells Beach. We are parked about 2 metres from the start of the beach and what a fabulous spot. The sea has calmed off since the storm but is still discoloured.
    We packed some sammies (and some of Mum’s fruit cake) into the backpack along with a flask of tea and took off on foot along the beach to the point at the Southern end. What an amazing walk! The shellfish are (or were) obviously abundant here as most of the way we were crunching through piles of shells. There is currently a rahui (or ban) on collecting shellfish (other than crayfish) all the way along the coast back to Kaikoura, so that the populations can re-establish themselves after the earthquake.
    From the point we could see all the way south to the lighthouse at East Cape (about 90mins walk each way apparently) but we decided 45 mins each way was enough for us today. And the incoming tide may have cut off our return trip! We sat on a rock at the edge of the water and were munching our lunch when all of a sudden, up popped a fully-grown seal in the water not 5 metres away. He (or she) looked at us for a few seconds, then did a leisurely full barrel-roll and with a flip of the flippers it glided away. How special was that!
    We also saw another seal frolicking in the waves on the way home. All along the beach there are clumps of colourful daisies and succulents growing, as well as wild silverbeet… of which we have picked a potful for dinner tonight. We’ve just come inside after our first full outdoor happy hour of the trip – the sun has only just dipped behind a tree and we are feeling very sun-kissed!    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie
    The Riviera of the South Island
    Pine Nut Orchard

    Whatamango Bay

    October 16, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Another beautiful calm and warm day in paradise! On the way into (and out of) Marfells Beach we saw something neither of us had ever seen before: a grove of very short, almost stunted-looking round-headed pine trees. What was this we asked – a way of providing shelter for the cows that were grazing nearby? NO! It was a commercial pine nut orchard! Who knew?!
    We arrived in the Riviera of the South Island (i.e. Picton!) late morning and after a quick coffee we met up with a work colleague from Wellington and her partner, who are here for a weekend with family. Karen and I have previously worked together at ACC (back in 2017!) and at Inland Revenue (2019 / 20 / 21), and I first met her partner Greg MANY moons ago at Transpower. We had a lovely catchup over a pizza and a glass of wine and then did a quick mooch around the shops before hitting the road.
    We passed through Waikawa Bay and on to tonight’s stopover: another DOC camp – this one at Whatamango Bay. We have found that the DOC camping grounds are in some of the most picturesque places in the country, and they are very reasonably priced – and relatively underutilized at this time of year – compared to commercial camping grounds. Many of them also have good access to walking tracks.
    Once again we are right on the waterfront – we picked this site among some trees as we are expecting the weather to take a turn for the worst overnight and were looking for some shelter from the strong NW winds that are forecast to start tonight and last for the next couple of days.    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie

    Memorable Momorangi Bay

    October 17, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    Happy Birthday Barbara!
    As we went to bed last night we remarked on how dark and how peaceful and quiet the camp was. Sadly that was short-lived. We were rudely awoken some time after 10.30 by a brilliant light shining through the trees next to us, a constant thrumming noise and loud voices. After lying there for a while getting more and more annoyed, Charlie got up and – rather bravely, I thought – went to investigate. He found a young couple sitting in an SUV watching a massive flat screen TV that they had set up on a picnic table along with a spotlight, all being powered by a very loud generator parked in the bushes nearby!
    “What are you doing?” asked Charlie. “This is a campsite - we’re camping” was the reply! After he told them “You can’t do that here” they were good enough to apologise and turn it off, but by then we were wide awake, and remained so for several hours.
    It poured with rain ALL day today. As we drove back through Picton and on to Momorangi Bay around the coastline, we should have been able to see stunning vistas of the Queen Charlotte Sound and lots of little bays, but all we could see was grey cloud and the occasional glimpse of grey water... “Bet it’s beautiful on a good day!” we thought. (Note these photos were taken the following day).    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie

