McKenzie Country with Canals of Trout and Salmon

Spot of fishing at Lake Ohau

A wee wine while supervising the bbq in Wanaka with H&R

Sample time at  the Cardrona Whisky Distillery with
Tour Guide Chris

A flooded Clutha river and a Trout at Albert Town 👍

The lovely Cardrona Hotel

An old Goldminers hut on the Lindis River

The ruins of the Lindis Hotel at Nine Mile Reserve

Unwinding in the evening on the Canal

Before the Mower

The beauty all gone!😢

Nice Rainbow Trout Bill at Lake Ohau

Wash day and smoking fish just out of Twizel

Pity it was raining - these Lupins would have been
stunning on Lake Tekapo

The flooded Rangitata River before it got bad!

Flooding through the lower Rakaia Gorge

Looking up the upper Rakaia Gorge

On leaving Jacks Point after 3 weeks of sporadic painting, we only got as far as Lake Hayes Estate ( a paltry 16km down the road)  to spend the evening with our new friend Sharon … an introduction to a Queenstown contact from  UK  friends Kath & Owen .  A pleasant evening was spent socialising with her 2 flatmates Katie  and Brad, all very interesting characters. Indeed turning into a late night,  sampling a variety of whisky and liqueurs from the Cardrona Whisky Distillery. After a head clearing walk the next morning, along the Shotover \Kawerau confluence, we headed towards Wanaka to catch friends Helen & Ralph. As we ventured we spent  the night at a favourite haunt, Lowburn on Lake Dunstan. It was pretty windy with good sized waves on the lake. Definitely not paddling weather.

H&R were staying at their timeshare, which we had often heard about , as they have for many years holidayed annually in Wanaka for 2 weeks at this time of year. The apartments are lovely and well positioned  for a short walk into Wanaka Central and the foreshore. Bullock Creek runs through the property and is well stocked with large rainbow trout. It was, much to my disappointment ,decided bad form to get my fishing gear out and on later perusal of the fishing regulations quite rightly so. The only way to console my disappointment was to head out for a drink and so it was that we went to the Cardrona Whisky Distillery with H&R. Sheryl had got busy and booked us on a tour after Katie’s  recommendation.  And what an interesting tour was had, though no one licked the barrel! Something we witnessed in Cognac with fellow Kiwi travelers  touring a Cognac Producer  a couple of years ago. Though I had strongly admonished any thoughts of purchasing any of the excellent products, after a full sampling, somewhat weakened,  we bought a bottle of their orange liqueur which was luverly…. I was tempted by the whiskey but at $300 odd dollars for 750mm……..

Initially with no plans to stay overnight  in Wanaka, H&R talked us round as they were unusually on vacation with no kids and equally at loose ends so an enjoyable evening was spent with the prospect of a look around the next day and a picnic in the Bus. Driving past Glendhu Bay and walking the track to Diamond Lake, it was very warm windy and busy. Indeed all the walking track parks were overfull with  cars signalling busy tourism already well in swing. We retired to the Lake reserve in Glendhu Bay for lunch and had a relaxing afternoon talking nonsense while watching other tourist come and go to the lake shore.  We finished the day with a. great  BBQ tea and discussed even more nonsense. The highlight of the day for H&R must have been the waste disposal at the local Dump Point where they learnt the intricacies of life on the road!

With Ralph’s birthday the next day, we joined H&R on their reasonably early start with a walk of the Wanaka streets, and a coffee to finish down on the waterfront (which at this point of writing is underwater with flooding of the lake with the constant rain in the hills and the snow melt at this time of the year).

After breakfast we moved onto Albert Town Reserve for S to do some online work whilst Bill fished…..and against all odds a lovely Rainbow was landed and kept. Moving on we stopped in at Nine Mile Historic Reserve and looked around the old ruins of the Lindis Hotel -interesting history as always. It is also a place to camp overnight, but with it still being relatively early in the day and not great for fishing, we decided to continue onto Twizel.

Camping that night at our NZMCA spot along the canals, to again try our hand at a salmon and to smoke my rainbow trout. With strong winds still in the area, it took a bit to keep the smoke in, but we got there.

