South Island- The Best of 2014

It is pretty hard writing a blog about the best of last year when the whole year was pretty awesome. I say the Best of 2014 but in fact I have included December 2013 too, which was when we started our South Island odyssey. We have covered many miles, seen a lot of spectacular & beautiful scenery, driven some pretty awe-inspiring roads, had some wonderful wild life encounters and met so many lovely people.  Here’s my attempt at trying to choose ‘the best of’ although I have to admit that I had at least 2-3 first place contenders for each title after whittling down the list.

Best Nature Encounter-

This would have to be the Yellow Eyed Penguin (Hoiho) that marched right past us, not a metre away from where we were sitting in the grass at Katiki Point near Moeraki. Our first experience with the endearing Hoiho and we couldn’t have asked for a more personal encounter.

Blog post here- Penguin Encounter

Best Road Trip-

This one was hard; we really have enjoyed many spectacular road trips along some remote & isolated roads, most of them dusty gravel & winding but not knowing what is around the next bend always has us sitting on the edge of the seat pushing on until we reach the end. I chose the road to Walter Peak Station for it’s sheer grandeur; the surrounding mountains rose so sharply from the valley floor making us look pretty insignificant on the road below.

The Road to Walter Peak Station

A very close second was the road to French Pass in the Marlborough Sounds with it's magnificent 360° views.

Best Photo Opportunity-

Oh dear how do I choose this one? The year has been full of fantastic photo opportunities. Every day and around every corner there are amazing vistas and stunning scenery. New Zealanders are extremely lucky you know; where else in the world can you travel from mountain scenery, through tropical rainforest, past arid desert landscapes with azure blue rivers & lakes and across lush farm plains to arrive at golden sand beaches, all within 2-3 hours of driving?

Autumn at Bannockburn won this one- I loved the amazing range of autumn colours, the deep red of the rosehips, the smell of the dried thyme & the still autumn air which had The Inlet looking like a millpond.

Beautiful Bannockburn

Best Bird-

Again there were far too many for me to choose just one, we were able to tick many first timers off our birding list and see some quite rare birds including the Glossy Ibis at the Travis Wetlands in Christchurch but the one little bird that found a special place in my heart was a NZ Bush Robin (Toutouwai) at Mavora Lakes who would climb up on my shoe as I was sitting on the ground and peck at all the sandflies landing on my legs. Except a couple of times he made my leg bleed thinking a mole was a sandfly.

Here's the video of this little character pecking my leg & tap dancing (I can finally upload it- it's not the best quality, the clicking is the camera focusing, it was my first attempt at videoing with my camera)

Best Paid Attraction-

Hands down the best money spent by far was the ‘Knights of the Sky’ display at the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre in Blenheim. An incredible exhibition featuring our very own knight, Sir Peter Jackson’s collection of vintage aircraft.

‘Kinghts of the Sky’

Best Activity (and biggest laugh)-

The Lumsden Community fundraising 4WD Safari through Nokomai Station’s ‘Hidden Valley’. This was our first experience of 4WDriving with others and we had an amazing day with just enough scary sections to keep us on our toes. An added bonus was travelling the famed Nevis Road on our way home. Our ‘Shiny’ did us proud.

Hidden Valley, Nokomai Station

Best Domestic Animal-

Horace & Horatio, two 12 year old Kune Kune pigs with faces that only a mother could love!

Best Day Walk-

This was another tough one to chose- we have walked a diverse range of tracks and they all have their merits, but I think my vote must go the Kiwi Burn Loop in the Snowden Forest near Mavora Lakes. I chose this one for the sheer challenge it threw at us; lulled by an enchanted forest with a beautiful green moss covered track and plentiful birdlife on the way in, we were then confronted with moa height tussock, deep muddy bogs and the water canals of Kiwi Burn on the way out. Never has a hut, seen on the horizon, seemed so close yet so far as we fought our way through the undergrowth and zig-zagged our way down the boggy burn. But the sense of achievement when we finally made it back to our vehicle was exhilarating!

Kiwi Burn

Most Exhausting Day Walk would go to Key Summit on the Milford Road but oh what views we were rewarded with at the top.

Best DOC (Department of Conservation) Campground-

Kenepuru Head and Mavora Lakes- OK so I couldn’t choose! Kenepuru for the great facilities and large open grassy sites, Mavora for the isolation & huge area available. Both of them because they’re miles from anywhere and have not too many campers.