    Day 2 in Momorangi Bay

    October 18, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    The camp at Momorangi is a lot bigger than we had expected. I bet it hums at Christmas time, but there are very few of us here at the moment. We have booked in for 2 nights and are plugged into a powered site right on the foreshore, where we have recharged all our devices and appliances, and have used the laundry facilities and hot showers. We’ve also been able to refill our ice supplies courtesy of the freezer in the camp kitchen. So we’re all set for the next leg of the journey.
    Charlie has been out fishing off the jetty this morning and came back with a lovely barracuda, which will provide the bait for his next expeditions. I made cheese scones to celebrate! The weather has improved slightly: we are now getting intermittent sunny spells between the showers and we are hopeful that the rest of the week is looking brighter.
    We went for a lovely walk around several bays to another DOC parking spot at Aussie Bay. The track took us through native bush to the sound of bellbirds… we had forgotten how lush it is up here and how awesome it is to see punga, totara, flaxes and native broadleaf species all growing wild.
    And I got my first sandfly bite today!    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie
    1

    Through Havelock to Pelorus Bridge

    October 19, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    The bay was flat as a millpond when we woke, but a breeze arrived soon after to spoil the perfect calm. We packed up and headed West, and had reached Havelock before we realised that we’d left our last tray of ice in the camp freezer! Oh well…
    The road to Havelock is reasonably winding and narrow at the best of times, but with the recent floods there are heaps of places where the road has been washed out or slips have covered the road. We were down to one lane and 30kph in about a dozen places – most of them with traffic lights – and we only traveled about 20km!
    After coffee and another bush walk, this time up to a waterfall and a lookout over Havelock and the start of the Pelorus Sound, we had lunch at the Mussel Pot, in their garden restaurant. We wanted to try the local delicacy cooked several different ways so we chose the platter, which according to the menu included steamed, grilled, battered, smoked, marinated and mussel croquettes. We thought there could be a couple of each type, but found there was a dozen steamed (in a white wine and cream broth) and 6 of each of the others! Plus bread! Delicious with a glass of rosé!
    We are now at the campground at Pelorus Bridge, parked right beside the river, and there is a big fat wood pigeon sitting in the tree beside us. It’s been really warm today – in the early 20s – and the cheeks are feeling a bit pink. We’ve had another bush walk along to a suspension bridge high over the confluence of the Rai and Pelorus rivers, and are now feeling pleasantly tired. This is another camping area managed by DOC, and the facilities here are great – complete with kitchens, showers and a laundry.
    It seems everyone we’ve talked to on this trip is from either Wanaka or Christchurch. Callum McLeod (Deputy Mayor of QLDC and Wanaka celebrity) just popped out of the bush right next to where we are parked!    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie
    Lookit mui !!!

    Elaine Bay

    October 20, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Today we headed up the Rai Valley and off SH1 towards Elaine Bay. Once we got off the main road the traffic thinned out to virtually nothing, which was just as well as we were once again on a narrow, winding road and could take our time. We climbed up and up… and up… for several kilometres until we stopped at a parking place on the side of the hill where a track led up into the bush. ‘Lookout - 750m’ said the sign so we thought we’d give it a go. Should have realised from the name of the track (Goat Hill) that you needed to be mountain goat to get up it! Still – the view from the top, looking out over Croisilles Harbour and across Cook Strait, was worth it.
    We passed through the settlement of Okiwi Bay but didn’t stop, as it was starting to drizzle and there wasn’t a lot of parking options… all the parking bays along the waterfront had signs with ‘Cars Only’ on them… most unfriendly! Most of the houses here are all shut up so presumably they are mostly baches.
    We traveled on to Elaine Bay, where we were headed for a DOC recreation reserve right on the beach. The book said there is room for 18 sites, but when we got here we found all but 1 of them was taken up by a Marlborough Boys’ College outdoor education trip! There was really only one place left for us to park, right in the middle of the turnaround, at the top of a grassy knoll… look at me!
    We had a late lunch and wandered around the bay to the wharf, where we saw two huge sting-rays basking. They must have been at least a metre in diameter. A NIWA research vessel was refueling there and we chatted to one of the crew, who said they were studying how well the blue cod stocks were recovering, and that they were pleased with the numbers of small fish they’ve found.
    Mid-afternoon the boys came back in off several boats, all in wetsuits and all boasting of the fish / paua / crayfish they caught (we have actually seen ONE crayfish unloaded, and it was at least twice as big as the one we paid $74 for at Nin’s Bin!)
    Charlie took off with his fishing gear to a rocky point 20mins from camp and spent a lovely couple of hours catching all sorts of fish… including a snapper, a blue cod, a kahawai, a mullet and a small shark. All got put back except for a couple of bait fish – we need to do some more research into the size of a takeable fish here!
    We’ve just watched the full moon come up over the bay, spreading its carpet of gold across the top of the water. Magic!    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie
    Our 'room with a view'
    View from our morning tea stopThe road into French Pass... D'Urville Island on leftCheck out the pot-holes!'The Currents'

