2025 November - December - West Coast & Nelson

Neighbours Kathryn & Simon with Bill on Hector Beach

 We returned home to Nelson to spring full on. The grass had grown high and lush thanks to the dethatching of the lawn and a little fertiliser. Some of the Rhododendron's were in full bloom - looking stunning, welcoming us back home.

I nearly got lost in the lush grass 😍

We got back into the gardening (mainly me) and the deck for Bill with Christmas on the horizon adding a little pressure. Two thirds of the decking was finished, just in front of our bedroom to go. But there was always time to go fishing and this season was a good one for Rod and his scraggy crew, whether it was Bill & I, Bruce & John, John & Bill, and other combinations - Rod never had an issue getting a crew! Or catching snapper. It seemed everyone knew it was a good season by the amount of cars and trailers in the carpark, but we saw very few actually out on the sea. Plenty of room and fish for all.

Rod teaching Bill some special fishing techniques 😉

Kathryn on Bill's trail/tail!

Neighbours Kathryn & Simon organised a weekend for us to meet up down the West Coast at Simon's place in Hector, just north of Westport. He bought a 100-year-old Villa back in 2018 as a restoration project. Not sure he realised how big a project it was going to be 😕, we saw it when over halfway through being restored and weren't expected to contribute to the hard work. Our weekend was about Bill joining K&S on a section of the Old Ghost Trail - the beginning from the Seddonville end. They did 18km returning from Anderson's Creek. Bill loved it but realised he does need a new bike - his isn't up to the ruggedness of such trails. It was a stunning day through the beautiful bush. 

While they were galivanting through the bush, I walked into the Rough & Tumble Cafe near the carpark at the trail entrance, and bought a coffee (had to make my own instant coffee from a jar on the counter 😂) and sat outside in the beautiful sunshine and read my book.

On their return, we drove back in our own vehicles to Gentle Annie and ate our picnic lunch. And as we were in the Bus, we could make our own hot drinks. Very pleasant beside the Mokihinui River. That evening we had a BBQ with Simon's sister and family. A lovely, relaxed evening.

Bill's happy place 🔥

Kohaihai Doc Camp

After a morning stroll around Hector (you have to be careful not to blink or you will miss the town) and along the beach, we packed up the bus and headed north to Kohaihai. Another favourite DOC camp. We love the beach front camping spots and the fact you can have a fire on the beach, but not the sandflies. We called into Karamea for a sausage roll & pie for lunch on the way through. There were only two other campervans at Kohaihai on our arrival. We love off peak travelling. We walked our sausage roll / pie off with a walk through the Nikau walkway - the Nikau thrive in this area, giving beautiful frond lattice foliage above our heads. We got back to camp in time for Bill to light a fire on the beach. Beautiful starry skies here without any light pollution.

Nikau Walkway

The next morning, we walked over to Scotts Beach. It was too early in the season and the sea too rough to even think about a swim. But very pleasant for a walk. Once we got back to camp, Bill checked out what was making the noise under the bus in the last part of our drive to the beach. Unfortunately, it wasn't good news, discovering it was a broken spring. The good news (hopefully) was that we should make it back home, with careful driving.🤞🤞 As the gentle rain came in later that afternoon, we settled in with our books. Very relaxing and so peaceful.

Kawateri Trail

We travelled carefully back to Westport the next morning. Things didn't seem any worse, so we thought we'd have the night in Westport before carrying on to Charleston to have a night with friends Sarah & Shane. We parked up at the NZMCA camp on the Beach Front and got our bikes off for a ride into town along the Kawateri Trail, via Westport's harbour. We found the trail from Westport to Carters Beach was closed due to earlier flooding, so our plan the next day was to drive to Carters Beach and ride south from there to Tauranga Bay and return - 23km. Earned our lunch at Donaldo's before heading onto Sarah & Shane's in Charleston. We had an enjoyable evening catching up with S&S and their friend Vi, and the gossip of Charleston.

Poor Bus with two broken springs

It was a slow trip back to Nelson the next day, nursing our Bus home and hoping nothing more would break under the bus. Thankfully we made it safely home. With further investigation, Bill found there were two broken springs on the one side! After dropping out the water tank, he had better access under the Bus but unfortunately needed to call a mobile mechanic to give a hand with special gear to drop the springs down. Together they got the springs down, packaged them up and sent them off to Christhurch for two new ones to be made. We were hoping for a quick turnaround time but sadly it didn't happen, so we were unable to make it Totoranui with Kathryn, Simon and Co.

