PiICTON

The ferry crossing was smooth as anything the final hour consists of weaving up fjord like coastline with some spectacular views...good value for money at £86 for car / driver on a 3.5 hour crossing.

PICTON is the ferry terminal for the South Island...most people just drive through here but it is a very picturesque wee place.  There are a lot of care home and sheltered accommodation so I reckon it is a place people come to spend the rest of their days...they could do worse.   Have taken the day off with no driving so found a campsite about five minutes walk to the centre.  The intention is to seek out the green lipped mussels everyone raves about.  

I have been getting a conscience about not doing enough and it seems like hard work...I even referred to the van as the office (Freudian slip) during a conversation with home the other day.  I need to relax more and come to terms with the fact that I will not be able to do everything I want.   The main object is Queenstown where all the adrenalin stuff happens but there will be no bungy jumping for me....but I have a plan for some stuff if the back holds up.

I intend to drive in the direction of Christchurch tomorrow (Monday) on the coast road but if anywhere takes my fancy I will stop over.
Here are some photos from the past three days since the geothermal park
I can only upload photos from the iPad and then only when the wifi is up to it
Not sure if the will all upload as I may have exceeded my quota

Lake Taupo to Napier / Hastings / Wellington

On the journey down from Lake Taupo there was  an horrendous accident involving a car/trailer with a wagon and drag logger. There were three cars with stock cars on trailers in convoy...one of them decided to overtake his mates and didn't make it he was embedded into the side of the logger's trailer .
The driver died and the passenger was helical to hospital.  The road was closed for three hours whilst the police carried out their investigations.. When I passed the scene I saw the car with the front end compressed into the body..   I could not get into the campsite at Napier because I was late in arriving and therefore kept going to Hastings. A one horse town and the shot the horse.  Because the is Hawkes Bay wine country there are loads of immigrant workers, seasonally employed.  They were hanging about the deserted town centre at night, no one else, no locals... Did not feel safe.
There were signs in the campsite warning visitors to lock up securely at night...glad to be away.
Next day the journey from Hastings to Wellington was straight forward..through some fantastic scenery,in particular gorges. Unfortunately there is no stopping permitted and no viewing places, so no photos. I found a camp area five minutes drive from the ferry terminal and with a bus stop into town at the end of the driveway...sorted.   I went into Wellington city centre which was heaving (Saturday) with shoppers.  This capital city is compact with shops taking up most of the city centre.
I was attracted by noises from a bar and of course had to investigate...the cricket was on the TVs with the black caps (NZs) anhialating the Aussie batsmen.  Really getting into the cricket.
The wifi is very poor and even where I have to pay for it the speed is so slow...hence the lack of photos and blog posts.  If it cannot be saved at the time it is lost forever
Currently sitting on the ferry to the South Island which is similar to the Stranraer to Larne ferry except there is a school of Dolphins exciting a group of German girls...you don't get that in the Irish Sea.  Next door they are showing the movie Frozen ...I now reckon I known the words to the song.
I am keeping this brief as I am not sure I can get it saved...watch this space.

LAKE TAUPO ou

This was a good decision to break the journey here.  On the way I stopped at a geothermal park which has a geyser called Lady Knox which blows at 10:15 everyday...whilst sitting there waiting for the big event one of my neighbours commented that it was amazing that this happened at the same time everyday.  Myself (Mr cynical) and a German guy both came to the conclusion that there was someone underneath stoking the boilers...not quite, but at 10:15 Along comes this kiwi guy with a bag of "stuff" and explains how this happens.
Approx every twenty fours hours the two chambers beneath build enough pressure to give off a spout...to encourage this reaction he stuffs the bag of surfactant (similar to detergent) down the hole and stands back.  After about two minutes the geyser erupts for about another two minutes...the audience fight for the best photo positions and the Japanese win with the Germans a close second and the Aussies in bronze medal position.  The Brits were too well mannered to offend anyone so got the worst photos.  This park called WAI-O-TAPU is a must and good value...I spent about three hours here although I got lost with four young German girls who were following me because I looked as though I knew where I was going...silly girls.   Next stop on the journey down from rotorua to Taupo was HUKA FALLS quite a spectacular water fall not high but very rapid through a narrow gorge, similar to Niagara after the main falls.   There is a jet boat which performs crazy manoeuvres right up to the final cascade and people pay good money (£57.50) for the pleasure.  I'm saving mine for the South Island where there is scarier one.
Once again a nice easy days driving in ETTIE with good weather until around 18:00.
I checked in to a TOP 10 Holiday Park...it is massive but only 50%full at the most.  The facilities are excellent...the kitchen in particular is both spotlessly clean and modern.   Once more I wondered about the culinary expertise of these campervan people.  There was a Vietnamese woman cooking up Duck with Pakistan choi and other veg in a wok for her husband and son.  An English woman was cooking lamb chops with crushed garlic potatoes and broccoli with a home made mint sauce using the herbs from the camp garden.  I was dining on frankfurter sausages and beans on toast., eaten out of the pot to save on the washing up.   I will have to rethink this cooking idea as I had the preconceived notion that campervan people roughed it...not true.
FLIES...I didn't mentions this subject earlier but as you may know the NZs are paranoid (and rightly so) about any foreign beasties or plant diseases getting into the country.
When I was in Auckland a fruit fly was discovered in a suburb, so they locked down the whole neighbourhood, not permitting any vegetable matter in or out.  They set traps and caught three of his mates...job done?
When I was in rotorua the first night I made the mistake of leaving the light on in van with the door open...party time for the LAKE FLIES, in they came and refused to leave...I ended up with the portable light outside to attract them out, this worked on around 90% but there is always the hardcore party animals who stay until the end...most of them died after being swiped by the dish towel.  They didn't bite me but my South African neighbours got more than there share.  Before I came away from Scotland I bought AVON "skin so soft" which as guys at Finnsrt oil terminal will testify to keeps the little chaps at bay. Our midgies are bigger than the NZs cousins.  A young guy from Texas told me not use it all up as the sand flies in the south are more ferocious and do give severe bites, I may need it.
That is all for tonight, the gentle thumping of the rain on the roof of the van is quite soothing and it is nearly 22:00...time for sleep.
No time to proof read this as the wifi connection is poor and I'm afraid I might lose all this rambling.

