World's Forgotten Highway

Since my last electronic postcards was so well received, here's another one from our journey along the World's Forgotten Highway in the Taranki region.  We probably should've paid a bit more attention to the details, because we didn't exactly time our journey so well.  Four and a bit long hours of winding, curvy, rural roads.  The views were stunning, even if it was just rolling green hills and lots of sheep.

Tawhiti Museum, Hawera

Our friend Raewyn from Port Ligar told us that we absolutely must stop at the museum in Hawera in South Taranki.  So when we made a detour in the small town, past the rolling paddocks and cows and found this amazing museum, in the middle of nowhere.   And lucky for us a bus group was there, or otherwise the museum would've been closed (it's open Friday-Monday). The Tawhiti Museum is one man's dream.  It has all these great collections of exhibits, small and large.  The boys loved the Traders and Whalers ride, which would do Disneyland proud with its life like replication of life in Taranaki in the 1820's.  If you find yourself cruising around this part of New Zealand, definitely take the detour.

Jumping Pillow

We've been staying in holiday parks and many of them have fun things for the boys to play with- either jumping pillows, trampolines or playgrounds.  The Wanganui River Top 10 Holiday Park had a jumping pillow, 2 trampolines, a playground AND a pool.  Ben declared it was his favorite one on the whole trip.  Here are some fun photos of us jumping away.

Paper Road Winery, Masterton

I will admit the main reason I wanted to go to this winery was its name!  We all know I'm a paper addict, so I had to see what a winery that talked about paper was all about.  The truth is that it's named after a "paper road" on the map- a road that doesn't really exist, just on paper.  But the winery was a little treat and the vineyard manager was a real hoot.  He asked if I was driving and when I said no, because I'd just been pulled over by the police officer for driving too slow, he then proceeded to pour the two of us both generous tastings.  He said he likes the folks who turn up for the tasting who declare that they just like to drink wine, instead of the so called "wine experts".  I left with a discounted bottle of pinot and a number of good chuckles.

Palmerston North Holiday Park

Vynfield Winery, Martinborough, Wairapa

Dan and I have definitely made a point of trying to sample some of the local wines while traveling around New Zealand.  The Vynfield Winery was in Martinborough, a cute little town in the Wairapa area.  We were motivated to go there because they advertised gourmet platters, so we bribed the children with some afternoon snacks.  Ben, unfortunately, chose that time to have a complete and total melt down.  But I will admit that the blue cheese was so divine that I'll probably try to forget the meltdown and only remember the platter, the wine and the beautiful gardens around the winery.

Castle Point

I would love to send every one postcards, every day all day long... but funny how that's not going to happen.  So here's my digital postcard from Castle Point, which is on the east cost about an hour and a half north of Wellington.  We had a pleasant trip to the beach- I walked up the lighthouse, the boys played in the sand and Dan got to read his book for a little while.  We're all looking forward to some more beach adventures.

Te Papa

We had a fabulous day in Wellington this morning at the Te Papa Museum.  The boys loved all the various discovery centers and it was fun to view the museum through a child's perspective.  When we exited the museum we were also treated to some fabulous sunshine, which was great after a sleepless night in the tent with howling winds and downpours.

South Island Photos Collage

Here's a collage of some of the photos from our south island part of our trip.

Ferry Ride

Yesterday we took the Interislander ferry from Picton to Wellington.  We had a bit of a panic when we realized the night before that I had booked the ferry ticket the wrong direction.  Dan was convinced there wasn't going to be any room on the boat.  I was convinced we'd have to pay for a whole new ticket, since I'd done the super saver fare back in August.  Thankfully there was no issue whatsoever to change the ticket to the right route.  Yes, I agree with you Vanda that perhaps my subconscious was telling me that I didn't really want to leave the south island.  The boys really enjoyed the ferry ride, the ice cream, the playground on the bottom layer and the television showing the Disney channel in the family section.

South Island Travels

We are about to leave the South Island, so I thought it would be good to chart where we've gone in the first 2 1/2 weeks of our trip.  We started in Wanaka and spent the night in Arrowtown, Te Anau (Manipouri actually), Curio Bay in the Catlins, Dunedin, Mt Cook, Geraldine, Christchurch, Hanmer Springs, Blenheim, Pt Ligar/Marlborough Sounds and Picton.