Two nights and no fish so we ventured around to Lake Ohau and the beautiful and quiet Round Bush Doc camp resplendent with colourful  Lupins, that are a signature of this area, showing all around the McKenzie. The native mistletoe was also on stunning show in amongst the Beech trees. Such a pity this is now an endangered plant with Possums and rats having a detrimental effect on this beautiful plant. Doc are doing their best to try and save the plant around the country.

But the fishing was better, landing two small rainbow in quick succession but not keepers  unless you were hungry. A  big “hook spitter”  took the lure then did a spectacular jump spitting my lure right back at me, just to tease me!

A great travesty the next day after we had taken the Suzuki for a bit of a 4wd to the top of the lake into the huge Station, was on our return, DOC had turned up to mow the lawns and…….mowed all the lupins down …….Sheryl was bereft ……I had words with the grim reaper but he was adamant they were an introduced flora and as such not welcome…. A bit like us in many respects if you want to follow that train of thought. But thankfully the photo’s had been taken earlier while still on splendid show.

We then headed back round the lake bottom stopping and assaying the little freedom camp areas, finding one on a creek outlet. I tried again for a fish and landed a lovely rainbow about 3lb perhaps. So we moved on to a suitable place out of the wind to enjoy the sunny evening on the foreshore.

We were conveniently placed to cycle a short 10km section of the Alps 2 Ocean cycle Trail running round the bottom of Lake Ohau to the Canal roads that then run into Twizel. A very scenic 21km return ride in great weather was had  before we continued on into Twizel, which is booming we must say, for supplies  and went up to the  Lake Pukaki Canals to shelter amongst the trees from the strong winds but still looking for a salmon. Finally caught my second one …a smaller one than Bro Alan’s & mine of a few weeks ago but definitely a keeper. Excited I headed back after lunch to bag another and in my jubilance let the next fish go, a 5lb rainbow quickly caught, assuming they were there for my convenience but sadly …….no  more fish were seen  indeed not even the next day.

The weather was changing for the worse so it was time to leave the McKenzie and think about heading northward and where to spend our final two weeks before returning home to Nelson for Xmas.

Meandering the back roads of the Inland Scenic Route 72 – highly recommended rather than the main Highway 1 for those that have the time to enjoy. Great to see so many small communities thriving and pulling in passing Tourists, encouraging them to “Responsibly Freedom Camp”.
Passing through the Rakaia Gorge on this route, we decided to do the 4 hour return walk to the Upper Gorge, looking quite fierce with all the heavy rain up in the western ranges. (major flooding started happening closing this route two days later!). We were surprised how many tourists stopped to do this walk on their travels too considering very little signage for the walk. 
Bill enjoys a saunter through some of the galleries and shops on this route, one such place in Oxford that caught his eye with a Brass wine/beer barrel, Keg tap. A must own for all Bus owners!!

Bill's new gadget
(He reckons collectable😂)

With the south island currently being hit by torrential down pours and amazing lightening strikes at the moment, we are slowly making our way up to Golden Bay for a weeks R&R before returning to Nelson. Ready for the festive season 🎄🎄

Back to Central Otago and more fish maybe! 🐟

Parked up opposite the Salmon Farm on the outlet of Lake Ruataniwha

Helen & Ralph enjoying the music at Fat Freddies 

 After a good nights sleep by all but especially Bill, Shannon & AC after their rafting/camping on the Clarence River - Bill & I took them out early to the airport for their return to Wellington, back to the grindstone.

Approaching Fairlie in the McKenzie District

A change of light for the salmon - alas no results.

Some scaffolding was required for the task

The comparison of one side painted to the other!