Mavora Lakes

Kenepuru Head

Best Commercial Campground-

Not only were we made very welcome by Selwyn & Gloria but their Manapouri Motorhome & Caravan Park must be the most manicured & well cared for park in the country. Handy to the Doubtful Sound boat tour operators, the magnificent Kepler Track ‘Great Walk’ and just far enough away from the madness that overtakes Te Anau during the tourist season.

Relaxing in Manapouri

Best Beach-

Golden Bay’s Whararaki Beach which is located at the top of the west coast just south of Farewell Spit is the winner here. After walking through lush green paddocks dotted with new-born spring lambs we were greeted by an amazing expanse of pure white sand dunes, brilliant blue ocean, monster sea caves and huge majestic sea stacks known as the Archway Islands. Not often visited they are well worth the extra effort involved in getting there.

Wharariki Beach

Best Nature Phenomenon-

The barfing shags of Tata Beach- such an amazing spectacle that I had to visit twice.

Best City-

This may come as a surprise to many but Invercargill wins hands down. Much maligned by the rest of the country, Invercargill is a lovely, tidy, compact city full of character and historic buildings with dozens of parks and green spaces scattered throughout the city. Taking centre stage & the jewel in the crown literally, is Queen’s Park, an oasis in the city centre.

The Belle of the South

Invercargill Water Tower

Best Lake-

There were plenty of contenders for this one but in the end I chose the ‘Dismal Swamp’, Lake Onslow; a large puddle in the middle of a windswept expanse of rolling tussock and surrounded by the most beautiful fishing huts ever.

Lake Onslow

Best Waterfall-

We actually haven’t seen too many waterfalls in the latter part in the year but certainly had our fill earlier on while travelling through the Catlins and around Fiordland. My choice is the Catlins’ McLean Falls, a beautiful multi-tiered waterfall that is located at the end of a short bush walk full of emerald green luxuriant ferns and mosses.

McLean Falls, Catlins

Best Free Campsite-

This would have to be Weir Beach Reserve at the southern end of the Catlins. Ovelooking a huge estuary and close to an ocean beach where sealions can be found, Weir Beach Reserve is a large grassy expanse with a basic drop toilet and the best spring water supply we've found on our travels. And best of all it was close to our Invercargill family who came to camp with us.

Weir Beach Reserve

Best Historic Encounter-

Without a doubt, the Lawrence Lions. An amazing coincidence led me on a path of discovery- from not knowing about the lions and their escape to making contact with the daughter of the man that had to shoot them, and then finally to the Dunedin Museum to view Sultan & Sonias’ taxidermied bodies.

Truth is Stranger Than Fiction

Best Ride-

Not one but two free unexpected helicopter rides within 3 weeks of each other. The first one in a Robinson 22 to take photos of the Manapouri Motorhome & Caravan Park and the second in a Robinson 44 to take photos of the Arrowtown Autumn Festival Motorhome Rally. Both thrilling and exhilarating with awesome views over the district.

Manapouri

Above Arrowtown

Best Weather Experience-

Milford Sound in the rain. This would have to be the most unexpected surprise and on a day we really wanted it to be fine. After a thorough drenching walking part of the Milford Track and not seeing more than a few metres ahead of us due to the mist and heavy rain we drove into a water wonderland as we made our way back to camp at the aptly named, as it turned out, Cascade Creek. The mountains came alive as hundreds of waterfalls cascaded down the walls that surrounded us on the climb up to the Homer Tunnel.

Rain on the Milford Road

First place for the most terrifying weather encounter goes to the wild ride we endured at Elaine Bay in the Marlborough Sounds.


Best  Most Wonderful People-

It’s been a privilege & a pleasure to meet so many great people on our travels; from laugh a minute, heart of gold Kevin at Hillview Camp Site near Owaka in the Catlins, to the hospitable Dusty and family who invited us to a roast dinner & to stay overnight on their farm at Albury Park Station.

Hillview Camp

Albury Park Station

Then there’s all the fabulous people we’ve met while partaking in an assortment of tours & activities,  at the various camping grounds and rallies, and especially the lovely people we’ve shared many a jovial  ‘Happy Hour’ with along the way- far too many people to mention individually but all wonderful, caring people who have made our journey that much more special. And a particularly special mention must be made of the folk that have made contact, & I've had the pleasure of meeting, who have been following my blog.

Yes, we’ve had a wonderful year. I could go on and on but I’m sure I’ve listed far too many as it is so I’ll call it a day. But do you know what the best bit really is? We get to do it all again this year!

Summer Sizzle

We’ve now been in Hawkes Bay for 22 days and for every single one of those days the sky has been clear and brilliant blue with a big golden orb beaming down on us. And every day we’ve sweltered under temperatures reaching well into the 30s. Fantastic beach temperatures…if you’re at the beach. But not when you’re parked up in suburbia doing maintenance on ‘Out There’ and catching up with family.  And as some of you will know hot summer temperatures in suburbia, where there is no hint of a sea breeze or even a whisper of a wind, are at least 5 degrees higher than what is reported by the media.

Every time I head off to the van for the night & I’m laying on top of the sheet tossing & turning, David Bowie’s song comes to mind-

Here am I floating
round my [hot] tin can
Far above [below] the Moon
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do.

…..except remember to leave all the windows & top hatches wide open 24/7 to catch a little cool air when it does breeze through. Thank God for the security door which I can lock, leaving the main door open overnight. We do have air conditioning but we only run that if we’re in the van for awhile and usually in the morning when the sun is streaming down on us from the east side where we’re parked. Plus we don’t want to scare Mum & Dad with a mighty power bill after we’ve left!

And if the forecast is anything to go by, it doesn’t look like we’re going to receive any relief from this relentless heat anytime soon. A boom for the local fruit & grape growers who will be in for a bumper season and vintage. The ‘Fruitbowl of New Zealand’ is definitely living up to its name with many roadside stalls selling everything from cherries, plums, nectarines, apricots & peaches to nearly every type of berry you can think of; blackberries, raspberries, blueberries & strawberries to name a few.

Many local orchards & market gardens have stalls at the Hastings Farmers Market which is held every Sunday morning at the A&P Showgrounds in Hastings. I headed over there early Sunday morning to beat the crowds and the heat. Hundreds of locals and many visitors soak up the friendly, relaxed atmosphere of the market every weekend.

First port of call for many is one of the coffee carts with their hot freshly roasted coffee, once that’s in hand it’s off to get a pastry, a bacon roll or maybe a fruit smoothie or an icecream for other members of the party. Meanwhile the rest of the family or group have located a table & chairs out on the grass in the middle of the market and it’s here that they’ll sit catching up, calling out to passing friends or just watching the passing parade of people.

Most early arrivals are there to purchase their weeks supply of fruit & veges, they’ll have the best choice and possibly buy before the stall sells out- especially produce with a short season such as figs & blueberries- they’ll fill up their carry bags and get out of there before the later flow of leisurely shoppers arrive.

Some may buy a loaf of two of freshly baked bread for lunch, salami or fresh meat from the delis, chutney or pickle and cheese, free-range eggs, manuka honey or freshly pressed olive oil, unusual vegetables or herbs along with plentiful supply of beautiful & tasty sun-ripened fruit, all direct from the orchard or farm.

The guy on the left looks pretty pleased with himself- he’s just bought a couple of cupcakes!

The blueberry van was doing a steady trade in both fresh berries and berry icecreams.

After walking the circuit a couple of times and being tempted by the gorgeous smells & delicious treats on offer I resisted the urge to spend up large, settling on some juicy apricots, white fleshed nectarines (the only nectarine for me), a dozen sweet corncobs (for a BBQ we were having later on) & a coffee. I found myself a chair in the shade, drank my coffee and ate most of the cherries and some of the blueberries I’d also purchased!

As I left, the rear guard were arriving, dozens of cars filing slowly into the park, choking dust from the limestone tracks hanging in the still, hot summer air.

Footnote- I jinxed the weather, Day 23 has dawned overcast but humid with a very light drizzle falling for the first couple of hours. In fact it could hardly be called a drizzle more like a mist, not even enough to wet the pavement although very pleasant & refreshing while I was out for my early morning walk. I'm sure the cloud will burn off later in the day but for the time being we're enjoying break.

‘Thank God They’ve Gone’

That’s a standing joke & standard response from Pam & Gerald and Joy & Kevin as they wave off day visitors and short term campers from any of their camping sites. It’s when peace & quiet returns and they can get about doing what they set out to do when they went camping; relaxing, reading a book or fishing. Don’t get them wrong though, they all look forward to sharing time with friends & family and everyone is made more than welcome; fun is this extended family’s middle name. It’s just nice to sometimes have a little me time.

The six of us waved off the last of the camp visitors three days after arriving, “Thank God they’ve gone” we all said in unison and then crashed for the rest of the afternoon. Oh the joy, we had two whole days ahead of us before we were due to leave.

