nz adventures [the christchurch brick show]

Hi! Harry here.

On our second last day in New Zealand we attended the Christchurch Brickshow. The show was held in a newly built hangar at the New Zealand Air Force museum. The whole spaced was filled with all things LEGO! Surrounding the models were lots of stalls including several "shops", but also peoples own original creations, including a LEGO generating Spirograph and an enormous free-standing LEGO Technics tower. Some of the models were amazing. It was difficult for Mum to take photos because there were so many people!!!! Mine and Dad's favourite model was the Tudor style curved roof house as some of the angles were incredible, especially considering it was constructed solely out of LEGO! Some of the models on display were just themed sets of a particular type of LEGO put together to make a large scene. My favourite models though were the MOC (My Own Creation) models which people had designed and built all by themselves. Matilda's favourite was the Castle scene with a Princess kissing a frog and Mum really liked a super colourful underwater reef scene. Hopefully next year I might have my own MOC to take to a LEGO show! Overall it was really cool to see the original ways people used their LEGO and I came away with great ideas for my own designs!

nz adventures [humboldt falls]

nz adventures [welcome to 'gunn' country]

Sometimes in our travels we find ourselves in the most unexpected places, so it's a pleasant surprise when those destinations stand out against the rest. This was certainly the case, when on our way to Milford Sound, steady rain (plus snow) and a road closure forced us to find refuge for the night somewhere "off-road". After consulting the 'Lonely Planet' book and the Rankers website it was decided we'd head to an intriguing spot called 'Gunn's Camp'.

Leaving the state highway, we followed a very bumpy gravel road that took us into the Fiordland National Park. All maps and directions assured us our path led to a camping ground nestled in Hollyford Valley. I'm not sure if it was the rutted road, the fading daylight, the ominous grey skies, the denseness of the forest, or the fact that we saw no other signs of human life, I'll admit I was a little concerned about where we might find ourselves! The reviews promised a quirky, historic location, friendly management, and hot showers! But you know what? It was all that and more.

When Gunn's camp finally came into view, I was relieved to see we'd found ourselves somewhere quite special.  Before us was an orderly, colourful collection of rustic old public works cabins, each with their own unique features but all of which looked cosy and inviting. Smoke spiralled gently from the manager's house, puddles on the ground were rippling with raindrops, low clouds hung tangled in the trees and everything was blanketed with a peaceful and restful atmosphere; the kind of place where no one bothers to keep time and the word modern doesn't even exist! Just past the cabins an energetic (but melodious) river could be seen and heard and to top it off, the entire setting was surrounded by snow capped mountains. 

The camp had a generator for electricity, the camp common room (furnished with vintage tables and chairs) sheltered a roaring wood fire and the kitchen was fitted out with huge stainless steel benches, several gas stoves and hot water on tap. We relished the opportunity to cook dinner in a large communal space! And on the menu that night? A big eggs, bacon and mushroom fry-up of course! It was the first time I'd ever cooked toast on a funny little stand over a gas flame - may have been the best toast ever! In the shower block the water was heated with a huge wood-fuelled boiler and it was HOT (and *heavenly)! After dinner, the kids played a few rollicking games of Pictionary (we are still laughing about Harry's drawing for "funny bones") and toasted marshmallows.

Later that night, after too many marshmallows and a strong cup of herbal tea (living on the wild side, that's me) I was lulled into Dream Land by the steady drumming of rain on our campervan roof, playing in harmony with the sounds of water rushing over rocks from the river nearby. 

The next day we ate a hearty breakfast (taking advantage of that real kitchen once more), took a little walk around the camp, said thankyou and farewell to our gracious hosts and then drove a little further up the road to check out Humboldt Falls before retracing our steps back towards the highway and on to Milford Sound.

 

I'm so glad the road to Milford Sound was temporarily closed. It may have delayed our arrival to Milford by a day, but if it had not, we would never have found ourselves in Gunn's Camp. Everything happens for a reason!

