Lets get driving

Once more we are sad to leave when we are heading out of Marahau in Betty this morning as we have both really loved the vibe in Marahau.  We stop only briefly as we are leaving to take one last picture of the beach, thinking not a bad view for a Wednesday morning at work !

Great view from the office today !

It's then on north over Takaka Hill to the northern end of the Abel Tasman Park. We had initially been planning on staying at the Totaranui DOC campsite as recommended by Kelvin.  But after a horror story from Craig (our kayak guide) about 2 rental campers who got stuck there due to a landslide and had to pay to get the vans out via boat we decided to play it safe and go to Pohara instead.

Once over Takaka Hill and through Takaka we head towards Golden Bay to find a nice picnic spot.  As its such a lovely day we have our first picnic from the back doors of Betty looking over a deserted Golden Bay beach.

Another nice spot for a picnic.

From here we head back round the coast towards Totaranui to see the Abel Tasman memorial for the Dutch explorer.  We had been anticipating a nice statue and some form of information plaque.  Instead we got to see a large concrete obelisk donated by the Dutch governement.  Nice.

Nice.

Then its time to check into the motorcamp and then head to the attached shop for a couple of ice-creams and a walk down the beach.  Mrs M opts for her NZ ice-cream of choice - Hokey Pokey and Mr M his - Boysenberry Ripple.

All that's left to do is cook some pasta for tea and that's us done for the day.

Mr & Mrs M
 
 

Lets get paddling

A early(ish) start today sees us meeting the Sea Kayak Company outside the campsite at 8:30 to get kitted out and onto the water taxi to take us to Onetahuti and the start of our trip.

Once at Onetahuti we get into our kayaks and head off for the Tonga Island Marine Reserve.  A gentle 20 minutes of paddling we make it to the marine reserve and spot the first of many fur seals who are keen to have a play around the kayaks.  Our little group of 4 kayaks then spend ages popping in and out of different bays watching all the seals before we need to make a move down the coast and towards a lunch spot.

All along the coast there are so many pretty lagoons that we are able to explore. As the tide is high we are able to paddle into some of them which are mill pond flat and perfect for a gentle float around.

The McClymonts showing off their turning skills in a lagoon

Around lunchtime Craig our guide decides that we should beach the kayaks and break open the sandwiches and cake.  With unanimous approval from all 3 kayaks we head up on the beach and liberate the food from the kayaks, including Craig's Mum's delicious chocolate covered banana cake!

Not too shabby for a picnic !

With the tide beginning to fall we launch off again before we have to drag the kayaks too far down the beach.  As we continue down the coast we stop off at some other interesting little bays but unfortunately not any more lagoons as they are all emptying pretty quickly and look fairly hairy to get into.

As we are exploring round some of the rocky headlands I decide I should take some video of Mrs M paddling.  After a couple of kayaking trips now I thought I had the hang of paddling and steering at the same time (the person at the back of the kayak has to steer).  Unfortunately I don't yet have the hang of taking video and steering and we got a little closer to the geology than expected. 

This has been an amazing trip and a great way to see some of the fabulous scenery in the Abel Tasman.

As a reward for all our hard work in the boat we treat ourselves to dinner out at the Park Cafe, where Mrs M has the scallop salad and I have the delicious burger.

Mr M  

Lets get walking

With the sun shining this morning we are keen to head on out the park and get on our way to Marahau and the start of the Abel Tasman National Park.

We decide to take the more scenic coast road, which although is a little twisty for Betty has great view of the lovely sandy beaches to come.

As we are kayaking in the central part of the park tomorrow we decide to do the southerly part of the track from Marahau to Anchorage Bay.  Initially we thought we might catch the water taxi back but as its such a nice sunny day and we haven't had a good walk since Wellington we decide to do the return walk also.

The views along the track are stunning with cloudless blue skies, white sandy beaches and crystal clear water.

Sunshine on Abel Tasman

We walk for an hour or so and then stop for lunch at Apple Tree Bay where we can get down onto a lovely beach for a bit of a paddle and eat our sandwiches.

Picnic spot - Apple Tree Bay

It's then back on the track and on towards Anchorage Bay.  After another 90 minutes or so of walking  we get to a sign saying we are just over a kilometer from Anchorage but also over 10 kilometers from where we started.  With 10km to walk back we decide to head back to Betty as it was only supposed to be a gentle walk not a 25km marathon.

