Chuck

We picked up Chuck Norris from an industrial estate just outside Christchurch. A Toyota people carrier modified to contain a bed and a box of kitchen equipment that would be home for the next couple of weeks. After having to return the SatNav which was unhelpfully in Dutch we were soon on our way headed for the nearest Countdown to stock up on supplies for the coming days. New Zealand has interesting free camping laws where by you could pitch up and camp almost anywhere. These are slowly being reined in and vans like ours, non self contained (no toilet), had to aim for specific camp sites. With a trusty phone app we found a free campsite around two hours south of Christchurch, we plugged this into the SatNav and head off.

Temuka

The drive down to our first campsite was not scenic. Heading down on highway 1 it reminded you of any motorway in England, the signs looked Australian but the views were disappointing. We decided to overshoot Temuka, where our campsite was, and look around Timaru. A bit of research about the area showed there was a “Little Penguin” colony near the port where you could see penguins returning home most evenings after hunting all day. We parked up, cooked dinner and wrapped up as warm as we could to head down to the sea front for a bit of penguin spotting. After waiting 2 hours in the cold we caught a glimpse of two tiny penguins scuttle up the beach and dive into the rocks where their nests were. Amazing to see although this meant it was pitch black by the time we headed back to Temuka to find our campsite. We followed the SatNav to a dirt road and after circling some beach shacks we found what looked like a carpark full of camper vans. We parked up, visited our first long drop toilet (a hole in the ground with a box on top) and bedded down for our first night.

Brighton

Our first night in the camper van was surprisingly comfortable and warm. The one downside was whoever converted our people carrier into a camper van didn’t want to spend too much on curtain material. The curtains barely joined together in the middle and also came away from the edges. On a positive note we woke early ready for a new day of adventures after stopping briefly at McDonalds on the way through Timaru to caffeinate and enjoy a warm toilet. We followed highway 1 further south passing with brief detours for Waimate and Shag Point. We found another free campsite just past Dunedin in a place called Brighton. Reviews stated it was best to get here early as spaces fill up quickly, arriving at 15:00 we nabbed the last non self contained spot. Strangely you could only camp in half of this carpark and had to have left by 08:00 the next morning. By the next morning though, these rules had been disregarded and we found ourselves well and truly wedged in. Eventually as vans slowly woke and moved on we managed to carefully extract ourselves from the carpark and head on our way.

Orepuki

Before heading further south we stopped in Dunedin for a quick look around and stretch of the legs, motivated by the presence of a Cadburys World. Dunedin is a beautiful city made even better by the blue skies and sunshine we were treated too. We decided to have a hot chocolate and doughnut in Cadburys World to set us up for a walk around. After climbing the largest hill we could find we headed back to the camper van to continue our journey. As we had been following highway 1 for far too long we decided to hop off and take a scenic route from Owaka to Invercargill. This windy road took us close to the sea and some stunning sea scapes as we drove the most southernly we would get. As we past Invercargill we headed slightly north to Orepuki, another free camping site situated right next to the sea. This huge grass carpark had two long drop toilets and stunning views from the beach over a small island just out from the beach called Monkey Island for no particular reason. In the evening it got bitterly cold and we were soon wrapped up for an early night ready for an epic drive the next day.

Lumsden

The sound of the waves crashing on the beach must of sent us into a deep sleep as we woke later than planned. The plan for the day was to see Milford Sound and experience one of the worlds most scenic drives. The drive should have taken around 3 hours but as we passed Te Anau we realised it would take much longer. Stopping every few miles was a must, to take photos and experience the sheer beauty of the landscapes. Busses clogged the road in places but were also stopping every few miles so you were not stuck behind them for long. When we got to Milford Sound we stood and enjoyed the view over the sound with boats passing back and forth ferrying tourists out past the hills. The same road that took us out to Milford Sound would take us back past Te Anau and off to our next stop, Lumsden. A free campsite in the centre of the town near the old train station, still with a few old trains scattered about to climb up on and marvel at the engineering. After nearly 7 hours of driving we retired to a nearby bar for a drink, thinking back to the days raw natural beauty.

Lake Dunstan

After the previous days long drive we decided to spend as much of the day out of the van as possible. A short drive away was Queenstown and after a little search for a parking spot we were soon out of the van and walking around this lovely little town. Known for it’s extreme sports and hip culture, you could tell it was a popular place to be. Even Louis Vuitton had opened up shop there. For lunch we decided to try the famous Fergburger, a local favourite burger joint. We took our burgers and sat on a green next to Lake Wakatipu in the sunshine with a guy playing guitar nearby. At the edge of Queenstown was a Skyline to take you too the top of a mountain overlooking the town, but with a steep price of entry we decided to take the Tiki Trail to the top instead. We realised halfway into the trail there was a reason the Skyline was more popular than the trails! All the effort was definitely worth it for the views we were treated to at the top. We stopped at a swimming pool on the outskirts of Queenstown for a much needed shower and swim before another night in the campervan. We found another free site on the banks of Lake Dunstan but by the time we arrived the sandflies had already taken over. We couldn’t leave the van without letting them in so we had a small bite to eat and got an early night.

Fox Glacier

The sandflies had gone when we awoke the next day but we didn’t hang around long. Our goal for the day was to drive as close to Fox Glacier as we could so we could stay nearby and explore the day after. We drove north past Wanaka and Haast Village before arriving at Fox Glacier. Unfortunately this part of New Zealand had past laws against free camp sites so we had to pay for our accommodation. We found a hostel and campervan site boasting a large Bigfoot outside and free soup in the evenings. They also had a bar and warm showers which we took full advantage of after a quick run through the town.

