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Published: March 14th 2017
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Incredible pancake layered rock formations at Punakaiki " Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer". Anonymous 12th March 2017 Nudging back onto Route 6 heading south seemed like a good enough moment to reflect on our three weeks to date in NZ. A few things stand out. Firstly, it is a beautiful country with sumptuous and stunning scenery. An elderly Swiss guy we met early in our travels told us that he had been doing the campervan thing in NZ over a number of years and for him there is nothing to beat the beauty of NZ. He has travelled widely. Secondly, everywhere one goes there is no doubting the huge value NZ sees in tourism. The brochures are very informative and the signage as one meanders along is excellent. And there is a helluva lot to see. In 2013 NZ recorded 3.6 million tourist visitors which puts them firmly in the middle league of tourist destinations around the globe. Then we have found the New Zealanders to be friendly folk always willing to have a natter or offer assistance. The fact that we are South African has mostly been of minor impact or interest except for one bloke in Taupo who
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That elusive 3lb NZ brown trout was miffed that the Springboks are in such poor shape. Perhaps not quite as miffed as most of us rugby loving South Africans. Last point is that it is a safe country. You simply don't see houses in small towns along the way with 6 ft high walls and burglar bars on doors and windows. Sure they have petty crime but it is so minor it is hardly discussed by local folk. It is an expensive country which is compounded by the state of the Rand and I will do a cost summary at the end of our trip as a record and also to perhaps assist anyone out there planning a similar trip to NZ.
The other big thing NZ is well known for are earthquakes. Quite staggering to say the least. The country experiences about 14,000 tremors per annum although only 150-200 are big enough to be felt and only those with a magnitude of 6 or greater on the Richter Scale are recorded. This settled Sue a touch although we had just recently been in Wellington which is the highest risk earthquake city with 21 recorded since 2010. And then who can forget the devastating earthquakes
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Inspirational Phil and Anne all set for onward adventures which caused huge damage in Christchurch in 2011.
Not far from Westport we stumbled upon Punakaiki which boasts coastal rocks which resemble huge stacks of pancakes. An excellent Dept. of Conservation walkway provides great viewing of these limestone rock formations sculpted over millions of years. Numerous blowholes shoot sea spray into the air. Route 6 hugs the coastline with the Tasman Sea surging gently (on this day) on one side and then steep natural forest covered hillsides on the other. At times the road is very close to the shoreline and we wondered what happens when the Tasman Sea gets really grumpy...which it most certainly does. There are numerous small hamlets and towns on most routes and each proudly announces it's presence with quirky signage. All are spotlessly clean with no sign of litter.
Bearing in mind it was a grey, rainy day our entrance into Greymouth was something of a let down. It is the commercial center of the West Coast but had a busy feel to it so it was time to consider Plan B. Originally we had intended staying there for two nights but as they say in the classics...what's the point of having a
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Dramatic coastline scenery mind if you can't change it? After a quick scan of the AA brochure and some skillful mapping on my part ( saw a lake inland), we had discovered the Lake Brunner Country Motel which also has camping facilities. Just to make sure, before we book anything, we always cross reference any joint with TripAdvisor and bingo, decision was made. Lake Brunner is about 30 kms inland from Greymouth and is a very picturesque area with the Southern Alps in the background. Importantly the NZ fishing website gave it a seriously good rating. The motel and camp sites are set out in a beautiful forest setting. As stated before, setting up camp is a doddle and involves little more than putting a camping table and deck chairs out. Essential for the pursuit of sundowners. In most campsites the lights in tents and campervans go out by 8pm and we duly followed suit. During the night the rain,which had been forecast, arrived with a vengeance. It bucketed down confirming that this really is a high rainfall region.
Our only other camp ground companions were Phil and Anne, two spritely ladies from Christchurch. They had a tiny car pulling a vintage caravan which Anne owns and claimed had been maneuvering it's way around NZ for 30 odd years. Phil proudly told me that she is 87 years young and I marvelled at their sense of adventure. On their way out they had forgotten to wind up the caravan support legs which had stopped their journey 40 odd meters from their camp site (plus a new furrow in the park)! I duly fixed the problem and off they went. Truly inspirational.
Our campground host provided vital information about where to fish and off we set on day two for a little inlet on the side opposite to where we were staying. The sand flies must have heard "Sandfly Sue" was in town and they pitched up in swarms as we parked and I set about getting my fly fishing gear set up. Sue opted to sit in the HBS with all windows up and I set off along the lakeside trying to seduce a brown trout with my fly offering. Fly fishing requires lots of effort and patience and most times reward is reaped. Finally, after about an hours effort, I hooked and landed a 3lb NZ brown trout. It was a strong fish putting in some impressive acrobatics and the deep brown colour and markings were stunning.
A very enjoyable aspect of travel, and especially the camper van option, involves the number of very interesting people one meets. Like Phil and Anne. To digress for a second. I have never rated trout as a particularly palatable and enjoyable fish to eat. But when you catch your first NZ brown trout, chances are that it will be a keeper. With two beautiful salmon like red fillets sizzling in the pan in the communal cooking room, we struck up conversation with a couple from Singapore. Laurent is French from Bordeaux and Shu-in is Singaporean. They reside in Singapore in a sense but spend most of their time at sea on their yacht which is currently moored in Auckland while they traipse around NZ. Of relevance is that their next planned trip is along the SA coast on route to Brazil later this year. They will strike land, so to speak, at Richards Bay before moving along the coast to Durban and then Cape Town. Like two really good SA ambassadors, we insisted they had to do the "Africa thing" and take in a game reserve pointing out that Hluhluwe and Umfolozi are very accessible from Richards Bay. We will follow their fascinating travels via their blog: www.galatee-cap-au-sud.blogspot.fr The same evening we met a Danish guy travelling on his own. He had been in NZ for almost four months and his quest was simple....to catch fish and trout in particular. Needless to say we chewed the fat about these elusive creatures and he did state that they are not easy to catch. As I've stated before, patience is the name of the game. After all this banter, the NZ trout was tasty and washed down with the inevitable glass of chilled wine.
Another snippet of information involves a tiny little hamlet by name of Blackball which we passed through on route to Lake Brunner. Not much to it really but it is the kick off point to the formation of the Labour Party in NZ. In 1908 some coal miners there went on a protracted strike demanding a half hour lunch break (not a 20 percent wage hike!). They duly won and Blackball was on the map.
The dull skies and patchy rain continued as we pondered our next move over late afternoon sundowners (in doors) armed with travel brochures and enquiring minds.
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