Our travels

17th October 2024 at 15:47 - Damian

Tonight we're parked up at River-T winery near Kurow. Lunch was a tasting and platter. They close at 1700 so we've ordered a pizza just before they close for the day. It's a good afternoon for lazing around and reading books.

Platter at River-T.

Bees in lavender 🪻

17th October 2024 at 15:41 - Damian

We did the Alps2Ocean back in 2016 and since then they've added more off-road sections. Today we cycled the new 15km section (and back) between Sailor's Cutting and Benmore (between Omarama and Otematata) that avoids the schlep over the busy pass. It's a bit bumpy for our hybrid bikes but much preferable to the previous option.

Panoramic view over Benmore from the track.

A section of the track where they've had to blast rock. Nice!

Nothing to do with the cycleway. Just some bonus sheeps on the road this morning coming down from Mt Cook village.

16th October 2024 at 14:13 - Damian

Mt Sefton on the left straddling the range that divides Canterbury and the West Coast. Hooker River in the foreground.

16th October 2024 at 14:06 - Damian

I guess because I was born in Twizel I can claim this as my mountain.

Ko Aoraki te maunga.

Aoraki/Mt Cook viewed through binoculars from Hooker Lake.

16th October 2024 at 08:52 - Damian

It's a beautiful morning in Tekapo. Blue skies and crisp, white mountains. We're off up Lake Pukaki to walk the Hooker Valley Track which is 10km return. We'll stay the night in the DOC campground at the top.

Parked up at the bottom of Lake Tekapo.

15th October 2024 at 11:14 - Damian

Pork belly and apple sauce pie. Not pictured is the chunk of cracking on top that has already gone down the hatch. Farlie Bakehouse.

Edit: the pie was up there with the best I've eaten but the cronut to follow was perhaps the worst. Damp stodgy pastry with a thin veneer of custard. Compare that with Sally's incredible custard square.

Damian's incredible pork belly and apple sauce pie.

Sally's incredible custard square.

15th October 2024 at 09:03 - Damian

Yesterday's hike to Little Mt Peel was only 14km but took us over 10 hours. The South Ridge track was steep and outside Sally's comfort zone and exhaustion slowed us down on the last 3km home via Allens Track which wasn't well maintained.

That said, incredible views out over the Canterbury plains and the cloud lifted in time for our arrival at the shelter at the top.

Coming down from the shelter via the much gentler ridge track.

View out to Mt Peel proper.

Above the treeline heading up South Ridge Track before it got steep.

Papery bark on a native fuschia (kōtukutuku)

15th October 2024 at 08:55 - Damian

We stayed two nights at Clarke Flat DOC campsite in Peel Forest Park. The first day we walked the short loop track to "Big Tree" (a tōtara) and yesterday an exhausting hike to Little Mt Peel (post to follow).

Big Tree with Sally for scale.

15th October 2024 at 08:46 - Damian

On Saturday night we stayed beside Lake Camp in Ashburton Lakes and awoke to a dusting of snow that never settled. A refreshing change for us but not so nice for the people tenting, I imagine.

Snow settling on the hills just above us. Not our campervan.

12th October 2024 at 17:18 - Damian

A selection of alpine plants. The pointy grass was big but the rest were tiny plants growing low to the ground near the kettle holes left from the glaciers.

Spaniard grass. Very sharp.

12th October 2024 at 17:08 - Damian

Today we drove to Ashburton Lakes with the family. Never been here before and it feels like we're in a Grahame Sydney painting. Hard to take a photo that does the landscape justice.

Sunny but cold wind!

We're going to stay the night up here before heading to Peel Forest tomorrow. Perhaps.

View through the binocular lens of Couloir Peak(??)

Lake Heron with a view out to the foothills of the Southern Alps. Lots of weather hiding over those hills.

View up the Rangitata River valley into Erewhon Station. Mt Sunday down there something to do with a scene from LOTR.

12th October 2024 at 16:48 - Damian

Yesterday before we left Akaroa we drove up to Hinewai Reserve. A labour of love over 30 years using gorse as a nursery species for natives which eventually grow higher and starve the gorse of light. Incredible transformation of the land.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinewai_Reserve

View out to the ocean from Hinewai Reserve. We walked a 5.5km loop.

A cup for drinking from the natural spring part way along the track.

A view out over part of the reserve. Many patches of gorse are now completely overtaken by native trees.

10th October 2024 at 20:43 - Damian

Akaroa

10th October 2024 at 09:58 - Damian

Christchurch Library

9th October 2024 at 15:18 - Damian

We stayed in the Kaiapoi NZMCA site last night. Very handy to town, buses and bike trails. Nice spot.

Dinner last night at King of Snake in the city with Richard and Sue followed by ice cream in Reagent St and Uber back to Kaiapoi.

This morning a 7km stroll along the south bank of the Kaiapoi River to where it meets the Waimakariri. Then a 30km bike ride to Woodend and back via Pines and Woodend Beach for lunch with Aimee and the girls.

A still morning on the Kaiapoi River. A few whitebaiters out.

The cycleway between Pines and Woodend Beaches.

9th October 2024 at 07:26 - Damian

Sheffield Pies are excellent. Our favourite flavour, pepper steak, happened to be the special ($3.00 instead of the usual $7.50) when we visited.

An almost-eaten pepper steak pie.

8th October 2024 at 07:46 - Damian

Various fungi or lichens spotted yesterday on Mt Thomas. Submitted to iNaturalist to help with identification and I'll add their descriptions if and when they're identified.

Trametes https://inaturalist.nz/taxa/47378-Trametes?locale=en-au

Berggrenia aurantiaca https://inaturalist.nz/taxa/381380-Berggrenia-aurantiaca

?

Pixie cup? https://inaturalist.nz/taxa/49490?locale=en-au

7th October 2024 at 08:57 - Damian

Early start to the day with a walk up Mt Thomas in North Canterbury. All the Canterbury Plains are covered in cloud.

Sally heading along the ridge after the summit.

5th October 2024 at 17:56 - Damian

Absolutely stunning day on Banks Peninsula today for our bike ride. Me, Sally, Matt, Andy and Charlotte.

Sign of the Kiwi cafe does enormous double scoop ice creams for $6.50 (cheap considering they have a captive audience). Caught up with Aimee, Megs and Baby Meira there.

Last night ramen dinner at Richard, Nicole and Baby Hugo's place. They gave us a heap of home-grown veges some of which we used for tortilla wraps for lunch today.

Andy and Charlotte at one of the many viewpoints along Summit Road.

Fresh salad and van-made tortillas.

Tortilla prep. Note the rolling pin wine bottle.

The route from Godley Head to Sign of the Kiwi.

4th October 2024 at 16:28 - Damian

We've been relaxing and hanging with family in Rangiora for the last week. It's been nice even though the weather has been a bit all over the show.

Tonight and tomorrow we're basing ourselves at the DOC campsite in Godley Head on Banks Peninsula. Tomorrow we hope to cycle to Sign of the Kiwi along Summit Road and back (40km).

We plan to hang around Christchurch/North Canterbury for the next week before heading south again.

View from Godley Head looking south west back into Lyttleton Harbour.

View from Godley Head looking north east toward... South America, I guess.

Lighthouse keeper's house. You can stay here with up to 4 people for as little as $76. Cute!

Latest blog posts

Maps and more