Marfells Beach

Looking down on the salt pans from the road that didn't go to the lighthouse

The beach at our doorstep

breakfast view from the bus doorway

Malcolm at Mussel Point

The lighthouse in the distance

 

Yesterday we moved to a DOC camp right on the waterfront at Marfells Beach near Lake Grassmere  solar salt works.  It was hard to move from the previous freedom spot but this beach was also very nice.  This morning the sea was rippling a few meters from our bus door and it was clear blue sky looking to the Marlborough Sounds and also the bottom of the North Island.  We walked for about an hour down the beach to Mussel Point from where we could see Cape Campbell lighthouse.  (We tried to drive there yesterday but the road becomes private before you get there). Then slowly back - with a chat to some blokes getting mussels off the rocks - then coffee and muffins...a real laid-back Saturday morning. We would have stayed another night but we didn't have any more change to put in the honesty box so reluctantly headed off around midday. 

We tried  Taylor Dam just outside Blenheim for our next overnight spot but we didn't like it there so just stopped for lunch and continued to a place called Koromiko not far south of Picton.  There was a freedom spot just off the road but it was basically just a car park and already full of campervans.  So we went 500 meters up the road to a motor-home POP - a large paddock with big trees.  POPs are properties that belong to other motor-homers, or I suppose anyone, and members of NZMCA can stay for a minimal fee.  Some of the pubs we've parked behind are POPs - they are happy for you to park free if you pop in and have a drink or a meal - and why wouldn't you.  This POP is owned by an old codger in a floppy hat who came by on his bike for a yarn this evening.

New seal-land

Fyffe House, old whalers cottage in Kaikoura

Kaikoura Peninsula track

seals on the rocks...

...all pretty relaxed

The cliff we climbed up

Jordan stream bridge in the Puhi Puhi Valley

 

Beside the seals at Paparoa Point

 

A seal posing

We are back on the east coast - home to seals!  Yesterday we walked around some more of Kaikoura Peninsula - coming  from the town side.  We decided to walk back along the beach, which we did till we got to the point where the tide was too far in at a headland.  The choice was between waiting for the tide to go out, walk all the way back the way we came and up the steps or climbing up the nearby cliff.  We took the cliff, don't ask me why, but we lived to tell the tale.

This morning we took the car into the hills, up Puhi Puhi Rd, because Malcolm used to have a farm at Puhi Puhi (the one near Whangarei).  We drove to the end of the road where there was an old bridge that wouldn't take the weight of a car, so drove through the river.  Then came back. 

After that we took the bus and moved to Paparoa Point which is north of Kaikoura on the road to Blenheim.  The rocky shoreline is home to a seal colony and we watched the seals cavorting in the waves and posing on the rocks.  The sound of the surf rolling rocks on the beach was so hypnotising we couldn't do anything except sit and watch the world go by all afternoon.  It's a hard life but someone has to do it!

Kaikoura

Stable view with Seaward Kaikouras behind

The right hand white blob is our bus at the trotting club

Looking back down the coast

 

The start of the Kaikoura Peninsula walkway

 

Me not looking too comfortable about being close to the edge

 

Sitting in the late afternoon sun watching some people swim with seals

 

People swimming, seals mainly lying on the rocks!

Out for dinner- posh place!  See Rae we do still eat out, haha!

We spent yesterday in Oxford, which is northwest of Christchurch.  We went to the farmers market and wandered around the village in the morning (after coming down through Porters Pass from the lake).

Today we drove from Oxford to Kaikora with a cloudless sky the whole day.  It was only 5 degrees overnight in Oxford but the day soon warmed up.  The coast south of Kaikora was stunning - the sea was sparkling in the sun, with seals sunbathing on the rocks.  We are camped at the trotting club at South Bay at Kaikoura - it is for NZMCA members, you just put a donation in the box.  So for a change we are not alone, there are a couple of camper vans and another bus.  We went for a walk up the hillside behind us and then drove to the end of the road and walked around the Kaikoura Peninsula headland for quite a long way.  We didn't see any whales but we did see some people snorkelling with the seals.  On the walk back we both got a craving for fish and chips so we drove around into Kaikoura township and got blue cod n chips.  Some of the best f&c I've ever had.

Through Arthur's Pass

The bus at Lake Lyndon

Malcolm went up the slopes of Mt Lyndon to take photos...