Fishing at Wye Creek outlet on Lake Wakatipu

Not a bad sized Rainbow Trout - but not big enough to
keep for Bill. So it returned to the lake to grow for
another day 😃

I had enjoyed Labour Weekend with Helen & Ralph and Marg with Christchurch hosting the Big Jazz Bands Festival. Plenty of concerts on around the City. H&R and I went to the new Fat Eddies and listened to the American band that was attending the festival - the Ellensburg Big Band - an hour of swing jazz music. Excellent.
On the Monday we walked into town from Marg's and had the day listening to most of the bands as they took their place in the recently renovated Victoria Square. There were a few school bands involved and they were just as impressive, particularly some of the young vocalists coming through. Great talent. Such a wonderful setting to play in with a good crowd to play to with Christchurch turning on the sunshine.
So after having dropped S&A off at the airport, we readied ourselves to head back to Central Otago. We spent the next morning getting the COF for our Bus - no problems once again. We are good to go for another 6 months. Thankfully we can make a cuppa while we waited as once again it was nearly 3 hours before we got it. It doesn't matter where we go around the country - these Testing Stations always seem under staffed. Frustrating for many who are on a tight time schedule.
We only made it as far as Ealing that night, less than 2 hours from Helen & Ralph's, but that was 2 hours closer to the Salmon!
After a quiet night in the NZMCA camp we moved onto the Ohau Canals near Twizel for a couple of nights so Bill could catch another "biggie" as we had finished eating the last one 😋. With Labour Weekend over, we expected to see a lot more motorhomes parked up here as there tends to be more on the road from now on. But this wasn't the case thankfully so there was plenty of room to park up.
Five minutes after arriving, Bill had his rod in the canal along with a few others.
It wasn't till later in the day, nearly dusk, when a vehicle pulled up over the other side of the canal - cast his rod out and pulled in a couple of salmon in a short time - leaving the others (including Bill) a bit stunned on this side! Hmmmmmm perhaps we will check that side out tomorrow.
As there were other people coming and going on the far side the next day, and no fish being caught, Bill and the others kept trying on our side but sadly no luck. Oh well perhaps next time!🙏
It was time to move onto Queenstown for Bill to help out Jenny & Murray painting their holiday home. As we have stayed here a few times, and hopefully will again in the future, Bill was happy to help out. We had hoped to do a few more cycle trails and a bit of fishing while we based ourselves here but the weather didn't play ball! We must have picked the wettest 3 weeks of the year, with a couple of dumpings of snow on top of the mountains - typical spring weather.
The house is built of cedar - which apparently needs painting every two years! And with the harsh climate down here (freezing winter conditions / extreme heat over summer), it does take it's toll on the buildings. Not sure we will be back in two years time!
So it is time to go chase that salmon once again, and with only 3 weeks till we return to Nelson for the summer, see what cycle trails we can find as well.
 

Clarence River Rafting: with Shannon, Andrew (aka AC) & Bill

Our "Put In"
Large expanse of high country near the Molesworth Station . Where the Acheron and Clarence converge

The Nelson Canoe Club were planning a Clarence river trip for Labour Weekend (repeating one B&S +Shannon did 6 yrs ago). I was very excited tho unfortunately Sheryl wasn't, and to give her her due the last trip we did 5 years ago on the Waiau was a little out of her comfort zone with grade 4 rapids making for some wild rides😱. If you click this link it will take you to a YouTube video of that trip. >> Waiau Trip video

A quiet moment.

I turned to Shannon and  Andrew for support and was gruntled that they both were keen (tho one keener than the other) for the paddle, 4 nights 5 days on the River. I mean it wasn't like "A bunch of wannabes heading down some river on rubber tubes and a crate of beer." ( I have floated those ideas before and they usually don't fly ..or indeed swim😭)
Without Sheryl to organise me Shannon stepped up and together we put the steps in place to bring it together in so far as catering and gear was necessary. I also needed a tent and buddy to share (space saving) as all our camp gear was in Nelson, tho I did have my sleeping bag.

Neighbours and my tent buddy Tyler

Our Nelson neighbours Kathryn, Tyler and her man Andrew were also going. So Tyler             (no relation😃) had room in his tent....great  Tyler & Tyler it was to be.
Logistically it wasn't easy. S&A flew in to Chch where we were due back from being with Nick, so....drive from Tekapo to Chch 3 hrs, park bus at H&R's and drop Sheryl off, quick shop... pick up S&A from airport, drive up coast 3 hours  to Kekerengu for a nights sleep. The following morning it was back down to Clarence to meet the team and pick up gear from Clarence River Rafting. Followed by a 3 hr shuttle bus to a remote spot in behind Hanmer to the rafting "put in".
Friday was a long day but Shannon drove up the coast after flying to Chch as I gently slumbered in the back of the car.... stopping at Kaikoura for a pub meal and last minute shop including next days breaky which it turned out we didn't need as our accommodation was indeed a B&B duh!😐

Setting up Camp
"still not seeing the espresso machine Shannon"

Instant will do on this occasion.. how many more nights??

