Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Sandra:
We woke to another cloudy morning but knew that it would soon start to clear, breakfast done and car packed and we set off towards Woodend, our next 2 night stop over on the East coast on SH1. We are still moving north towards the ferry in about a week’s time. The run was very pleasant and driving time wise was just under 3 hours, so 1.5 each. Once we were out of the mountains – in reality that started as we passed the motel/pub we had eaten at the night before, the land turned greener and water was back in the rivers again. As we had plenty of time on our hands, we drove steadily enjoying the changing scenery including the steadily rising temperatures again. I also noted that my breathing was returning to normal – the altitude we had been at for the last few days had an impact but I started to feel much better. I had not given it a thought being so high up – more important things to think about – the scenery for one!
First up for our usual coffee and cake stop was Geraldine – a much bigger than expected township at the usual crossroads. We came upon a café called the Running Duck and purchased our coffees and a slice of chocolate caramel biscuit brownie – Richard kindly shared again as portions are generous. We managed to sit outside under an umbrella and watch the world go by. We were following the Inland Scenic route – as indeed were a few others. Its quirkiness was only added to when visiting the toilet! Photos will explain better than I can but suffice it to say, Richard was very keen on the glitter ball. Some very old LP covers did duty as wallpaper too!
The signpost outside reminded us how far we are still away from home:
About two thirds of the way through the trip we crossed the Rakaia gorge and the opportunity for a photo stop. Another of the many places you can do jet boating here though I wonder, if the rivers dry out much more, how much longer that will continue. Will their seasons get shorter? Time will tell.
We drove onwards eventually arriving at Rangiora – a small township which serves the local community and has become a place of choice to live for people who work in Christchurch – being a 20 minute or so commute. In the recent earthquakes in Christchurch and the earlier one in Kaikoura did not touch this area and it was clear to see that a lot of development was going on. It was certainly not high density and the landscaping was very pleasant. Pretty much all homes outside of the major cities are single storey, so views are not duly lost. It was then a short 10 minute flat and straight drive – well it would have been if we had ignored Google Maps lady who took us on a circuitous route yet again – a feat she managed even better the following day!! We rejoined the SH1 and a few hundred yards later and we were turning into our motel for two nights. We were very impressed with the room – we had managed to book the accessible room and the bathroom had a level access shower and also a jet spa bath. Sadly, the latter was not possible for me but Richard certainly enjoyed a soak after a swim. The owner originated from Sheffield and had been here for about 18 years – absolutely no intention of returning to the UK. It is quite interesting to see NZ’s perspective on the UK. We did not wish to talk politics so the chat turned to the very cold weather the UK is experiencing at the moment.
Stop 18 | Wayside Motel | Woodend | Canterbury | 2 nights | NZ$165/night
The spa bath was fab, although having not quite filled the bath sufficiently, nearly flooded the place when we switched it on for a photo!
Todays journey:
Thursday, 18 January 2024
We woke to quite steady rain and clouds – the forecast seemed to indicate that it would be, at the least, overcast for most of the day – this turned out to be the case and the temperature was much more acceptable. A lazy get up and breakfast and we discussed what we might do. We did need to go to Rangiora to the usual Pak n Save for a couple of items – turned out to be a basket full! Also to fill up on fuel with our usual discount. We made our way there and the high street is an eclectic mix of older buildings and more modern ones but built in such a way as to blend in. There are covered pavements on both sides – (if you have ever been to Southport – the veranda covers are very similar). This was good as there was still the odd spot of rain. We perused the charity shops as we strolled down the high street, most could walk it in well under 10 minutes – I found an absolute bargain. A Seasalt Cornwall long sleeved T-shirt for the equivalent of £5 in pristine condition. I was made up as they retail for way more than that new. It will come in handy when we return to the UK. We also found a little precinct and the offer of a café for coffee and cake tempted us to have a look. We were very glad that we did and a nice coffee and cake break was taken. A quick visit to the supermarket and fuel and we set off back to the motel. Well, let’s say – she had us going down an unmade road, probably for the best part of a couple of miles. Unmade roads are not uncommon over here and we have been on several on our travels. To have one so near to a town was unusual though. We eventually arrived back, somewhat bemused as to why she had taken us that way – different from the previous day.