* don't get me wrong, our campervan shower was OK. You quickly get used to showering with your elbows glued to your side. The space is something akin to a broom cupboard, and as for the water flow? Well, lets just call it a trickle (a generous trickle to be fair). Imagine how much water comes through a drinking straw - and that should just about do it, ha ha

the post holiday phase

We just spent two weeks exploring New Zealand's South Island. You may remember we visited NZ this very same month, a year ago. That should give you a clue as to how much we adore New Zealand, even with it's chilly weather and icy/gritty roads. The crisp air, snowy peaks and frozen puddles captured our imagination twelve long months ago and we couldn't wait to get back. There's something magical about winter that only places with snow can offer! After living on such a temperate island for the past few years, donning scarves, beanies, gloves and warm coats has become something of a novelty for us.  Ah the romance of cracked lips, itchy winter woollies, smokey fires, foggy windscreens, runny noses and snow chains! I'm into it all, not even the trips to the loo that take triple time because there are so many layers of clothing to un-tuck and re-tuck have put me off.

So moving on from my winter love affair, I'm eager to tell you our trip was spectacularly fabulous and I loved every single minute. Our family met up with some dear Aussie mates in Christchurch and together we rocked the motorhome lifestyle, driving in convoy naturally, and stopping to empty our grey/black water tanks in unison (now that's bonding people). We didn't have an actual itinerary or anything, just a loose list of 'this would be cool to see'. Sometimes we stayed in caravan parks, but often we camped off the beaten track. I think freedom camping is my new favourite way to travel.

But now we are home, lament, lament, boo hiss. It's taking a lot for me to settle down and find my "you're home now" groove. Has that ever happened to you? It's OK, you don't have to tell me, I know holidays (and holiday excitement) can't last forever. I've popped my hikers on a few times since touch down, just to experience "the feeling" again - but it's never the same. Let's face it, holiday bliss gets sucked away the moment you open up your *empty fridge, followed by endless bags of dirty washing!!! I am trying to come back to earth. I'm sort of trying hard to be a realist and move forward. I am trying to get in touch with my pre-holiday-non-nomadic-homesteader thoughts. Honest.

Oh who am I kidding? All I really want to do is hop back on that plane! I've become completely obsessed preoccupied with travel. My feet are itching to walk on new surfaces, my nostrils want to sniff out new scents and my head space is searching for a different view. I want to pack up my little family and take a journey all over again. I've been conjuring, scheming and dreaming, determined to come up with a hair-brained idea: how to holiday forever? Yup, I'm pining dreadfully for those unscheduled, unpredictable adventure-filled days! Life on the road fits like a glove baby. But forever? It's just not practical, right!? 

Is it possible? 

Ben isn't convinced. He can be such a sensible chap.

Have you been to NZ? It's absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful (especially the South). YOU MUST GO! Please say you will.

Anyway, please excuse me while I go and stroke my hiking shoes. I'm not ready to put them away just yet.

Oh and I have hundreds of holiday snaps to sort. Stay tuned.

* A very lovely person left dinner on our stove and home-baked goodies on our kitchen bench. So I can't really blame my dissipating holiday bliss to the fact that there wasn't anything to gobble when we arrived home!!!! Isn't that awesome. I'm gonna keep that friend!

new zealand [day ten] ski bunnies

I had hoped to have these NZ posts done and dusted these holidays....oh well. At least I'm more than halfway now!

OK...day ten. So we spent the day carving up the slopes at Cardrona. It was utterly mind-blowingly awesome...Till and Harry would say "epic"! We all had lessons, even me (it had been sooooo long since I'd last skied). By the afternoon everyone had found their ski legs! We were sad to hand over our gear at the end of the day...but it was time to push on. Cardrona.....we'll be back one day!!!!!

new zealand [day nine] Cardrona

Up until this point in our holiday we'd viewed plenty of snow from a distance, beyond our reach on mountains high, looking pretty as a picture. As you can imagine, Harry and Till were itching to get knee deep in the cold stuff...as was Ben (OK, me too). In our old stomping ground (New South Wales' Central West), snow fell but once or twice a year, leaving a light dusting if you were lucky. So that is the only kind of snow Ben and the kids were familiar with. I on the other hand had many skiing holidays as a child. We hadn't planned on skiing whilst in New Zealand, even though I'd been told the skiing there is pretty dam amazing.