    French Pass

    October 21, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Had a bit of a scare coming out of Elaine Bay this morning (Mandy driving today)… the road out is a bit like going up the Queenstown end of the Crown Range road – a series of steep hairpin bends, only narrower and with very limited visibility. So it was quite “interesting” to meet a fully-laden truck and trailer unit on one of the steepest bends… We both slammed our anchors on, and came to a complete halt half-way round what was, for us, an incredibly steep left-handed curve. It looked at first like neither of us could go either forward or backward… then he moved a couple inches down, so I moved a couple inches up, and we finally managed to doh-si-doh our way round – WHEW! Thank goodness for the power of a Mercedes V6!!
    It’s around 25km from Elaine Bay to French Pass, the most northerly part of the Marlborough Sounds you can reach by road, and about two-thirds of the road is unsealed. And a vast majority of those kilometres have no shingle on them and just have rough, bare rock connecting the potholes. The journey took us most of the morning, and at times we were traveling so slowly it would actually have been quicker to walk! But we were in no hurry, and the views as we traversed the highest points were spectacular.
    We arrived at French Pass at about the same time as a pod of 10-12 dolphins, and the show they put on over the next hour or so was incredible! At times they were only a metre or two off the beach in front of us, and they leapt and frolicked as they rounded up schools of fish to then attack. We’ve never seen anything like it… remind us to show you our video footage some time.
    There’s only a narrow channel of water between us and D’Urville Island. Known as ‘the Currents’, the water here is constantly churned up as the changing tides flow through the channel.
    This afternoon Charlie clambered over the hill beside us to the next beach over, where he whiled away a very pleasant afternoon fishing. Once again he caught the same varieties as yesterday (minus the snapper) and was disappointed that he couldn’t keep the 2 blue cod he caught, having learned from the NIWA man yesterday that any caught in the Sounds cannot be legally kept before 20 December.
    We are parked at the DOC camp right on the water’s edge tonight, and this time we are the only vehicle in the park, with just a gentle lapping of the waves to soothe us off to sleep.    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie
    The whole place to ourselves this time!
    Random snapshot from the vehicleThis is supposed to be a 2-way road!Beach at the end of the walk - check out the old bach......and their view!

    Back to Elaine Bay

    October 22, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    We pulled out of French Pass just after 9am, and were back in Elaine Bay about 2 hours later. This time Charlie was driving, and being the Friday before a long weekend there was quite a bit more traffic, which we always seemed to meet at the narrowest parts of the road!
    What a difference a couple of days makes… This time when we pulled into the Elaine Bay campsite we were the only ones here. All the college boys had packed up and left this morning so we had our pick of sites.
    Another day, another forest walk. This time it was the Piwakawaka Track out of Elaine Bay, which winds over the hill through native bush to a small beach around the corner. About 2 hours return, including a break on the beach for a drink and a snack. The track ended just past an iconic kiwi bach which is accessible only by boat. With no spouting, but a water tank filled by a pipe from a nearby stream, and built of corrugated iron patched with old-style Hardiplank, the bach has been in the family for nearly 100 years according to the chap we spoke to. The Sounds must be full of these amazing little bolt-holes, and their owners are so lucky to have them.
    It’s been beautiful again today, and I’m even turning a little pink after all this sunshine. The combination of daily exercise, fresh air and sunshine, and peace and quiet, means we’re sleeping really well. Over the last week the only sounds once we turn out the lights have been the wekas and the moreporks calling to each other across whatever bay we’ve been in. We’re parked next to a family of wekas tonight who have three cute fluffy little chicks, and we’ve had herons and wood pigeons feeding right beside us. It’s like a David Attenborough episode!    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie
    These guys passed by below our campsite...
    Okiwi BayThese guys passed by above our campsite...

