Picton to Wellington

4/7-9/25: Picton is a little, typical seaside town, a bit touristy but still cute. We spent a day there after arriving on the train, before taking the ferry to Wellington on the North Island.

Christchurch to Picton

4/6/25: We took the Coastal Pacific Train from Christchurch to Picton, at the northern tip of the South Island – a beautiful ride along the coast.

Christchurch

4/5/25: After returning the camper about 1 pm, we decided to do a quick tour of Christchurch by taking the Hop-On-Hop-Off trolly. Ended the day at Paddy McNaughton’s Irish Pub. Note the eclectic decor… the art work is hung on the ceiling, and there are some creative seating options!

Arthur’s Pass

4/4/25: We headed back to Christchurch via Arthur’s Pass. In Otira, a roadside attraction caught our attention, so we had to stop – an ogre and a very eclectic store/cafe. We continued on to Otira Gorge: We stopped in the town of Arthur’s Pass to see the Millennium Falls and Glasgow Bridge. Stopped at Bealey […]

Rain

April 2 & 3: Leaving Franz Joseph, we headed out to the coast to camp for the night between Hokitika and Greymouth. Found a nice spot at a private residence that allows campers, called Cameron’s Beach Front. We explored both Hokitika and Greymouth the next day, but were hampered by the steady rain, so we […]

Franz Josef

4/2/25: We visited the West Coast Wild Life Center in Franz Joseph, where they are working to increase the population of 2 rare kiwi birds – the Rowi and the Tokoeka. They also have another endangered species, a rare lizard like creature, the Tuatara. We saw 2 Rowi, but no photos are allowed, so we […]

How to better appreciate a black water holding tank!

No words necessary…

Out West

3/31/25: After spending the next day exploring some more wineries, we headed out to the west coast. The plan was to get to Fox Glacier, stopping along the way at points of interest. However, we learned that there was a three hour road closure along our route that would start just about the time we […]

Cardrona

3/30/25: Stopped at the famous Cardrona Hotel, one of the oldest hotels in New Zealand. There’s a bar and restaurant, and you guessed it – free camping for the night! Had an excellent leg of lamb for dinner and Randy had dirty eggs for breakfast ( I had a cheese scone).

Chard Farm Winery

3/30/25: Found some amazing Pinots at Chard Farm Winery near Queenstown…but ohhhh- the road up to the winery was very scary!