Jack’s Pizza & Gasthof

We wanted to visit a glacier and after a little research found Franz Joseph to be better if you are visiting on foot. We pulled into the carpark early and it was still very cold as we began the walk to the glaciers edge. Thinking the glacier was just a little bit of ice on top of a mountain we were taken about as it came into view. A giant ice wall span the gap between two mountains and loomed over us as we walked along the glacial waters towards it. With mountains, trees and waterfalls on all sides of us it was truly breath taking. As we took in the view the path began getting busier and on our way back to the car was packed with bus loads of tourists. It was also heating up, and with the moisture in the air was making for a very sweaty walk. We drove further north through some very wiggly roads with crazy hairpins and very steep hills. For lunch we stopped at a town called Hokitika, a lovely town with many Jade shops and the National Kiwi Centre. We found a carpark by the sea and cooked lunch taking time to enjoy the fresh air. On the beach was a sculpture made from driftwood that spelt out the towns name, a lovely unique piece of art. We continued north stopping briefly in Greymouth picking up supplies and using the toilet before reaching our campsite, Jack’s Pizza & Gasthof. A pizza restaurant come campsite it was basic and cheap we were even treated to some lovely sunshine as we ate dinner on the picnic table near our pitch.

Nelson

The next day we drove further north heading for Nelson. We stopped briefly at PRs cafe in Westport for a coffee before heading east along highway 6. We were making very good time so decided to go a little rogue and drive into the hills and find a picnic spot away from the main road. We headed into the Aniseed Valley and soon found a very secluded spot by a babbling river to park up and cook lunch. It was very beautiful and hot by the side of this river and we languished in the sun for a couple of hours before heading on. We had found a free campsite in Nelson to stay although it was slightly strange. Nelson was quite a large town and there were two carparks in the centre. At night these carparks were open to freedom campers, although we found out that if we had arrived a month later a new law would of banned our presence there. It was strange bedding down in a carpark in a town centre, people were often walking past and you got the impression they didn’t like the campers. Being Halloween there were a few rowdy people dressed in all sorts of outfits, even some campers were getting dressed up for a night on the town. We headed to Burger Culture for dinner and then to a bar for a drink before heading back to the carpark and sleep.

Renwick

The next morning we decided to treat ourselves to a posh breakfast at The Kitchen, I think they could tell we were part of the great unwashed but still took our money. We continued to head east heading towards Picton. As we past Havelock the wind picked up and I found myself fighting the wheel at some points to keep us on the road. As we rounded the twisty roads towards Picton we saw a huge ferry docked near a lumber yard. This ferry towered over everything and the busses taking people into the town look ant like in comparison. As we dropped down into the town we could tell a vast majority of their trade came from the cruise ships even having welcome message posted on the shops greeting the ship. We had dinner in the town then walked through the marina enjoying the weather and, due to the crystal clear water, spotting a stingray as it navigated its way under boats. Our final destination for the day was Renwick a town surrounded by vineyards. In the middle of one vineyard was an arts and craft centre where we stopped for a wander and an ice cream. We arrived in Renwick and found our campsite, a carpark for the local sports centre. There were 10 camping spots available which soon filled up with campers enjoying the weather and setting up for the night.

Hanmer Springs

We had planned on heading straight down south to stay just outside of Christchurch for our last night but found the main road had been closed in two places. This meant us having to head almost back on ourselves west to highway 6 before we could again head south and east. This meant our plan to stay just outside of Christchurch would be difficult so instead we headed for Hamner Springs. This spa resort was on route and didn’t leave too much driving for our final day. It also meant we could relax in the famous spa baths for the evening. The drive was tough but we soon crossed the very precarious bridge which lead to the resort. We stopped at a Top 10 campsite and were soon heading, swim suits in hand, to the springs. The spa consisted of multiple pools with varying temperatures of water and mineral content in each. As I soaked in the many pools I thought back on the journey we had taken and the sights we had seen. I was sad it was going to be our last night in the trusty Chuck Norris. We couldn’t decide what to eat that night so we snaked on crisps and drank local wine before drifting off to the last night of camper van sleep.

Smash

The next day we woke early to get a good start to get to Christchurch. Our plan was to get in early and head for breakfast in the town before dropping Chuck back home. As we neared Christchurch we thought this plan would be scuppered by the early morning traffic and an accident that had caused tailbacks out of the city. Luckily by the time we had got there the traffic had dissipated and we made good time. We decided on going to the Black Betty Cafe for brunch and after a little bit of driving around found 2 hours free parking nearby. The food was lovely, boiled eggs and soldiers is aways a winner and the coffee was great too. Walking back to the camper van I saw a guy leaning on it talking to someone, bloody cheek. As I got closer I could see a white car nearby with the front smashed in. We feared the worst and as we got closer we could see poor Chuck had been rear ended by an old lady. The damage to the old ladies brand new Volvo was enough for it to be written off but Chuck was made of stronger stuff. After resitting the bumper and calling the car hire place we waited for their advice on how to get him home. We had a plane to catch so after a couple of calls they allowed us to drive him back and apart from no left hand indicators it drove perfectly. We were sad dropping Chuck Norris back, we felt that he looked after us throughout the journey only to be hurt by a careless driver at the end. We reassured ourselves that he would be quickly fixed up and out on travels very soon. We walked to the airport and were soon on our way to the North Island.