Once back in the van we head off to the motorcamp to get booked in, treat ourselves to an ice-cream and then get settled for the night.

Resting our legs after a good tramping

Mr M

Next stop Nelson

Today we are on our way to the sunny north west corner of the South Island for the start of a few days tramping and kayaking in the Abel Tasman National Park.

On our way from Murchison northwards we spot a lovely little tearoom in Wakefield and decide it is a good time for a cuppa and some scones.

From here we go into Nelson for a few hours and have a good look around the city including the impressive cathedral at the top of the hill.

We decide to try and head a bit closer to the Abel Tasman and drive on to Motueka where we check into a lovely motorcamp and arrange our sea kayaking trip for the day after tomorrow.

Then its time for a relaxing dip in the spa pool and a quick bounce on the bouncing pillow before dinner.

Mr & Mrs M

Big Kelvin - Little Kelvin

Those of you who are avid blog readers will have spotted a little furry friend on some of our previous posts and in some videos with Betty.

This is our lucky mascot - Kelvin the Kiwi.

After getting Betty stuck in the mud on Day 1 (Baylys Beach) we decided that we needed to have a lucky mascot to keep us safe in the campervan.  

Shortly after this we saw a little All Black Kiwi in a shop and decided that he would make an excellent mascot so we bought him.  We also decided to name him Kelvin as Kelvin and Pauline had initially given us so much help that he was bound to bring us good luck.

And since then little Kelvin has been everywhere with us.

Kelvin says hello!

No doubt you will see alot more of Kelvin over the next few weeks.

Mr & Mrs M 

Leaving Kaikoura

Bit of a driving day again today as we head from Kaikoura on the eastcoast back towards Nelson on the north coast of the South Island.

We have time to take a few pictures on the way out of town of the magnificent scenery 

Seaward Kaikoura Ranges

and of the interesting geology.

Nice folded rocks

Unfortunately as we head into the mountains and through the Lewis Pass the weather deteriorates and we decide to stay at Murchison tonight rather than press on to Nelson.

Mr M  

Where's the Whale?

Today we head down the east coast from Blenheim to Kaikoura to go on one of the world famous whale watching trips.

On the road down we stop off at Ohau Point seal colony and watch hundreds of NZ fur seals sunning themselves on the rocks right in front of us.

We can't stop however as we have important business to attend to on our way to Kaikoura. 

As many of you know Mrs M and myself are partial to the odd bit of lobster now and again, and Kaikoura is famous for crayfish (big crayfish like lobster) and apparently the place for crayfish is Nin's Bin.

Great seafood

This is a tin hut on the outskirts of Kaikoura which sells freshly caught and cooked crayfish.  We of course stop and buy one for dinner tonight.

We make it to the whale watching centre in plenty time for our booked trip and get bumped onto the trip before.  After the safety briefing we head out on the catamaran to go looking for whales.  Kaikoura has pretty interesting seabed morphology with a big 1000m deep submarine canyon about 3km off the coast.

Kaikoura Canyon bathymetry - not one I made at work !

This is a feeding ground for lots of marine life including some semi-resident sperm whales.

As we got to the point a whale was spotted on a earlier trip Captain Bob dipped his hydrophone in the water to see what he could hear.

Put it in the water Bob

Hearing a whale we then track it for 10 minutes until it goes silent which is a sign of it about to surface.  Unfortunately conditions are not great and we don't see it surface.  We then wait for around 45 minutes (the average dive time for a sperm whale) and track the echo-location noises.  Having been on the water for well over two hours now we are starting to think we might not get a chance to see the whale today, when all of a sudden we see it surface about 200m from the boat.

Tiaki - male semi-resident sperm whale

We then draw up as close as we are allowed to and watch the whale float on the surface digesting its latest meal.  After 20 minutes or so the whale starts taking some bigger breaths and is getting ready to dive again for some more food.  We watch as he arches his back and then gently slips his tail into the water.

It has been amazing to watch this massive marine mammal so close and well worth the hours of tracking it up and down the coast.

