The next few weeks were spent packing up and shifting the last of our things to our new home. It was great to have Murray’s help to shift the big and heavy items. 

After that we had one last trip to do. We decided to go through to Central Otago and up via the McKenzie country to make a bit of a holiday of it. We cooked our first brunch on our new bbq, tiny but light.

When we saw from Chris and Ellison’s blog that they were at Lowburn, we decided to head up there and join them for a few days. The weather was lovely and we had a great bike ride into Old Cromwell for lunch.

Next stop was by Lake Pukaki. We enjoyed stunning views of Aoraki from one of several freedom camping spots on the edge of the lake.

There were a few tense moments on the road when this approached us at considerable speed!

Mārahau

 Next morning it was back over the hill. Not quite as scary this time as we were on the inside for most of the way. The one-lane section is being strengthened, and presumably will be two lanes again in the future, though right now it is difficult to see how.

The locals in Golden Bay have a saying, “It’s just a hill, get over it”. Well, we’ve been there, done that and were hoping to get the T shirt, but unfortunately the pub in Pohara where the staff wore them was closed and for sale. 

We had decided to head to Mārahau rather than Kaiteriteri, but I had forgotten there is quite a substantial hill to get over in order to get there too, so I was not very popular with Chris and Graham by the time we arrived. Definitely a beer needed with lunch!

We went for a walk around the corner and on to the beach. The golden sand and clear blue water were beautiful, and no one else in sight most of the time. 

Next day we all walked to the start of the Abel Tasman track. Graham and I continued across multiple bridges over the wetland area and a small way into the bush.

That night we all had dinner together and were enjoying a Sting concert when the news of four community COVID cases came through. Not the best of ways to finish our last evening together. So next morning we said “see ya next time” to Chris and Ellison and we headed back to Rolleston via a night in Hanmer Springs, while they found a camp in Richmond to hunker down for a while. We travelled through some fog, and back to a cold, grey afternoon.

Port Tarakohe

 

We travelled to Pohara via a dump station and coffee in Collingwood. It was interesting reading about the town’s history. Its official name is still Gibbstown, after one of the first Pakeha settlers. Collingwood was the name given to a planned town further up the hill, but the gold rush was shorter than expected and the town was never built. The first 2 pubs burnt down, the first in 1904 and then in 1930. The 1904 fire took out most of the town. The women and children sheltered on board a ship anchored in the harbour while the sailors helped the men fight the fire. 

We stopped at Takaka to pick up supplies, and searched unsuccessfully up and down the main street for a place we could have a beer and a pie for lunch. Finally we went into the first place we had been to, the pub, and cheekily asked if they did pies. They said no, but we were welcome to buy one from the shop across the road and eat them outside the pub. Hooray! 

Just a few kms up the road is Pohara and Port Tarakohe.

The NZMCA park looks straight across the harbour to the moorings. The custodian, who is also the Commodore of the Pohara Boat Club, told us the club’s restaurant was open on Sundays, so we timed it well as the next day was Sunday. 

Our morning walk was through the rock and up to the Abel Tasman monument.

The afternoon was spent soaking up the sunshine on a stunning winter’s day. 15 degrees and full sunshine with no wind. Can’t complain! And the scallops for dinner were delicious. 

Pakawau

Next day we travelled on to Pakawau, via the Waikoropupū springs, otherwise known as the Pupu springs. Graham and I visited the springs a couple of years ago, but for Chris and Ellison it was a first. I still find it amazing that they produce 14,000 litres of water per second.

The Pakawau camp site is on the beach, about 10km from the start of Farewell Spit. We managed to get a site right beside the beach, and Chris and Graham put the awning up. At night time you could see the light from the lighthouse at the end of the Spit, about mid photo.

We stayed for 4 nights, and although the weather was rainy and cool most of the time, we all managed many walks along the beach. The bird life was amazing too, with plenty of tuis, bellbirds, fantails, wood pigeons, and shags and oyster catchers on the beach.

