Easter 2022 - Golden Bay - Totoranui - Able Tasman Park

Marg's room - The Deluxe Suite

 After a couple of nights parked up at Fran's in Richmond, where we caught up on washing and a couple of reds of course, we dropped the bikes etc off at Tosswill Rd and headed off over the Takaka Hill with just the Bus. An ex Telecom mate of Bill's, John and wife Denise, have recently bought a caravan so they were to join us along with Vicki & Trevor in their partially converted Van, and friend Marg (Plunket days, now living in Christchurch) who was to sleep in our awning.

Camped up at Totoranui for Easter

We had Thursday night at Port Tarakohe with J&D to make sure things were working ok before heading over the hill to Totoranui. Everything was good except no fish bait! But thankfully there was a store near by. Totoranui has nothing except bags of ice! Great once you catch the fish 😆.

The loose plan was that we would be over the hill before the others as they were only leaving Nelson that morning - Good Friday. (Talking of Good Friday - it was 14 years ago that Bill crushed his foot, which he now calls Bad Friday ). But by the time we had a morning walk up to the Able Tasman Monument and around, we arrived at Totoranui to find the others arrived and set up. Well V&T had, poor Marg was waiting on her room to arrive 😂. 

A little assistance was given to J&D

We had taken two large sacks of firewood with us after Bill had checked we could have fires in the fire pits, so I was happy to get them out of the Bus after having slept with them the night before! Miss the car when we don't have it. But it didn't take us long to get the awning up, J&D set up their caravan and we were ready for a drink.

The weather was perfect the next morning, Bill & John tried fishing, Vicki headed out on her paddle board, the rest of us just lay in the sun relaxing. It was surprising how busy the camp was with a late Easter, and the water Taxi's were very busy, which was good to see. Lots of  Tramper's being dropped off and picked up. After Vicki returned on her board, Bill took John's and his fishing lines further out than they could cast. Sadly, still no luck. But warm enough for a swim. My last one probably for this summer. The water was so clear. Later in the day with a very low tide, Bill, Vicki & John managed to get some mussels off the rocks to marinate later.

Trevor making hot water with his thermett 
and Bill adding a little log to the fire 😂

The wind came up the next day, which was ideal for walking over to Anapai Bay (a three hour return walk). Unfortunately Trevor was unable to join us with his inflamed knee, so he volunteered to stay behind to keep the home fires burning 😊. It was a bit cooler and the sea too rough for a swim over there. But the rough seas didn't stop the water Taxi's - I wouldn't have wanted to be taken out on one of them that day! Amazing the change overnight.

Vicki helping Bill take out the fishing lines

Easter Monday was another stunning day but unfortunately V&T&M had to return to Nelson, so after a lovely late cook up brunch, they headed off. J&D were able to join us for another night. We walked down to the other end of the beach later in the day for John & Bill to try fishing once again. But being a bit cooler, Denise and I didn't hang around and got a lovely surprise when a wet Bill turned up later with two pan sized snapper. Bill had had to walk out into the tide to get the line further out, so he was pretty cold but happy. He didn't take long to warm up with a shot of whiskey and another fire which Denise and I had collected more wood on our walk but it was getting pretty scarce. 

Denise, Vicki, Marg & I posing for a photo at Anapai
(some posing more than others!😉)

Easter Bunny didn't make much of an appearance over the weekend, but we shared a few eggs in the evenings. I think we need a child or two to make more of an effort!

Sadly the rain came in just after we got up the next morning when we were to leave. But we had the foresight to pack everything up the day before when everything was nice and dry, so it didn't take too much to pack up and head back over the hill after a delicious breakfast of fresh fish. Bill & I decided to have another night at Tarakohe before returning to Nelson which gave us time to catch with Rod & Anne who have a batch at Ligar Bay. A short walk from Port Tarakohe. Gerry & Glenda were also staying with them, so Bill reminisced the old Telecom days with R&G. Nice catch up.

Looking down on Totoranui Beach

Me taking a photo of her 😊
while B&J set up to fish.

The West Coast in Autumn

Gentle Annie Camp on the Mokihinui River

 The day the house went on the market, we headed off into the sunset, parking up with the Bus, Car & Bikes all on board in Murchison for our first night. Lovely to be back on the road, we had both missed it.

Parked up at Westport NZMCA Camp

We had two and a half lovely weeks on the West Coast with wonderful weather doing a few bike rides on sections of the new Kawateri Trail and walks. After a couple of nights in Westport on their rugged beach, unwinding after all the house renovations, we headed north.

The entrance into Westport Harbour

Bill and I had completed the Heaphy Track in our early 20's, which we enjoyed in our youth. But this time we just walked the first hour into Scott's Beach and return - this was what I remembered as the most scenic (probably because it was also the end for us 😄). The trail is currently closed due to a bridge that got washed out, but repairs are underway. We stayed two nights at the Doc Kohaihai campground, which is a lovely spot and Bill was in his element with fires each night on the beach. The only distraction to the ambiance were the sand-flies which must be missing all the foreign bodies.