Mr & Mrs M

Magic Marlborough

We have decided to break ourselves back into campervan life gently in Marlborough by treating ourselves to a nice lunch and a spot of wine tasting at one of the more boutique wineries in Renwick.

A lovely day in Marlborough

We had contemplated having a day cycling between different vineyards tasting different wines but ended up deciding that sounded like too much hard work and plumped for the easy option.

Some online research highlighted the Wairau River winery as being a good option as they produce both Riesling and Gewurztraminer and have a nice restaurant.  We also like the fact that they are family run with the whole extended family getting involved.

Arriving just before lunch we find a nice table in the quiet barn restaurant and choose the twice baked blue cheese souffle (Mrs M) and tempura prawns with Asian salad (Mr M).  We then pop into the tasting room and sample some of their wines to have with lunch and also have a nice chat to some Americans doing the same as us.  Surprisingly Mr M opts for the Gerwuz (usually Mrs M's tipple) and Mrs M for the Summer Riesling (usually one for Mr M).

The food is fabulous and both wines a fine match.  Dessert is too tempting and we have to have the creme brulee (Mrs M) and fudge brownie (Mr M) to finish off with.

Altogether a thoroughly civilized way to spent a few hours in Marlborough and a good treat away from campervan life!

The view from Wairoa

Mr & Mrs M   

22298 of 35151 miles completed

Apologies but we have not posted an updated stats blog for a while.  We know from all of the great comments we have had about the blog that you all like the stats updates.  The lack of internet connection has made them a little difficult to do but we will try harder for more stats again.

Anyway, to date we have now travelled approximately 22298 miles from the UK, via India, Hong Kong, Borneo, Hong Kong, Australia and NZ North Island.

By my calculation I make it that this is now 63.4% of our total journey miles complete, but we have way more numbers than that:

3207 - the number of kilometers driven in Betty in the North Island.
693 - times Mrs M has told me to refer to Rule 1.
391 - the number of cups of tea drunk so far.
217 - times Mrs M has told me to refer to Rule 2.
61 - the percentage of other campervans that wave back when we wave.
15 - times on the water including ferries, speedboats, glass-bottom boats and kayaks
10 - the number of flights completed to date
3.2 - the height of Betty in meters (very important !)
1.57 - the average cost of diesel so far (per litre NZ dollars)
1 - the number of discounts we have had for being Scottish (Buried Village Rotorua) 

Please keep all the great comments coming in we really do enjoy hearing from you all when we are on the other side of the world.
 
Mr M

Time for a tramp before the boat

This is our last day of our trip round the North Island and we have time to fit in a bit of a walk this morning before we catch the Interislander ferry this afternoon.

Unfortunately Ann has to work but John takes us out for a tramp in the nearby regional park.  We have an very enjoyable walk with John even if our little legs had to take double strides just to keep up!

We then have a chance to fold out our big NZ map and look through our North Island actual route

and also talk through the proposed route that Kelvin had planned for the South Island.  John was in awe of Kelvin's route and was apologetic that he couldn't add any better suggestions ;)

Very quickly our time in Ann and John's lovely home has come to an end and we need to get back on the road on Betty again.  We make our way to the ferry terminal and watch our boat coming in to take us to Picton on the South Island.

The Aratere coming in to Wellington Harbour

Thankfully we have a fairly smooth crossing of the Cook Strait with only a 2  or 3m swell and Mrs M even manages to fall asleep at one point.

From Picton it is a short drive to Blenheim in the heart of the Marlborough wine district and the start of our South Island adventure.

Mr M

A bit of history

Tonight at dinner Mrs M and I get to meet Auntie Anna, who is Ann's auntie and one of the first of my family to have moved from Scotland to New Zealand in the 1920's.

Dinner with Auntie Anna

Before dinner we get to look through some great photos that Auntie has brought to show us which includes some of my dad as a little boy and a selection of me and my brother growing up.  One especially interesting one is my brother getting weighed as a baby...

Auntie has a great memory and was able to tell us some stories about going to Scotland in the late 1960s and also the 8 week boat journey back to NZ via Cape Town.

It was really interesting meeting Auntie Anna and finding out some more about the side of my family in New Zealand.

Mr M  

Sunny Wellington by the sea

We awake after a great nights sleep and the luxury continues with a nice warm shower and fluffy towels this morning.  It is going to be difficult readjusting to life in Betty when we get back on the road.

