A month ago, I packed up my life in Dunedin and headed out on one last big road trip across New Zealand. Here is week one!
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dates of travel: 1-8 Nov 2016
It was absolutely pouring down when I drove out of Dunedin for the second to last time. I’m talking streaming down the windows, cascading over the roads, making it very hard to see. I wasn’t going far… only to Warrington, near Blueskin Bay, north of the Kilmog and Dunedin. I arrived at the domain during a break in the rain and I took the opportunity to shift some things around in my car.
Oh. Let me describe my car to you… pictures will help, but I couldn’t have imagined a cosier way to travel. I own a Ford Mondeo, a sedan. It hadn’t crossed my mind to camp in it until Diver Dan spilled some information that made me second guess myself. So, I put the back seat down and set the bed into the boot of the car. I laid down a wooden blanket as a first layer, my yoga mat, a duvet doubled over, and then my own duvet and flannel sheet, folded in half like a hot dog. I sleep inside that layer, and its surprisingly warm. I put my big backpack under the seat that was folded down, more for extra support under my head, but also it would have been wasted space. I tucked one of my pillows between the back of the passenger seat and the top of the folded seat and tucked all the blankets under that.
My world map pillow went on top and my backpack and my computer bag went near my feet, in the space over the wheel well. Two cardboard boxes, one with books and camera and misc stuff, the other with toiletries, went behind the seat still up. My chilly bin is tucked behind the drivers seat, and I often lean against that while watching movies. Dry foods either sit on the passenger seat or in the back – depending on if I have companions in my car. I haven’t picked up a hitchhiker yet but I’m not ruling it out.
The setup allows me a nice spot to sit and stare out the back window during dinner if its raining or cold, and a good spot to curl up with a book or movie once it gets dark. I hang two sarongs against the windows and a dark towel over the front headrests. My cardboard quotes go up in the back window and I essentially have a private sleeping berth. I can lay there and stare out the back window at the Southern Cross (wickedly cool) and I can hear the surf from my little bed. Sometimes I crack a window to allow fresh air, but I have yet to wake up with condensed windows and I’m not keen on sharing my bed with sandflies.
Right. Back to the road trip. I woke in the morning and had some breakfast before wandering out on to the beach and walking in the opposite direction to the last time I was there. This time, I went on to the rocks and sat in the sun for a bit. It’s one of my most favourite things to do and even though I never wake for sunrise, I have pipe dreams of sitting on a beach and watching the sun rise over the rocks. It’ll never happen but a girl can dream right?
That morning, I drove to Oamaru, via the Moeraki boulders, where I spent the next day and a half. I’d been there once before, with #tinderboytakeone and I had decided back then that Oamaru deserved more than an hour or so of my time. So, I spent the afternoon in the Victorian precinct, I had a coffee, I meandered, I walked out to the penguin colony, and I settled on a sunny spot in the harbour and read my book. Then, I took myself out to Bushy Beach reserve, the spot to watch for the super elusive yellow-eyed penguins. I nestled up against a large piece of driftwood and then when the sun began to set and I knew the penguins would be coming ashore, I walked back up to the viewpoint as to not disturb them on the beach.
I saw three of them, and I was thrilled. I’d never seen them before, so this was a treat. I had waited a long time for this sight and they did not disappoint. Funny story: an older German man and his wife stopped me and helpfully pointed out three creatures on the beach – “two albatross and a penguin” – I peered through my camera lens (thank god for telephoto lenses) and informed them that in fact it was two sea gulls and a shag. Sorry mate. (He didn’t believe me and that’s alright, if he wants to believe he saw two albatross on a beach near Oamaru, then he can go for it.)
My camp that night was a roadside stop about half an hour from Oamaru. It was loud and there were constant lights from the trucks going past, but as Wikicamps said, good for one night. The toilets were decent and there were other people around. I spent the next morning in town as well before driving north to Timaru and then on to Tekapo. I adore Tekapo. It is a stunning spot for a day or two and the scenery around the lake is rugged and crisp. On a clear day, the view into the snow-capped peaks is a photographers dream.