ROTORUA

there is so much to do here but so little time.  I went up on the cable car to the top of the local mountain.  They have various mountain bike runs (not for the faint hearted) plus zip lines and roller luge runs.   I settled for the roller luge and did five runs each 3/4 mins.  After each run you go back up on a chair lift...the weather was a pleasant 22/24 degrees so the lift back up was really welcome.
Thought about the zip wire and then read all the exclusions etc. so reckoned the old back might not take it...maybe I'm just chicken.  Went to a geyser / Maori reserve and whilst standing in the queue I heard two families describe it as a waste of money...so about turn. Because of this I have decided to change my itinerary and instead of heading to NAPIER tomorrow I will go to Lake Taupo and stop off at a geological park which has a geyser that goes off every day a 10:15.  I all probably cut my time in NAPIER back to one night.  Apologies for the lack of photos I cannot upload photos  from my Nikon or Olympus to the iPad and need to rely on my iPhone.  Will try to get more.
Dining out again tonight as the campsite tomorrow is a bit remote and I will probably end up with beans on toast.   The professional tourers that you meet seem to cook just the same as at home...I saw a woman the other night construct a beef lasagne for six from scratch.
I find everyone very helpful no matter what age or nationality...they are eager to give tips and advise on what to see. If I took it all in I would need six months minimum.   I am going to change the way I planned to do things...I will now try to do something at place where I overnight before travelling on.
I can the get something done late afternoon at the destination.  I was worried about the campsites being full but I am assured by all the travellers that the high season is over and there should be vacancies.
That is it for today...it is nearly five o'clock ...early to bed tonight.

ETTIE the campervan

a bit foreboding compared with some of the others I have seen

Campervan day one

Auckland to Coromandel peninsula
Picked up the campervan on Sunday morning at 09:30. They all have names and this one is called ETTIE, I will get a photo on the blog shortly. She is an old bone shaker with over 420,000 kilometres on the clock. Unfortunately she is automatic and doesn't like the hills, either that or I cannot drive one very well. The journey was painless I got directions out of Auckland from the concierge at the hotel and then picked up the signposts for the coromandel peninsula..simples.  The roads after you leave the main highways are not the best...a bit like like Skye after a hard winter.  When I left the main roads it was very much like being in Skye, the high passes, the bikers (hundreds) and the old grey haired dude (me) driving the campervan at 45/50 mph.  The only difference is all the lush foliage at the side of the road...I can see why they want to adopt the FERN as their flag symbol.  I stopped briefly at two towns enroute, THAMES & COROMANDEL TOWN for comfort breaks and to investigate if I could stock up with provisions ..no success.  I crossed over the peninsula via a steep mountain pass to the larger town of WHITIANGA (pronounced FITIANGER) where there are two large supermarkets, so I am stocked up with essentials,they sell STELLA ARTOIS but I opted for TSINGTAO as it was a better deal.  I then drove round to the other side of the bay about twenty minutes away by road but around five mins by water taxi if you are on foot.   This is where I spent the night at COOKS BEACH RESORT...this is an upmarket campsite with loads of facilities and the kitchen / ablution areas are immaculate.  If the future one turn out to be like this I will be sorted.
Sorted out the van and went to the local chippie which is run by a Glaswegian Woman who has been here for twenty one years...the clue was in the the name of the shop"FRYING SCOTSMAN".  Hoki and chips = £3.90 the best bargain I have had since I arrived.
OBSERVATION...they have extremely strict controls on booze here and the onus is on the pub manager or supermarket supervisor (who must be named on a board) to be responsible for the customer.  Example: I was in a bar watching England getting cuffed at cricket when this young oz guy (24) came in to enjoy the spectacle.  Because he only had an Austrailian driving licence with him to substantiate his age he could not be served.  He would have needed his passport to prove his age.
The bar manager must not serve you if you are drunk.  The pubs in Falkirk would be out of business within a week if this was applied at home.   When alcohol is purchased from the supermarket the checkout operator needs the supervisor to sign off on age and sobriety (I passed on both counts)

The first night was relatively comfortable, a couple of tweaks and I should have this sorted. The sound of the continuous rain on the roof is quite comforting .
Still waking up at 05:30 same as at home...
Will get a photo on the blog of ETTIE once it is light.

I maybe should have practiced more before I cam on my trip. As it has rained today I reckon I have now cracked it, so here are the trial photos assuming I do not break my upload allowance
The pub and the sky tower