A windy night ensured some light sleeping in the swaying van over night but waking to find a seal outside your van is a nice morning surprise. This is perhaps the most scenic spot we have camped at looking straight out toward huge waves crashing in. We were hoping to hire surf boards but as we couldn’t get any cash from anywhere we just packed up and went onwards along the Caitlins scenic route.

We ended up having quite a sightseeing day starting with a much needed coffee at the Whistling Frog Cafe on the road toward the McLean Falls which is where we were headed next. We walked up to the base of the falls which at 25 minutes return was a little quicker than the 45 minute forest walk advertised on the Southern Scenic Route info. We soon found out that they were way off on their timings after walks to the Matai Falls and the Purakaunui Falls, we also felt like we were suddenly on a tour of New Zealand’s waterfalls. They’re all lovely though with Purakaunui coming out top and also attracting the most tourists.

As we followed the route round we came across the Lost Gypsy Curios shop and gallery in Papatowai. This place is very intriguing and full of surprises and quirks. Containing old and the forgotten we spent some time playing with the gadgets, reading the funny signs and taking it all in. You can’t miss this place as there is a dummy outside holding a ‘Curios’ sign and the main gallery is housed in an old bus. Before making our way all the way round to Pounawae we decided to back track and visit Cathedral Caves, open only 2 hours either side of low tide. So we got there not long after 3pm and paid the $5 entrance fee, we were the first people on the beach which is private access only and along with a few other sight-seers we went to explore the caves.

It was only just low-tide so we had to climb onto rocks in order to get into the caves and make sure we were far in enough to avoid the tide coming in. We were able to loop round to another cave entrance where more shallow waves were splashing in but it was getting less and less. They were fairly impressive caves and the walk to and from the car-park is equally as enjoyable. We had a good chat with the warden about the caves and local birds and the like, the carpark was full so whoever is running this attraction is certainly doing okay!

When we continued along the road we stopped off in Owaka the Caitlins largest town with a sort of cash machine at the 4-square, accommodating only New Zealand account holders! We were able to pay on card though which was a good thing and so we stocked up and then made our way to the lovely Pounawae Bay where we would spend the next two nights at the Pounawae Motor Camp (lovely owners and really good facilities).

The following day we drove to Surat Bay, it’s not that far from Pounawae at all but we were heading for Jack’s Blow Hole straight after which was too far to walk. Surat Bay is a beautiful untouched bay stretching for a mile or so. Seals try to cool themselves in the sand whilst flies pester them and we also came across a dead seal and the remains of a sheep, harsh life!! Aside from this though we enjoyed a really nice walk along the full stretch of the bay as the sun came out to warm us. From now on the weather was looking to be good through to Christmas so we were happy about this.

When we left Surat Bay we drove west to Jack’s Blow Hole which includes a pleasant 30 or so minute walk to the hole. This blowhole is in the middle of a farmers field some 50 meters or so from the cliff edge. The waves come through to the hole underground and crash against the walls of the hole pretty much all the time, although high-tide is probably more impressive. It’s a pretty awesome sight though in terms of what is happening there. It’s closed off during the sheep-sheering season too which gives you an idea of its location.

By the afternoon we simply decided to chill out back at the campground, we were more than happy to read, work on the blog and cook some nice food before getting ready for our next drive to the Otago Peninsula the next morning.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

We left Gunns Camp after a good little exploration of their museum and grounds, it is full of quirks this place and we most definitely recommend staying here in terms of value for money and facilities. So onwards to Milford Sound it was, which was a pretty epic journey. We stopped as we passed by huge waterfalls bursting out of the rock and close to the road-side before gradually reaching the famous Homer Tunnel. Up until this point we were faced with low cloud, rain and a very grey landscape but as soon as passed through the tunnel we could see the cloud lifting on the other side. The Homer Tunnel is a good little adventure in itself, it’s narrow, dark and very much feels like it’s just been dug out of the rock. It’s one way traffic and you may have to wait a little while at either end for the red light to turn green.

On the other side we kept stopping to take more and more photos aswell as stopping at a few more landmarks along the way. We spotted a few Kea’s getting very close to people’s cars and vans in search of food as bus loads of tourists started to be shipped in. We guess this is the main downside of visiting such a place as Milford Sound…the tourists!! But if you can cope with crowds it’s beauty does manage to distract! Waterfalls come down the walls of the mountains like sheets of ice, it’s difficult to tell at firs that all the white bits on the rock are waterfalls pouring down.