The trip is approx 190 kms of iconic back country white water river experience, dropping from mountains to sea travelling in between the inland and seaward Kaikoura Ranges. It has been affected by the recent earthquakes with a small lake having been (but since drained) formed and innumerable fresh slips on mountain faces many slipping into the river. This also introducing sharp rocks, not yet worn smooth by the swift waters .......... hardly conducive to puncture free rafting.
The geology is stunning, with twisted formations  defying any logical sequence. I would love to be on a geology field trip in this area.....so interesting.

The trip was organised by the Nelson Canoe Club principally by Andrea (many thanks to her) a huge undertaking, with emails it can done relatively easily, but with the addition of a few red herrings in the mix, and the wants and needs of all to be considered chaos was never far away. ...
8 paddlers, 5 kayaks, 1 pack raft, 2 plastic sit ons, 10 rafters and  2 rafts - 18 Intrepid souls set forth.

A disparate band of  adventurers

The rafts are integral to these multi day trips as they carry the excess gear needed by the kayakers to add a level of comfort for the 4 nights. True some members (proficient hard arses) did not require the baggage service, but as a well rounded group of paddlers wishing to see these stunning isolated areas, this combined format works really well.

Largely the rafting went well as did the kayaking. However, perhaps one paddler did sneak thru without the required skill set, and was well out of his depth with the considerable rapids involved. Eventually on day 3 after many spills, his canoe was consigned to the river bank and he to a raft.... not ideal but as a self resourced group in the back of beyond this logical safety step was taken to ensure a less stressful journey for all involved.

A welcome lunch break

The days were generally breakfast, break camp, load rafts, on the the water by 9:30 ish paddle 6 hours or so with some small breaks and a longer lunch break, selecting  a camp site, tents up then main meal, which most were well ready for by then, and those with enough energy a camp fire sit around, but mostly early nights.

Mt. Tapuaenuku.
Bleeding her icy cold snow melt into our river.

Possibly my biggest pleasant surprise was with the possibly  hundreds of people yearly who do this trip there was almost no indication of discarded rubbish....and  latrines are dug nightly and these also, when well placed show, little sign of having been there. Largely this is because of the high ideals and care that most people on these trips have, in awe of where they are and respect for those to come not to mention  the diligence of the commercial guys who guide this river and have a custodial demeanour for the river.

Our raft was comprised of Shannon, AC, myself and our "guide" Graeme. G an old crusty, largely like myself, is a rafting guide from way back indeed having been a founder of River Rats and associated companies in the 70s. The Club is fortunate to have the experience of Graeme and Kathryn who guided the other raft, both ex professional guides. We were comfortable in his company and he allowed me to guide the boat, testing and directing my skill set, and mercifully taking control back on occasions when disaster loomed. We went well, only losing one person over board, who shall remain nameless, and only once loosing a paddle, again for reasons of anonymity she won't be named. 😕

Campfire.
This is (we think) the site of the earthquake formed lake.

The rafting was a lot of fun only slightly marred by one day of serious paddling into a very gusty strong wind that raised enormous amounts of dust and a couple of whirly whirls on the river, but as a whole it was a very enjoyable trip. A lot of the fun was generated by the watching of our fellow paddlers endeavours in the rapids, with rescues being mounted as people fell over in the intense white waters.(tho these were mostly experienced kayakers, no real drama😦)
 The camping however ....well we are all getting a bit soft and camping does lose its appeal, but we were lucked with good  weather and think, would all do it again if the opportunity arose. This wasn't helped by me puncturing the airbed on the first night, and despite my best efforts with repairs remained with a slow leak going down on who ever by chance got that airbed for the night. My thanks to AC for gallantly keeping on thru the night with out (but well with in his  rights ) demanding we swap back. The other near disaster was unpacking my minimal dry gear on night one.....Dam and blast no undies..... where's Sheryl when I needed her. Well thank goodness for well prepared son in laws.... Yep he had packed a few spares I understand.... and being his fav father in law was happy to share a pair.😇 Needless to say these are now my favourite new undies a new style for my meat and 2 vege but decidedly ok. Thank you Andrew for your much appreciated gift.

