Friday of week 2 already; how the time is flying. It seems that we have got into a routine of waking around 7-7.30. First one to go and shower puts the kettle on, whilst the other clears the bed away and makes the table up ready for breakfast. As soon as one is back from the shower, the other can go. Immediately after breakfast we were all stowed away and ready to head off in the direction of Motueka. We decided to follow the Queen Charlotte Drive, which hugs the coast for a way and is a very pretty journey. However, the price you pay for prettiness here is that you drive along roads that have more twists than an Agatha Christie novel.
As you would expect, the scenery along the route is quite stunning, but having said that, so is the scenery in Scotland’s Lochs and glens area. We were heading for the town of Nelson on Highway 6 and decided to stop off for morning tea at Pelorus Bridge. Out comes the chairs and on goes the kettle. One of the distinct advantages of touring in a campervan. A quick cupper, pack up the chairs and on we go, still heading for Nelson. There was one stretch of highway that seemed to have so many twists and turns in it that we were wondering if we would make our destination of Motueka before it got dark!
It was now lunch time, so we left the main road and took a 10Km detour to a place called Cable Bay, a quiet little spot, with a long curving shingle beach. Out with the table and chairs, whilst Maureen prepared the rolls and we sat down to lunch watching the sea lap over the pebbles on the beach. All quite civilised really. Time to pack up and get moving again, onwards we went, eventually passing through Nelson, which seemed like a thriving container port with fairly spread out suburbs. We decided not to stop and we know that when we return home someone will say did you do xyz in Nelson and we will then realise what we missed.
By now the roads were straightening out and we were making much better time. So much so that we took another little detour to a place called Ruby Bay. Here was a small Dept of Conservation (DoC ) picnic area and campsite, but right on the waterfont. We pulled up, wound the windows down, took in the view and promptly dozed off for better part of an hour! Some might call it powernapping. Whatever you wish to call it, the tough driving of the morning was more tiring than we thought. The final part of the journey to Motueka is through the fruit growing region and into another major wine producing region. As the tipplers amongst you may know, New Zealand is now famous for the production of Sauvignon Blanc wine and it accounts for something like 90% of production. The next nearest grape varieties are Pinot Noir at just over 3% and Chardonnay closely following at just under 3%. As you can see, Sauvignon Blanc is far and away the big earner for New Zealand.
Finally, we arrived at the site and got settled in. Whilst I went for essential supplies into town on foot, Maureen set too and did the washing in the camp laundry. This site is particularly well equipped in that it has three toilet/shower blocks, two laundries, a kitchen and separate BBQ, family rooms, a TV room and internet room. It also has wifi throughout the whole site at almost reasonable access rates and of course the dump station. Which reminds me, we had a very nice curry for dinner this evening, courtesy of Mr Patak
As news is a bit thin today, we thought we’d show you a picture of our new home. Tomorrow should be better as we’re off to the Abel Tasman National park, for a scenic boat cruise along the coast of the park. Let’s hope for good weather.
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