Road Trip – WildBay

Road Trip:Te Urewera National Park 25th June 2016

With a weekend free and nothing better to do i decided to do a car relocation from a pleasant Wellington to Auckland over 2 days.

Not to do the standard routing that most people would do which is up through the central North Island i chose to drive overnight to Wairoa via Napier/Hastings, so to arrive at the beginning of SH 38 at daybreak.

There is no better way then to spend a good few hours behind the wheel of a car following the twist and turns of a gravel road as it heads up to Lake Waikaremoana that sits 600m above sea level before it heads back down to Murupara.

Take your time to admire the scenery including streams and waterfalls while Lake Waikaremoana is a good stopping point.

If you have time there are plenty of walks both short and long and for all ages.

Be prepared with food.water a car full of petrol and love of the adventure and the unexpected and you will not need a passport when you cross between Hawkes Bay and Bay of Plenty.

DOC DOC Web site with all the details of Te Urewera National Park,

Wikipedia General Information

Route Map Map of the route

©wildbaynz/windyhillflyingclub 2016

Road Trip: North to South of New Zealand November 2015

One Idea,One Car,One Driver,One Navigator/Planner,8 Days

The above idea was muted for a while and on the 1st November it became a reality. The plan was to travel from Cape Reinga to Bluff and as much of the beaten road as possible.

A total of 4633 Km was Driven
Flight 1 Wellington to Auckland 481Km (Approx)
Flight 2 Dunedin To Wellington 632Km (Approx)
Ferry Wellington to Picton km (Approx)
Day 1 526Km Flight to Auckland then to Cape Reinga Via Dargaville Rawene
Day 2 718Km Cape Reinga to Hahei Beach (Coromandel and Bay of Islands)
Day 3 795Km Hahaei Beach to Wellington Via back roads to Ashurst,Woodville and Rimutaka Hill to Interislander Ferry Wellington and Overnight Ferry to Picton
Day 4 647Km Picton to Seddon, Molesworth Road to Hamner Springs,Greymouth to Franz Josef.
Day 5 577Km Franz Josef to Manapouri Via Haast,Wanaka,Queenstown
Day 6 507Km Manapouri to Bluff. Bluff to Beaumont
Day 7 655Km Beaumont to Omaru Via Twizel,Mount Cook and Timaru
Day 8 208Km Omaru to Dunedin Airport.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

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Road Trip: Pupu Hydro Walkway

The Pupu Hydro Walkway is a 2 hour loop track that starts at the end of the unsealed Pupu Valley Road ( Past the better known Pupu Springs.)

This is a beautiful walk that follows the old gold mining water race. A short walk from the car park you cross the Waikoropupu River to the Power Station then from here there is a steep climb that takes you to the start of the walk proper. The Water Race follows gently up hill as it hugs the edge of the hillside.

Take time to admire the views and some of the old buildings and machinery that have been left as a reminder. There are a number of places where you can stop and enjoy your packed lunch or just to take a short break. Generally this part of the walk would take around 30 minutes.
Care is needed in places as some parts can be a little narrow when passing.

The track takes you through a varied mix of plant life from a mix of Beech,Rimu as well as Pine’s as well as ferns and tree ferns.
Bird lovers will not be disappointed with many birds singing among the trees that add something to the atmosphere.
The main track finishes at the main water intake (Weir) where you can either retrace your steps or cross over to the main access road which gently heads down hill back to the carpark. The track gives excellent views across the valley and at times you will be able to see the Walkway among the trees.

Pupu Hydro Walkway: Wikipedia
DOC NZ Parks
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Road Trips: Christchurch to Nelson. Via West Coast

This is the second part of my road trip covering the West Coast of New Zealands South Island. The 1st part also started in Christchurch with a train journey across Arthur’s Pass to Greymouth then heading down south and completed over a few days.
This one,also across Arthur’s Pass but by a relocation car hire,to Greymouth to Nelson via Karamea,over 2 days.

Day 1

With a wonderful 1st flight out of Wellington to Christchurch with AirNZ i was very much on the way from Christchurch by 8.00am

A straight forward run out of Christchurch on SH73. Passing through Springfield you start to gently climb up through the Russell Range.
On the higher peaks there was still a light dusting of snow,whilst the lower slopes were showing the early signs of spring.

The first stop was Castle Hill ( Kura Tawhiti Conservation Area) At a height of 700m this has a very impressive formation of limestone.
Don’t be fooled by what you see from the car park. A 15 minute walk followed by a short hike up to the first rocks.
Take a walk through these and you will be in awe of what lays behind them. A area where kids and adults will enjoy.

Continuing along SH73 you continue to pass through valleys with rivers in them and then you will meet and follow for a while the rail track that the Trans-alpine use’s.

A stop in the Village of Arthur’s Pass is in order for a break. If you are lucky you might meet the over friendly KEA.
A short distance outside Arthur’s Pass,stop at the strangely name look out called Death Corner.The view of the Otira Viaduct is well worth a few photos.

At the settlement of Jacksons you have the choice of continuing along SH73 to Kilmara Junction or via Moana and Lake Brunner.
Both end up in Greymouth.At this point i headed North on SH6. This is an amazing road following closely the west coast,where you have a number of opportunities to stop to take photos.

A place well worth stopping at is Punakaiki or well known as The Pancake Rocks and Blowhole. This a poplar destination and i have to agree.

I continued up the coast to Westport and then onto Karamea via SH67 where i spent a night with a log fire a couple of beers and a great evening meal at the only hotel in the village.

Day 2:

The day started as the previous one finished , sunny and clear. Before heading back to Westport head out of Kamera towards the start of the Heaphy Track. If you are lucky to have a clear morning you will enjoy the sunrise as well as the peace and quiet.

The journey onto Nelson was along through the Buller Gorge with a stop to take a walk along the swing bridge.

After dropping the car of at the airport it was a short wait for the Sounds Air Flight back to Wellington via flying over the Marlborough Sounds.

The car hire relocation was through Relocation rental cars. It lists what cars require relocating,the pick up location and the drop of location and the number of days you have.

Road Trip: Christchurch to Christchurch Via West Coast
Transfer Car Hire
DOC Castle Hill.
Otira
DOC Arthur’s Pass.
Karamea
Sounds Air

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