We were surprised that the cloud lifted from this point on and we were faced with sunshine. We later learned that it hadn’t rained for the past 10 days which is very unusual for this area which boasts to receive around 220 days of rainfall per year! We took advantage of the good weather though and photographed from the Milford Sound pier and village. You can only go further than this point by boat.

Unfortunately for us we’d booked to stay at the Milford Sound Lodge as we were heading out at 6am the next morning for our kayak tour. The reason is was unfortunate was the cost of staying in a carpark at $36, and pay for wifi…nothing is free nowadays! Anyway it did the job and we found time to work on the blog. Later on we revisited the path leading out from the road to a reserve on the water-front, as the tide was low we were able to go quite far and did a few long exposures during sunset.

So up early the next day we were picked up by Skirts (our tour guide) from Rosco’s Kayaks, you can see why we chose that company? He was a good guy with plenty of banter and good instruction with it. Our group was made up of 8 including Skrits and it was 2 to a kayak which suited us just fine. So all donned in our thermals, water-proof gear, gloves and hats from the lost property box we were good to go. Dave steered from the back whilst Helen mumbled instructions to Dave which wasn’t heard over the waves and wind, but we managed to get out facing the current into the open water.

As it was so windy we had to raft together a few times with the most laughable part being when a cruise liner came into the Sound, passed us and came back past us again as it did a u-turn. This was a little embarrassing for us; 4 kayaks rafted together in a huge basin with a massive ship going past, but the spectators loved it.

We got as far as Sterling Falls and had to raft up again. We couldn’t go any further which was disappointing but necessary as Skrits didn’t want to risk taking us into 40-50 knot winds. He managed to entertain us as we bobbed up and down with Kiwiana tales and poems lovingly recited with some hot orange. This managed to do the trick for a while but we had around a 45 minute wait for our pick up which didn’t help as it was pretty cold out of the sun.

Eventually though we got the pick up and were taken back to where we started. This is part of the Morning Glory tour but the pick up would usually be at the end of the Milford Sound upon meeting the Tasman Sea. So we didn’t get that far but we did learn that we are pretty good kayakers together which is always nice to know. We do feel that the tour was pricey for what we got out of it at $185 each, it promised so much but just didn’t quite deliver. Still we were at the base of the mountains as they jutt over 1000 meters out of sea. That’s not bad at all. We didn’t take any photos during the kayak as we were worried about the Leica and the waves and stupidly we didn’t take our waterproof camera with us! Doh!

Afterwards we managed to get back into the hostel without having to pay a further $5 each to use the facilities and went back down the wonderful Milford Road past Te Anau and onwards to a free DOC campground at Monowai Lake. We were ready for sleep that night.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

We drove back into Te Anau to get a weather update for the area, which was looking better as the days passed. From Te Anau we took the Milford Road north and once again took in the amazing views, from meadows and lupin lined roads, glacier formed valley’s to the mirror lake and mountains forming around us.

 We did a half day hike to Lake Marian which was a tough 3 hour return hike signposted around 7 km from Gunns Camp. We passed over a swing-bridge which led us through forest and to a pretty immense series of waterfalls. The track was steep with a few scrambles up trees and rock fall but the effort was well worth it, and chatting to a few locals they had been informed by a guide that this was perhaps the best half day hike in South Island, New Zealand. A statement!!

Lake Marian is in a hanging valley formed by glacial action, reflecting the Darran Mountains surrounding it. We waited for the low cloud to lift and a few blue spots of sky joined us too. It was pretty amazing and we worked up a good sweat along the way. Heading back was much quicker and less of an effort but we still had to be careful as parts of the path was slippery and steep.

When we left the parking area we drove down to Gunns Camp which had been recommended to us by friends Vic and Dave. It’s a quirky place with a lot of history and a free museum for guests which is well worth a peek. We learned a little about the legend of Davey Gunn aswell as taking some time to photograph the campground with it’s cabins and funny oddities lying around the place. It cost £12 each to stay in our van and they have good cooking facilities and a spacious common room. We enjoyed cooking a pretty fabulous dahl which was taken from the Wholemeal Cookbook purchased in Takaka. We know it was good because our American friends tried it and were raving on about it too! ha ha!

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

We drove from west to east but the distances are never too far in this country. Although when you’re driving Po it does take a little longer! We were heading for the Coromandel Peninsula and it took around 3 hours via Auckland which was a mistake. The road signs over here a little hit and miss! We based ourselves in the Kauaerranga Valley DOC campground at Wainora. The DOC information site there is really good in fact, it seems to be newly built and contains loads of info on the area as you’d expect with the addition of some very helpful staff! We picked up an area hiking map so that we could plan a few hikes whilst on the Peninsula and went off down another gravel dirt path to the 4th campsite on the left.