Fortunately, Chris and the dog get up in time to see the sunrise over the water. The full moon rising in the evenings looked magnificent as well, but impossible to get a good picture using a phone.

Smoked salmon

We had a quiet night in the car park at the salmon farm, then went in for coffee when they opened at 10. After that we grabbed a couple of fishing rods and got pretty frustrated watching heaps of salmon swim by ignoring our bait.

We watched one of the workers throw in a line, then a couple of handfuls of fish pellets, and pull in a fish every time she cast her line out. So we decided to get some pellets, and in less than a minute Ellison had caught one.

We had it smoked, and enjoyed a very yummy dinner that night.

Over the big hill

We met up with Chris and Ellison in Motueka and spent a couple of nights there. We walked into town for a coffee, and had a cruisy day before tackling the Takaka hill.

There were traffic lights at the start of the hill, and up to a 15 minute wait as road workers stabilised the road. A considerable length of road was just one way and it was difficult to see how it could ever be two way again. But then, we thought that of the Hundalees after the Kaikōura earthquake, and that road has all been built up again.

The road is very narrow in places, rather scary when a logging truck is coming tearing down towards you. There are many places where there is a huge drop right beside the road, with no safety barriers. Still, we all made it OK.

We stopped at the Anatoki salmon farm for the night, and decided to try the salmon platter for lunch. Salmon prepared in 6 different ways, yum!

It’s a fascinating place to wander around and read about the different ponds, containing thousands of salmon as they grow to maturity. Only a few end up in the large pond where people can catch them. Many are sold online and at the cafe. There are also a bunch of lazy eels that you can feed.

A quick trip up the Coast.

After Haast, we hopped up the West Coast via NZMCA parks. First stop was Franz Josef Glacier.

It rained all of the way, so we had to dig out our coats and umbrellas. I had forgotten how many bends there are in the road between Fox and Franz glaciers.

You don’t come across too many 15km corners on our roads, but this trip had a couple. We stopped for a coffee at a salmon farm. Fortunately we didn’t want to eat at the cafe, as there was just one person serving and cooking, and many people waiting. A common problem with lots of people having been laid off, and a higher than expected number of kiwi tourists on the road.

It was nice to return to The Landing in Franz Josef, where we sat outside (under cover) for a Happy Hour drink despite the weather.

The friendly staff are quick to come and light a heater beside your table. 

Franz Josef NZMCA park has to have one of the most picturesque dump stations in the country!

Next day we travelled in cloudy, but not wet conditions, on to Hokitika. We lit the fire in the clubhouse and had it throwing out a lot of heat. The only other people there, Anne and Alan (from Gore!) came to join us for a couple of drinks. We swapped stories, among other things, about the perils of dealing with the Gore District Council.

We set off a little earlier than usual the following day so that we could get to Murchison in time to cook up the salmon tails we bought at the salmon farm and cafe. They were yummy!

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Alexandra and Haast

Everyone headed off in different directions on Sunday, with David and family opting for Oamaru, and Dean and Nodoka going towards Milford Sound. We decided to take the middle course to Alexandra. It was a typical sunny, crisp winter’s day there, and we even managed lunch outside.

We planned to stay three nights, and move slowly around Central Otago for a while, but left after two nights. This was because we decided to meet up with Chris and Ellison in Motueka later in the week to explore the Golden Bay Area. 

We met Dean and Nodoka for a coffee in Cromwell, on their way to Mount Cook, before stopping in Lake Hawea for lunch.

The scenery on the drive around first Lake Hawea, and then Lake Wanaka, was awesome.

And it was pretty good through the Haast Pass too.

Lots of one lane bridges, and a couple of places where half of the road had fallen down the cliff, but overall an easy and pleasant journey. We parked up, for the cost of a donation to St. John, beside a gift shop in Haast township. We knew we had reached the Coast when we visited the local, the Hard Antler cafe and bar.