My biggest snapper ever!

Bill has got involved back with the Nelson Canoe Club and become the maintenance man for repairs etc. There is talk of a rafting trip coming up which he is keen on, I leave him to those adventures these days. Too much adrenalin for me.

Rod cheating with the size of his fish 😆

He has continued finishing the deck, almost there.

 I water blasted pathways and continued in the garden. The backdoor got a facelift after 30 odd years. 

We had a few more days out fishing, one on which I caught my biggest snapper ever!!  It was a quiet 41st wedding anniversary but lovely to enjoy the evening on the deck watching the sun set. Bike rides and lovely walks along the beach when time allowed it whilst getting ready for Family to arrive for Christmas - the first Nicholas gathering since Rocky's 30th in 2018.

Back door reno

Happy 41st Wedding Anniversary 💕

Renovated with Aldi 
doorhandle

A stunning day at Nelson Marina

Poor Big Blue

2025 December Rafting Trip

Stowing away

Early December the Nelson Canoe Club, with whom we have not be very active with in recent years, were having a combined rafting/kayak trip down the Maruia River (yes, the one with the big waterfall). They had some spare seats and were offering the opportunity.....sounds like a Bill trip - just one night, and a river I'd never been on but often wished.

Stowing & sheltering

An overnight...well I'd need a sleeping bag, and probably a tent ....well, 1night, might get away with a blue tarp.....food might be an issue.....a coupla wraps will do the trick, and a tea bag. Easy....let's do it....oh and a biscuit or two.....too easy.

Sheryl dropped me at Three Brothers corner for a rendezvous with a character called Mike Harvey and another guy, also coming along, part of a carpool.

The weather was forecast cool and wet but not a problem. Low risk....just damp. It was a good two hours south from Nelson, past Murchison & over the Shenandoah Pass to reach the Put In. Quite damp but not cold and the river running clear. Assembling there was a collection of pack rafts, inflatables and kayaks, with two larger rafts. Mikes raft was professionally set up as a single paddler expedition raft with all the gear you would need and room for more. IE any spare gear from the other paddlers and spare bodies such as myself and my car pooling buddy, Bruce.

Mikes Raft without Bill😕

After some distribution and secure stowage of gear we set forth. A happy band of several kids and adults, into the light drizzle. The river proved to be as hoped, easily navigable and scenic, not challenging to any great degree, just a pleasant meander down looking for a suitable camp site. Which was found after a couple of stops to reconnoiter. About 3 hours on the river saw us find a spot where two other paddlers were found, their tent up, fire going. And enough room for several more. These were fellow club members who had set out the previous day and had spent their time fishing (successfully) and shared a freshly baked trout with us, which altogether was interesting and if not for my wrap I'd have had more.

Food Break

Mike's set up is worth noting...He resided in America for many years and has done the Grand Canyon River amongst many and still maintains over there a large single person raft set up for multi day unsupported rafting. His NZ raft, which I did travel on, was similarly equipped with so much gear including a thunder box and a kitchen sink! Amazing! He was also generously sharing his resources, which made us all that much more comfortable, even me scrounging hot water for my tea bag (1 of 2).

Camp Lux

The night under the tarp whilst comfortable enough, apart from waking to something😧sitting on my chest, me yelling and throwing it off, was ok for a night. And surprisingly, though not heavy windy rain, stayed dry enough. On reflection the creature sitting on me could only have been a possum or feral cat, most likely though, just a dream.😣.

The next day was a little like the day before, though with the weather lighting too warm and sunny. After another 3hrs on the river, above the falls we made our take out, soon after midday. Then the long process of getting the gear sorted, into cars and trailers packed for the return to Nelson, with a stop at Murch for a welcome filled roll and a sugary soft drink. A great two days was had, appreciating the scenic isolated places a little harder to find with a fun paddle to go.

Meandering

Mike keeping his eye out.

One of the few Technical Bits

2025 October in Central Otago with Family

A Queenstown Gathering of Aussie's and Kiwi's

Heading south along the east coast, on our first day.

 We headed off early October in our Bus to Marfell's Beach for the first night on our way south. Lovely and relaxing as always after a wee bit of pressure packing up and getting on the road. It had been just over three months since our last adventure (we don't really count Bill's op as an adventure😒), so we needed to completely repack the bus for a months adventure. Heading south, temperatures could vary, so it was necessary to cover all possibilities. It's the footwear that appears over the top, but you never know how wet or cold it is going to be.  