The weather was glorious, near every day a stunner with cloudless blue skies and the hot summer sun beating down. In fact it has been amazing since we arrived in Hawkes Bay, just as I remember the carefree summers of my youth. I can’t recall when I last had a Christmas/New Year holiday with such wonderful weather- (and even now parked up beside Mum & Dads’, every day dawns hot & blue- it seems criminal that we’re not out there enjoying it but we know we’ll be back on the road soon enough and traditionally February/March are when the summer really kicks into gear)

The river was running very low so we were able to easily cross and explore along the other side including a large gravel plain full of blooming wildflowers…

… and tetchy birds at the end of their breeding season and looking at distracting us from their fledglings- from left to right, top to bottom- a pied stilt doing a distraction dance, banded dotterel, pied stilt, black fronted dotterel & paradise shelduck juveniles..

Captures from around Camp Tukituki-

Late one evening (11pm) and with the camp site looking surprisingly tidy considering the evening hi-jinks (what happens in camp, stays in camp), I did some long exposure & light painting shots of the vans. I had two apprentices, Pam & Joy, looking over my shoulder to see how it was done.

Night shot exposed for 30 seconds.

Light painting (explained here) exposed for 25 seconds- not too great a shot as you can see where the torch beam has left it’s trail. I needed a torch with a wider softer beam to sweep over the object.

Pam tried her torch out but it was too bright, this shot looking more like it was taken with the flash, this one was exposed for just 10 seconds.

And one last long exposure shot down the sides of the vans, exposed for 30 seconds again- no torchlight. The solar lights give a nice colour & ambience to the shot. They were changing colours during the exposure time, red, green & blue but only the blue showed up, it must be the stronger light.

Our view up the river….

…and down.

And finally after a fabulous six days it was time to pack up & pull out. Thanks so much guys for the fun, the laughs, the all round madness of camp and sharing the whole bloody lot with us by putting us in the middle!

Thank God we’ve gone!

It took two years but we finally we made it to the Tuki. We had a magic time and one we’ll certainly add to the top of our “Best Camp” file.

Where Family Memories Are Made

Nothing speaks more of an idyllic New Zealand summer than the wonderful family memories that are made when families go camping. Whatever the accommodation or location, it’s a time that everyone looks forward to; where they can leave their everyday life behind for a few days or weeks, where they can relax and unwind, enjoy each others company, revel in the hot summer sun and play & swim in the warm waters of the many beaches, lakes and rivers that Kiwis have access to.

The hot Hawkes Bay sun was still beating down on us as we arrived at the river after a wonderful Christmas Day at Eskdale Park. We were keen to get sorted and set up camp before it became too late to enjoy the last of a perfect summer’s day. We’re camping with two of my aunties and their husbands; Pam & Gerald and Joy & Kevin. Pam & Joy are more like sisters, they are only a few years older than me and our families have grown up together so we are all very close. Both couples have recently moved from caravans to motorhomes and have spent a lot of time camping around Hawkes Bay and elsewhere over the years.

After a bit of maneuvering we had the vans lined up on a small plateau overlooking the river with awnings extended, ground mats laid, chairs, loungers, BBQs out & water toys at the ready. With the sun shelter/come meeting dome erected it was time for a well needed cool drink.

It was the lull before the storm. The next morning three of my cousins and their families arrived to set up camp beside the vans for two nights; Pam’s two daughters, their partners and 3 children & one of Joy’s daughters, partner & four children- Joy’s other two daughters, their partners, one set of in-laws and 4 more grandchildren came to visit for the day. Oh, and did I mention there were two dogs too.

Along with two friendly horses & a mule who must have wondered what on earth was going on at their watering hole. After getting mobbed every time they approached the camp, they decided it was safer to visit the river for a drink after night fall. They also thought it was necessary to check out the tents and rubbish bags before dawn, heavy breathing & stomping around the tents just in case we wanted to say hello again.

Chaos reigned around our quiet little oasis in the centre of the camp, but what fun it was to sit and watch and occasionally join in the activities. Although it would seem our main activity was sitting in the shade catching up with everyone. Mum, Dad, my brother & his two children came to visit for an afternoon too.

Number one activity was riding the river rapids which started just up from the camp; although they are more riffles than rapids but they still caused a bit of consternation because of the large rocks with pointy peaks sitting just below the surface. These were to be avoided at all costs unless you wanted to end up stranded atop a rock with flailing limbs trying to bounce off and back into the flow. You’d also return to camp with not only a sore bum but a dirty one too! Laying on your inner tube instead of sitting in it might have alleviated this problem but it’s nowhere near as much fun. It always looks way scarier from the water line than it does from the river bank too. I’d love to be able to post some of the photos I have of the faces of the kids as they approached each rush of water but I couldn’t do that to them. Could I?