    Back at Pelorus Bridge

    October 23, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Our morning tea stop today was at Okiwi Bay – a relatively large settlement compared to the other bays we’ve visited. We sat on the waterfront with our coffees and watched the boats coming and going… and another huge ray glided along in front of us in less than a metre of water. Once the sandflies started biting we knew it was time to hit the road again!
    We arrived back at Pelorus Bridge late morning and spent the day catching up: 2 loads of laundry, a quick clean of the vehicle, refilling the water tanks, planning our route for the next few days, and checking our messages. We’ve had either no – or very limited – cellphone coverage while we’ve been in the Sounds, so apologies to those of you who have tried to contact us. It has been great to get your messages via text, but almost impossible to connect to email, and there has been no way to make calls. Hopefully this will improve over the next couple of days.    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie
    A rather deserted Tahunanui Beach
    Cable BayKaumatua at Cable Bay, estuary in backgroundStoneridge - reminds us of some of our rural Europe stops1Self-moulting sheep

    Nelson Region

    October 24, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    Sunday 24 October
    After a very peaceful night at Pelorus Bridge and a cooked breakfast, we headed towards Nelson. One the way we saw something I cannot recall ever seeing in NZ before – a herd of buffalo!
    Our first stop was at Cable Bay, the site where the first cable between Australia and New Zealand was laid, in 1876. The cable originally came ashore near Nelson because the South Island was much more important than the North Island at that time. When the cable station came into service it caused great excitement as it meant that people here could send a telegram to England, taking only 4 days for their message to arrive rather than up to 6 months for letters! In March 2001, Telecom installed a new 200km fibre-optic cable from the same place across Cook Strait to Levin. We walked up a steep hillside to a lookout point, but I jiggered my knee on the way up so we didn’t do any more of the track. I’ve been hobbling on and off for the rest of the day.
    They say Nelson has the highest number of sunny days anywhere in the country. Sadly today was not one of them. Although the forecast rain did not arrive, we’ve had low cloud and occasional drizzle all day. After a big supermarket shop we drove through to Tahunanui Beach, where we took a packed lunch onto the beach. Charlie only managed to eat half of his filled roll before a seagull swooped down from behind him and plucked it out of his hand! He was left with nothing more than a single slice of tomato, and a big splat of mustard down the front of his shirt! Harrumph!
    Our parking spot tonight is ‘Stoneridge’, a semi-rural property in the Moutere valley where we are surrounded by paddocks and vines, and a rather unusual mob of self-moulting sheep.    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie
    Rabbit IslandCrowded beach on Rabbit IslandRabbit Island from the Mapua WharfRuby Bay - tide's out!

    We (nearly) hit some Wineries

    October 25, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We took the road out to Rabbit Island this morning. The Council-owned island is 8km long and around 2km wide, and largely covered in pine forests, but the long seaward side of it is a lovely sandy beach. Although it was overcast to start with, by mid-morning the cloud had cleared and we had a very enjoyable walk along part of the beach and one of the forest tracks. The gates to the island are closed off during the hours of darkness, and no camping is permitted, but there are heaps of cycle tracks, parking areas, picnic spots (some with barbecues) for people to use during the day.
    Our plan was then to hit the wineries for some tastings, and Seifried being the closest, we tried that one first. The gates were open, the signs were out, but the doors were locked so we turned round and headed for our second option: Rimu Grove Winery near Mapua. We found the right road, but no signs and we later found out the vineyard has changed hands and no longer does tastings!
    We hit gold with our third attempt though. We drove down to the wharf at Mapua, to find Rimu Wine Bar, where we were hosted to a wonderful hour of tastings by the ex-owner of Rimu Grove. Patrick now makes wines for many of the local growers as well as his own label. Needless to say we bought several bottles, and also had a delicious platter lunch over another glass of wine in his restaurant.
    The wharf had a great vibe – it was buzzing with people and all the hospitality businesses seemed to be having a good day. We wandered around in the sunshine for a while taking in the sights before heading off to our park for the night: a large Council-run camping ground called the McKee Memorial Reserve, which is right on Ruby Bay.
    We have struggled a bit to find appropriate places to stay in the Nelson region. Sadly it appears that the Council is not very welcoming to visitors. Freedom camping is not permitted anywhere other than designated carparks in the CBD (which must be vacated by 7am), and everywhere you look there are signs saying NO motorhomes / dogs / parking / fires / camping / rubbish / entry, etc. We have seen publications that clearly state their preference is for ALL visitors to stay in commercially-run accommodation (and pay through the nose to do so) and highlight the fines that will be imposed if the rules are not followed. And there are no DOC campsites in the region either, so that means our options are quite limited. Needless to say we won’t be spending too long here.    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie
    Neudorf Estate
    Upper Moutere POPThe bubbles treeChardonnay treeTree of reds

    Still on the Winery Trail

    October 26, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Another largely frustrating morning on the search for wine tasting options in Upper Moutere. We’d picked up a 2020 wine trail publication from the information centre in Nelson on Sunday, but it hasn’t been very helpful. We firstly arrived at Neudorf Estate late morning, and although the cellar door was open, they were not doing tastings. They could, however, sell us half-glasses of any wines we’d like to try! So we picked three and sat out in their very nice garden area – we were the only people in the entire place!
    We then tried to find Kahurangi Estate, which according to the brochure provides “a selection of locally-sourced food” as we thought this would be a good place for some lunch. It turns out the winery has been sold and the new label provides neither food nor tastings! By now we were getting hungry, so we turned to option 3, Moutere Hills winery, which has a very nice restaurant. We followed heaps of winery signs to get there (there seemed to be one on each of about 8 corners) and finally reached the winery up a long driveway… only to find it was closed!
    By now we were getting REALLY hungry, so we thought sod it – we’ll go back to the wine bar on the wharf at Mapua that we went to yesterday. And had a great time. They have an extensive wine list and do tasting ‘trees’ – which allows you to try up to 5 wines. You’ll see from the pictures that I did the sparkling selection and the chardonnay tree, while Charlie did a selection of reds (he was driving!) We also had a wood-fired pizza. And of course bought a few more bottles to take home!
    Tonight’s stopover is another park-over property (POP) owned by an NZMCA member in the Upper Moutere valley. We are parked in a quiet leafy glade surrounded by park-like grounds and birdsong.    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie
    Kaiteriteri Beach from our Campsite
    One of many signs telling us what we can't doMoney!

    We Reach Kaiteriteri

    October 27, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    We traveled through to Motueka this morning, where we did a few chores and a little shopping. I’ve bought a walking pole to help support my knee, which seems to have a bit of torn or floating ‘stuff’ that pops out of alignment every now and then causing huge amounts of pain and swelling. Most inconvenient! Charlie also bought some fishing gear so that he can attack the fish as we get further north.
    And so here we are in Kaiteriteri – what a beautiful spot! We are staying in a motor camp for a couple of nights and our site is right on the beachfront. At happy hour we took our drinks across to the beach and sat there watching the world go by. We watched as a brand new John Deere tractor towing an amazing boat pulled up next to the boat ramp, expecting that the tractor would back the boat in. Next thing, the boat had reversed itself off the trailer, turned around and headed straight down the ramp into the water nose first, then paused while the wheels got pulled up, and then it motored off over the horizon! Charlie thought it was hilarious that they thought they needed a tractor, when it didn’t even leave the tar seal! We’ve just seen it come back in, and the whole procedure was reversed. The tractor was driving out of the car park with the boat on, within three minutes of it reaching the shore, and the boat passengers didn’t even get their feet wet!    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie
    The Start of the Abel Tasman Track
    The Riwaka RiverThe Riwaka ResurgenceJust us and the tuis1Our Happy Hour Weather Show

    Marahau: Gateway to the Abel Tasman

    October 29, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    After another overcast but mild day yesterday, this morning was one out of the box. We checked out of the camping ground, parked on the Kaiteriteri beachfront and brewed up a coffee… we really didn’t want to leave this beautiful spot!
    But we reasoned we would be coming back this way on our way south, so hopefully we will spend some more time here. We headed for the start of the Takaka Hill, and veered off to the left down the Riwaka Valley where we parked and set off through the bush to find the Riwaka Resurgence – where the river emerges from under the Takaka Hill at a consistent 9 degrees all year round. The water here is so pure and clear you can see every stone on the bottom, and you cannot tell how deep the pools are. It was a truly awesome spot.
    We drove on around the coast until we arrived at Marahau, the very last stop before the start of the Abel Tasman Track, one of NZ’s ‘Great Walks’. By now it was drizzling, so we decided not to attempt any of the track today, but we do have big plans for tomorrow… We checked into a rather alternative-looking campsite which is walking distance to the start of the track, and wandered down to a café/bar for a drink and to check out their takeaways menu (tonight is fish and chips night!) There is hardly anyone else here, so we are looking forward to another peaceful night in the wilderness.
    Happy hour was spent looking out over the start of the track and Tasman Bay beyond, surrounded by natural bush and tuis flitting all around us and singing loudly. It was warm and sunny with not a breath of wind, but the clouds that had been hanging over Takaka Hill behind us all day put on a rather dramatic show. Another magic spot.    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie
    Porter's Beach
    Porter's BeachHigh above Coquille BayCoquille BayThe Beach at Coquille BayThe Intrepid Fisherman

    Abel Tasman Coastal Track

    October 30, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    What an amazing day! We decided a cooked breakfast would set us up for the day so it wasn’t the earliest of starts, but we set off from camp with our walking poles swinging. Slathered with sunblock and insect repellent (we are still expecting to hit swarms of sandflies – though we haven’t yet!) we hit the start of the track around 10.30. The weather had finally come right – it was cloudless, sunny and very warm, and the resulting contrasting colours of the sea, sky, beach and bush were a joy to behold.
    The track initially crosses a very large estuary (the tide was out) with multiple boardwalks raised above the swampy bits, before heading into the bush and winding along the coast. There was quite a bit of up and down, but every corner seemed to be another ‘oh wow’ moment.
    Charlie was keen to try some fishing, so as well as his rod, he was carrying quite a bit of fishing gear in his pack along with our lunch! He had been sold some newfangled synthetic soft-bait that look like little crayfish or prawns when dangling off a hook, with lots of little arms and legs, and was interested to try them out. He had heard that Tinline Bay was a possible spot, but the tide there was still too far out when we got there, so we carried on. We got to where the track to Coquille Bay headed down the hillside to a beautiful little beach, but it looked a bit steep and treacherous (especially for someone with a dicky knee) so we carried on for another 15-20 minutes hoping to find an alternative route down. There wasn’t one, so we backtracked and decided to give it a go, slowly and very carefully!
    What a magic spot. There was only one other couple on the beach when we got there, and we took up a position by the rocks at the far end of the beach and spent a lovely 1.5 hours there. Sadly, apart from one small bait stealer, he didn’t land any fish. But the new soft-bait seemed to be a hit with these tiddlers – they nibbled all the little arms and legs off, so all that was left were the little chubby bodies!
    Our walk home was a bit quicker as we didn’t loiter at all the lookout points, but it was a fairly solid hour and a half’s walk. We reckon we did close to 8km today, and some of it was pretty rugged, so needless to say we were pretty hot and tired by the time we got back to camp. I know I’m going to sleep well tonight!    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie
    From Takaka Hill looking back to Tasman Bay
    From Takaka Hill looking ahead to Golden BayPohara MarinaPohara BeachPohara Cliffs

    Over the Takaka Hill

    October 31, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Apologies for the delay in transmission over the last few days. We have spent a magical 4 days at Totaranui, where there is not enough signal to be able to get onto the internet.
    Here’s what we’ve been up to while we've been away!

    Actually I didn’t sleep very well… I guess being a weekend, the locals were keen to party and there was a thumping bass playing for a couple of hours after we retired for the night. Added to that, three cars turned up in the evening and decided that right next door to us would be a good place to pitch their tents. Which wouldn’t have been so bad, except that two of the three were packed up and gone before 7am the next morning, and each had developed at least 25 doors (all of which had to be slammed shut) before they were ready to depart!
    Today we took on the massive Takaka Hill – nearly 800m to the summit and the climb seemed to go on and on. We made it to the township of Takaka where we did a big supermarket shop as we’re intending to spend quite a few days at Totaranui. We carried on round the coast to Pohara, where we overnighted at the NZMCA site near the marina. It was blowing a gale (these pictures were taken the next morning). Charlie spent quite some time talking to a chap in the bus next to us who gave him some tips about where to fish and what has worked for him… he’s looking forward to trying it out!    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie
    Wainui Inlet
    Leaving PoharaAnother narrow, winding road - into TotaranuiOur camp at Totaranui1A perfect Rock Oyster1Oyster fritters and a glass of bubbles - pure decadence!

