Advertisement
Published: February 11th 2007
Edit Blog Post
SuperJude to the Rescue
Bet you didn't know Jude possessed super strength! It's a sad fact to admit but we're starting to hate our South Island road trip. Not because we're having to be couped up together 24/7 though because we've been getting on famously on the road. It's all down to trying to find free or affordable campsites which has been far more difficult than we were led to believe. Grrrr.
Our day started badly with a 7.30am wake up by the manager of the Albert Town campsite, demanding our camp fees. I reluctantly paid up the $14 but it left a bad taste in my mouth as all we had done was use the toilet once each and park for the night. We were so angry at being woken up so early after our long day yesterday that we just packed up and got the hell out of there. It turned out the campsite was no longer managed by the Department of Conservation but had recently been taken over by Queenstown Council, which explains the price and rude treatment I guess.
Just outside nearby Wanaka is a place called Puzzling World that sounded like something fun to relieve the frustration so we backtracked a little and paid a visit.
Giant Fingers
Yes it's really true - each of Glynn's fingers is as big a house! It was absolutely heaving with people though so we decided not to do the maze or pay to go into the optical illusion rooms, intriguing as they were. There were a few fun things to do for free though, including visiting a Roman style toilet that had been cleverly painted on the walls outside the proper loos.
Back on the road again, we checked out a couple of DOC sites north of Queenstown although both Kidds Bush and Boundary Creek were not only pay-for sites but also with 'hosts' to check you've actually paid. We don't mind paying something towards the use of a toilet but $6-7 each just seems outrageous. Forgive my tightfistedness but when you consider that the van hire costs $95 (£35) per day, you can understand why we don't want to fork out any more if we don't have to. On the way, we did at least stop at the lovely Lake Hawea Lookout to see the still waters reflecting the surrounding mountains with almost mirror perfection.
The road continued along the breathtaking Haast Pass with yet more amazing mountain scenery. We stopped at a couple of sites of interest but Glynn was too
Squeeze!
Glynn drops off some cargo at the Roman toilets tired from driving to muster enough enthusiasm to get out of the van. I ventured over to see the rapids at the Gates of Haast Bridge which were as awesome as the ones at the Aratiatia Dam near Taupo. Just up the road, I jumped out again for a look at the Thunder Creek Waterfall which was a narrow but high waterfall cascading into the river some 50 metres below. It was a worthwhile stop although there were plenty of sandflies to ensure I didn't stay too long.
As the Haast Pass met up with the west coast, we took a break at Knight's Point Lookout to enjoy some coastal views and were surprised to find a toilet and no signs saying that camping was forbidden. Alas our excitement was shortlived as the sandflies began organising squadron attacks on us soon after we arrived. It was a real shame as there is a penguin viewing area close by that would have been cool to visit. Next stop was at a DOC campsite at Lake Paringa but again the sandflies swarmed around us and we were forced to move on.
Glynn then made the bold decision to drive the
Bear Squeeze
Unlike his dad, Jish remembers to pull his pants down first! very long distance to a place called Gillespies Beach near to the Fox Glacier, where we knew there was a guaranteed free campsite with toilets. It was a terrible road to travel on with sharp bends every few metres and deep ruts that rattled the van badly and left Glynn's wrists in need of physioptherapy. The free campsite wasn't all it was cracked up to be but at least it was deserted allowing us our pick of the 3 available parking spots. The location was nothing more than a bushy cul-de-sac with no view of the beach unless you walked a short distance over the sand banks but it was home for the night.
We took a stroll on the silvery grey shingle beach that was littered with driftwood of all shapes and sizes and gradually we began to relax as we watched the sun setting over the water. Alas as dusk approached, so did the sandflies. Back at the van, Glynn had the ingenious idea of rigging up the mosquito net with our washing lines which offered us some protection from bites while we slept - a small mercy after such a long and disappointing day.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.272s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 19; qc: 81; dbt: 0.1914s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb