After a few days in Westport and a memorable visit to the Coal Museum where we were educated on the tough job of extracting coal from the hills and the difficult lives of the miners and their families, we headed north to Karamea, about 100 kilometers, though we had no idea of the size of the hill we were to drive over. The day was a little rainy and as we progressed,  a misty cloud enveloped us and covered the whole Karamea bluff. It cleared enough for me to be able to see the pristine native rain forest, huge matai trees, punga and southern rata which are coming into flower. It's an eye boggling drive and I couldn't help feeling a little nervous when looking down at the very sharp slope close to the road. Once parked up behind the Village Hotel, we were ready to roam and armed with a map if the area after a visit to the wonderful information center, we set of for the Fennian walk, an old gold mining trail which follows a river and was supposed to take us to some limestone caves. It turned out the caves were too far, but the walk was beautiful. On the way back we met Duncan from Scotland. Duncan is not young, probably in his 70s, but is much fitter than me and says he intends to do the Tongariro Crossing. I think he'll make it. The next day, with new friends Allen and Maureen, we headed out to the DOC camp which marks the entrance to the Heaphy Track and walked an hour in to Scotts Beach. The day was glorious and the scenery so beautiful.

We had no plan for Christmas Day, but it turned out happily, as I knew it would. We shared our Christmas meal with new friends made on the road and raised a glass of Christmas cheer. That was enough.

I can recommend the Railway Station Cafe which is suffering from loss of trade due to the Kaikoura earthquake. We had their set menu three course lunch which was amazing value and so creative and interesting with homemade icecream dessert Yummmm.ion

My memories of Blenhiem turned out to be well out of date. It has definitely grown and is a prosperous area, due I guess to the growth of the wine industry. Peter Jackson's aviation museum in Blenhiem was well worth a look. 

From Blenhiem we headed to Havelock. a lovely South Island day for wandering around the boats, mostly older cabin cruisers, ideal for  the Sounds. A few kilometers down the road is Canvastown which is close to beautiful Pelorous Bri.dge, where there is a DOC camp. I recall childhood holidays jumping off rocks and swimming in the deep water holes. Unfortunately it was raining. We had parked a few  behind the 'Trout' an old pub at Canvastown which is a few kilometers along the road. It looked a bit rough at first but on going in for a beer and a game of pool we were told the Trout's Christmas party was on with a band. By then another large bus had turned up and we met John and Rikki. The four of us trooped over for the music which turned out to be kareoke, but they played all the old numbers from the 60s 70s and 80s soon everyone was up dancing. Goodness knows where they all came from, but they were rocking in their gumboots. We had a ball.

Five nights were spent at the Racecourse in Richmond, Nelson, a private camp which takes only NZMCA members. We needed to do the washing, shopping and get a haircut for me, but the cycling was good and Nelson always a super town. We intend to go over the hill to Takaka on the return trip.

About halfway between Nelson and Westport is the old mining town of Muchison, which has gone up market since I was last there. (I can't even remember when that was.) The old buildings remain and a couple of second hand shops had me inside in a flash. Rust and Dust occupies the old Commercial Stables, and is a veritable museum come shop, with the most interesting bits and pieces from the town's hey day in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Today there is a proper backpackers hostel, cafes and updated pubs for the modern tourist. You can do jet boating and other rather pricey activities, but we were happy with a couple of walks. We drove out to Six Mile, cleverly named for its distance from Murchison. Here is one of the country's only remaining power stations from that time. It looks to be in good order though is no longer working. I'm sure the locals were pleased to get power back in 1921. Murchison must be a cold dark place in winter. My Mum tells me her grandmother, Nell Reyling lived there for a while when she was first married, and hated it. It probably wasn't the nicest place for a young woman back then.

Warren on the walk from the power station. We are loving the South Island beech forests.

Last night was spent at Lyell DOC camp deep in the Buller Gorge. There was once a town here and a school, catering for the families of the gold miners who had set out to try their luck. In many cases it was the publicans and shop keepers who made the most money in those places.
We walked up to the cemetery where quite young people are buried, including a child and a woman of about 30. Life must have been tough with little in the way of medical services or any facilities.