A bonding adventure.😁

Our  five day odyssey finished at Clarence on a bit of a high after 190 odd kms on the river  with a few hugs to our new found friends, some hastily eaten camp food, wet gear and all thrown in the car, then to end our day, a 3 hour drive back to H&R's house in Chch to meet up with family and friends for a great meal, good company and a very welcome comfortable nights sleep. Bliss

Graeme our  Guide has put up a video on YouTube . this will take you there Clarence Rafting Labour weekend 2019

Catching up with Nick in the MacKenzie Country

Me and my Boys 😍

A little tussle on Castle Hill

 Nick flew out from Perth for a wedding in Nelson, catching up with his old school mates. One of the boy's is getting married soon back in Perth, so while the Guy's were all together for the wedding, he organised his stag party in Queenstown the following weekend. So we were able to catch up with Nick in between and do a bit of tiki touring with him.
He flew into Christchurch to meet up with us on the Sunday evening, all staying with H&R. They very generously offered him a bed - and probably his last decent sleep for the next 5 days!

These rock formations dwarf the Guys 

We headed off reasonably early as we had plenty to fill in the day with. First stop was to  Castle Hill and the amazing limestone boulders reminiscent of an old run down castle. Bill & I visited here about 6 years ago - and were amazed with the formations then, so decided to share with Nick. Plus the country here heading toward Arthur's Pass to the West Coast is beautiful as you leave the Canterbury Plains behind and start climbing up the Southern Divide.
On our way to Castle Hill we passed a couple of Pie shops (I know some of you would be

Best Pies Ever! Well certainly today 😋

 surprised I can even look at pies after our earlier experiences in the Pie Factory) - interestingly both were advertising World Famous- one in Sheffield and the other Springfield.
As we had left the Bus back in Darfield we had no way of making morning tea - so of course we had to call into Springfield on the way back, but disappointingly they only had a couple left in the cabinet and not so appealing. I ordered a coffee only.
Then we were off to Sheffield - who had a huge range of hot pies. It was meant to be. And I can say all three of us thoroughly enjoyed our pies.
It was also about this time we heard from my nephew Simon the sad news poor Rowdy our Cat of 13 years had to be put to sleep as her health had been deteriorating. Simon & Nicki and their Girls have given Rowdy a wonderful 5 years living in Riwaka while we have been on the road. We will have a little memorial service for her on our return at Christmas with Rocky.

Burks Pass Garage - lots of interesting bits and pieces

 We returned to Darfield and picked up the Bus - or should that be the Bus picked up the Car!  Anyway, off we headed on the inland scenic route to Geraldine - via the Rakaia Gorge. Amazing scenery. pity there wasn't more time, but the day was moving on and we had to be at our destination before 5pm.
We had planned to stop the night in a POP (Park Over Place) that allows motorhomes to park up for the night. This particular place is a Brewery - The Valley Brewing Company just out of Geraldine. And with Nick now being the numbers man for a brewery just out of Perth, The Beer Farm, of course he was keen.

Bit cold to get the Boys up!
He's a bit big for this isn't he Sheryl?? 

 The Brewery advertises it closes at 5pm - we pulled up at 4.45 into the allocated area for motorhomes along with two Caravans already parked up - and rushed inside to order a "tasting board" before it closed.
Well we shouldn't have panicked - no one else was! The couple that own/run the place - Raewyn & Philip (ex Emmersons Brewery) were great hosts. One couple from one of the caravans was already sitting comfortably on a couch trying the tasting board, and the other couple (who had only just picked up their new caravan from Christchurch and were returning home to Winton) joined us soon after. Bill and Nick had a tasting board while I tried the wines. It was a very relaxing way to finish the day.