So in Wanaka we decided we really should drive up to a ski resort and see for ourselves what the big fuss is. We chose Cardrona as Ben had read it was a great place for beginners...though again, we still had NO intentions of skiing! Our plan was to just take a look and let the kids play in the snow.

The drive up to Cardrona was like NOTHING I have EVER experienced in my life. As we pulled into the dirt carpark at the bottom of the mountain I began to feel nervous. Before us was a mountain range so enormous, we couldn't see the top. It appeared we'd be driving for a few kilometres or so before reaching the snow line, but I was worried about what would happen when we reached it - my instincts told me we were about to experience snow chains 101. There weren't many cars travelling up nor down the windy road before us, in fact there were hardly any signs of life at all. Where exactly was this resort? And where were all the skiers???

About a third of the way up we pulled over to get our snow chains on. Lucky Ben has a head for stuff like that...I was useless in knowing how to assist him and to make matters worse I have this little condition called 'Ineptness for Interpreting Written Instructions' - it compliments my map reading skills.....you get my drift?

 So with chains firmly hugging our tyres, we rolled along, slowly, all the time climbing higher and higher and not daring to look down. The dirt road now had a soft slushy snow-covered surface but our chains seemed to be doing their job, traction proved to be great. But suddenly lots of cars began passing us but in the opposite direction and I wondered why everyone was leaving the mountain!??? At about the halfway point I started to panic, I mean seriously freak out! The snow was becoming thick and frosty, the road narrow and steep...and did I mention it was on the edge of a cliff - with no guard rails, and no "BE CAREFUL, if-your-vehicle-slides-off-the-edge-you-will-die" signs, nothing!!!!!!!! I told Ben to stop!!!! We weren't going a single metre further until I'd phoned the resort at the top; I wanted to know two crucial things (i) what are the conditions up there? and (ii) is it safe for a motor home to make the climb? We were driving a motor home for goodness sake, not a snow mobile!!!!!!

The lady on the phone must have thought me a little strange. I was told in no uncertain terms that of course it was safe (dur) and yes, motor homes drive up all.the.time (again, dur). Yes, the weather conditions were OK, and oh by the way, people are starting to leave now as the resort shuts at 4pm. 

OK, so it was 3pm already...we didn't have a lot of time. We pushed on, me with my sweaty palms and brow creases. Truth be told, I think Ben was feeling apprehensive too - he'd never encountered driving conditions like this! Very close to the top we were stopped by a parking attendant who asked us to state our name and business. Well not quite, but he did want to know of our intentions as the carpark was full and the traffic a little chaotic as folk were calling it a day. We said we just wanted to take a peek. The friendly young chap said that was fine and that he'd escort us right to the front of the resort so we didn't have to walk far. Ha, what luck.

Finally at the top we were all a little gobsmacked by what was before us. I was blown away by the view, height and scale of it all...and I've seen plenty of ski resorts before. I can only imagine Ben, Harry and Till must have felt like they'd landed on another planet. It was another world altogether.  Snow ploughs, ski doo's, crowds of people dressed in funny clothes. Seeing it through their eyes, I realised how foreign it must look. Oh but the snow...there was SO MUCH SNOW!!!!!

The kids begged us to take them skiing and I was secretly relieved they were so keen. I was eager to hit the slopes myself.  Ben and I exchanged knowing glances and before you knew it, we had everything arranged for the next day. We had to hire absolutely everything, even goggles! 

Stay tuned for Day Ten..

Ben, Harry and Till ski for the first time!