Lovely Kohaihai Camp

The road north of Westport to Karamea had been washed out in many places, leaving the road one lane in many spots. It will be a while before this road is completely repaired - plenty of work for the local roading gangs. 

Bill in his happy place at Kohaihai

Before coming back over the hill, we decided on a couple of nights in Karamea at the local Domain which has a lovely wee camp. We planned to visit the Oparara Basin Arches the next day and catch up on the washing as we could leave it hung out on the clothesline with the Caretaker in residence. It was ten years ago we last visited the Oparara Basin with Joan, who was 80 at the time and slept in Big Yella with us. This time we took the car up into the Basin as they are still recommending not to take large vehicles up there ( Bill doesn't think this applies to him!) - it is still a long gravel road. There weren't a lot of Tourists around of course with Covid restrictions and the road over the hill would deter a lot of people which is a shame as it was certainly as beautiful as last time. I let Bill enjoy the caves on his own.

Moira Gate Arch

Moira Gate Arch - the other end

We (well me actually) were lucky our 2nd night at Karamea was a Wednesday night - and the Food Truck selling whitebait patties was open for business in the Domain. Delicious 😋. Bill chose the venison burger. So Karamea was a lovely wee stop over.

Best Whitebait Patties in Karamea 😋

Cape Foulwind Walkway with Diana

We headed south from Karamea to catch up with fellow Motorhomer Diana up on the Denniston Plateau - an historic coal mining area. Doc allow Motorhomes to stay overnight up there. I had read the Denniston Rose before I went up there 10 years ago, which gave me a real feel for the place and feel sorry for those poor women who were taken up there and had their families. It would have been a pretty desolate place to live. We highly recommend a visit to this piece of NZ's history. In the morning I had some computer work to do so Bill and Diana headed off to explore the area. Bill returning with a bloody shin after falling into a bush while trying to retrieve some relic! Best left there BILL!

The Homestead at Cape Foulwind (& Bus)

We had another night with Diana before she headed off to join other volunteer Gorse Busters further south, so we decided to stay the night at the Pub at Cape Foulwind and do the walkway through to Tauranga Bay and the seal colony the next morning. The Pub carpark wasn't very inspiring but thankfully the Manager came out and told us we could park up at the Owners property at the bottom of the road (the sea cliffs)- looking out to the Tasman Sea. Well what a surprise this was - the Owner (Kay) taking us into her lovely old Homestead that she has been restoring for the past 10 years and showing us around. She has done an amazing job. We parked up on the large section attached to her property, along with a couple of other Motorhomer's, and then headed up to the Pub - The Star Tavern -for a meal. In the morning we had a typical West Coast blustery day for our 2.5 hour walk which built up our appetites for lunch once we returned - back at the Pub.

Shane & Sarah at Charleston

West Coast Style

Afterwards, we parted ways with Diana and we headed south too but only as far as Charleston, where we caught up with some friends we hadn't seen for years. Isn't Face Book amazing - Shannon had stayed in touch with Sarah so was able to connect us once again. Sarah & Shane had left Nelson a few years ago and moved down to Charleston where they owned a batch. Over the years they have bought another couple of properties, all connected, so they can offer a variety of accommodation to Tourists and their extended family. We had a lovely couple of days catching up and them showing us around what was once a Goldmining area started back in the rush of 1867. The settlement is situated in a couple of beautiful little bays. We rode some of the Kawateri Trail, which both Sarah & Shane are on the Trust Board . A very scenic trail. It will be a total of 55km once completed through to just outside Charleston from Westport. After we left S&S, we also rode the section from Carter's Beach to the bridge into Westport and return before parking back up in Westport to empty and restock.

Part of the Kawateri Trail

The next day we had our only real wet day and fortuitously we had bumped into an old friend/client of Bill's that had moved to Westport 2 years ago and we didn't know. So he invited us round for morning tea - perfect day for visiting. Pam and Warwick have a lovely home up on the river terrace overlooking the Buller River as it flows into Westport. They love living there, away from all the hustle and bustle of a bigger town such as Nelson. 

We returned to the NZMCA Camp at Westport for another night before heading North again, this time only as far as Mokihinui, to a lovely little camp lots of people had recommended we should stay at called Gentle Annie. We thought we'd have one night there as it was more expensive than where we normally camp. Anyway - three nights later! It was such a beautiful little camp, and the location was picturesque on the river bank. We changed our minds and decided we'd stay two nights so we could do some of the local walks such as the start of the Old Ghost Trail and Charming Creek (which unfortunately was closed due to slips). 