The road out of Pt Ligar

We were sad to leave Port Ligar, a stunning place at the very, very end of the road in the Marlborough Sounds.  The drive out there takes 2 hours once you turn off the highway, so it really does feel like the end of the world.  Dan and I both had an opportunity to hike around the farm property and the views from the top of Chricton Hill out looking over the various bays and the ocean were breath taking.  But, we've got a ferry to catch and more adventures to be had, so it was our time to go.  Our departure actually got delayed by an extra day because of the heavy rains on the dirt road where there had been a land slide.  Dan had been closely monitoring the road to see if we'd be able to make it out, and thought we'd give it a go, even though Tim, the head of the farm didn't think we'd make it through.  Poor Norie, she was rather stuck in the mud by the time we'd exhausted our attempts.  In the end we had to call for help and got a tow out by the farm pick up truck (one of those classic vehicles that has no windshields or doors).

Norie stuck in the mud

And here's Dan at the top of the farm road with a big grin and some seriously muddy wheels.

Norie at the top of Port Ligar

And because the drive out there was so amazing, here are a few photos of the drive back.  Not a lot of traffic on the road, but we did have a few close encounters with some live stock.

Port Ligar, Marlborough Sounds

We have just returned from 4 fabulous nights in Port Ligar at the very, very end of the road in the Marlborough Sounds.  My friend Megan had sent us to the Shand Family Homestead, click here to check out their website and it was a treat beyond words.  I should reflect and come up with some witty text, instead of multi-tasking and dealing with cranky children.  Please enjoy this collage and I'll add some more thoughts later, must go put a child in time out.

Montana Winery

Today we spent the day in Blenheim, the heart of the wine region in New Zealand, especially the sauvignon blanc.  Our first pit stop was at the Montana Winery, because I had read that they had a playground.  The boys were thrilled with the play structure, check out the photo of them in the ball pit area.  We tried to drag them inside to do the tasting, but the battle was so large that the lovely lady in the cellar door let me take the tastings outside.  It was a lovely treat to sample some fantastic wines while our children played.

Kaikoura

I know many of you are going to look at these photos and wonder how it is that we didn't stop and stay and enjoy Kaikoura.  These photos are from a 2 minute pit stop on the side of the road.  After driving along the coast for a half an hour with absolutely stunning views I finally pulled over to take a photo and honestly these ones hardly do the view justice.  We did manage to fill up at the gas station and have a quick play at a park, but otherwise this one of those amazing New Zealand locations we didn't stop at, crazy as that seems.

Camping

So I know a lot of you think we're a bit crazy to be living in a campervan, and we get that part- it's a bit cozy at times.  But now I'm starting to think we're all a bit crazy to be sleeping in the tent on the nights that we've been stopped anywhere more then one night.  The first night we pulled out the tent in Christchurch a huge storm blew through later in the day.  We had a very sleepless night listening to the wind and the pouring rain.  The second night of camping in Christchurch we woke up with a huge frost.  Not so sure this is the type of camping weather I was envisioning.

Ben in Blenheim

This is a photo of Ben helping set up the tent here in Blenheim.  Let's hope the weather keeps up, although it's expected to rain.  But one can always go wine tasting in the rain right?

Christchurch Art Gallery

Today we spent the day taking advantage of Christchurch's museums.  Our first stop with the Christchurch Art Gallery where they just opened a special exhibit of Ron Mueck's sculptures.  His sculptures are extremely life like, but the proportions are a bit either exaggerated or shrunken.  It was a sight to see.  We also took a trip to the Science Alive and the Canterbury Museum.  By the time we were done with those great spots the sun finally came out.

Pizza Night

Sunday night is pizza night in our house. Dan has perfected his pizza dough recipe to a t and it’s a meal that we can all eat and thoroughly enjoy.  We didn’t think a campervan adventure should stand in our way for our weekly treat, so we’ve packed the pizza tray and pizza cuter in our limited space.  Today we were camped at the Christchurch Top 10 Holiday park, which has all sorts of amenities, including two fully stocked kitchens.  Tonight’s pizza was bbq chicken with brie and red onion.  For those of you who want to give it a try here’s the recipe for the pizza dough.

Dan’s Pizza Dough

1 Tbs yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 cup warm water

3 cups flour

3 Tbs olive oil

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

dried mixed herbs

S&P

Mix yeast, sugar and warm water in a bowl and leave till frothy (approximately 10 minutes).  Mix in a bowl the flour, olive oil, garlic powder, salt & herbs and then add the yeast mixture.  Mix well with a wooden spoon and then knead on a lightly floured surface.  Leave covered in an oiled bowl to rise in a warm spot for at least an hour.  

