On our way to Milford

Goodbye Cromwell and family. Hello Te Anau.  We weren't really sure how far we would get along the road today but with light traffic (60 cars passed us going in the opposite direction over 58 kms - yes we were so surprised that we decided to count). Pretty easy trip alongside Lake Wakatipu, around Kingston, through small little towns and red tussock country towards snow capped mountains.  After a relax helped along with raspberry buns we enjoyed a stroll along Lake Te Anau foreshore - it was getting towards sunset.

We woke up to a frost - and discovered the van had a heater and after filling up with water and emptying the grey water we left for Milford. Actually we didn't empty the grey water, we found the tap had been knocked and it had been emptying itself - no help needed. Perfect morning for going to Milford. Sunny and calm. A few photo opportunities and Wow moments as we stopped at lakes and waterfalls. The area is still recovering from the February storms and two of the spots we were keen to visit were closed from falling trees and road subsidence. Homer tunnel was fun and just as I remembered it the last time.  (I was at primary school then, Dad drove our Ford Prefect into the tunnel and stopped to tell his friends behind that he couldn't see anything - the lighting was slightly better this time round.)  Milford Sound was fantastic - some tourists like us but nothing like the 34 bus parks and 25 cubicles in the girls toilets might suggest pre pandemic.  We enjoyed the boat cruise moving around the boat to escape the cold breeze and managed to catch sightings of dolphins and babe, two small seals and three little penguins. In the evening we walked back from the camp (excellent and reasonably new) to Milford for our last sighting of Mitre Peak.

AORAKI MOUNT COOK

 The wind seemed to have died down a tad so we decided to drive to Aoraki Mount Cook. We passed a campervan on its side- blown over yesterday - and a caravan sharing the same fate. The mountain was on full view - a perfect sight seeing day.  We wandered up the solidly made stairs to view the Tasman Glacier and blue lakes that are now green  (rain water fed now rather glacier fed). If you don't believe in global warming then take a look at our glaciers and how they have retreated.  Then onto the Twizel supermarket. We skipped the walk across the Mackenzie basin due to high winds and headed for the clay cliffs just outside Omarama. Closed we couldn't believe it. But then we realized how close the cliffs are to the Ohau fire and 

understood. So we decided for a hot tub and soaked in the hot pool and watched planes leaving heavily laden with fire retardant and returning empty, only to take off once again after refueling.  We are now settled happily in the camping ground and looking 

forward to some r and r. Later on in the day we wandered around Omarama - saw the impact of COVID in mothballed hotels and closed cafes. 

The wind died down in the morning and the rain set in. Fire fighters must be pleased but I was a tad disappointed as we drove through the Lindis Pass in heavy rain. By the time we got to Bendigo the skies had cleared and so we drove up to the ruins of the old gold mining towns Welshtown and Logantown. We spent a leisurely couple of hours wandering around the sight imagining what it would have been like 130 years ago.  

We also cast our special votes in Cromwell. Pretty impressed with the process, which didn't take much time and the electoral officers seemed to know what they were doing. After a couple of days having fun with family we head south tomorrow.

Campervan holiday

 It's here. Our long awaited South Island campervan trip. Uneventful and bumpy flight with a child screaming "let me go" for most of the flight. First time wearing masks for an hour - it is an exhausting experience but one we are prepared to put up with. We walked the 3 kilometers or so to the campervan place, forever grateful our packs are small. We were warned we might have to wait awhile but were only half way through our much needed cup of tea before our home on wheels was ready. An Aucklander showed us around our home.  She had come down to help and I had a feeling lived on site in a van. We were told where to plug in the power, find the water hole, and what to do about waste. We joked about the suspension, found out how to use the wifi and off we went to the supermarket. How to lock the van - our first challenge. Parked up and the electronic lock didn't work. Not acceptable to the Haz. I was sent off to do the grocery shop and he went back to get a new battery. That didn't help and a two hour wait for the technician wasn't appealing. So its manual lock for our holiday. I guess we will cope. Our first lunch in a carpark samosas and salad and off we drove. Coffee along the way with the smallest devonshire scones you will ever see and we arrived in Geraldine. I had forgotten to buy the milk so as Harry began to explore all the buttons, plugs and cords in the van I spent 20 minutes trying to find a shop. No such thing as a corner dairy on the main street. However Christmas has already arrived in Geraldine. We are now sitting outside. I am thinking about a walk and what to do tomorrow and Harry is reading the 150 page small print van manual with a look  of enjoyment all over his face.  In the evening we wandered around the river walkway enjoying the flowering rhododendrons and gnome houses.  Stopped back at the supermarket for insect repellent then home for a fish burger dinner cooked in the camp kitchen as we couldn't figure out how to turn on  the gas (figured it out while dinner was cooking). Then it was time to make the bed - that's something we don't want to do every night!

I had forgotten how much I like camping grounds.  People wandering around in their Winnie the Pooh pyjamas, guys freshly out of the shower with just a towel wrapped round important bits. Nobody cares and everyone is friendly.  Our neighbors for the night told us about their first night in the campervan. The microwave was up high, and she being slightly vertically challenged, popped the lasagne in for dinner. Flames and smoke billowed from the oven.  They opened the microwave door and rescued their dinner only to be greeted by more flames. At the back was a burning and melted tv remote.  Thankfully their dinner was still edible.

Day two and we decided our bed was not going to be remade every night. So the pillows and sheets are rolled up and we now have only half a seat to sit in. A compromise we can live with. Our first stop was Burkes Pass a cute little historical village with heaps of character. A quaint little church, cob cottages and a novelty village full of rusty old cars, farm and household equipment.  The drive from Geraldine was very windy not a place for the faint hearted motor cyclists. We stopped at Tekapo, enjoyed the little dog statue and church and the colour of the lake. The town felt like a construction zone, with at least two large half finished complexes empty and deserted and plenty of hills scarred with tractor and excavation equipment tracks. No life in them - waiting for our borders to open up.  It is lovely being a tourist in your own country especially with less international tourists around but we could see the damage done by the pandemic.  We were getting tired so drove to Glentanner for the night.  Found a sheltered spot - well sort of sheltered. The wind blew the mugs off the table, Harry spent a while looking for his newspaper amongst the bushes and I decided to go and read on the half made bed. After another fish burger dinner we walked down the lake. The water is very low and with sand skimming along horizontally we decided to retreat back to our van before reaching the water.