Above is the site of an old pub and boarding house for those working at the battery.

We have made it to Westport on NZ's West Coast, thanks to Warren's excellent driving. Today we followed the Buller River through the Buller Gorge. The road is very narrow in places with several one way bridges to cross, but the views are spectacular.

We have finally made it across Cook Strait and are enjoying parking up at a super campsite, a paddock with artisian water, just a few kilometers from Picton. It is owned by an elderly couple who are farmers here. Les likes to check out the campers and is a big yakker! He and his wife are very generous in letting NZMCA members stay for $5 a night.

One of the wonderful aspects of this lifestyle is that jobs don't dictate our lives, which means that every day we have a choice about what we do. We work around the weather. If its fine we're off, and if not, may do indoor activities, catching up with inside jobs. Getting dressed early is not necessarily a priority! Not having a schedule gave me the freedom to participate in NANORIMO. National November Writing Month, a web-based programme which challenges a writer to complete 50,000 words in the month of November. It does require focus and commitment, but I made it. Yay! I just wish I could keep that focus year round.

Housework doesn't go away and there is a surprising amount, considering the small space we live in. All the dirt from living, cooking and walking around is concentrated in one area. The floor needs sweeping daily and washing fairly often. There is nothing worse than a smelly loo so keeping the bathroom sweet is a priority. Our dishwasher is mostly Warren, and we have to collect our water and heat it whenever we need it. Laundry is either done by hand or, more often, at the laundromat. I recently did a week's worth at my sister's house. Thanks Heather and Chris!

Picton is as pretty as ever. I don't think it has changed a lot since I was last here, at least ten years ago, although there are probably a few more bars and cafes. Perhaps the Kaikoura Earthquake is the cause of quiet streets. Yesterday we went for a bike ride to Waikawa Bay which provides a mooring for small boats.  Cycling is such great exercise, we need to use those bikes more! Picton's streets suddenly filled in the afternoon when the Christmas Parade was due to start. It was good to see the community support for their marine themed event.

In one of the cafes, we met an English couple who live in Nelson. They recommended the walk out to Bob's Bay, at the top of the right hand arm of the harbour. It was a beautiful bush walk, carved out of the bluff and looking out over the sounds. While sitting on the shingly beach, with one other walker, the earth was suddenly shoved what felt like a meter one way, then back. "Did you feel that?" our lone walker yelled. We had. It was a 5.5 quake and the first I have ever felt in all my years as a Kiwi living in New Zealand. Since we are travelling in the South Island it may not be the last.

Whatever else is happening (we do have a few dramas along the way) we always eat well.

Here is my version of Curried Thai Chowder

Thai Chowder (Can use seafood, chicken or tofu)

2 tbsp Oil

One onion, a few cloves of garlic, grated ginger (if you like it)

One carrot in strips

Thai curry paste ( about a dessert spoon)

Chilli (maybe though the thai paste is a bit hot).

1 tin light coconut milk

Soy sauce 

Several mugs of water

Ramen noodles. (You can use rice noodles or spaghetti but they take longer to cook)

Green vege, eg Chinese cabbage, or spinach

Fish and prawns or shellfish, or sliced chicken (you might like to cook it first), or tofu.

Saute the onion, garlic and ginger, add carrot and Thai paste. Add a mug of water or two. Add tin of coconut milk and soy sauce. Taste test. Add coconut milk. Once soup base is prepared, add the ramen noodles, seafood, chicken or tofu. Taste test and adjust as you prefer.

Eat.

Lyn

Southward

People are often envious of our free lifestyle and comment how 'lucky' we are. I'd like to point out there is not much luck involved. It takes guts to give up your home base and regular community activities. For many, a life on the road also means liberating funds by selling a house or other assets. Motor homers do need an income, which is easier for retirees who receive a pension, but there are many who don't. They have either managed to create a source of passive income, while others earn on the road.

