On our way to Christchurch we stopped at Oxford for a night to visit our friends Jeremey and Noeleen. We spent a very enjoyable afternoon and evening catching up, then walked over the road to the local farmer’s market in the morning.
Continue reading Bridal Path to Lyttelton
Tag: track
Huatekerekere – Little Mt Peel
After a couple of hours spent parked in the main street of Geraldine using the internet and eating lunch, we headed inland along a gravel road to a DOC camp-ground at Orari Gorge.
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Trotter’s Gorge
It started raining again as we left Central Otago and drove out towards the coast. We parked up for a while in Ranfurly where there was internet available, but we weren’t tempted to stray far from the van.
Continue reading Trotter’s Gorge
Franz Joseph
It is only a short trip from Okarito to Franz Joseph, so we arrived in time for lunch, which we ate parked in the main street. We did some shopping while we were there, and visited the information centre to ask about guided walks on the glacier.
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Hari Hari
Heavy rain forecast for Friday made us decide to hang around Hokitika so that we could get some work done using the wifi in their public library. The Motor Caravan Association has a campsite just across the bridge from town, so we found ourselves a spot there.
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Punakaiki
The rain arrived on Saturday morning as advertised, so we decided to drive to Greymouth and visit our friend Joy. Two days parked in the hot sun with almost no driving meant that our house battery had gone flat and the fridge defrosted, another good reason for running the motor for a while.
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Constant Bay
Just south of Westport is Charleston, which used to be bustling town with a population of 30,000 people. It was also once the demographic centre of New Zealand, ie: 50% of the countries population lived south of it. Nowadays there are less than 300 permanent residents, and the demographic centre is probably somewhere near Hamilton.
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Denniston and Cape Foulwind
We visited Denniston back in Easter after walking the Old Ghost Road, but our hostess convinced us that we had barely scratched the surface of this old coal mining area so we drove up the hill after breakfast this morning. Lerey is friends with Gary and Sylvia James who are some of few people that still live up there, so she rang to find out if the Friends Of The Hill museum was open – which it was.
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Totaranui
My last visit to Totaranui was almost three decades ago when Felicity and I tramped the Able Tasman Track. That time we just passed through this huge camping area, so it has been nice to spend a bit more time here.
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Wairoa River
The alpine section of our trip is over, and we spent the morning descending steadily to the Wairoa River.
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Tarn Hut
Today was a rather short day, because we reached Tarn Hut soon after lunch.
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Mt Rintoul Hut
The weather had improved by morning, but the whole area was under a blanket of white snow. There was more rain forecast for the afternoon so again we decided to make an early start. Continue reading Mt Rintoul Hut
Old Man Hut
About six in the morning, Felicity started making tea as usual, and suggested that we get going early to avoid rain forcast for later in the day. It turned out to be a good call. Continue reading Old Man Hut
Starveall Hut
Our voyage across Cook Strait turned out to be very pleasant, with the sea so calm I could almost have kayaked.
Kaniwhaniwha and Pukemokemoke
We were sorry to have missed the last Indian Ink Theatre Company production, so we decided to attend the opening night of their new play, The Elephant Thief. This meant an overnight trip to the Waikato, because the Meteor Theater is in Hamilton.
Continue reading Kaniwhaniwha and Pukemokemoke
Goldie’s Bush
In December we are planning a five-day tramp in the Richmond Range with a couple of friends who have recently been trekking in South America, carrying full packs up over 5000 metres, so Felicity and I feel like we need to increase our fitness level significantly. Today seemed like a good opportunity to head into the bush out near the west coast for a hike.
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Saul’s Naming Day in Noosa
My latest grandson Saul is almost five months old, but getting his extended family together in one place has taken a bit of time to organise. Felicity, Judith and I flew over to Brisbane on Friday morning, at the civilised time of 9.30am.
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Coromandel Walkway
For many years Felicity and I have had an ambition to hike the walkway between Fletcher Bay and Stony Bay at the northern end of Coromandel.
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Karamea and Oparara Basin
After completing our tramp over the Old Ghost Rd, we stayed in a rented house in Karamea for three nights and explored the local sights.
Specimen Hut to Seddonville
The final section of the Old Ghost Rd cycleway follows the Mokihinui River gorge past the Glasgow Range to the end of the road at Seddonville.
Continue reading Specimen Hut to Seddonville