14 Nov 2010
Set off at 1130am.
Wanted to let the kids play on the beach near Marahau but the sand there was too hard. They wont be able to build sandcastle with their brand new sandcastle kits that I brought from sg. We decided to head for Motueka for our much needed dump station.
Bought a takeaway at KFC for lunch today before we set off for our long drive to Greymouth Top 10.
By dusk, we only made it to Punakaiki where the infamous Pancake Rocks stood. We took a leisurely stroll to view the rocks just the evening sky envelopes us and by the time we made our way back to the campervan, it was already dark.
We decided to camp out tonight.
Found a spot close to the beach and camped out under a night sky filled with twinkling stars and the sound of the crashing waves just behind our campervan.
What an awesome experience!
Dinner : Pasta with minced pork (Jamie Oliver's Hearty Italian Flavour)
Pork Porridge for the kids
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
NZ South Island Campervan Vacation Day 03
13 Nov 2010
Head up to Abel Tasman NP today.
DL did his hang-gliding with Tasman Air Adventures.
GP and I were contemplating if we should do it too.
But the weather decided it for us.
The wind condition was too harsh that DL's ride was cut short and they had to cancel the rest of the hang-gliding rides for the day.
We stocked up on food at NW Motueka and had lunch at McDonald's.
Arrived at Old MacDonald Farm in the late afternoon and took camp spot #8.
Dinner : Chicken Porridge for the kids; Noodles with chicken and mushrooms for us.
Decided to check out the bath area. The tap was designed such that the water was either very very cold or very very hot. It was impossible to bath the kids under such condition. So I gave them a dry bath with wet wipes and powder.
We spent the night in the tent for a change and had some privacy as a family. DL made a lovely bed for our tent. :)
Sweet!
Head up to Abel Tasman NP today.
DL did his hang-gliding with Tasman Air Adventures.
GP and I were contemplating if we should do it too.
But the weather decided it for us.
The wind condition was too harsh that DL's ride was cut short and they had to cancel the rest of the hang-gliding rides for the day.
We stocked up on food at NW Motueka and had lunch at McDonald's.
Arrived at Old MacDonald Farm in the late afternoon and took camp spot #8.
Dinner : Chicken Porridge for the kids; Noodles with chicken and mushrooms for us.
Decided to check out the bath area. The tap was designed such that the water was either very very cold or very very hot. It was impossible to bath the kids under such condition. So I gave them a dry bath with wet wipes and powder.
We spent the night in the tent for a change and had some privacy as a family. DL made a lovely bed for our tent. :)
Sweet!
NZ South Island Campervan Vacation Day 02
12 Nov 2010
Rise & Shine at 10am.
I really had a good night's rest. A much needed rest indeed...
The kids slept well too. Rachel didnt need to wake up for a pee which is quite unusual.
The bed was also comfortable for our backs. Sturdy and comfy at the same time. I think the leather bed base helped.
We had bread and hard boiled eggs for breakfast.
The kids were very excited to check out the surroundings since they did not get to see much of it last night. The weather was great too. Blue skies with long white clouds.
We were running short of time as we needed to be at the Whale Watching Centre at 1pm and we only managed to leave at 1230pm. (We need to drive about 20mins to reach the centre). That leaves us with insufficient time for dumping so we decided to skip it till the next stop.
Sensing some hesitation from GM to take the helicopter as well as who's gonna sit with who.. (we need to split up as one heli can only take 3 adults; they are 4 of us! Kids get to go on the heli for free...), I suggested that DL will join 2 other strangers who had signed up for the ride and the 3 of us (GM, GP and me) will take the ride together with the kids. We finally got a consensus and it was good. We could move ahead with our schedule.
Indecision brings about nothing but a waste of time. Sometimes someone has to step up to make the decision and very often, I find myself in this role. :P
Our pilot of the day was Lee Armstrong. He gave a briefing before we set off to catch whales. (The other two strangers backed out from the ride and that left us, DL, GM, me and the kids on one heli. GP chose not to take the ride as he had enough of heli rides in his younger days while working in the States.)
We managed to catch two sperm whales. Saw one just before it did a backflip into the water and the other one taking its own sweet time at the surface refilling oxygen and probably fell asleep while doing so. We didnt have time to wait till it does a backflip into the water and had to head back to shore. It was a fruitful ride nonetheless.
Bought takeaway from a nearby cafe for our late lunch before we head north to Old MacDonald's Farm, Abel Tasman NP.
(Tarts/Quiche/Lasagna/Salad/Carrot Cake)
Make a quick stop at Ohau Stream where seal pups can be sighted but we didnt catch any. Winter would probably be a better season to sight them.
It was a long drive and we decided that we had to pull over at a public carpark to spend our night instead of pushing on to Old MacDonald's Farm. Had a late dinner at Relish Restaurant in Nelson.
Rise & Shine at 10am.
I really had a good night's rest. A much needed rest indeed...
The kids slept well too. Rachel didnt need to wake up for a pee which is quite unusual.
The bed was also comfortable for our backs. Sturdy and comfy at the same time. I think the leather bed base helped.
We had bread and hard boiled eggs for breakfast.
The kids were very excited to check out the surroundings since they did not get to see much of it last night. The weather was great too. Blue skies with long white clouds.
We were running short of time as we needed to be at the Whale Watching Centre at 1pm and we only managed to leave at 1230pm. (We need to drive about 20mins to reach the centre). That leaves us with insufficient time for dumping so we decided to skip it till the next stop.
Sensing some hesitation from GM to take the helicopter as well as who's gonna sit with who.. (we need to split up as one heli can only take 3 adults; they are 4 of us! Kids get to go on the heli for free...), I suggested that DL will join 2 other strangers who had signed up for the ride and the 3 of us (GM, GP and me) will take the ride together with the kids. We finally got a consensus and it was good. We could move ahead with our schedule.
Indecision brings about nothing but a waste of time. Sometimes someone has to step up to make the decision and very often, I find myself in this role. :P
Our pilot of the day was Lee Armstrong. He gave a briefing before we set off to catch whales. (The other two strangers backed out from the ride and that left us, DL, GM, me and the kids on one heli. GP chose not to take the ride as he had enough of heli rides in his younger days while working in the States.)
We managed to catch two sperm whales. Saw one just before it did a backflip into the water and the other one taking its own sweet time at the surface refilling oxygen and probably fell asleep while doing so. We didnt have time to wait till it does a backflip into the water and had to head back to shore. It was a fruitful ride nonetheless.
Bought takeaway from a nearby cafe for our late lunch before we head north to Old MacDonald's Farm, Abel Tasman NP.
(Tarts/Quiche/Lasagna/Salad/Carrot Cake)
Make a quick stop at Ohau Stream where seal pups can be sighted but we didnt catch any. Winter would probably be a better season to sight them.
It was a long drive and we decided that we had to pull over at a public carpark to spend our night instead of pushing on to Old MacDonald's Farm. Had a late dinner at Relish Restaurant in Nelson.
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