When we got to the campsite which has some nice tables and fire pits around the camp areas there was one other camper on site. He’s been there for a while already and walked passed us with a freshly killed possum in hand! He just chatted to us as if everything was fairly normal and told us that the hike up was a good one, especially as the sun was out! After settling into camp we got our boots on and hiked up the Waoimu Kauri path. It starts on a fairly easy trail over bridges and streams,  and through dense forest, then come the steps. There are a lot of steps to climb and for the most part we decided to run up them, couldn’t quite manage all of them but weren’t far off.

We reached the Kauri trees after about an hour and fifteen, again big trees that stand out as a phenomenon from the forest around them. The path then continues onwards towards Crosbies Hut, it would take a further 3 hours to reach the hut but we didn’t want to go that far. So we hiked for a further hour through muddy paths, over fallen trees following the orange signs. We then turned around and made our way back to the campground. We only passed 2 other hikers on the route and back at camp no-one else joined us so it was quiet night. Dinner was good; omelette, lentils and pitta bread! Camping meals”us! We hope to get more adventurous!

The next morning we were off again, this time we were heading north. En-route we stopped at Coromandel town to find some wifi and pick up a few food items. Coromandel town is an idyllic seaside town, with a small harbour and old colonial buildings throughout. We found The Chai Teahouse in the centre of town next door to Umo. There is a lovely vibe to this little tea house, old sofas, home-baked delights and a big assortment of chai tea! We opted for the chai and took advantage of their cosiness and wifi offering. They offer the first 30 mins for free and thereafter it should e $6 per hour, we used it for 2.5 hours and only paid for the one, but we did have 2 chai teas and a soup. The staff are really friendly too.

After re-fuelling and getting our much needed blog posts online we set off for the most northern points of the peninsula. It’s quite a long drive although the distance isn’t that much mainly because the last 30km or so is on gravel roads. We stopped off at a few places along the way before eventually arriving at the DOC Port Jackson campsite, this and the previous night had cost $9 each. They have good facilities at this campground including sinks and a sheltered picnic area, plus the other folks camping were friendly locals asking us all sorts of questions and offering advice on where to go in NZ.

We took a round trip 3 hour hike along the coast-line along the Muriwai Coastal track (we notice repetition occurring in name places!). This was another blustery walk with more steps and steep sections, but once agin the views were pretty amazing this time looking out over to the Great Barrier Island. When we reached the metal plate illustrating the places that we were looking out to we turned around and took the road back to the campsite. On our way back we were stopped by staring cows on the hillside and back at camp after dinner the clouds began to clear and we took in the beautiful colours forming fro the sunset. Delicious!

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

We started the day with a trip to a Pak’n'Save, there is one located 10 minutes north of Newmarket, although we stumbled across it. We stocked up with canned goods and a few essentials for cooking, although we would be coming back sooner than anticipated! Then we were set to go, a full tank of fuel set us back $60 and we were on our way north.

We drove up to Whananaki Bay which in total took around 5 hours from leaving with stops for lunch and a few sights along the way. We got our first taste of New Zealands rolling hillsides and for Po it was a chance for us to get her up and down some hills, gravel tracks and highways. The landscape is lush all around with rich greens, tree-life and birds everywhere and we were surprised at how quiet the roads were.

Having picked up a DOC camp guide booked for both North and South Island we picked out a campsite for the night at Whananaki, it’s south of the Bay of Islands and in a remote spot around 30km towards the coast from SH1. When we arrived it was all pretty straight forward, there was a camp host (this we were used to from camping in America) and there were pit toilets (same) but it was much nicer than most of the campsites we’d experience in the USA.

The facilities were really clean, and seemed brand new with cold showers to fit, plus we were right on a bay front. The sand was white and the sea was really calm, we picked out our spot and were proud of our first day out on the road. This campsite cost $8 each with an additional $2 fee for rubbish disposal bags and recycling. We explored the area and watched people trying to fish, we’ve inherited some fishing gear with the van so we’re thinking this is something that would be good to pick up at some stage.