Nick & Em and the Girls heading off from
home on their New Zealand adventure

We are heading to Central Otago to meet Nick & Em and their three girls, for two weeks. Traveling with them is Em's folks Leanne & Steve, from Perth, for support with three little ones and to see New Zealand AND of course to see us. We needed a week to get down there and a week to come home, so we planned a month away. One of Nick's mates from school was getting married in Arrowtown. Should be stunning with all the blossom out hopefully.

Our second night away was at a POP (park over property) at Claverly - someone's lovely paddock right on the coast. A beautiful spot right on the beach. A chance to drive around to Conway Flat and read about about the history of this area. Still so much of NZ to see and learn about.

Steam Punk HQ creation

Continuing the next day onto Rakaia via Cheviot, we caught up with Chris & Maree for a coffee at a cafe. They were heading home to Wellington after three years in Christchurch to sell up and move down. They love it and the South Island so much. Welcome to Te Wai Pounamu👏. Look forward to seeing them settle down this way. From Rakaia, it was onto Oamaru showgrounds, after a stop in Ashburton, my birth town. I bought a dress from a retro clothing store (hopefully for the wedding in Melbourne next year) and a new Cribb Board (I love Cribb). Will need to print off some rules to ensure no arguments when I beat you, Bill! 

Steampunk Bill

Arriving late in the day in Oamaru, we just had a brief walk around the waterfront before it got too dark to find our camp spot for the night. We saved the visit to Steampunk HQ and Oamaru's Victorian Precinct till the next day. We have been meaning to go to the Steampunk HQ for a while, but our timing has always been a bit off with opening hours. We had an enjoyable couple of hours checking out the creative minds of local artists with their collection of retro-futuristic art, movies and sculptures. Amazing. There would have been a lot of fun creating these, I'm sure.  

Lumsden NZMCA all by ourselves.

Onto Balclutha, via Gore for lunch and another dress from another Op Shop (can never have too many dress choices for a wedding), and then onto Lumsden to do some washing, and enjoy the NZMCA camp all to ourselves. It had been a couple of years since we were through, and the camp is now looking great with quite established large trees. Well done Lumsden Volunteers. Nick &Em & family were flying overhead to Queenstown. We were all to meet up in Te Anau.

Te Anau is lovely and lush for a reason - it rains alot! It didn't let us down. But not too wet that we couldn't get out and about for walks. The reason we have all gone to Te Anau is for the Aussie Family to go through to Milford Sounds. We offered to stay home and look after the Twins. Much more fun for Ophelia to go with her parents and other grandparents for the day. And all that rain makes amazing waterfalls. Very picturesque.   

Ophelia, Steve & Leanne, Em & Nick - Milford Sounds

Lunch upstairs at The Church - no lift here!

But that was day two in Te Anau. Day one was just a relaxed day to unwind after the Aussie's big days of travel the days before. So, we had a look/walk around. We were staying nearby their Airbnb at the NZMCA camp. Easy walking distance. Drove to Manapouri for lunch at The Church and a look around. The children had adapted well to the change in country /scenery. The next day the others headed off to Milford Sounds, while we entertained the Twins. We took them back to our Bus for a wee adventure, they loved it. Back to the house in time for their nap (and Bill's). They were all quite happy just pottering around in the nice warm lounge with toys I had taken down that had been our children's. Tom (school mate of Nick's who is working down there for DOC) dropped in for dinner and some advice on his shirt for the upcoming wedding that he was going to too.

A walk around Te Anau

The Twins happy in the Bus pressing all the buttons

Looking down Lake Wakatipu

The next morning was stunning, perfect for our drive back through to Queenstown and onto Arrowtown for the next five nights. And no wind.

We stocked up for groceries on the way through Queenstown but left the rest of the town for our return at the end of the trip.

Our lovely park over at Arrowtown.

Arrowtown was a bit more limited for us to stay with our bus near the family but thankfully the manager of the property allowed us to park up right by them. This made it easy to access our bus pantry and anything else we required from the bus. Plus remain sleeping in the bus. All the blossom was out, the place was stunning.

