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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
27th September 2024 at 19:29 - Damian
13km walk around the Kaikoura Peninsula today. Heaps of seals. Lovely weather.
We're parked up at Jimmy Armers Beach and there was a film crew plus a drone filming a family walking four llamas along the beach. No idea what that was about.
26th September 2024 at 16:31 - Damian
Bike ride around some vineyards today starting in Renwick. Forrest, Framingham, Nautilus and then Allan Scott for late lunch.
Nice cycling apart from the return along Old Renwick Rd which featured cars too impatient to slow down and squeezing past us between on coming trucks. Felt like we might die.
Another highlight of the day was popping in to Thymebank, a herb and lettuce hydroponic operation on the outskirts of Blenheim. Lovely people and fresh produce.
25th September 2024 at 20:11 - Damian
Some numbers for the North Island leg of the campervan trip for posterity:
8 days on the road.
923km total averaging 9L diesel / 100km = $193 = $24.13/day (incl RUCs).
Accommodation = $41.50 = $5.19/day.
Food = $676.40 = $84.55/day.
Total = $113.87/day
Hidden costs are the food we have in our pantry, the DOC campsite pass we pre-purchased and of course the investment in the van itself.
Edit: just topped up the lpg and we're averaging 570g/day = $2.21/day.
25th September 2024 at 13:20 - Damian
The South Island at last! Home for the next 14 weeks. Next stop, Renwick. I have an appointment with the first pub I ever had a proper beer in back in the mid-90s. The Cork and Keg.
25th September 2024 at 12:33 - Damian
Do tugs always chaperone the ferry into Picton's dock or have we broken down or something?
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