    We reach Totaranui

    November 1, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    What a beautiful morning! We set off from Pohara and wound our way round the coast past the stunning Ligar, Tata and Wainui Bays (the other end of the Abel Tasman Coastal Walk) until the tar seal runs out. Around 12km of narrow, winding, unsealed road later we arrived at Totaranui – another hidden gem we had only heard about but never visited until now. I’ll leave it to the photos we will post over the next few days to describe this place.
    We had a walk along the beach and back, then sat out under a shady tree for an hour or so while Charlie put his fishing gear together (not a sandfly in sight, Karen!) Being low tide, he decided to go off to explore the rocks at the Southern end of the beach, and came back with a bucket full of rock oysters! On Rick’s advice we had brought a chisel and a small hammer with us, and had bought a shucking knife while we were in Christchurch hoping for just this eventuality, so now was the time to try it out. We took a while to get the hang of it, and minced quite a few oysters in the process, but finally got enough for half a dozen patties – and ate a few of the big ones ‘au naturel’… absolutely delicious!
    Then it was book time (for Mandy) and fishing time (for Charlie). Just bait stealers again sadly: apparently the tide was not yet high enough, and he needed to go back out again after we’d enjoyed our oysters with a bottle of Hunters Miru Miru (bubbly) for dinner!    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie
    Totaranui Beach
    The beach at Goat BaySome of our rock-hopping terrainStill rock-hopping back to Totaranui Beach. Check out the oysters on the rocks!

    A big walk to Goat Bay

    November 2, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    I was just opening up my laptop to start penning today’s update when the laptop skidded across the table and knocked a whole glass of dark red wine over – it splashed all over both the seat AND back of one of our couches!! Twenty minutes of frantic swabbing and scrubbing later, we are hoping that we have done enough to mitigate a permanent stain. Bugger!
    Charlie was up at sparrow-fart this morning to try his luck fishing the incoming tide and - YESSSS!!! At last, his first gurnard. Two lovely fillets.
    Totaranui is one of the DOC campgrounds on the Abel Tasman Coastal Walk. Today was another gorgeous warm sunny day and we decided to head out on another section of the track to the next bay along, Goat Bay, which according to the sign was 2km away. Unfortunately we didn’t realise that the track, which usually follows the coastline not far above the beach, was washed out recently by floods. It took us an hour to get there and only the first 10 minutes were flattish. The NEW track now zig-zags up a VERY steep hill and down the other side even MORE steeply! I was certainly not looking forward to the return journey!
    But the beauty of Goat Bay was well worth the effort. It simply took our breath away. We were the only people on the beach, and we found a shady rock to sit on and drank in the views (and a cup of coffee) before walking the length of the beach and back. When we arrived on the beach, Charlie realised that the rocks at the northern end were those he had been fishing off (and gathering oysters on) yesterday, so we debated the pros and cons of rock-hopping across and around them to get back, rather than traversing that dreaded hill again. We decided to give it a go, and I crossed my fingers hoping that my knee would last the distance.
    Well it did, and although it still took us an hour to get back to the Totaranui beach it was great fun! It gave us a completely different perspective on the beach and we spent quite some time peering into rock pools and marveling at the clarity of the water. We also noted where the next lot of oysters are for when the hunter-gatherer goes back with his toolkit!
    Another evening feeling pleasantly tired and sun-kissed after our day’s exertions.    Read more

  • Amanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021Amanda Carnie
    Before...
    ...and After!

    A rest day at Totaranui

    November 3, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Today was a ‘rest’ day, so nothing much to report other than Charlie went above and beyond the call of duty fighting the elements to secure another huge haul of oysters off the rocks for dinner.
    A strong south-easterly wind overnight and all day today has whipped up huge waves, transforming the previously tranquil beach into a surfie’s paradise! We were amazed to see the damage it had done to the beach: there had been a gentle slope of sand down to the water when we arrived, but overnight a wall almost 2 metres high had been gouged into the beach!    Read more

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