Our first camping meal was left over curry from the night before and we enjoyed a full moon with some long exposures to capture the light over the campsite.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

We got up and spent a good part of the morning sorting out the car, making sure our bags weren’t quite so spread out as Barbara (Dave’s mum) would be joining us for a week from here on. The first part of the day was spent touring back into Point Reyes and out to the lighthouse, where many tourists adventure to. There were quite a few bird watchers on tour so we had to battle a little for the views but not as many people take the 300 steps down to the lighthouse so it was much quieter down there. A humpback whale had been spotted just before we’d arrived but there were no sightings for us. There are lots of rare birds around that area though and the sky was very clear too which is unusual for a mainly foggy  area.

The lighthouse is no longer in use and is a good spot to view from. The steps back up are not quite as enjoyable though but what is pretty unique about this area is that when you’re in Point Reyes you’re also standing on a different tectonic plate. So instead of being on the North American Plate we were standing on the Pacific Plate! You can see the area of land that was formed and ripped apart by the San Andreas Fault.

Moving onwards the road trip continued along Highway 1 taking in some amazing coastal views eventually coming out of the Waldo Tunnel to an amazing view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Before we picked up Dave’s mother for a family road trip, we decided that we should get the car back in tip-top condition, it was rather dirty on the outside as well as inside. Much fast paced fun was to be had at the self-service car wash, even though we managed to miss large patches of dirt on the outside

Upon meeting up with Barbara in the Cow Hollow district we headed out for our first taste of San Francisco walking up Lombard Street towards the famous eight tight hairpin turns which we would try to drive down the following morning. Onwards to Fisherman’s wharf for tacky tourist shops and hoards of tourists where we visited a recommended fish restaurant. The food wasn’t particularly refined but tasted fresh and wasn’t too expensive. Back to the hotel room for an early night ready to head south on the coast tomorrow.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

We left Sisters early and passed through Bend via another Safeway to get some fresh fruit and veg. We didn’t stop in Bend but have heard many a good thing. Our aim was to get to Crater Lake and take the Cascade Lakes Highway en-route. We passed the 3 Sister mountains and took a right off Highway 97 to get onto the route. This is a scenic drive indeed, we drove passed Mt Bachelor and stopped at Sparks Lake to photograph the lush meadow and reflections. We stopped for lunch at another named Crescent Lake, before getting the highway onto Crater Lake.

We came into Crater Lake Park from the south end and drove around the west rim road…Wow!! This place is amazing, the lake is huge and reflects everything around, we couldn’t stop enough to photograph it. It is now a caldera and was Mazama volcano which lies beneath the lake, each time we stopped we read a little more information. The weather was great for us too which also meant even more tourists were out to join us.

After some touring around the rim and more photographing we made our way to Mazama village campsite, it’s not really a village more of a resort for camping and or looking for lodges. It is a nice place though and we paid $19 for a tent spot, it’s also popular passing through point for the Pacific Crest Trail. When we settled into our camp spot we chatted to our friendly neighbours who gave us plenty of firewood, we enjoyed dinner, took showers ($0.75 for 4 minutes and they close at 8pm) and all wrapped up we drove back up to the rim to shoot some long exposures. We were chuffed to see the Milky Way out there too.

The following morning after a pretty good night’s sleep we got up early at 5.50am, packed and we were on our way by 6.25am so we could watch the sunrise over the Lake and do a morning hike. This time we took the eastern road towards the lake and stopped off at some beautiful spots along the way both towards and away from the lake. Again the weather was perfect so we just took advantage of good light and conditions. We found a lovely spot for some breakfast, and then took the 5 mile round trip hike up to the Mount Scott peak which is the highest point in the park at 8929ft. This is the highest we have been together on a hike and as the first people to be up there for the day it felt pretty good. We took in yet again the fantastic views before making our way back down and to the car. On our way out of Crater Lake we stopped at a few more vantage points before eventually making our way to the exit of the park. This was most definitely a very rewarding part of our journey so far.

Next on our list was to get to Florence, backtracking a little bit in terms of heading north again but we wanted to reach the Oregon coast at a certain point. This is where the Dunes are and we didn’t want to miss those. After a long drive we stopped in Eugene at the Fifth Street Public Market for a drink and a place to charge our laptop and batteries. After 2 hours we continued onto Florence and found the campsite Jesse M Honeyman 3 miles after leaving Florence. Again paying our honesty fee, we found a camping spot, bought some wood and set up camp. After long a friendly camper came along to borrow our axe, and after realising the wood was damp and a fire would be unrealistic he invited us to join him and partner Shelby for drinks and a warm fire. Thanks to them we were nice and toasty that evening.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)