Once past the rapids it’s an easy float down the river for another kilometre or so before climbing out at a shallow section and awaiting the ride home! I say ‘easy’ but in fact you do need your wits about you, there are a couple of swift sections that threaten to take you under the overhanging willows and wipe you off if you don’t paddle fast. I didn’t paddle fast.

The second most popular activity was fishing, both for the kids and adults although not one trout was caught. Oh they were hooked alright but not one stayed on the line long enough to be brought to shore. One fish in particular lived in the pool across from the camp site, he must have been a wily old fellow because I’m sure he was hooked at least a half a dozen times by various fishers but managed to spit the hook out just as many times.

Zara & Hunter had fishing lessons from their Pa while Samuel was sure he was going to catch that elusive trout, the one that Opa tried to catch morning, noon & night. Building memories.

Construction of the Tukituki Hot Pools took place one hot afternoon; a series of rock pools deep enough for the littlies to safely play in and for the adults to soak in. Problem was the river water was luke warm and the pools really did become ‘hot pools’- too hot to cool off in anyway.

There was great excitement amongst builders big & small when someone shifted a large rock and found an eel slithering away. “Quick grab a net” someone shouted, and out came a pink net- belonging to Zara- to scoop it up. The tiny foot long eel was released in one of the pools where all the kids watched it squeeze under the rocks and swim away again.

Playing in, on and around the river for the most of the day was the number one choice for the children, no iPads, cellphones or TVs in sight. Just one budding young photographer, Charlie, with his new GoPro camera on hand (or head) to record the activities. Whether it was to float about on an inner tube, cart water for Opa, do dive bombs in the swimming hole, learn to throw stones from an aunty or float about with your best mate Betty on board, the kids had a ball. They also slept well each night, tuckered out from the day’s activities and the hot sun. Memories are made of this.

Betty, the French Bulldog & Razz, the Fox Terrier had a great time too, joining in the fun along the way. Betty at 8 months old is new to this camping (and swimming) game but Razz is an old pro. Both were very well behaved and a joy to be around. Although with her old head knowledge and keen sense of smell, Razz knew who around camp was a sucker for a cute forlorn face when you’re eating bacon for breakfast. No prizes for guessing who the sucker was.

Another popular activity once everyone had finished with the river for the day was the mighty slingshot which shot water balloons off into the distance. Two of the guys held the sides while the kids loaded a balloon into the sling and then pulled it back as far as they could before releasing it. The excitement & squeals of delight and laughter as the kids lined up for their turn was priceless. As was the expression on the kids faces as they strained to load the sling.

Some balloons made it to the other side of the river, others burst upon release showering everyone nearby with water. Some of the younger boys tried catching them down by the river- the kids up top using them as targets, a few ducks over the other side got a short shift too. Some turned around and shot them high over the vans where they landed and exploded on an awning. Our awning. A stop was quickly put to that. Nana Pam was not impressed.

I wondered what would happen to Hunter(bottom photo) if he forgot to let go!

Happy Hour tradition with Pam & Joy dictates that they dress in their ‘camp evening dresses’ before drinks, ring a bell and shout ‘shop’ at their husbands everytime they need a refill. They both have a number of dresses that they wear for ‘Happy Hour’, ones that look lovely but ones that they normally wouldn’t wear in their everyday life. Its something they like to do after a day spent in togs, shorts, bare feet etc looking after husbands & family and/or relaxing. It’s a demarcation line between a busy day and preparing the evening meal (although depending on how long Happy Hour is, the meal might not eventuate).

Pam bought four dresses for the first night’s ‘Happy Hour’. One each for her & Joy and two for her girls, it was their first night camping altogether. Don’t they look great. That’s Joy on left, Pam next, then my two cousins Lynda & Jayne.

Not to be outdone, Kevin made an appearance later on in his onsie which encouraged, first Lynda to appear in hers, and then Pam in hers. I’m afraid I can’t show you the photo of one of the other guys in his pink onsie- needless to say it wasn’t a pretty sight! Fun & hilarity all around.

After dinner and a few too many drinks the night was danced away to the sounds of the ‘50s (and a few from the 70s to keep me happy)

Fun family times indeed.