Hunting for fossils

 

We stopped in Duntroon at the Vanishing World Centre, mostly because Ben had picked up a brochure way back in Manipouri, and partly because we needed to stretch our legs.  The place was as classic Kiwi as they come.  The volunteer who greeted us was so excited to have someone to talk to he could barely contain himself.  The small, no frills center offered some interesting displays, dusty travel books and some interesting photos of the local area.  The hit of the stop was the digging for fossil station they have set up for the kids.  Ben's little eyes were huge.  All three boys happily got busy with the toothbrushes, mini pitchforks and butter knives.  

Travel Map

I'm currently reading the book Land of Two Halves by Joe Bennett, which is a very silly travel book about Joe's hitch hiking around New Zealand.  At the beginning of every chapter is a map that shows where he's gone and I thought it would be fun to give a visual of our road trip route.  I'm still working on the perfect map, and I've got some work to do on my power point skills.  But for those of you who want to follow us along, since we've left Wanaka we've gone to Arrowtown, Te Anau, Manipouri, Riverton, Invercargill, Bluff, Curio Bay and Dunedin.

Nugget Point

Tautuku Bay

This road trip is all about exploring unknown regions and seeing where the road takes us.  Yesterday morning's pit stop is a perfect example of taking an unknown turn and ending up in an amazing spot.  Josh was looking like he might fall asleep and since we decided 10am was a bit early for a nap we decided to pull over and have something to eat.  We missed the turn off at the Cathedral Coves and decided we'd take the next option.  After a few windy turns Dan spotted a small DOC sign that said "beach access" and made a sudden turn.  Two bumpy minutes down a road we ended up here!  It was one of those amazing spots where you look around and soak up the views and smile.  Josh turned the beach into his own personal sandbox, emptying out every single toy from the campervan.  Ben did a little bit of school work in the camp chair, who said a class room had to have 4 walls?  I sat in the chair and wrote in my journal.  All 'n all, a perfect pit stop, you never know what you'll find when you take a sudden right turn in the middle of the Catlins?

Parked on the beach at Tautuku Bay

Tautuku Bay from the view at Florence Hill

Ben doing some school work

yellow-eyed penguins

We camped at the campground in Curio Bay, in the Catlains.  We arrived after a bit too much time in the campervan and were all really excited to get out and explore the flax, the beach and the petrified forest.  The welcome wagon at the Curio Bay campground when we arrived was a sea lion.  At first he was laying in a bed of flax underneath a 10 K sign, but later on he'd moved to another intersection and stood there nodding his head as cars drove by.  Ben waved to him.  While Dan and Josh prepared a dinner (quesadillas with smoked chicken, onion and tomato with a side of Mexican rice), Ben and I walked over to the petrified forest.  For a dinosaur loving boy I thought fossilized trees would've been cool and while he did make a nod in that direction he was more interested in spotting a penguin.  I tried to explain to him that normally they only come out at dusk, and we were a bit early.  But as we were leaving we lucked out and saw one lone penguin hopping along.  We practically ran back to the van to share the exciting news with Dan & Josh.  After dinner the four of us walked back over there, armed with my trusty binoculars that my grandmother gave me 11 years ago to watch birds in Costa Rica.  Dan and Ben went down to get a closer look, while Josh and I stayed at a safe distance from the viewing platform.  Everyone decided after we were done that their favorite thing had been seeing the penguin.

From Wanaka....

Norie at the top of the Crown Range

The campervan adventure began Friday afternoon, after a few tearful goodbyes and a serious case of the grumpy house cleaning blues.  Thankfully we didn't have to travel far, just up and over the Crown Range to Arrowtown.  We were received with open arms at the house of our friends Fritha and Gordon and their children.  Our first night on the road had an awesome home cooked meal of mac 'n cheese and toasted with a bottle of Rippon Pinot Noir.  Our one night with friends stretched into two nights, with a fun walk around Lake Hayes, a trip to the Arrowtown Chinese Settlement and a trip to the Queenstown pool where Ben went down the slide for the first time.  

Lake Te Anau

From Arrowtown we drove to Te Anau and took the boat across the lake to see the glowworm caves.  I had visions of Disneyland the entire time we explored the underground cavern with the roaring waterfalls, the pitch black boat ride through the glowworm grotto and the perky guide.  We really lucked out well with the weather, considering it rains up to 9 feet a year in Te Anau.  The boys happily played at the local park, while I took a run and Dan cooked dinner in the back of the campervan.  From Te Anau we drove a short way down the road to Lake Manipouri where we stayed in a very eclectic holiday park with vintage cars, funky cabins and an assortment of junk littered around the property.

Lake Manipouri