Blogs from Oamaru, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania
April 9th 2012
Sun 8 Apr ---------- Off to Dunedin today, the Scottish part of NZ. Quite a decent sized city with a university and lots of Victorian & Edwardian architecture. We have crossed from the West coast of South Island to the East Coast and are as far south as we're going to get. We're pretty much oas far from home as we can be - really on the opposite side of the world. The climate should be similar to home but it is a lovely autumn here after what was apparently a disappointing summar. On the way here we passed deer farms. Venison is always on the dinner menu and there are more sheep here than on the North Island. However, there are only 30 million sheep left now as opposed to the 80 million they used ... read more
March 27th 2012
Ok Del Boy taking over the reins for a time, Set off from bluff, blowing a gail "he who dares wins rodders" stopped at the beach near nugget point, got some currant on the old boat race. then of for the jolly boys outing, Lovely Jubbly,,,,,, Right thats enough, Sam's back, had a great ride some wonderful scenery all the way,got the camcorder mounted on the bike, some good footage going through the Catlins, proper bike roads and no traffic, stopped in Dundine last night, short ride to Oamaru, the country has flattened out now, tomorrow will be an epic ride up to Lake Aviemore then back down to Queenstown, one overnight there the the west coast, the glasiers and the moutians, have to wrap up warm, Ta Ta for now ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, you know it makes ... read more
November 12th 2011
Phew! We've had a whirlwind of a week! Back to Picton, to Greymouth, to Hokitika, to Haast, to Wanaka/Queenstown, to Omarama, to Oamaru! Just 2 more nights until we have to bid farewell to our sweet campervan :( We don't have time to post much (or photos), but needless to say, we're still having a great time! We've seen some amazing sights - mountains, glaciers, farmland, rainforest, beech forest, glacial rivers and lakes, rain, sun, double rainbow!, penguins, birds, pounamu... We're just about ready to cook dinner for the night, then we're going to head over to the yellow-eyed penguin colony. The penguins feed during the day, but return to their burrows around dusk. It's supposed to be a great time of year to see lots of penguins because they're raising chicks now - they have ... read more
Van Mount Cook richting Oamaru met tussenstop in Duntroon
Published: October 28th 2011Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Oamaru
October 28th 2011
We vertrokken terug uit Mount Cook want ze gaven slecht weer uit, we hadden geen zin om in de sneeuw terecht te komen. We gingen richting de kust , Oamaru. De weg ernaar toe viel goed mee. Een goeie 100 km. We hebben een tussenstop genomen in Duntroon. Deze keer op een camping gestaan want we hadden nood aan een warme douche. Het was dan ook het enige 'faciliteit' op de camping zelf. Een oud voetbalveld waarvan de kantine die aan elkaar hing met golfplaten, herdoopt was tot keuken, living en douches. De muizen in de keuken moest je erbij nemen. Tijdens ons eten hoorden we gepiep, gekraak en gejank langs alle kanten. Ik had ervoor al es de kasten opengegooid om te zien wat erin te vinden was (allemaal muizenvallen). Het was die avond ... read more
October 28th 2011
De eerste enge nacht hebben we overleefd. Oef! Op dat moment dacht ik wel dat er iets ging gebeuren. Jan bleef onder alles kalm, zoals altijd! We vonden in Oamaru nergens geen free camping spot , en zo reden we de stad uit. We gingen op een parking staan waar er wandelingen naar het strand waren. De avond viel..een mooie zonsondergang, en onder ons het geruis van de zee. Toen we in ons bed lagen begon het, het geruis werd harder en harder. Harde windstoten deden onze auto vreselijk wiebelen. Jan sliep door alles heen , behalve om kwart voor 2 's nachts werd ook hij wakker door de enorme windstoten. We besloten , zeker omdat we daar als enige auto stonden, in het pik pikdonker terug te rijden naar het dorp Kakanui en ons daar ... read more
April 11th 2011
It was an early morning start as we headed out of Dunedin; first stop Kockohue Beach to see the Moeraki Boulders. According to Maori legend, they are the food baskets (Te Kaihinaki) of the Arai-ti-ura canoe, one of the great ancestral canoes that brought Maoris to New Zealand from Hawaii. Scientific evidence says they were formed on the sea bed about 60 million years ago (the Paleocene epoch) as lime salts gradually accumulated around a hard core (in much the same way pearls are created in oyster shells). They are nevertheless fascinating to see. Then it was off to Oamaru, the main town of North Otago, 120 km north of Dunedin where many of the main buildings were built in the 1880s of Oamaru stone (cream coloured limestone). While the buildings were very interesting, our main ... read more
March 24th 2011
Mar 24, 2011: WHAT a wonderfully clear sky this morning as I peeped outside the window after the morning rituals!!!! The sun was rising in the east over Dunedin….our rental car was perfectly OK after having to spend it’s first night with us….on a major street, just down from our almost perfect hostel. And…..we were both feeling great this morning….WOW!!! And….those feelings translated into what turned out to be a very magical day! We had our breakfast, visited briefly with a young man from the UK, who had spent two months in the USA backpacking in a campervan….and then flew from there to NZ where he plans to spend a couple of months, or more. I said my goodbyes to the young man who was from Cologne, Germany,……as he left the hostel to go buy a ... read more
January 29th 2011
27 January 2011 It seems that I may have underestimated myself when I gaily announced that my status as a morning person was likely to be confined to Manly. This morning, I was up and raring to go even before 7am. Our first night of free camping was a success and, as expected, it was impossible to sleep significantly past dawn. I didn't look at my watch when I first squinted out of the window but the sun was just coming up and one of the many camper vans that we had parked amongst the previous evening was on the move. I swear that several had already gone. Nonetheless, I elected to try to grab a few more precious moments sleep before waking Gregg. That brings me back to before 7am when we pulled out ... read more
Day 40: Yellow-Eyed Penguins at Last
Published: January 9th 2011Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Oamaru
January 8th 2011
Last night, I went out about 9 p.m. to see if I really could see Little Penguins coming ashore right into town. I couldn't, though I could hear them. I did see a freight train (I like trains!) and a pretty good sunset, so the excursion was not wasted, though the south wind was bitterly cold. Almost as soon as I got back to my room, about 9:45, a dreadful din arose outside. At first I thought it was another train; then I realized it couldn't be, or, if it was, that the unfortunate train must be having a wreck. I rushed to the window of the lounge to see what was really going on. It turned out that the rocket-train I had admired so much earlier in the day had been wired for sound. It ... read more
Day 39: Steampunk Capital of New Zealand
Published: January 7th 2011Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Oamaru
January 7th 2011
Oamaru's community pool, the Waitaki Aquatic Centre, turns out to be just across the street from the Empire Hotel, so I went for a swim this morning. I think I'll be going back tomorrow, even though, through a combination of bizarre problems, my swimwear still isn't really dry. The lifeguard was alarmed by my wetsuit top, which I wear chiefly for sun-protection; he was afraid it would weigh me down and I would drown. I didn't bother trying to explain that I'd been swimming with it for about five years now, in everything from a kiddie pool to the Atlantic Ocean, and I hadn't drowned yet. I just agreed to stay within my depth and within arm's length of the side of the pool, under which conditions he said I might wear it. I only wanted ... read more
