The Road is Our Home

Looks like a Motor home trip was what was required for me to return to blogging :-) because I wanted to record this wonderful caravan adventure of five days somewhere other than my mind and Instagram, and I could not think of any other place than a blog to capture the details.

Three of us (My husband, a friend of mine, and I, and of course my little boy of 15 months old) were to go on this trip in the Easter holidays. We picked the Motor home from Queenstown. It was almost a brand new, nice looking 6-Seater that had comprised a kitchen, a bathroom, and 4 ready beds. The dishes, mattress and blankets, towels, kitchen equipment, and most other basic domestic supplies had been provided. Our pretty little house looked all set to welcome us well.

Our motor home

But, as we got inside and tried to settle down, we realized that after having spent the first two days in a large and cozy home in Queenstown, cramming like this wouldn't be easy. But what the heck, we were too eager to get started than let this thought bother. So, soon after having loaded the baggage inside (Gosh! so much of it), we were off. One thing I noticed and was very much impressed with was that although the motor home appeared to have just one small room with a bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom literally conjoined together, as we started making place for our things, we discovered how compactly the van had been designed. We were in awe of the locks had been embedded in each of the doors for the cabinets to remain shut during the drive (the doors would come opening otherwise as the vehicle moved, and I had never really given so much thought into all this), the amount of space that accommodated our huge pile was really surprising. The bathroom was the cutest in which just half a hand could fit, but still accommodated a basin, toilet, mirror, rods, and making some space for a bucket too. Here and there inside the caravan were sufficient mirrors, hooks and hangers to make life convenient, bed-side lamps (my favorite), a kettle, an oven, and a cooking unit. Actually, almost just about everything. And it all looked perfect. However, my only complaint up till now with the motor home seating was I had only a sleepy child for company and lot of noise from the shaking cutlery maybe or the home itself. I don't know.

Our first destination was Lake Wanaka. The first 50 km felt a little too funny with all the shaking and noise, the way I was seated, and that feeling of moving along with your house. We stopped for a quick lunch at Cromwell on the way, felt too lazy to go around exploring the town, so clicked few pictures in front of a giant apple sculpture (can never forget that), admired the long stretches of wineries, and continued with our journey. We stopped for coffee at a place called Puzzling world. Each table had a puzzle, and people and kids could try meddling with that while sipping on the coffee. The coffee was okay, and the puzzles weren't very easy, and the baby wasn't impressed with the place too. So we left in about 20 minutes. I liked the vibe and the uniqueness of the place and would love to visit again, spend some more time tackling the puzzles maybe.

This giant puzzle placed at the entrance of the puzzling world

We reached the camping facility at Lake Wanaka by 4 p.m. It was a clean, decent-sized facility just beneath some hills offering gorgeous views of the surrounding hills. We docked the van, attended to the fixtures (this included connecting the van to a power supply and water supply), and set to make our first coffee on the moving home. As we were provided with sufficient crockery in the van itself, we just had to arrange the ingredients.

Our first picture of and from the motor home

The coffee was had, views soaked in, photos clicked, and the next set of plans for the evening were made. We headed to Lake Wanaka to see the famous 'That Wanaka Tree.' The lake was gorgeous with snow-covered mountains in the backdrop and beautiful tall trees on the shore. Then there was the sky and the lone willow tree in the middle of the lake to complete the perfect picture. Which lake wouldn't look good like that, right!? The Wanaka Tree to me felt like fragile yet strong in its little way, looking tranquil and quite rooted and happy in its spot enjoying the view of the snow-capped mountains around it, unperturbed by the on-goings on the land not very far from it.

The lone warrior

We took a nice long walk by the shore admiring the golden sun shining on those tall trees envying the people who lived in this part of the world. We then headed to a very old and famous pub called Hotel Cardrona located around 30 km away from the town. It was my choice of course after learning that it was the most photographed place around Wanaka (after the tree of course) and more importantly that it was 155 years old. Just a little distance towards the pub we spotted a fence on which hung plenty of what looked like bras. We of course stopped to learn more. Called the bra fence, you will find thousands of old colorful bras here left hanging in support of Breast Cancer awareness. What makes it an attraction is the huge number of bras flapping away freely in the middle of nowhere, all for a cause.

The number of bras hanging was really huge

Hotel Cardrona was a old and gorgeous pub! We weren't sure of having a drink until we got there but knew we wouldn't miss it for anything as soon as we set eyes on the pub. The pub is New Zealand s oldest hotel that also offers accommodation. It has got a unique rustic look and feel to it, has a beer garden with a spectacular fireplace at the center, and a fine menu you could choose from.

Tired but happy us outside Hotel Cardrona 

Our first night in the motor home was not as smooth as expected because it was cold by the time it got dark, we did not have the comfort of a full fledged kitchen for food, and had to walk some distance to use the shared bathrooms. There used to be muddy foot marks inside the motor home each time we stepped out, damp and cold bed covers to deal with, lot of utensils to be washed after the meal, and stepping out in the cold for everything to use their common bathroom facility wasn't very easy. On top of it was a cranky baby demanding food and attention, not the best food to choose from, and lot of compromises to be made. In a day my ideal evening seemed to have toppled and spending the next few days seemed impossible to me. But I somehow managed to fuss and still laugh about it, got to the bed and did sleep like a baby.

I had the Skydive plan the next morning to add to the already unsettled state of mind. After learning that it would be postponed till noon because of the low clouds, I sighed a quick relief, and took my hungry and still confused face back to the van. We spotted the Wanaka lavender farm mid-way and decided to take a look. I was certainly going there even if it wasn't the lavender season, because I like Lavenders or anything to do with plants. My friend had tea and what tasted like lavender cake at the farm's fancy cafe, and we then headed to our farm tour. Except that the lavenders were missing (as it was off season), the place otherwise looked like a postcard.

