Hanmer Springs

We stayed at Hanmer Springs NZMCA Park for three nights. The day we arrived the weather was lovely. After unhitching, we drove into town to check the place out and to buy a few groceries. The trees were dressed in their Autumn splendour—it reminded me a little of Arrowtown.

There were some stunning evergreens as well, right in the main street.

We found there were some great walks that we could take Lucy on, but it was getting a bit late in the day. Dave planned to go golfing tomorrow, and I was going to work in the morning and take Lucy back to this forest in the afternoon. Sadly, our plans came to naught as the weather turned sour.

So instead, the next afternoon, we decided to visit a winery we'd seen on the way in. Waiau River Estate—the home of Hells Gate Wines.

They produce honey as well, and some of their wines have won awards. We particularly enjoyed their Pinot Noir—and  their Chardonnay, which was "different". However, there were none that we didn't like—they were all very drinkable.

On the way back to Hanmer Springs, you cross over the Waiau Ferry Bridge. This is the view looking left—we're travelling towards the right of the photo.

Looking back at the wrought-iron bridge (built in 1887) through the mist and rain.

. . . and looking further up the river.

There was a lot of low cloud this day as we headed back into town.

Later that day I looked out of the rig and noticed this rooster sheltering from the rain under someone else's fifth wheeler. I'd heard about this rooster that lives here at the park. Good thing he's not a noisy one in the morning! Well, he didn't wake me up anyway.

As we left the next day, we introduced ourselves to the owners of another Sunliner that had arrived in the rain the previous day. Their rig is a later model than ours, and it's always fun to compare ideas.

There was that rooster again!

Cheeky . . . 

Heading back to the Waiau Ferry Bridge, I wanted to take some more photos. There's no place to stop here, no footpath to walk along to get photos, and it was raining. So these next two are through the windscreen. That's the bridge is the distance.

And as we cross over, this is looking out of my side of the ute towards where they run a bungy jumping business.

This is Marble Point, not far out of Hanmer—just south of the winery, actually.

After leaving Hanmer we travelled over the Inland Road to Kaikoura. It was a slow trip with 15, 25 and 35 kph corners as well as lots of one-way bridges and roadworks, but the scenery was lovely, and we just took our time and enjoyed the views.

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Danseys Pass Coach Inn

Leaving Naseby, we spotted a signpost that said "Danseys Pass" and decided to head in that direction. Before long we came across this mob of merino sheep being driven along the road.

We stopped and waited for them to go around us. At first they approached confidently . . .

. . . and then they stopped as if they weren't too sure which way to go. Checking out their options!

But the dogs soon got them moving again and in no time at all they were past us. 

In a few places along the way, there were these interesting cliffs, usually alongside a river. I think the dark patches are because they're wet. There's been a lot of rain just lately.

Hoping that wasn't too important . . . 

There are two or three of these narrow bridges along the way. I think we could probably have fitted our rig across as it's high enough to travel over these concrete edges, but a wider or lower motorhome might have a problem squeezing through.

When we arrived at Kyeburn Diggings, we noticed this interesting old sign.

Then we came across the Danseys Pass Coach Inn (previously the Dansey Pass Hotel). What an unexpected surprise! This right end is the accommodation (about 17 rooms) and was built in 1862.

This left end, the bar and a huge lounge area, was built in the 1900s. The restaurant is to the right, between the bar and the accommodation.

As we walked in the door, our reaction was, "Wow!". This impressive room exuded character. From the huge fireplace and exposed beams to the wooden floors with leather armchairs and couches—the whole room was warm and welcoming, as were the host, Mark, and his partner AJ.

Mark convinced Dave to sample the local beer—Scotts—an Oamaru brew. Yes, he liked it. Both the dark and the lighter ales were very enjoyable. And I'd give the coffee a "10". Delicious!

We made ourselves comfy in front of this magnificent fireplace at the far end of the room and spent the next half hour or so chatting with AJ, learning about the area and this building.

This section was built using beams from the old Shacklock Factory in Dunedin.

The comfortable, mismatched, old-fashioned chairs added to the charm of the room, which was built with locally produced bricks. There were beautiful brass fittings on the wooden window frames and polished wood floors with lovely Persian style rugs scattered around.

You can read more about the Danseys Pass Coach Inn here.

The inn is right on the main road, with space for parking across the other side of the road. There's a stream down behind where we're parked with a bridge across it and some ruins off to the left. A perfect venue for a wedding—and I understand they've had two or three here.

We travelled a slightly different route back to Ranfurly, seeing more of these cliffs along the way.

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Lake Tekapo

When we arrived at Lake Tekapo, it was exceptionally windy. And rather cold. However, the sun still shone, and for that we were grateful! We stayed at the NZMCA Lake Tekapo Park, which was right on the eastern shores of the lake. There were lots of trees around that helped provide a bit of shelter from the wind, but also shaded us from the sun for a small part of the day which was not so great. We're dependent on every drop of that sunshine for our solar power!

These photos of Lake Tekapo were taken from the NZMCA Park grounds on the evening we arrived.

As can be seen by the trees out there, the lake water level is up quite a bit.

On a day trip up the western side of the lake, we had these views of Lake Tekapo.

Lake Tekapo gets its turquoise shading from "rock flour", also known as glacial flour—glacier-formed rock dust. This rock flour is suspended in the water and causes the beautiful turquoise blue. It is brightest when the sun shines on it. Today was a cloudy day, hence the darker patches of blue, especially in the photo above.

Looking across the lake towards Lake Tekapo township.

When we arrived at the township, we drove back along the western shoreline a bit and could see the Church of the Good Shepherd across the lake.

Back in town.

The Church of the Good Shepherd.

It's interesting to note that the Mackenzie Basin (here where we are) is named after a sheep thief—a Scottish shepherd called James Mackenzie. In 1855, he and his dog, Friday, drove sheep inland to avoid capture and discovered this area. 

This bronze statue, situated not far from the church, is a monument erected to honour border collies and the role they played in the Mackenzie Country.

This is a new footbridge that's been erected since our last visit here. It was opened on 22 November 2015, but it wasn't until early 2017 that all the finishing details were completed. The reason it's so high is to cope with the levels of the river when it floods.

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