I have had a bit of a funny tummy so my first stop was a long drop while the others went swimming. I hope it’s not from some accidental water swallowing while swimming.
Our first stop of the day is out at Greenstone Track. Jenna and I went for a walk while Rowan did some reorganising in the camper. Jenna and I took some mandatory Gollum photos.
At Kinloch we crossed the river and walked along the rocks. This is right where the Dart River hits the edge of Lake Wakatipu.
Back at the One Lane Bridge. Germie got her photos of the bridge. We also had our breakfast out on the river.
From there we went out to Chinamans Bluff which has a couple of Lord of the Ring sites including Paradise. This time Rowan got Camele out all the way. The fords were a lot easier to pass with lower water levels.
At the very end of the Road you reach the bluff and it is out of this world gorgeous.
When we got past Glenorchy we had another lake dip.
Back in Queenstown and Germie got her official Weta merchandise she wanted. A mandatory Gelato was in order with all this great weather.
Talking about great weather I saw that Milford is in for a cracker of a day, so we decide to hop foot it. It is just after 5pm as we leave Queenstown.
A quick fuel fill in Te Anau and we head up towards Milford Sound. We make it on dark at the DOC Deer Camp. We will make an early start tomorrow.
Lake Dunstan for the morning dip. Our first main stop was the road out to Chard Farm to look at Kawerau River to see where Janeldndnd in the Lord of the Rings was.
We got a Fergburger and parked up by the lake to eat it. There we had a bit of road rage with a tourist who wouldn’t move out of the way and let us out of the carpark. I told her nicely she can’t park on the yellow line and that she was blocking the way. She tried to say I can go around. We ended up tooting at her a few times and the having to squeeze around her. I am glad we were not in the ute as Rowan probably would have rammed her car. Queenstown is just crazy, so many people and so many inconsiderate people.
On our way out to Glenorchy we jump into Lake Wakatipu for a swim.
In the Glenorchy we visit the lake front. We take Klaus, our basil mint house plant with us. Rowan jumps in from the pier for a quick swim. On the way out we have an ice cream. Rowan and I are recognised at the ice cream place by a lady who used to work at Mitre10.
From Glenorchy we went out towards the Routeburn track and stayed the night around there. As always it was picture perfect. Germy had a great interaction with a South Island Robin who proceeded to pick at her feet. I think the sandfly bites confused the poor fella haha.
Friday we headed to Palmerston. A quick dip at Katiki Beach which I half participated in. The weather had caused it to be very choppy and unpleasant so I decided it wasn’t worth it. The other two got in proper but I wanted to save my ears the ache.
In Palmerston we met our Plumber Dave on site. He is here to do all the pre plumbing stuff to Brough St.
We stayed until midday helping and then headed into Ōamaru to run a few errands and then take a walk around the Victorian Precinct. Germy loved it as her first visit she stumbled into the Steampunk festival and has participated in Germany at many festivals since. She was happy as she got a lot of goodies to take home including a poster from her first festival 11 years ago.
I tell you what with wind wet and cold weather we haven’t exactly taken her away from winter. The fireplace has been getting a good work out.
Saturday morning Jenna and Rowan headed to the river for their mandatory swim. It looked pretty gross and flooded so I did a pass on this one. We all headed back into town to look at the Victorian precinct as a lot was closed yesterday. I stayed in the office and did paperwork while the other two looked around. I joined them a few hours later. We got back to Herbert after lunch and decided to reset Camele ready for another road trip.
Afternoon puts us on the Pig Root heading to Lake Dunstan where we jumped in the lake for a swim then had our dinner.
An early start in the morning we all jumped into the freezing water for a swim. On a mission to do the Blue Pools before it gets too busy. Well we succeed with a beautiful forest walk that made Rowan into a Disney princess. He stopped and a Piwakawaka landed on his finger. We also took a cold dip into blue pools, naked of course. It was to walk back and warm up again.
Onto Wānaka where we op shopped and went to go look at that tree. We saw the carpark full, looked onto the lake and a sea of cameras and people. Germy said, I don’t need another photo of the tree. Jenna barely recognised Wānaka, she was last here 11 years ago. Apart from the lake and puzzling world she struggled.
We left Wānaka and headed to the Lindis Pass the weather was moody and perfect. We ended up in Twizel and we went to the Salmon Farm to grab a few goodies before having some lunch at The Ministry of Works. We headed out to Lake Pukaki and jumped into for a good long swim. Before deciding to head to Herbert.
When we reached Ōmarama I had the idea to go around the lake the way we cycled. We just timed it on a day that the hydro dam was releasing water. It ended up being every dam was releasing water and it was awesome to see.
When we got to Herbert we were pretty tired. Germy loves the place.
Woke up to a bit of rain. The weather is definitely turning. We camped up near the bridge last night after watching the Aurora. We head back to the beach to swim with the dolphins. It is pretty early and they appear to be more interested in eating than playing around us. We still get to watch them which is pretty cool. Today we head out of the West Coast towards Central Otago.
We have a bit of food at Roaring Billy before continuing along the Haast Pass. The weather is very atmospheric.