I went first to find the camping spot I had marked out. Unfortunately I couldn’t find the one I wanted but I found another DOC site and decided to go back there. Then, as the sun fell lower in the sky, I checked into Tekapo Springs. Back around my birthday, I had won two passes to the hot pools from Instagram’s @worldtravelsocial (formerly @queenstowntokaikoura), which I cashed in this time (finally!). I spent the late afternoon in the hot pools with my book, propped up against the pool walls, sun in my face. It was amazing and just what I needed. (Hot pools are one of my favourite things, if you haven’t figured that out).
My campsite that night was nice – not the greatest, but right on Lake McGregor so at least a good view. It was cold and windy; I tucked into my car and watched a movie before crawling into my bed and reading. I awoke to brilliant sun and calm water – after a leisurely breakfast, I returned to town and got coffee before walking down to the church of Good Shepherd – if you have seen any photos from Tekapo, you have seen the church. It’s a tiny stone church with a window looking out on to the lake beyond, dark wooden pews filling the whitewashed interior, and a stone path down to the lakeshore and garden. After battling the crowds of tourists inside the church, I settled on to a rock in the sun and tried out some new photography techniques among the bright purple and pink lupines – one my favourite flowers.
– – One phenomenon I began to notice near Tekapo and Mount Cook… Asians taking wedding photos. No other nationality was decked out in wedding gear, but Asian couples were on rocks, in fields, in the middle of roads, and on bridges. Anyone who can assist me in figuring this out will be rewarded with a cute gif of a panda dancing. – –
My second to last stop in Tekapo was the Mount John Observatory. I laced up my hiking shoes and took off up the trail near the Springs to the top of Mount John, where I was rewarded with pristine views of the entire lake, mountains, and town… not to mention the high country plains to the west and the mountains near Mount Cook (itself sadly cloud covered.) I made a disastrous decision however, in hiking, and came away from the two hour hike with a bum knee and sore ankles. Luckily, I still had another Tekapo Springs pass so I spent a happy afternoon in the sun once again before showering and driving onward to Lake Pukaki.
I arrived at the Pines in the late afternoon, the sun still high in the sky over the western mountains, the lake a brilliant neon blue under the dark hills. I parked along the lake and wandered down along the rocks. I was still limping quite badly, so clambering along the rocks was not smart, but a necessary evil in my goal to explore every inch of New Zealand. Many of my fellow campers from the night before were there – it being the next camp down the road, really – and some other idiots who had stopped in the middle of the main highway to take photos – on a hill with no view of oncoming traffic. A post about how to not have road rage on the main roads in southern New Zealand ought to be forthcoming if I can write it without a condescending tone.
Two Czech campers stopped to admire my car set up and ask me about how I did it – she wants to travel alone – before talking about future plans and what we have done in NZ thus far. We both admitted to heading to Mount Cook the next day, a destination I love and would enjoy spending more time in. That night, the sun fell behind the mountains and the stars began to come out one by one. From my coat spot inside my car, I could see the entire southern cross against the dark sky, and I decided to play with my camera to see what I could do with night photography. Sadly, my camera doesn’t handle low light very well (if anyone can help me with it, let me know.)
I awoke in the early dawn and immediately peaked my head out of my makeshift curtains to see if I could make out Mount Cook across the lake. The clouds still obscured it (and did the rest of the day as well) but that didn’t dampen my spirits at all. I dressed and took off two kms down the road to the lookout point, where I sat on the rocks and ate my breakfast, then continued along to Aoraki/Mount Cook Village.
I thought about hiking the Sealy Tarns track, or part of it, but my knee was still really sore, so I contented myself with a walk to the Tasman Glacier viewpoint and then a short wander along the road to the Ball Pass Hut (not all the way to the hut). I stayed the night in Twizel with Don and Jill, friends I met through Lindblad several years ago. They’re retired to the small village but love their life and house there.
After watching the rugby match and having a light lunch with Jill and Don, I hit the road and headed toward Dunedin, where I stayed with Kaya and then headed south for big road trip: week two.