After breakfast we grab the train into Wellington city centre and have a good wander around the waterfront.

Wellington waterfront panorama

This part of town is really nice and reminds Mrs M and myself alot of when we used to live in Bristol.  

We then head through Civic Square

Civic square

and up on the cable car to the Botanic Gardens.  The gardens are looking lovely in the sun and we have a good walk round much of the 25 hectares.

One of many colourful orchids

Rose garden panorama

Just a small selection of trees in the garden

We catch the return cable car back into the city 

Wellington Cable Car

and have a bite to eat on the waterfront before making our way to Te Papa.  This museum has loads of great displays and information on everything to do with New Zealand and we spend the rest of the afternoon here.

Interactive NZ floor in Te Papa

A great day in Wellington.

Mr & Mrs M



 

South of the North

There is no fixed plan for today other than to make it to Wellington by 6pm as we are staying with Ann and John (some relatives of mine in New Zealand).

As we have breakfast in Betty we see some grey clouds forming over the hills towards Wellington and decide to head to Greytown this morning, and then down to Cape Pallister this afternoon.

We spend a relaxing couple of hours wandering around the nice shops in Greytown and of course stop in a cafe for tea and cheese scones.  As we have had such a nice time in the Wairarapa we decide to have a peek in the estate agents window 'just to have a look'.  We see a small vinyard for sale and would be quite tempted if we knew more about how to make wine !

From here we head on south and try to make it to Cape Palliser to see the lighthouse.  We know there is a risk we won't make it as we are not allowed to take Betty on unsealed roads and we suspect that the last stretch to the lighthouse may be unsealed.  We go as far along the road as we can but need to turn back at Ngawi as the tarmac runs out.  Mrs M is impressed with the parked up brightly coloured dozers all with different names on the sea front!

As its getting on a bit we head back on our way to Wellington and over the Rimutaka Hill Road which is interesting in the strong wind we have had today.

After a quick stop to check my hair

its on to Ann and John's where we get a warm Wellington welcome and a roast chicken dinner...  Mrs M has spent the last 2 weeks trying to come up with ways to have a roast dinner in Betty but couldn't think of any so it was a real treat to have a lovely roast chicken dinner.

We have an excellent time with Ann and John in their lovely home but it feels strange not going to bed in Betty tonight as we have become accustomed to sleeping in the back of a van. 

Mr M

Martinborough - on the lash...

A lazy start is on the cards today after the big drive yesterday, but that's OK as it gives us time to plan our wine tasting for later on.

Many of you back home will not know that Martinborough is a big wine growing region in NZ as much of the NZ wine at home is from Hawke's Bay or Marlborough.

There are two important considerations when it comes to wine for me and Mrs M.  Firstly we don't drink red, and secondly we tend to like the Alsace style aromatic wines (Gewürztraminer, Riesling etc) rather than the more popular NZ Sauvingon Blanc.

A little bit of research at the Martinborough Wine Centre points us in the right direction and off we pop out of town to go and try a few.  Fortunately as Martinborough is compact and bijou everything is in walking (or staggering) distance.

First up is Haythornwaite which is a lovely boutique vinyard of only 11 acres and they specialise in Gewürztraminer.  Mrs M tastes all 5 different wines from dry through to sweet desert wine, while I dip out of the Gewürz after the medium sweet and sample some of their Pinot Gris.  The wine is amazing and we have to buy a couple of bottles of the 'Susan' a dry for me and a sweet for Mrs M.

Conveniently our next stop is directly across the road at Vynfields.

Vynfields

After 5 decent measures earlier we decide that a spot of lunch is in order and order some nibbles and their 'wine sharing plate' of five different wines.  Again their wine is lovely and this time we opt for some of their Pinot Rose to take with us.

After a very enjoyable afternoon we head back to Betty for a quick change and then off out again to the Martinborough Hotel for our first NZ dinner out - fish & chips for Mrs M and steak frites for me.

Mr M

  

Showers, Snow and Slumber

After a good nights slumber in Ohakune we are ready for a driving day, but that is only after the most fantastic showers we have experienced during our time on the road!  Whilst this might not seem like a big thing to those of you at home, enjoying warm bathrooms, fluffy towels, power showers, unlimited minutes of hot water – life is a little different at the campsite and has taken a little adaptation!