We have found out the hard way that there can be unexpected extra expenses, including mechanical repairs, tires blowing out and batteries which decided they have had enough. Our various dramas included the aluminium sides delaminating which resulted in our van looking a bit sad, so a paint job was in order. We think she's looking pretty good now.



Amazingly Warren completed the painting in two weeks of constant work, thinking it might rain but it didn't.

Living this way has made us much more aware of our environmental footprint. We are more tuned in to the weather these days, since we rely on the sun shining to power our solar panels. Our electricity needs are lighter at this time of year with NZs long summer days, but we usually only have one light on in the evening. We find it is adequate, romantic even. We must always be conscious of our water use too, so showers are necessarily short and sweet. We carry two 25 litre containers of water to supplement our 160 litre tanks. Warren has devised an ingenious way to transfer water from container to our tanks by using a marine bilge pump. So easy, and done in a few minutes which saves him climbing a ladder and pouring water into the tank with a small jug as he used to. We do to recycle our rubbish when possible, and are conscious of every small bag we fill, but we do miss composting.

We feel we have rejoined the rest of the world since signing up with Wireless Nation for a great internet package which means we now have wifi in the van! We had been relying on hot spotting to our phones which was severely limited. Now we can google, and blog to our heart's content.

Uretiti Beach.








We have finally left Northland after enjoying a mild winter there, and are now on our way south, first spending a few days in Auckland to catch up with family members and then back to our hometown, Rotorua where it was wet and cold and blowing a gale. Not very welcoming I thought.

The earthquake centered in Kaikoura has not affected us a great deal yet, but it has impacted family members in Wellington, and will affect our travel plans in the South Island. We are booked on the Wellington - Picton ferry next week. Fortunately we have no set plan and no deadline so are totally flexible. Stay tuned.

Uretiti and onward

Spring is here and we have now been living on the road for almost ten months and are still loving it despite a few expensive hiccoughs which have necessitated Warren taking a short term contract at a local secondary school. Its amazing how synchronicity works - the job just fell into his lap and was perfect. We have just had school holidays, a great opportunity to go and catch up with family.

 We having been spending a fair bit of time at Uretiti DOC camp which is peaceful and so beautiful with its long white beach at low tide.

The tourists from America and Europe are starting to arrive here, often with camper cars, vans and some with pup tents. One young lady from the US, a brave solo traveler, came to our door in search of hot water for her noodles. She had no gas bottle for her camp cooker as it had been taken from her at customs. I don't know where she thought she would get one, certainly not here, but fortunately for her Warren had a spare which he swapped in return for a lovely massage. We had just enough space with my yoga mat. He loved it but just look at that cheeky hole in his sock!

The next couple of weeks is going to involve a lot of sanding and painting to restore the exterior of

this old girl to some degree of her original beauty. Storage is an on going issue in motorhomes and we have been thinking about how we can improve ours. I had been eyeing up the space taken by a rather ancient micro-wave which we never use. Yesterday Warren removed it - just a few screws and hey presto a wonderful space was created above the stove. Now we have to figure out the best use of it. We will line and paint it and make dividers boxes for the perspex wine glasses and hooks to hang some coffee cups which will free up some other space. I think it will also take the fry pan and the coffee and tea pots. That will really help.



We don't have bedside tables in the bedroom but a bit of innovation by way of a nicely shaped piece of wood has solved that problem.

We are currently in Whangarei getting some work done on our vehicle.

This is an article I wrote recently.

GULLIBLE’S TRAVELS                                                                              by Lyndsay Lockie

There are some very creative and humorous names among New Zealand’s growing armada of 

motorhomes, which sparked an on-going conversation between Lockie and I over what to call 

ours.He suggested ‘Gullible’s Travels’ as a joke, but it seems more true than funny now. One 

campervan parked at Whangarei’s wonderful motorhome parking space by the new bridge is called

Living the Dream. It left me wondering if we should call ours Living the Nightmare. Appropriate but too depressing. Jinxed has a certain ring to it.

As adventuresome baby-boomers reaching retirement age, a year on the road held appeal. We’d always wanted to see our country while we were still fit enough to enjoy it and since we couldn’t afford a top of the line rig, we searched for a deal to suit our budget.

