Thursday, August 27, 2020

8 days in a campervan top of the South Island

 Took the ferry to Picton on a lovely day last week.

Heading out of Wellington harbour.

Sue and Phil collected us for a picnic at the wharf and dropped us to the caravan park where we  picked up a Merc Sprinter campervan. Quick lesson in important things like black water and grey water and water and gas, and off we went to Nelson for our first night. Mid-sized van but a bit squeezy in the middle around the kitchen and loo/shower alley way. Nelson to Takaka along Golden Bay, then south inland to Pohara Beach, through the Lewis Pass, Hanmer Springs, Kaikoura, and back to Picton.



About half way through, getting messy. But sourdough bread was excellent. This is the squeezy alley; one person at a time.



Mixed results for a campervan experiment. A few probs with how the van worked, and didn't work. Lovely to drive, comfortably to sleep in. We free camped one night; moved it at 11.30 in the rain with a bit of drama when we thought we might be too close to the river. We weren't. 

Roads lovely and not crowded, and no worries about tired tourists coming towards us on the wrong side of the road - no tourists in the country. Parks not crowded but still lots of NZers out and about playing tourist.

Pohara Beach, Golden Bay. Camped beside the beach, nice. Sea freezing though.




Mish on the walkway to Te Waikoropupu Springs, place of crystal clear water and swooping fantails. It rained most of the week on and off, and this day the rain obscured the view. Still pretty. Last here 20 years ago and now there's a boardwalk and viewing area over the springs.


Curious weka looking in the campervan.



Culverden, on the road to Kaikoura. Nice spring blush on the willows in a park. Even though they're a weed, like the zillions of wattles on the hills, all lovely and yellow weedy.


Green paddocks and cows and low cloud. Typical view on this trip.



Hanmer Springs and a  hot water boost in the rain. Got the seniors rate, yay!



In the sulfur pool, mmm. Snow on mountains in the distance.


Leaving Hanmer, one way in, one way out. They're working on this bridge.




Mt Lyford on the road from Hanmer Springs to Kaikoura.



And looking in the other direction.



Coffee stop. Lots of lambs about, and big beautiful rhododendrons and magnolias in full flower.




Last stop Kaikoura. On the beach looking at the mountains through cloud.






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