There are a number of perils to be faced when showering at the campsite and below are a few we have found so far on our travels, in no particular order:

1.     You discover your powered site is at the absolute opposite end of the park to the shower block.

2.     Pouring with rain outside means not a good shower day as you get very wet on the long walk to the shower block before you have even started – experienced by Mrs M at Blue Lakes, Rotorua!

3.     Do not forget your 50c pieces – otherwise no shower.

4.     5 minutes of hot water does only mean 5 minutes and then you are blasted from above by an icy cold torrent!  This is a real travesty for Mr M who relishes his 20 minute shower at home!

5.     Never ever forget your flip flops – there is no telling who’s feet have been there before you.

6.     Get up early – otherwise there is a queue.

We had a small touch of luxury at Ohakune this morning – power showers, unlimited hot water, not a 50cent coin in sight, heat lamps (we don’t even have a heat lamp at home), warm cosy shower blocks (not one draft),a hair dryer and even individual heated towel rails – what a treat!

Warm and toasty after leaving Ohakune we pop out to see the giant carrot as this is the carrot capital of NZ.

Next we head up the mountain road to the top of Mt Ruapehu – which is covered in snow and still open for winter sports.  Mr M in typical Scottish fashion is undeterred by a little coldness and remains in his all singing and all dancing Scottish shorts!   

I in the meantime am in four layers, new woolly hat and my very cosy merino/possum gloves and still a wee bit chilly and pleased to get back to the cosiness of Betty the campervan.

It is a long drive to Martinborough but we make good time with our usual tea and cake stops and have a very friendly welcome when we get to the Top 10 site in time for Mr M’s kumara curry (N.B. – Not one of his finest moments!)

Mrs M

Real Live Volcano

After our fun activities in Taupo this morning we head down the side of Lake Taupo on our way to Ohakune to the south of the Tongariro National Park.

This is a very interesting drive as we pass along State Highway 46 with a great view of Mt Tongariro, which some of you may know was the last volcano to erupt in New Zealand earlier this year.  You might also be keen to know that although she has stopped spreading ash she is still active.

Further down the road we also stop to look at some cool lahar deposits.  

Roadcut Lahar deposit

Large pyroclastic block ~ 1.5m across

Seeing some of these car sized blocks of rock which have been blasted from the volcano gives a real impression of how powerful a big eruption can be.

We then push on to Ohakune to camp for the night.

Mr M 
 

Taupo Trek v Taupo Trail

We decided before coming to NZ that it would be good to get in some mountain biking (Mr M) and some horse trekking (Mrs M) action.  Mrs M doesn’t ‘do’ mountain biking and Mr M can’t remember the last time he was on a horse, but Taupo was a good place to do both next door to each other.  It was also exciting as would be the first 3 hours spent apart for 7weeks and we were looking forward to reporting back on each other’s adventurous morning!!

Mr M collects his mountain bike OK and sets off into the forest on some intermediate trails which by all accounts are pretty tough even for Mr M!  Steep slopes, tree roots, fallen branches and a scary log jump are a walk in the park for Mr M – or at least that was what he reported back, fortunately all in one piece with no obvious injuries!

Mrs M collects her horse – an 11 year old called Jethro, who had had a tough life living in a paddock on his own before being rescued by the trekking centre.  We get on well, apparently he is a bit slow so that should suit me – nothing too boisterous!  We head off onto the trek a small group with our guide and a father and his 10year old daughter - who puts us all to shame with her riding skills – when the rest of us are hanging on for dear life and hoping to stay in the saddle!

Giddy up !

More confident we manage a trot and then a canter which is actually great fun – I am obviously a speed freak!  The 2 hours are over all too quickly, but I soon come to realize that I have had a full body work out, there is not one piece of me which doesn’t hurt and I have some fairly impressive bruises – not bad considering I didn’t fall off – I hope tonight’s campsite has a spa!

Close up of 'the bruise' on Mrs M's leg

All in all a good day in our sabbatical office!  Mr M concludes that due to the bruises Taupo Trail beats Taupo Trek.

Mrs M 
(written with leg elevated unable to move, covered in Ibruprofen gel – good job Mr M is cooking tea!)