The Southern Scenic Route

The beauty of travelling with a campervan is the complete flexibility of route and itinerary - especially in New Zealand where you can overnight pretty well anywhere as long as you leave no trace. So as we left Dunedin we were faced with the sign "Southern Scenic Route" and we had a quick look at the guide book and decided to stay on the coast after all and headed down to the "Catlins".

We were very happy to have made the choice. It seems the Catlins is one of those out of the way areas that is rarely visited - and it is really very beautiful. Thick wild forests of native trees such as the Rimu (Alister's favourite) extending down to the coast. We passed through places such as Nugget Point (with literally hundreds of seals, sealions and sea elephants living side by side on the rocks beneath the lighthouse), Curio Bay (where Alister went for an unsuccessful (chilly) swim with Hector dolphins, where we saw an example of a fossilised forest on a beach, and where Alister and Matteo got their fishing rods out at last) and in between there were waterfalls and beautiful beaches (including the Cathedral Caves). Despite very bad weather forecasts - we had surprisingly good weather.

After that we drove quickly through Bluff (the least attractive place so far - the equivalent of Land's End) and Invercargill (also quite uninteresting) for just a short visit before heading back into the countryside.

We then started heading up into fjordland and did some caving in the limestone area near Clifden (to discover our first glow worms). We spent a lazy day around Te Anau and then on 30 December we discovered then magnificent Doubtful Sound (on an organised trip from Manapouri) where we had spectacular weather and thanks to previous weeks of rain the waterfalls were in full flow!!

Then up to Queenstown for 31 December. For the first time, the family splits to do separate things. Alister was delighted to get a ticket for the one day cricket international (New Zealand Black Caps vs Sri Lanka) in the magnificent mountainous setting at Queenstown. The weather started chilly and then real cricket weather under a blue sky. A fantastic game won for the NZ Black Caps by the last batsman off the last ball!! Perfect day for Alister!! Delphine and the children took a journey across Lake Wakatipu on the TSS Earnslaw (vintage steam boat) to visit a farm.

We were, all four of us, dancing to live music until the fireworks at midnight over the lake and under the southern stars!! HAPPY NEW YEAR - BONNE ANNEE !!!

Now we will head up to Wanaka.

From Peninsula to Peninsula

We have certainly experienced some extremes of weather since we arrived .... baking hot in Wellington and Kaikoura and then the spectacular landscape of the Bank's peninsula was offset by strong winds and freezing rain. We learnt an important lesson in camping tactics when we chose (2 nights in a row) a beautiful spot with a stunning view and woke up to a van with an interior temperature of 6Á°C after a night of howling wind which truly felt like it might tip our "home" and leave us in the middle of nowhere. Nonetheless we left the peninsula exhausted but with good memories and high spirits.

In Christchurch we enjoyed a hearty breakfast at the fabulous Arts Centre, had a quick stroll along the Avon river and then set off for Uamaru (via Timaru) to watch the diminutive Blue "Pygmy" Penguins make their evening waddle back to their nests.

On 23 December we enjoyed a leisurely drive down through Otago Province to Dunedin (Gaelic translation of Edinburgh) in time to see the Christmas pantomime "Snow White" in the grand Town Hall, which was great fun. We checked in at a camp site and spent Christmas Eve discovering a very interesting, historical and attractive city (including a visit to the excellent Otago museum which included an encounter with a very authentic looking Father Christmas). Then carol singing at a charming old church.

Santa managed to squeeze through our skylight and left some fun gifts for MattÁéo and Juliette and then we dashed off to the catholic cathedral "St Joseph" for the family mass. The day was warm and sunny and we headed out to the tip of Otago peninsula and enjoyed a Christmas picnic on "Pilot beach", playing cricket, soccer and looking at the seals perched nearby. Then we were treated to a fantastic spectacle when a seal family started playing games for a couple of hours in the water and on the sand right next to us! However, just as we were leaving, the (very big) male decided to chase us away and refuse us access to the rest of our belongings. Our predicament became the focus of a lot of cameras and local amusement as Alister was repeatedly chased away by the snarling heavyweight. Eventually, a friendly local offered to act as a lure as Alister scampered out to retrieve éinter aliaé the cameras (hence no pictures of the incident). Lovely drive back to Dunedin through the "Scottish" countryside. What a great day!

Thanks, by the way, for all your e-mailed wishes! Feel free to leave a 'comment' (below) whenever you like.

We'll leave the coast now and head towards Wanaka and the lakes.

From Wellington to Whalewatching

We picked up our 4 man campervan from Maui in Wellington and headed straight off for the Picton ferry (after loading up at Helen's house. Fabulous crossing under blue skies and calm seas (lucky for us). A quick loading of supermarket groceries and then we headed down to our campsite in Kaikoura. This is such a beautiful town and peninsular setting which we remember well from our last visit. After baked beans on toast and a good night's sleep we set off for the Whalewatch station under a hot sun and calm wind - to our surprise we were informed that small children were advised not to sail due to very rough seas out at the whale spotting area (where the continental plate drops into a trench about 1700m deep) - so we decided that Alister should go alone and we could wait until the next day (where we had already made a reserve booking) to see if we could all go. Alister's trip was fanatastic with 5 close up sightings of Sperm whales.