We go up Wilson’s Creek to look at the canyon. There is so many cars and people here compared to when we came last time when there was no one here. I bet if we come back in a year there will be proper car parks.
We ended up staying on the Makarora River where we have been a few times now. It was a very cold swim and absolutely beautiful.
Another epic day. Rain is coming tomorrow so we are making the most of everyday. An early start with Rowan and Germie new routine of swimming. After that we beelined for Lake Matherson to get some epic photos of Mt Tasman & Mt Cook.
Then off to the viewpoint of the glacier and continuing on to Gillespies Beach. We all had never been there so it was worth the beautiful forest drive to come out at the ocean.
Heading south to find Aotea Stone which comes out of Jacob’s River. There are protections on the river but you can hopefully find it on the beach at Bruce Bay. Well we did find it, I found two pieces of it. One I gave to Germie the first one I kept.
Third swim of the day at Lake Moeraki with some lunch after. Then on to Knights Point lookout and Ship Creek.
Jackson’s Bay our final destination for the day. This photo is pre our swim with the Hector dolphins. A huge high for Germie who hasn’t seen a dolphin in the wild before today.
Here are some attempts of photos.
Then we had a stunning sunset.
Then we had a dancing Aurora. Germie had a day of firsts!
Another beautiful day and an early cold swim for Rowan and Germie. Rowan contacted Willow and Rory who he connected up with on Facebook. They are kaitiaki (guardians) of the Arahura River. They are taking us all onto the river to fossick for Pounamu. There are two other guys with us from Dunedin. They find a nice pale piece of greenstone and Rowan finds the best piece out in the river. They reckon it is a $1,000 piece if you shined up one side.
From our morning excursion we headed to Hokitika. We op shopped of course! Then headed to a couple of the greenstone shops so Germie could get gifts for her family and friends back home. A quick stop at the supermarket before heading to the beach. The day is absolutely stunning and you can clearly see Mt Aoraki (Cook). We have a swim at the beach before heading south.
A must stop at Amethyst Pools. Lucky for us we didn’t need to do any digging as someone else already did that for us. A bit different doing it on a nice day, still enjoyable.
We stayed the night at a spot about 15min north of Franz Josef. There was a small walk down the hill to a refreshing stream which we all jumped into. Another great day finished.
Afternoon pick up of Germie. We got the German safe and sound from the airport and headed out of town.
Lake Lyndon is our first night destination. We all jumped in the lake for a swim, Rowan and Jenna went swimming to the other side while I warmed the place up and made hot drinks. It was super cold. Definitely more winter than summer! Burrr
We are up nice and early, it is super cold and some psycho decides to go swimming. So off Rowan and Germie go back into Lake Lyndon. I am sensible and drink coffee instead. Our first stop is Castle Hill, the weather is pants but a DOC worker tells us it is nice towards the West Coast.
The second excursion is Cave Stream. I have never done it before. Rowan told me later that he has never done it when it is this high. Don’t worry not so high it is dangerous. It was still below where they tell you not to enter and no heavy rain on its way. So off we went, we got down to the entrance when Rowan realised I left one of the torches back at the camper. So he goes back to get it for me. The water is pretty cold but my sharkskin wet suit thing is amazing at keeping me warm. I was a bit panicky at the start but then got into the swing of it. There were two really tricky spots that I failed at getting up the first time. Rowan helped me but I lost my footing and he had to let me go. So I got a good dunk and had to go again. There was another spot where Germie had to put her knee up so I had somewhere to brace my foot, with Rowan’s help I wedged myself through the crevice above the water. It was three bad spots where the water pressure was too much so had to try stay above the water in order to get through. I climbed the ladder at the end and was proud to have made it through. Rowan went up the waterfall, I played photographer. Germie had a lot of fun, she rock climbs so had no problem at all. After we had some lunch and enjoyed a bit of sun to dry off and warm up.
Through Arthur’s Pass and the weather really started improving. The Coast is having a stunning lot of summer. At Serpentine Beach I find a piece of Marsden Jade. After walking the beach we headed to Goldsborough to stay the night. Not a bad first day!
Well what can I tell ya? We have been trucking along. The weather has been making it a bit tough, have lots of exterior jobs to do and it hasn’t been my friend. A bit of a funny story, the two motorbikes Rowan purchased from Jim next door he has actually ended up buying/ swapping back. Now the proud owners of a very nice Royal Enfield Himalayan.
Jim has now paid us for our tree planting services with two huge loads of firewood. Which took some time to stack and put away. We now are well stocked with wood. I knew my hairdressing skills wouldn’t go to waste. Here I am trimming our rainbow flyscreen that was too long.
This beautiful fern has turned up on our pond. It has nearly covered it in its entirety. Now if it turns red it is endemic water fern called Azolla Rubra. If it stays green it’s an Australian one but is considered to have been here a long time and probably came on its own. It is also known as a mosquito fern. It reduces mosquitoes by 95%. As you can imagine Rowan and I are very happy to have it here.