My Little Boy & I up at Mt John Observatory
overlooking Lake Tekapo

Surprise! Woke to a bit of low snow at Lake Tekapo

 After we had a few drinks, the Hosts kindly offered to cook us a meal if we wanted. Well I can tell you the 3 women looked delighted and took up the offer before the men could say no. We all sat around the table ( Hosts included as it saved us yelling) and enjoyed Spare Ribs or Blue Cod depending what your order was. It was excellent. If you are passing by, make sure you have time to call in for a meal and a drink. You won't be disappointed. (Perhaps I should take up reviewing Bars/Cafes as a job 😊)
So that was Nick's first night in the Bus - and he found sleeping on the couch a bit uncomfortable so he would be on the floor next.
We headed on through Burkes Pass where you must always stop for a coffee and mooch around the Three Creek Service Station that has so much memorabilia - it's incredible the collection they have - very eclectic.
And onto Lake Tekapo to the NZMCA Camp for the night where we dropped off the Bus, and headed off in the car for a bit of a tiki tour around Lake Tekapo. Ending up on the top of   Mount John at the University of Canterbury Mount John Observatory - which is
NZ's premier Astronomical Research Observatory. Back in 2012 the area was declared Aoraki MacKenzie Dark Sky Reserve where artificial light pollution is restricted - to promote astronomy. So it is quite a Tourist destination,(tho not much to see at night😉) and since our last visit, they are now charging for you to drive up the road (to help maintain the road of course) but you can imagine what Bill was thinking! But luckily Nick and I over ruled and up we went. Although the view is amazing from up there out over Lake Tekapo, the weather was freezing. So after a hot drink in the cafe and a brisk walk around the top of the hill, it was back to camp and turn the heater on.

Time for play- building snowmen.

An opportunity to wear
my new socks - thanks Wendy 

A photo me taking him, taking him at Tasman Glacier

 

Looking back down from the Haupapa /Tasman Glazier

What a surprise the morning brought with fresh snow on our camp Poor Nick had a very cold night on the floor of the bus, although marginally more comfortable than the night before.

Perfect day for Nick &  Aoraki /Mt Cook

Nick had time to do a wee advertising for The Beer Farm
(He's just behind the 2nd can on the right having a wee😟)

We were surprised just how much snow had passed through, but thankfully it was followed by a stunning day. Perfect for our visit to Aoraki/Mt Cook. This was on Nick's list of places he wanted to visit - I thought being spring who knew what the weather could be doing!
He was soooo lucky. We had the perfect day. We packed up and moved onto Lake Pukaki where we were to freedom camp for the night. Beautiful spot. So we dropped the Bus off, and after some lunch headed up the left side of the lake to Aoraki and the Haupapa/Tasman Glacier.
It had been 40 odd years since Bill and I were last up here, so our memories weren't that great, it was almost like a new experience for all of us. 😊

Enjoying a delicious meal of "Nick's Nachos"

 The day had warmed up to 22 degrees and the sky was clear. A perfect photographic day of NZ's highest mountain. And I can tell you with 3 camera's, there were plenty of photo's taken.
We did the walk up to the Haupapa / Tasman Glacier which is still supposedly NZ's longest glacier- and what a shock it was. It looked so small and dirty covered in rock and gravel - it was amazing how much it has retreated since  the early 1990's - very sad. The glacier is estimated to totally disappear within the next 20 years. A sobering thought.
We returned to our camp for the night, that overlooked Lake Pukaki and joined the 30 odd campers that had parked up for the night. This is a lovely spot that the MacKenzie District Council look after.  Such a beautiful spot - and for those lucky enough to have the perfect weather - great views of  Aoraki .
Night 3 was much better for Nick - more padding under his bedding and another sleeping bag - he was much warmer and comfortable.

Chilling with "The Dog" at Tekapo

The next morning Bill and Nick headed off for a spot of fishing - hoping to catch a salmon, while I did a bit of computer work.
Sadly no luck even though they were gone for a few hours.
We returned to Lake Tekapo for the night where Nick had organised a pick up early the next morning to take him on through to Queenstown and for us to return to Christchurch.
We enjoyed our time catching up with Nick and as he pointed out, it had been many years since we had had a holiday with him on his own (dropping him off at Uni in Dunedin with a double bed strapped to the top of Big Yella). Sorry the bed wasn't that great this time round Nick but hopefully the scenery made up for it. And make you appreciate the lovely country you are from. And of course spending time with your Ma & Pa xx