In the afternoon we went over to the seal colony on the peninsular head - which the children enjoyed. In the evening we turned our camper into a delux restaurant and enjoyed crayfish and green lipped mussels (all on 4 little burners and a grill). Due to a mechanical fault in the campervan - discovered by Alister - a short visit to a mechanic was made, a complaint filed to Maui and the next day (Wednesday) a replacement van and a bottle of wine was driven up from Christchurch. Early on Wednesday morning we all managed to get on to the Whale watch sailing under some grey skies - we were able to view 3 whales which was very exciting for all of us (although Juliette and even Alister felt a bit seasick - Matteo was in great shape and very enthusiastic). In the afternoon we drove down (in our "new" van) from sunny Kaikoura along a beautiful coastal road to a very wet and windy Christchurch and on to the magnificent Banks peninsula. We spent a night in the wilderness (ie NOT in a campsite) and the wind and rain was quite scary (except the children loved it - we played cards and snakes and ladders). The next morning was windy but quite sunny and we went for a long walk near pigeon bay and we were introduced to about 2000 sheep!!. Now I am in the very pretty "French township" of Akaroa (where Delphine has just seen the doctor to get medicine for tonsillitis). Otherwise we are all well and very happy. Got to go - I am in an internet cafe and the others are waiting (Matteo wants to go fishing). Tomorrow we start heading to Dunedin.

Getting to know the capital

Thanks to Uncle Roger's car and a quick flick through the guide book, we have managed to make a few outings in the area. The weather has been spectacular .... the locals are rapidly turning sunburn red (they don't appear to have any tradition of sun cream in this area) and one can really feel how intensely the sun shines (ozone hole is quite a problem).

Our best outing took us through town to Oriental Bay and then on to the Miramar peninsular which was really stunning. Fantastic views of the Wellington Harbour and the Cook Straits and really very pretty homes (a mix of quaint traditional and modern designer). The penguins were probably hiding in the water from the heat of the day.

We took the treacherous route over the hills to visit Roger and Wendy in Masterton, driving past (part of) "Helms Deep" on the way, and enjoyed a restful day in their garden and a good night's sleep.

One of Dad's aims of the first week was to get to see part of the 2nd Test Match (5 day cricket match) between the Black Caps (New Zealand) and Sri Lanka. Delphine and Helen spent a few hours in the busy pre Christmas shopping streets of downtown Wellington while Mattéo, Juliette and Dad enjoyed a few hours at the Basin Reserve where we saw Sri Lanka lose 4 quick wickets between Lunch and Tea and, I thought, some top class bowling and fielding.

We were all spoilt rotten by our hosts in Wellington and Masterton and we set out to Whitereia Beach (North of Wellington) to try out one of Mattéo's best gifts - the all important cricket set (thanks Helen!) ... and he did very well. With some lovely views of the South Island from the clifftops we walked Gemma (Helen's dog) to exhaustion and headed home to prepare for the start of our campervan experience.

We have landed!

33 hours from our house to Helen's in the suburbs of Wellington! All these myths about horrendous long haul flights with small children, we now believe to be unfounded. Mattéo and Juliette really behaved wonderfully and were very excited by the whole voyage. Both long haul flights were entirely without any incident or even turbulence. It has to be said though, that on a service level, Lufthansa has been beaten by Air New Zealand in every respect.

Uncle Roger was there to greet us at Wellington airport, miraculously we managed to fit ourselves and all our baggage in the car and we drove along Wellington harbour in fantastic warm sunshine where Wellington was at its most beautiful (needless to say, poor Mattéo and Juliette were absolutely unconscious).

My BLOG shall finish here since I am very tired and in any case I am looking forward to a cool beer with Helen in the glorious warm sunshine on her balcony.

About to leave

Cold and snowy with a drizzly wind - just how we like it when we leave for the southern hemisphere. Alister had the bright idea of heading out to the airport already at 10 am to check in the baggage and get our boarding cards. We were lucky that the check in staff apparently didn't record the weight of the first (and heaviest) suitcase and we came to a total of 72 kg - phew! Mattéo was with Alister to help whilst Delphine and Juliette finished preparing the house. The night before, Alister, Mattéo and Juliette went swimming until 2200 and the kids woke up at 0930 - looks like the jet lag plan is working ...
In the afternoon we went to Café Voila (Haidhausen) to spoil ourselves with a last late brunch and now we are about to leave on the 1900 S bahn out to the airport.

Final Preparations

We are getting used to packing and repacking our bags - trying to make sure we take the necessary and don't take the superfluous. Let's see if we can just squeeze under the 80 kg Lufthansa limit - we are currently stable at about 86 kg.
By the way - we aren't only taking Turkish plastic bags as shown in the photo - these are for the diving gear and our shoes. We also have two suitcases, a rucksack and a big tin box with fragile stuff.
Alister has been tying up all sorts of loose ends at work, and enjoying a few farewell lunches - he has also been spending far too much time working on these internet publications!!
Mattéo has been busy having his 6th birthday (including a visit from St Nicholas) and Juliette has been busy drawing pictures to pass the time. Delphine has organised a very successful birthday party for Mattéo and has been getting the house ready for 3 months of absence (we have eaten the entire contents of our fridge and freezer).

Now we are in the "jet lag preparation phase" where we are putting the children to bed late and then hoping that they sleep in a long time in the morning. I'm sure it will backfire and we will all be exhausted when we get on the plane.