We set out full of joie de vivre on Christmas Eve 2015. True, our 18 year old 25 foot Wildwood fifth wheel caravan with1992 diesel Isuzu Elf tow truck was a bit of an ugly duckling compared to the fabulous rigs parked around us each night, but we were happy with traditional, and didn’t think old equalled stuffed. After all we’re no longer young ourselves and we think we’ve got a bit of mileage in us. The fact that her previous owners had lived aboard for eleven years meant they’d sorted out all the wrinkles, I thought. If they could do it surely we could.

The first sign that things had got off to a bad start occurred before we left home. A broken leaf spring had to be replaced at a cost of $1400. Having recovered from that we headed up to Rays Rest at Miranda and enjoyed watching the godwits and the sunsets. Then to the Auckland Folk Festival, an annual treat. On the way south we detoured to Pukekohe to dump and fill our water tanks. We had forgotten to lock the van door which flew open as we rounded a tiny round-a-bout resulting in a bent road sign. We managed to park in a funeral parlour car park (no funeral in progress) to check the damage. Our ‘unbreakable’ glasswear plates had fallen out and broken into a thousand pieces. We now have plastic.

Then, on one of our early forays to places unknown, we had a break-in while parked outside a friend’s property in Kawhia. Our presence had been noted by some locals who made the most of their opportunity when we went out for tea. We came back to find an uninvited guest sitting in a car parked outside our van with the motor running. Our van door hung open and we watched open mouthed as a young dude stepped out holding Lockie’s prized guitar, to slip like a shadow in the night into the back seat of the getaway car. They sped off with a spray of metal before we could gather our thoughts to figure out what had just happened. The glass in the van’s door had been smashed allowing the thief to reach in, split open the fly screen and open the door. We also lost my laptop computer but getting the door fixed and a new security screen proved to be the biggest problem. Thank goodness for insurance.

A few teething hassles with our rented house kept us tied to Rotorua for weeks, but we finally escaped to Paeroa and the very friendly Paeroa RV Centre, one of our favourite places to rest up and have lovely hot showers in clean facilities.

Blessed with a wonderful late summer and autumn, we could not resist a quick trip to the Coromandel. We figured it must have been fifteen years since we were last there. Why had we left it so long? Coro is a short trip from Rotorua and the roads are good these days. A night at a free stop overlooking the Tairua estuary brought back memories. Tairua might have grown a little but it’s a stunning spot with the roiling sea on one side and the estuary on the other. A storm was brewing, so to avoid it we headed to Whitianga next day, up a steep and winding hill. The Isuzu truck was proving to be a tuff little Trojan. She might be slow but she was as determined as the little train that could. One driver decided he couldn’t bear to sit behind us any longer and managed to zip past on a narrow bend, taking our front bumper with him and wrecking an indicator light. He didn’t bother to stop. Travelling behind, I almost drove over the bumper lying on the road. We managed to get a part in Thames, but the bumper is still taped on.

On our way to Auckland the aluminium skin began peeling back from the right hand side of the van. I pulled up to see Lockie risking his life by standing on a ladder to screw it back on. This has not added to the beauty of the van since he has had to bog it up with plastic filler to stop water getting in. A proper repair job awaits.

We had been warned that getting the Certificate of Fitness for these rigs can be difficult and this has proved to be true. We are currently parked up in the Whangarei town basin and have been through VTNZ five times. They still haven’t passed our brakes. We think we’ve got it sorted now after a paying a couple of large bills for bearings for the truck and new brake shoes on the van. We’ve learned a lot. Apparently American fifth wheels are renowned for having problems with the electric braking system and some owners have installed hydraulic brakes to avoid hassles every time COF time comes around. At least we are safe for another six months.

It’s been a rocky road, and I sometimes wonder if we should have played safe and stayed home.

But when I think of all the adventures we’ve had in the past eight months, and all the wonderful people we have met, I know it’s been worth it in spite of the hassles. We are really living, and any adventure is risky. It’s a case of managing the problems and having fun every day.

