Driving New Zealand’s South Island – Part One

Amy: Weather. It’s one of those universal topics for small talk. In our former homes in Colorado and Minnesota, the weather always brings interesting extremes. From -37˚ F temperatures to feet of snow, it provides fodder for conversation and social media comments. Of course, it can also greatly impact moods and experiences while traveling. Our first couple of weeks in New Zealand brought quite a lot of precipitation, along with happiness when the sun shined overhead and occasional gloominess when the rain poured down.

We arrived at the Christchurch airport in the middle of the night and were picked up by the friendly Hungarian owner of the nearby M&Y Guesthouse. After a few hours of sleep, we worked to shake our tired spirits and went to pick up the campervan we would use to circumnavigate New Zealand’s South Island for the next three and a half weeks.

Our “budget backpacker sleepervan” had been well-used in its previous 18 years and had many, many kilometers under its belt. We named it the “Gramper” as it was a gray camper, but also because of its lengthy experience on the roads. It was kind of like a friendly grandad. We also discovered that the rental company’s descriptions of the Gramper being “modern” and “sleeping two” were generous.

We hunkered down at a budget holiday park/campground near the edge of town and worked on logistics, grocery shopping, and figuring out a potential path around the island. We decided our first stop would be up north to Kaikoura, where we could see seals and maybe spot whales along the shore. We headed toward a basic campground on the water up the northeastern coast. Upon arrival, the rain poured down and we decided it would be preferable to find a location that had some facilities. After finding a spot at the Top 10 Holiday Park, we braved the weather and explored the cute town of Kaikoura and, of course, stopped to sample a New Zealand craft brew, Monteith’s American Pale Ale.

We also found a hike around the Kaikoura peninsula and decided to head out for that the next day, rain or shine. Luckily, the next morning blue sky and sun scattered in and out while we enjoyed walking along the bluffs above the waves and spotting many seals napping along the shoreline or playing in the ocean. We were excited when the mountain tops that had been enveloped with fog and clouds emerged to show us their summits.

Continuing our drive up the coast, we encountered more rain the next day. It did provide a mystical feel with the hovering clouds throughout mountains next to the shoreline. After a stop in the wine country region with a tasting at Saint Claire winery, we had a picnic lunch under the cover of the Gramper in the town of Picton, where large ferries bring thousands of people and cars between the North and South islands.

We determined we would head west toward Nelson, one the sunniest areas of the island to find some summertime weather. Along our drive and once we arrived, we discovered the rain was pretty persistent around the whole island, so we stayed at the Paradiso Backpacker for a couple of nights to dry out and get some space outside our tiny sleeping quarters in the Gramper. Nelson is a mid-sized city with a nice downtown, which we explored on foot despite the raindrops. We treated ourselves to pizza and a movie at the art-deco style theater and went to check out another local brewery. As we departed the area, the sun greeted us and showed the beauty of the area.

The forecast looked positive up north, so we braved a long, bumpy gravel road out to a campsite called Totaranui on a lovely bay in the Abel Tasman National Park with sparkling blue water and small palm-covered mountains. On our way, we were able to snag a summit on Takaka Hill with a 360˚ view of the countryside and distant ocean and mountains. We walked along the beach which was covered with course, orange-brown sand and waded into the cool ocean with the waves splashing our feet and sun on our faces.

Continuing our trip around the island, we started heading toward the West Coast and made our way south. Driving in New Zealand brings a fun adventure in itself. Most roads we encountered were two lanes that snaked up and down the hills with charming single lane bridges all along the way. Jon has become skillful at driving on the left and beautifully managing the many roundabouts that are used so effectively throughout the island.  The Gramper struggled on the bigger climbs and I have taken to cheering “Go Gramper Go” throughout our travels.

After a quick stop at the tiny Hop Federation Brewery, we were met with a mix of raindrops and sun as we drove to the little town of Murchison for the night. Here we found one of our favorite campgrounds. The place was small. The other campers were friendly. There were trees and mountain views. And they had a small farm. The emus were interesting with their calls that sounded a bit like bongos. In fact, I was wondering as we were going to bed in the Gramper “who’s playing the drums at this time of night?” but it was just the emus communicating. The campground also had sheep, chickens, ducks, a pig, and even one adorable wallaby.

Next, we were heading along to the West Coast…a place that a friend described as rainy, with more rain. We were ready. The coastline has amazing rock formations which were a bit hard to see in the mist and gray, but certainly would be spectacular on a bright day. We did get some spectacular sightings at our stop at Pancake Rocks. Waves crashed against rock formations staked like pancakes and created blow holes with a large spray emerging through the ground. Hector’s Dolphins, a small type of dolphin which can only be found in the waters of New Zealand, jumped and played in the large waves. They put on a show for about an hour and despite the drizzle we didn’t want to leave.

We then headed the Gramper toward the appropriately named town of Greymouth and we stayed at a holiday park next to a long, rocky beach. Walking along the lonely, gray beach and we found some perfect white rocks and green jade-type rocks. The solitude and the rushing waves were the perfect way to end a good day.

Our West Coast adventure continued down to Franz Jospeh where we hiked up to the glacier of the same name. Although it was a gray day, we could still view the nearby peaks and got in many hours of walking and enjoying the beauty of the area. We were concerned by the retreat of the glaciers throughout the country- some at a seemingly alarming rate. We are both wildlife and nature lovers. Our travels have made us respect our earth and precious natural resources even more.

In the evening, we headed to our camp at the Rainforest Retreat. With Gramper parked in a lovely spot in the forest, we chatted away the evening with a friendly German couple. We talked of travels, embracing different cultures, and politics. The knowledge that many other travelers possess about the rest of the world and US politics has been impressive. We have heard numerous comments and concerns about the upcoming US election and the impact it could have on the rest of the world. I continue to be humbled by all I have to learn about other places, cultures, and systems.

We’d made it around the top of the South Island and along the West Coast. We saw some lovely sights, but were itching to see the large, jagged peaks that New Zealand is renowned for…hopefully the raindrops would stay away. More to come in our next post.

(Dates: January 14-24, 2016)