...looking down on the bus (that's the road to Porters Pass at centre)

down the lake

up the valley towards Arthur's Pass

Even higher up

That black dot on the top of the shadowed bit is Malcolm.  This is zoomed.  He did go higher but you wouldn't see him on a photo!

 

Despite the signs saying 'not recommended for towing vehicles' we went through Arthur's Pass and found a good freedom camping spot on the east side at Lake Lyndon.  The pass is very windy and narrow in parts and steep.  There is a viaduct across part of the pass and an area that is under a rock protection shelter with waterfalls pouring over it, like you go through in Switzerland.

Malcolm went up the slopes of Mt Lyndon to take photos down to the bus and lakeside and back up towards the mountains of Arthur's Pass National Park.  There were big wind gusts coming through, which he said nearly blew him off the mountain, and one ripped paint off part of the rear window (there had been a tiny hole that water got in and it had a small bubble)so now our backside doesn't look so smart!  Another job to add to the to-do list when we get back to Whangarei.

Hokitika Adventures

Malcolm prepares to leave for his ride...

...into the mountains

through a wild west town...

over rivers...

and beside water races

Heather goes to waterfalls...

Lake Kaniere

...in a rainforest

Hokitika Gorge

The sunny weather disappears

 

Today Malcolm rode in the wild west and I went to Hokitika Gorge which was very picturesque.  I drove around Lake Kaniere after dropping Malcolm off for his ride.  It was also beautiful but a bit spooky driving along a very narrow, very windy, road through bush with no other traffic around.  I was glad to get out of the forest and back onto the seal.  By the time I got to  Hokitika at midday it had clouded over on the coast.  It took Malcolm 3 hrs 40 mins to do the 40 odd kms of trail - he said it was more challenging than the rides we've done lately.

Sunny Greymouth

Looking for the cycle trail in Kumera

The buildings are being done up in Kumera as cycle trail tourists are coming through

heading towards the coast

sea views from the trail

Greymouth port area

Remains of the original Cobden Bridge at Greymouth

Malcolm cooling his feet at Lake Brunner

Another part of Lake Brunner's coastline

 

We drove up the wet coast - oh did I mean west coast? - no.  The weather was as predicted and we saw lots of waterfalls.  Then when we got to Greymouth we drove into blue sky and hot weather!

So today we cycled a bit of the West Coast Wilderness Trail - from near Kumera to back into Greymouth.  Then we took the bus to Kumera too, ready for Malcolm to ride the next section tomorrow.  Today's ride was by the ocean, this next is through bush and by lakes.  We can't take the bus to pick up the car tomorrow so I'll be dropping him off and doing something else for a few hours.

We went to Lake Brunner in the afternoon.  The drive was through bush on a narrow road and the lake was stunning.

It is very hot here - been 35 degrees this evening in the bus with windows open!

Fox Glacier

mysterious machinery in a swamp

 

grey beach, grey sea, grey sky

 

breakfast view of the Fox glacier

 

cloud lifting off the Alps

 

walking to the Fox glacier

 

Fox glacier - I am wearing longs to try and defeat the sandflies but there were none up there!

 

Malcolm and glacier

 

guided parties like ants on the glacier

 

 

One of those dots on the river bed ...

 

...was this!

 

Another classic South Island freedom camping spot

 

We drove up from Haast on a grey day and freedom camped  on Gillespies Beach road just out of Fox Glacier.  We went to the beach there and did a couple of walks to look at the remains of old gold dredges.  They looked like some sort of steam-punk space ship crash landed in a swamp.  We were camped by a river with views of the glacier and wondering what was going to happen when the severe weather with heavy rain hit during the night.  We were hoping we wouldn't have to do a midnight flit.

Luckily there was only a little rain in the night and we ate breakfast watching the clouds lifting from above the Fox glacier and other mountain peaks - Mt Cook?  We weren't sure.  Anyway we went to the glacier and had a look.  The glacier view car park road was closed but the access road now has a big car park and new track.  There's a lot of work going on with heavy machinery moving rocks out of the river to reinforce the banks of the track.  It was really hot walking up there - more than an hour return so we went to Lake Matheson cafe for a cold drink.  We were going to walk around the lake which is famous for reflections of the mountains but the clouds we thought were clearing actually thickened, so we missed out with that.  Back to the bus - it was 37 degrees inside, not the normal west coast weather!  That is coming tomorrow I think!