We are on the move again - having left lovely Matauri Bay and Keri Keri, which must be one of New Zealand's loveliest small towns, and are on our way south again, first to Waipu where Warren has a short term contract. Money is a priority sometimes.

One of the most fantastic things about life on the road is all the people we meet driving a wide variety of rigs; caravans, fifth wheelers and buses big and small. Some have another home to go to but others don't.  Some committed life stylers have been on the road in NZ for years. Most are retirees who have realised they don't want the hassle of a house and garden any more, and prefer the freedom a motor home provides. Every day we meet someone new, someone we would never have known if we had stayed home. Matauri Bay was no exception, in fact it was one of the friendliest places we have been.

Larry and Jenny from Napier have been on the road for the last three years. They live in what most would consider a very small motorhome, but they make it work, and they even carry their musical instruments - two electric guitars, mics and sound mixing system. Its a mystery to me how they fit it all in. They do tow a trailer for their fishing equipment. Their music was much appreciated at Matauri Bay happy hours.

Andrew and Carolyn have a Winebago Vectra which is like a purpose built bus. It has all the acoutrements of a very nice one bedroom apartment. Carolyn told me they have been on the road most of the time for the last for nine years, in several different vehicles, though they do have an apartment which they occasionally return to. They started by setting off on a four month holiday to the South Island, fully intending to return to their business, but had such a good time that they decided to keep going. They wanted to enjoy doing the things they love, fishing, tramping and hunting while they were young and fit enough. " We kept meeting people who weren't couldn't do these things," she said, and realised it was important not to leave it too late.

We also met some fellow Rotoruians escaping the cold.

Many have small boats and fishing gear, which keeps them occupied when the weather is decent. Changeable weather is one of New Zealand's notable features, so stormy days sees us all tucked up our vans with books, cards and TV for company. No one is complaining.

I'll probably be off line for the next couple of months as we'll be stationery for a while.

Matauri Bay

We have discovered the winter habitat of a sizable bunch of that migrating human species of which we are members - the baby boomers - who have up sticks to live on the road in NZ. There are many beautiful places in Northland, but I think Matauri Bay is the pick of the bunch for wintering over.

A week of stunningly sunny July days have helped. Can we really call this winter?

Other people may think we are all crazy living in our motor homes, caravans and buses at this time of year, but I can assure you we are all toastie warm at night and dry too. We have all the necessities for comfortable living at the Matauri Bay Holiday Park; hot showers, laundry and TV in our vehicles.


Warren and I think the last time we were here was more that 20 years back when we sailed by in the Tuatara, our hippie 23 foot flat deck catamaran, on our way to the Whangaroa Harbour where we moored with a bunch of gin palaces. We were even crazier back then.

This interesting sculpture was erected in memory of the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior after it was sunk in 1985. The local Maori community provided it with a resting place in the waters off Matauri Bay.

Warren at the Rainbow Warrior lookout.

Matauri has also proved to be a very sociable destination, and along with a lot of chilling out and chatting with other campers, we have enjoyed happy hour most afternoons (coffee works too if you don't want to drink). These occasions have been enhanced by the music of Larry and Jenny who travel with their guitars and all the electronics to make it sound fantastic. They are excellent singers too so we have been very spoiled. You never know what talent lurks in those buses and vans. 

The ukelele is a popular instrument to take on the road and Warren doesn't need too much encouragement to get his out. Several of our new friends have been practicing ukelele in private and they are sounding pretty good too.

Lovely Mangonui

I hadn't forgotten what a lovely relaxed place Mangonui is. Fantastic to hang out in the winter when there are few tourists. We've done the usual things, coffee and snacks in one of our favourite cafes and checking out the weekend markets. I found myself parting with a surprisingly large amount of cash on some wonderful local olive oil from Hihi Olive Estate plus dukka. Mmmmm It somehow slipped into my bag. we couldn't leave Mangonui without mooching around the wharf to see what they're catching.


 


It would be amazing if we could say we caught this Kingfish, but no, it was snared by this young man from a fishing boat out of Mangonui. I feel a bit sorry for the big fish though, as I'm sure he was quite happy swimming away, but its heartening to know they are still there.