Denniston Plateau / Mt Rochfort 4wd 😬

On our second night we did a walk around the camp and heard someone call out to Bill. It was our neighbour Kathryn's good friend Fiona. She was also staying at the camp with her hubby Noah and her parents. They were heading off in the morning to do a four wheel drive trip (they are big into their 4wdriving - complete with all the gear). Fiona must have felt sorry for Bill as we (Me) don't normally do that sort of driving and asked us along. Bill was all excited and keen to take our Suzuki through. The Suzuki and Bill both performed very well - the others were impressed. I'd just like to say it's not really my idea of fun but I survived! And to finish the day off we all dropped into the Ngakawau Pub for a drink on our way back to camp, where Bill bought a beer and wine for $9.50! No city prices here 😁 - mind you, no red wine either!

Very relaxed at Gentle Annie

We headed back to Nelson to unpack / re-pack and prepare for our Golden Bay Easter trip. And to see if there was any action on the house with the deadline sale coming to an end. Sadly as I'm not showing any champagne celebrations - you can gather the house did not sell. We have now set a price. Unfortunately the market seems to have gone quiet with looming interest rates shaking a lot of Buyers.

The Denniston Plateau with Diana

Part of the Kawateri Trail

The Buller River heading down into Westport
(From the Kawateri Trail)

The entrance to the Heaphy Track over the Kohaihai River

Tauranga Bay section of the
Kawateri Trail

Fiona & Noah & her Parents!
I don't need to say we didn't get out there!!

Completed the Renovation and on the Market

Another stunning sunset as summer comes to an end

 February and March have gone in a blur with  getting the house completed and on the market. Altering pathways around the new entrance door, finishing crib walls, (having poured the concrete footing before Christmas) putting in mesh and stones to improve the appearance of the old crib wall which was still structurally ok but not pretty! And planted out with more grasses. Cleaned up and painted barge boards and soffits. Painted the base of the house and then inside the basement's garage block walls. What a transformation. Bill doesn't really want to leave his lovely basement garage. So I've promised him that he can build a new shed once we return home.   

Concreting nib wall with Trevor

Pulling Bill & Compactor uphill

Preparing the driveway to be asphalted was a big project in it's self. Bill bought a little compactor as a 5-day hire was half the cost. A few Ute loads of base course have been compacted into building up the drive. And a small concrete nib wall with Trevor's help once again to complete the boundary with the neighbour.

Under stairs cupboard
complete with door knobs

New laundry coming along

Bill has also built a fence with a steel frame after borrowing Salvi's welding equipment. I think he quite enjoyed the change in project. He had difficulty sourcing the timber but thankfully his nephew was a bit slow to come and pick up the old decking which was perfect for the job. Sorry you missed out Matt! And what a difference this made to the new entrance of the house. Looks fabulous  .

Painting blocks and spiders 🕷

Bill finished creating the new laundry and lay flooring in the new entrance and laundry. This has brought all the renovations together and completed the job. Even the cupboard under the stairs had a make over and with Bill's querky idea on using ten door knobs he picked up at the recyclers for coat hooks, looks amazing.

Joan with good friend Ngaire

We celebrated Joan's 90th with the Family and a friend out for lunch. We try to get her out one day over the weekends which she always enjoys the change of scenery. She has settled into the routines of Ernest Rutherford and always happy to return after an outing, which makes it easy for the Family. And then we celebrated Bills birthday at the Speights Ale House with Vicki and Trevor - another year closer to that Golden Egg 👏

Besides painting,  I put in a few hours at Stuart Drummond Transport which was an opportunity to check out the Bus. In this case, move it as the yard was being graded. It was looking a bit lonely . Not long now little Bus  .

A wee Beer Trail in the limited sunshine

Brother Wayne had a quick visit to Nelson too, hoping to cycle some of our local trails, but unfortunately the weather didn't play ball and the best we could offer was a walk in the rain to the Free House and a game of Cribb (he won) and Qwerkle (we won). Will try the bike trails again next year Wayne! We did have time to visit a couple of local Breweries but being Monday they weren't all open sadly. But Bill enjoyed his Paddle Board at Toad Hall.

After almost two years of living here, I still had Pipers Walkway on my to-do list which we managed over Nelson's Anniversary weekend. This is up the back of us and trails down into town. Unfortunately the walk goes no where near any cafe and I had to make do with a plunger coffee once we got home even though I was prepared with masks and money just incase I could deviate Bill a little.

Driveway extension almost there!

Our home at 177 needed a bit of a tidy up as the gardens are getting really overgrown, we had a full day up there. Once again the trusty Ute was very handy. We will be returning next February to full time back in our home, so will make do with short bursts of maintenance till then.

We worked our way through emptying out the house. Even though we have basically camped here with the furniture, it is amazing how much gear had to be removed. Habitat for Humanity came in very handy. Thankfully it is nearby.

We are now on the market after having the house staged which has made the house "Wow" and looks fabulous. The beds are amazing- 4 huge beds are all blow ups. Hope no one flops down on them!  Now we just need that one Buyer  

Altered pathway to better suit entrance

Bill enjoying the change in tools.

Not much of the old asphalt remaining

Higgins Guys did a great job

New fence coming along

Done & looking fabulous 

My little contribution

FOR SALE