The long and winding road

Hello from a camp site somewhere on the South Island of NZ!

I am thoroughly enjoying the slow paced (vehicle speed controlled!) and winding roads through NZ. I finally managed to leave Christchurch on Tuesday afternoon after stocking up on supplies and camping essentials.
The journey to Akaroa was good and I decided on the scenic route to take in some of the passing beauty. Unfortunately this was hampered somewhat by the closing in of the weather and the mist reducing the speed further. However you could still get glimpses of the fantastic rugged landscape complete with beautiful lakes and raw coastal cliffs.

We headed south to the beautiful seaside resort of Akaroa and stayed in a “top 10” campsite. The campsite was well organised and contained showers, kitchen facilities, TV room and Internet.
On arrival at the camp we had an issue with the airbed in that the pump did not fit the bed. We ended up driving to a local petrol station and using the compressed air hose to fill the bed; judging by the bemused look on the faces of the locals this is not a frequent occurrence.
The first night in the van was surprisingly good and after a restful night’s sleep we enjoyed a very pleasant morning spent by the harbour drinking we set of back towards Christchurch.

En route there was some spectacular scenery and at lunchtime we stopped by a beautiful lake and cooked on our stove surrounded by a pair of interested chickens.
We drove for the rest of the afternoon and after passing Christchurch headed north and found a deserted beach (Amberley Beach) on which to free camp by the sea for the night. The stars were amazing and after cooking an exciting dinner (pasta) had a great night sleep.

The following morning I woke early to an amazing morning sky, the sun had not risen and the colours were breathtaking. The best sunrise I had ever seen.
We continued to head in a northerly direction but journeyed inland to the thermal town of Hanmer Springs. The town was like a small resort in the Alps and had a nice relaxed feel. We tried to arrange a horse ride for the afternoon but unfortunately it was fully booked and so we continued to head north towards Kaikoura. On stopping for lunch somewhere in the country we were invaded by a swarm of insects and mid way through eating had to flee the area; following many bites, especially to the feet, (and about 50km driven) the insects were finally gone.

Just north of Kaikoura we stopped to observe seals in a large colony at Ohau Point just next to the road. The seals were on the rocks and intent on not doing very much at all, simply enjoying the warmth of the sun and rocks – who can blame them!
By this stage it was early evening and we were all running low on fuel and energy. In NZ outside the main towns and cities fuel stations are very sparse – we ended up by pushing on with the petrol light on and found a deserted small (expensive) fuel station by the side of the road. As it was after 18:00 and it was a private, family station I was charged a $20 opening fee after I went to the cottage nearby and asked them to open!
Soon after we pulled off the road to camp at a site next to the sea and made dinner as the sun set.

From here the plans for Betty and me are a little hazy, I think that we’re going to head cross country through the wine region to the west coast and see a very different rugged (and probably wet) west coast. Betty is struggling a bit with the km’s that are piling on; she’s smoking every morning and drinking oil like an Irish man drinks stout. Hills are a constant struggle but the pace of life is great. If anyone has any particular advice or routes that they’ve travelled in NZ I’d be please to hear them. Otherwise take care and have fun.