Eating seems to be high on our daily agenda so we were easily enticed into guying smoked Hapuka wings from Mangonui's famous fish shop. Melt in the mouth yummy!

 There have been some heavy rain showers with lots of squalls coming through which shake our van like crazy. There's so much energy out there its exciting!

There are plenty of good walks around here during fine breaks - including a decent hike up the the hill to a trig station.

Keri Keri to Hi Hi Beach

It is a long time since I had been to Keri Keri, but I was impressed. What a fantastic small NZ town with everything you could want in the way of supermarkets, library, boutique movie theater and a selection of cafes. Then there is the Turner Center for arts events. A photography exhibition by a local Keri Keri gold medal winning photographer, Chris Pegman, blew my socks off with his pics of the Milky Way over Cape Reinga, the moon and lots of others. I also enjoyed hanging out  at the Chocolate Factory Cafe where they the give away samples of their yummy products.

The 4.3km walk from the Stone Store to Rainbow Falls was something else. 

Warren and I have now settled in for a week at Hihi Beach, only 15 minutes from Maungonui. It was recommended to us by a new friend made on the road and has proven to be all she said it was. The place was empty when we arrived and the caravan park manager offered us the best site right by the beach. It is so lovely to hear the sound of the sea. We could easily imagine we are in the islands and Warren loves the fact there is no traffic. Today we even saw a pod of dolphins! We could be here longer than we thought, though today we drove up the Kari Kari Peninsula to check out parking possibilities on Tokarau Beach. The beaches do look wonderful but this possy might be too good to pass up.

We are enjoying being in a motor camp. Those things that we take for granted at home are a luxury. Like electricity, lots of hot water and showering as long as I want. Putting on two big loads of washing and hanging it out on the line on a sunny day was bliss. So different from going to a launderette and shoving it in a much used washing machine and drier. Mind you that works too, I'm not complaining.

Getting enough exercise can be challenging what with lots of books to read and happy hour to attend to. Here we have a lovely beach to walk on but its not always so easy, and I don't have my regular yoga class, though I do sometimes get the mat out.                                                                                     

Here is a novel way to get those abs working. In Wellington we were parked beside some people who were selling hula hoops. It was probably a rip-off considering the hoop is only a piece of alkathene pipe, but it is jolly good exercise once you get the hang of it (which did take while). Of course Warren could do it straight away.

Keri Keri is a great little town with a fabulous Saturday morning market where we loaded up on fresh veges, free range eggs and a pot of lemon honey.

Where else would you find the Dog Whisperer's Choice specialized dog food?

We are parked behind the RSA where there is a huge paved area, along with a bunch of others. Saturday night saw us having a few drinks at the RSA to watch the ABs beat Wales on the big screen.

Checking out the range of vans, fifth wheelers, buses and house trucks is a fascinating hobby. They all have advantages and disadvantages. This one, belonging to Richard and Maureen, has outdoor living in the form of a cute fold out deck.

This house truck is built on is a 1966 truck and has been the owner's home for some years. Its awesome! The manual washing machine is mostly decorative but actually works.

I'm currently reading Gretchen Rubin's book about how we form habits. It's called Better Than Before. She wrote The Happiness Project which is also excellent and made her quite famous.  I'm trying to implement some of her ideas and I recommend the read if you want to assess yours. (I downloaded it to my Kindle). She has created a framework for how we respond to expectations which are both internally and externally motivated. It is an interesting concept I think as our daily habits have a huge impact on how we live.

One of the things about the travelling lifestyle is that existing good habits (eg exercise, getting up at a respectable hour) can easily go by the board to be replaced by the attractions of staying in bed to read in the mornings, not to mention the temptations of extended happy hours with new friends. We have retained some of the good ones though. We mostly eat well and Warren still brings me a cup of tea in the mornings.

While travelling has many compensations, there is a loss of regular activities, like walking groups, book club, yoga classes and Warren's regular music nights, and of course contact with friends. Of course with no jobs to go to the options are wide open.