In truth it was nice to have a quiet day. When away I always have the urge to get out and see as much as possible – FOMO – fear of missing out I guess - but, particularly on a trip of this length you run the risk of getting jaded and not enjoying what you do see. Woodend was not a tourist place – which we knew – but as Sandra said, the accommodation is excellent and far from the most expensive. We had no need to rush and so it made a sensible stopping off point.
The afternoon was spent chilling, tidying suitcases etc and cooking another homemade dinner – this time of chicken, carrots and potatoes. As there had been no real sun, we eschewed the lure of another swim. We watched the two final episodes of VIGIL, very impressed indeed. No spoiler alerts here, we did guess one or two of the ‘baddies’ but as is usual there was one who we had not thought of right up until the end. An above average session on the crossword and sleep was soon claiming us.
As I have probably said, every motel has offered free WiFi – mostly unlimited, with only one offering a ‘premium’ service for a fee. Speed and quality has varied but when able I’ve downloaded stuff from iPlayer – using a VPN of course so it thinks I’m in the UK. I pay a tax – sorry, licence fee – so have no problem with this. Almost all TV’s have had an accessible HDMI socket too so we’ve been able to hook up the lappy and watch stuff on a ‘big’ telly.
Friday, 19 January 2024
We were on the road again today – a relatively short hop up the SH1 to Kaikoura where we had called on the way down, the sun was out and the temperature was way up. As I mentioned earlier we are steadily working our way north for the ferry but we have a side break in Nelson and wine country to complete before that. We are only staying one night here – simply to break the journey into manageable chunks. We turned off the SH1 at Waikiki and took the inland scenic tour on the SH70 – it was to be a great choice – scenery was superb and we alternated between travelling across farm plains between two ridges of mountains and crossing a couple of passes to eventually end up back on the SH1 a couple of miles from our motel. Before that, we happened upon a lovely café and a break was taken outside under the trees – this little village – Culverden - had cafes by the bucket load – at least 4! We pressed on taking some lovely photos when coming off one of the passes, the ground fell away to the side and we were suddenly on the ridge of a very deep valley. More fun for Richard driving!
Indeed. We’d put the destination into Google Maps as always, just as a guide and the suggested route had only two turns – out of the motel onto the SH1 and off the SH1 to the motel in Kaikoura 155km later. It’s an enjoyable drive but we did it on the way down and, as time was our own, the alternative makes sense. It’s quite amusing how the powers that be designate some routes as ‘scenic’ when, as we’ve seen, it’s a pretty high bar to set.
Sandra:
We were way too early to check in, so we parked up under the trees overlooking the beach and ate our lunch with a nice cool breeze. We marvelled, as we had on the way down, of the effects of the 2016 earthquake on the area and the change in the beach and bay as a result. I will leave it to Richard to explain what happened to the car just as we were about to leave…..
As we sat there with both doors wide open there was a very loud splat – yep, we’d been well and truly shat on and it had gone everywhere. We wiped down the inside of the doors – and our arms - with some wet wipes and cleaned the windscreen but the roof was a mess. It might have been a hire car but there was no way I was going to leave it and hoped I could find a car wash. It was a very warm sunny day and the poo would soon bake into the paintwork.
Sandra:
A quick 5 minute drive and we were checking into our overnight motel. We had the pleasure of being upgraded once more – clean, tidy and comfortable, yes – no air conditioning and given the heat, it would have been nice. The kitchen is functional and as I type, the vegetables are cooking and sausages will soon be on the way. Before that, we both took a nap – I think it is safe to say we both slept soundly for a while. Before we started dinner, we took a short stroll up to the nearby shop as we had run low on milk and we passed a couple of second hand shops. One was full of books but nothing took Richard’s eye, so we moved onto the next one – sadly, it had just closed but the lady had forgotten her handbag and her husband was running her back to pick it up. As a result, a chat ensued – they have relatives in Isle of Wight, family runs pubs in Melrose etc…. lovely to chat and they had two gorgeous working Border Collies in the back of the Toyota Hi-Lux. A few more paces and a local shop came into view, thankfully they had the milk we wanted and we returned to the apartment.
Stop 19 | A1 Motel | Kaikoura | 1 night | NZ$130/night
A Google revealed a car wash up the road so before we settled in we whizzed up there and a few minutes later the Elantra was looking much better.
Todays journey:
