1 Comment / South Island, Southland / By George
The rain we experienced in Queenstown as we came through stayed with us as we headed down to our free-camp spot on the eastern side of the Kingston arm of Lake Wakatipu. We were meeting up with fellow motorhomers Dennis and Ros who were already camped there. It was getting dark when we arrived and it took a bit to manoeuvre ourselves into a near level location. In the end we were sloshing around in the mud, trying to position ourselves on the levellers under a large tree, when we overshot the leveller driving it up under the rear guard. We eventually extracted it with only minor damage to the leveller, but we were wet and muddy ourselves by then and it was getting noticeably colder. It was a dismal sight though with the misty murk sliding down off the mountains and the wind whipping up white tops across the lake. To add to that large droplets off the tree above us aided by wind gusts pummeled the roof of our wagon all night. Admittedly we were getting used to all the obscure noises you encounter in motorhome travel, given the many and varied locations that had become our nightly home. Looking at the images below now though it seems that, even though the conditions at the time were a dreary palette, the photographic record captures a 2-D natural beauty nonetheless.
Overnight a magical transformation took place, something we were unfamiliar with in our home surroundings of the north. This was our first real exposure to the rapid weather morphing that occurs in the south. Sliding down the night blind in our bedroom and peering out the window in the morning, the scene was one of postcard quality. The sky was clear with the sunrise already throwing its light on the now snow-capped mountains on the western side of the lake. It was “forget about the morning routine” time and Debbie grabbed her camera and headed for the outdoors. I was slightly slower off the mark after I felt the polar draught as Debbie exited, grabbing my beanie, scarf and gloves along the way.
There was a frantic flurry of photos taken as the sunlight crept down the mountains, covering many angles and throwing in a range of filters for effect. It was our first exposure to freshly fallen snow whilst in the South Island and the chill from it was bitingly cold. Even as the sun rose higher we were still engulfed in a chilling shade. Photo’d out after a while I took to skimming stones across the lake, something that I try to do on every lake where we have access to the shore (just something else started in my childhood that I’m yet to grow out of!) . The photo scenes unravelled further as the sun started to light the forest around us. There was a carpet of freshly fallen autumn leaves after yesterday’s winds and those still clinging to the branches, together with the evergreens, collectively presented a colourful sight.
The clouds started drifting in along the mountain crest disturbing the clean lines of the snow caps against the blue sky, so it was cameras away and time for us all to move on. Despite the initial issues with our stay here this was a great location and we would definitely return. Just a note that there is a toilet block here, although we didn’t actually use that facility on our short stay, so can’t comment on the condition.
After leaving our campsite, which took some time because of the number of photos we took and the lengthy goodbye to Dennis and Ros, we headed into Kingston township for a brief visit. Other than the ‘Kingston Flyer’ steam engine and carriages resting up in a gated compound (it does appear operational but maybe closed for the winter season?) and the old railway station / turned café (or maybe there was always a cafe here) there was little else to see. Of note there was a plaque declaring the famous Wakatipu ferry ‘Earnslaw’ (along with some other ship) were launched from near the railway station over 100 years ago now.
We made the 120km trip to Te Anau across largely flat and more lush Southland farmland, the roads consisting of long relaxing straights. Having not driven this way previously I was naively anticipating more narrow winding roads through some alpine passes, but obviously these are mainly confined to the more severe ranges on the divide. We stopped along the way at the quirky ‘Hunny’ shop in Garston and bought up some exotic locally made honeys e.g. Wild Thyme. I say quirky because attached to the honey shop is Garston Stables, selling collectables and furniture from all over the world. The ‘travelling public capturing’ resourcefulness of people in these small towns never fails to amaze me. Garston’s claim to fame is that it is “NZ’s most inland village”. Population of 140 so the sign says.
It was once again late afternoon when we arrived at our day’s destination, Te Anau NZMCA camp. It was a one night stopover here this time around, as we were heading for Manapouri tomorrow and the Doubtful Sound Cruise. The camp was a typical arrangement with a large flat metalled yard surrounded by well maintained lawns and a sizable admin shed. There was potable water and waste collection but no recycling facilities. The grassed area wasn’t being used so much because of recent rain, although it was firm and we parked on the hardstand like many others. There was plenty of available parking and there was a large admin shed at the back of the site, containing a table and chairs (with a completed jigsaw minus a few pieces) and a unit with some books and brochures. Across the road was a standalone ‘pay on the forecourt’ NPD service station with a dump station, potable water and Ad-Blue at the pump. There was a café there also that stayed open to serve basic evening burger type meals, although we didn’t actually dine there.
Fellow camp guests Jane and Ralph had arrived not long after us and parked beside us at the camp. They were towing a trailer behind their beautiful custom made Mercedes motorhome, with something covered on it that seemed of interesting profile. See the continuation of this story below….
Despite the late hour and failing light we took the 2.5 km walk into the township on what was a clear but very cool evening. The main street was eerily deserted, although there were still a handful of shops that had not closed up for the day. We wandered down to the lake and took a few shots of what appeared to be a small cruise boat returning to the wharf behind the tourist centre. Thought I would use the public toilet, but there was a charge of $1.00, so figured I would hold on! In fairness I believe this charge was due to the fact that they also offered showers, in which case it is a more than fair price. Debbie bought some artist’s pens for her newly discovered hobby and an ice cream to warm her up on the walk home, which was our sole contribution to the local retail economy on this visit. Overall in the fading light Te Anau township was a little depressing, but that may be harsh given it was 5.00pm on a Wednesday night in a tourist town ravaged by the lack of international tourists. We did discover some beautiful ‘magic’ looking mushrooms in the park on our return walk to the camp though to add a bit of colour to the town.
The unveiling of Jane and Ralph’s surprise package on their trailer in the morning made Debbie’s’ eyes light up, as it was a three-wheeled two seater motorcycle, something she had longed to travel on. Although we did not know them, Debbie migrated over there immediately to befriend them. Without telling their life stories they were now retired and travelling the country and had bought a top-of-the-range motor tricycle (two wheels at the front as this can be driven on a car licence) for mobility when they park up. Debbie of course quickly took up the offer of riding pillion while Jane drove, and they went off for a jaunt around the local streets. Even more than that she got to have a drive around the camp ground. These bikes are well appointed with heated seats and handle bars, headsets enabling communication between passenger and driver and mountains of storage. With the full face helmet Debbie said she wasn’t at all cold despite the low air temperature. Since then she has been excellent and has not nagged at all about the virtues of these (maybe has something to do with the $50k price-tag on these plus the trailer!), although I know she did do some basic research on them initially. After that little folly and a half tick on Debbie’s bucket list, we hit the road for Manapouri.