The plan was to enjoy looking around the area and be handy for Nick & Em who were staying at the wedding venue for two nights, and Em to be able to breast feed the Twins morning and night as it fitted in with the wedding activities. All went well, except for Ophelia burning her hand on a fireplace (thankfully when under her parents watch). Bill got involved in the wedding action when the wedding party realised they hadn't organised any drivers for the wedding cars (the owners were guests at the wedding). Bill and another father who was down there for babysitting duties too, came to the rescue. Sadly, Bill didn't get the Maserati, he only got the Mercedes.

Beautiful 💕

Lunch at Mt Rosa Vineyard

Em & Nick shouted both lots of grandparents out for lunch at Mt Rosa Vineyard as a thank you for helping out - it was a lovely lunch thank you. 😘 The children were all great, not a hard task to babysit, especially 4 adults to 3 kids 😃

Bill's car - a Merc, with the bridal party

Child minding in Arrowtown

Child minding again 
Hopefully Bill is keeping an eye on Tulsi in the pram!

Ophelia & I had a swim in the pool,
 Philly is like a little fish

After all the excitement and beauty of Arrowtown (we hope to return here another spring, it is so stunning with all the blossom), we headed off to Wanaka. But not till after Bill took Steve up to Coronet Peak in the snow and Skippers Canyon 😮.

Can I throw this Billy??

Weird angles at
Puzzle World
(Twins on parents back)

In Wanaka, the Aussie family had another Airbnb while we stayed at the local camp, still within walking distance of them and the Lake. We left the sunshine behind in Arrowtown. Although the next day was grey and wet it was a perfect day for Puzzle World, something we had never done before. What a lot of fun. And then onto the Cardrona Hotel for a cosy lunch before the roads got closed with snow.  The next day wasn't much better, so we looked after the Twins while the others went sightseeing around the area. 

Fun in the shrinking room

Then it was time to head off to our last destination - Queenstown. Not a favourite of ours as its always so busy and not very motorhome friendly. But Shannon was flying in for a few days to see the Aussie family before her and AC headed off to Japan for three weeks. We couldn't miss the opportunity to see her as it had been 9 months since we last hugged. Where has the year gone!!

We found the Top10 Camp up behind Queenstown at Arthurs Point to park up the bus. There were options to catch the minibus into Queenstown if needed. Shannon stayed at an Airbnb on her own - she said something about time out!! Not sure why she wouldn't want to stay with three little ones 😄.

N&E up the Gondola Queenstown

Bill, Shannon and I were happy to babysit while the Aussie adults went sightseeing, mostly with Ophelia too. Bill did join them up the Gondala. The weather behaved and showed Queenstown off beautifully. Cold but pretty. N&E shouted the grandparents again - this time a soak in the Olsen pools at Arthurs Point. They were very relaxing. Just a shame we had to get out. Would do them again.

Ophelia joining the Boys 😍

Aunty Shannon
playing with the Twins

Wonderful Olsen Pools

Night life in Queenstown in the Ice Bar

It was a lovely couple of days in Queenstown (surprisingly). The only mishap was losing Shannon with Ophelia in the Gardens. It didn't help that we had Shannon's bag with her cell phone in it. Luckily, she remembered my phone number and asked someone to borrow their phone. Sorry Shannon, we thought you were right behind us.

We dropped Shannon off at the airport on our last day. Had a few drinks with the others later to farewell the others who were flying back to Australia the next day. Bit sad it's all come to an end but will see them all next year. Not too far away.

Driving through the Lindis Pass

We headed off the next morning to Cromwell to decide where we would go next. But the weather was about to get worse, so we decided to hunker down and wait for it to pass over. We have a great diesel heater and plenty of books. We did venture out for lunch later on the second day - just about getting blown into Lake Dunstan. A wonderful lunch at Stoaker Cafe - thanks Trudy for the suggestion.

We checked the weather forecast the next day and it wasn't looking great to return home up the West Coast, so we decided to head through the Lindis Pass which had just reopened after being closed with snow. What a stunning day we had driving through. Neither of us had seen it looking so beautiful. You certainly needed your sunglasses on as the snow was such a brilliant white.😎

Twizel with more snow

The plan now was to head back up the East Coast, a night in Twizel and Kaiapoi. Stopped in to Ashburton once again, this time no dresses, but a lovely ring Bill found for me. He can surprisingly be quite a romantic at times. We had a night at Marfells where it's always lovely to spend our last night on our trips away before returning home and getting back into our work. Decking / Gardening and getting ready for Christmas.

A stroll around Ayrburn, Arrowtown

Mealtime for Lulu and Tulsi in Arrowtown

Fun in the bus with six little hands 💕