Our ducks have been rowing up nicely so far this year. Rowan and I are off to Christchurch on Monday to get Camele a fresh WOF and to pick up our German Shepherd, aka Jenna, aka Germie from the airport. Germie travelled around with us when we found her stranded in Picton when we were hiking. She has come back over to visit us. So soon you will have a month work of adventures to read about.
We head to Christchurch early in the week to ensure our camper is all serviced and road legal. She passes her WOF and we have a few great days catching up with Rick and Liz. Before we left home I put off a lot of jobs that I didn’t need to do specifically there at home on the back burner. Which meant one of the days was spent getting Camele ready for her road trip.
We had a great bbq with Jo and Paul one night. Catching up on all the latest. Their son is coming to visit soon. He sails around the world for a living on those big super yachts. Rowan and Jo stayed up until 3am debating the world. Paul went to bed at a reasonable time and I wasn’t far behind.
On the Friday night we stayed with Michael. Michael cooked a great roast meal with most of items being grown in his garden. His place is on a small plot of land but he sure does get a lot out of it. It was good to have a proper catch up with him as normally we don’t get a very long time together.
It’s that time of the year again when you reflect on the year. It is so easy to feel like it has gone by so fast and I am definitely guilty of feeling like not a lot happened. I find this post very cathartic. Sure there was a lot of downs but there were huge ups and over all I thinking we did great. So it’s time to appreciate just how far we have come over the last 365 days.
January started with a bang! Rowan and I had an amazing time on the coast with my cousins. It was great to spend some quality time in the first few days of the New Year with Nellie and two of her boys. The hardest part was saying goodbye!
Once we got back into the mainland we got into the swing of things with getting the house frames up. The pond was created in Herbert and we had our 5 year anniversary since we went to Antarctica and celebrated it over zoom with our fellow shipmates.
February, improvements happening at Herbert. It feels like years ago we did this not just earlier this year. Bette is becoming liveable.
Houses get roofs on.
We have some visitors from the north. Nana & Mum come down for a week, we loved having them here. I think it may be time for them to come back for another visit.
March gave us an unforgettable trip to Jackson’s Bay. Swimming with the hector dolphins, wet West Coast weather but plenty of sunshine too. Adventure and relaxing all in one
Bette was finished in time for our visitor from across the ditch. It was great having a space for Rowan’s dad David to stay.
The houses got some cladding. I also got stranded while Rowan head to Australia for a few days to see Bette after her having to fractures in her back ouch! I quite liked the time alone especially the fun day at Macraes Mine.
April, just typical that Jo arrives from Christchurch a couple of days after David leaves. She needs a good clean after evicting those rodent tenants.
Some house progress too!
A quick trip to Auckland to put my grandpas ashes into the earth. It was a great day of celebrating such a special man!
A busy summer with more visitors, Rene & Johanna from Germany.
May, our little houses have become weather tight! We even got to do some very fun Tetris with the insulation. Why waste the off cuts when it can be used on the internal walls on the bathrooms to help with noise pollution.
Rowan was an egg and nearly lost the tip of his finger. I think he just wanted to get some time off work.
June, a quick Jetset to Sydney to see the family.
We came back to a plastered house ready for us to paint. Rowan has skills on the sprayer. The services got connected and the flooring got started.
July was pretty much all work and no play. On the go, a heck of a lot achieved. The house is so close to being finished.
August, we did it. We completed a house! Code compliance signed off and on the market for sale. What a great achievement.
Now a much needed couple of weeks away! Heading to the Wild West.
September, oh our couple of week holiday turns into a couple of months. We forgot we got to go there Whanganui for a glass course and then be in Fiji. I know it is crazy to forget something like that, it’s not that we fully forgot we just lost track of the days and weeks. Luckily we had our passports in Camele and not back in Herbert.
What an amazing experience, if you’re up for something different I can highly recommend glass blowing.
Fiji Baby!
Well Fiji for the weekend. Which we can totally laugh about now but at the time not so much. My Nana decided to get sick which was very rude of her, kick kidding. It did cut the trip short but Fiji will still be there when we are ready to visit again.
October, time to head back south. Lots of visits with family and friends. A bit of sharp shock to come home to the cold including snow! My poor garden and plants are in dire straits, I got to start again with a lot of it. I guess that is what happens when you piss off for two months haha.
November, takes us to Sydney for a couple of weeks. It is great to see the family and just have a change of scenery.
December, the last month. First of all our Christmas/NY plan left when we sold the yacht. We had a plan to head to the sounds. Jim got Rowan to drive the tractor to Herbert. Rowan then used it to mow our field and then Jim’s. Jimmy and I followed on our bikes. Rowan swapped one of his bikes for this near new Royal Enfield Himalaya, which is actually for me to try out. I have only been out of twice but have enjoyed it. Just an adjustment, it is quite different to my little TU. We had an easy breezy Christmas at Silvija and Jim’s. Ate way too much!
After many ideas on what’s our next step we have made the decision to head for the ocean. We will be getting some sails and heading towards the horizon.
Rowan and I would like to wish everyone a great year ahead and we hope the best for you and your whanau! Bring on 2026!
Kiwi Hobos 