The lavender fields

Also, on seeing the sun peek out, my hopes (or fears) of skydive returned. So we went back to check if the dive was still happening and returned 3 hours from that place later all alive. :-) (more on sky dive in my next post).

Our next destination was Lake Takepo. The drive to Lake Takepo will be the best in my history of road trips in New Zealand (or rather ever). We crossed the spectacular Lindis peak, clicked a lot of pictures on the near empty roads, grabbed a quick lunch while still in complete awe of the landscape around, admired the few glimpses of Mt. Cook, and finally reached Lake Takepo.

On the way to Lake Takepo

Lake Takepo was beyond any description or pictures. Nothing will do justice to how God has made this place. I will still try. So, imagine a picture-perfect town located beside a lake with jade blue waters (the town is smaller than the lake I am sure), snow-covered peaks in the distance, never-ending expanse of either clear blue, purplish-pink, or star-studded skies (depending on the time of the day and your luck), giant willow trees lining the lake, beautiful yellow fall leaves strewn around as if in some pattern (because we visited in Autumn), and the most beautiful church I have set my eyes upon. Our camping facility was right next to the lake offering a perfect combination of all the above. One could probably just sit out there gazing at the scenery, sipping coffee all evening, only it wasn't that cold. We did not do much the first evening as we were worn out from our long day, and then we had our motor home challenges to deal with for the evening. We did manage to cook something warm and delicious and did try to have a better evening compared to the first one. :D

The next morning we woke up leisurely but not too late for the fear of missing on the coffee with the early morning view (this is my favorite bit in the trips) as we did not have a lot planned for the day. And I did enjoy my coffee sitting on the bed watching the fog slowly rise above the lake exposing bit by bit the pristine mountains.

Morning view at Lake Tekaepo

We decided to enjoy breakfast that morning outside our van on the chairs we had specifically rented out for this purpose, basking in the winter sun, relishing the egg and ham sandwiches. From then on I decided that every holiday must definitely have one such day dedicated to relaxed breakfasts and absolutely no other agenda (my travels usually are about checking off from a long list of to dos).

Our breakfast scene - I waving, Husband trying to pose, mt friend meddling with the drone, and baby confused. :-)

 We then set off to see Lake Pukaki. We had seen some amazing pictures of Lake Pukaki and were expecting quite a bit from that place. Turns out that those colorful flowers called Lupine which makes the lake look dramatic grows in Summers only. So without that the lake looked ordinary, and also because of the thick fog that was still lying low, we did not get to see much of it. 

How we saw Lake Pukaki

With nothing else to do, we decided to drive towards Mt. Cook in the hope of spotting some views of the mountain (I know, we just getting greedy for the views right!). The road to Mt. Cook was just like out of a post card. Mountains in the distance, the beautiful blue lake running alongside, trees shedding the yellow leaves, and a fine mixture of sun and fog all around. It almost felt like we were gliding along with the clouds. Without much success on the views, we returned to the city. I fed boy sitting on a bench by the lake showing him all the blessed sights around.  He did seem all happy enjoying his yogurt, the views, the breeze, and some strangers waving at him. Towards my right was a bridge, below which the old gorgeous church was located. Called  'The Church of the Good Shepherd,' the church is one of most simple and beautiful churches I have ever seen or will ever see in life I believe. Absolutely no grandeur, but just a quaint little structure built of stones. Built as a memorial to the pioneers of the Mackenzie region, this church exudes so much serenity. And the view from inside the church was so just surreal, that it did feel like a place where one could see and speak to God. As we were not allowed to click any pictures from the inside, we really had to make sure to etch this surreal image on our minds forever; and I am glad it was that way. Not even the best of the cameras would be able to justify what one would see and experience from inside the church.

Front view of the Church of the Good Shepherd

We returned to our van feeling refreshed, made coffee and had it with a bunch of delicious croissants seated on a bench outside our caravan overlooking the church and lake. These bits are my favorite and cannot get skipped from the documentation. :D

I had booked a stargazing tour that evening which was scheduled to begin at 7:15 p.m. I luckily got to enjoy a clear sky that night and even better without the moon. Apparently a brighter moon would mean that the stars get slightly obscure. The 1.5 hour tour taught me a bit about stars and galaxies. I was able to spot the milky way which felt so so wonderful. I returned feeling really grateful and glad to have chosen the tour. The Mackenzie dark sky reserve runs throughout the highway up till Fairlie where one can stop and gaze at the night skies and spot these wonders. However, booking a tour would teach you a lot of other things including a bit of viewing from the telescopes as well.

The next morning we started early to our next destination called Oamaru. We had chosen this place specifically to see the blue penguins - smallest species of penguins native to the coastal towns of South Island in New Zealand. How happy I am now that we chose it! Because, I fell in love with the town instantly. It had a very different vibe about it altogether. It was very different from any of the places we have visited in New Zealand. Most buildings were really old, vintage shops (and not just one or two, almost a street full of them, and with some of the wackiest stuff), strange looking boards and buildings, some of the best looking cafes, and those big wheeled bicycles.

The Old Harbour street of Oamaru

Our camping facility at Oamaru was small and quiet. The kitchen and bathrooms were old fashioned but neat. We headed to the penguin colony around 5:30 as that is when the penguins are expected to return to the shores (I know it sounds planned, but it is not). A nesting place has been set up in the colony to house the penguins. The penguins come swimming to the shore at sharp 6 p.m. in herds and rush to their nesting spots. The number varies everyday. The seating arrangement has been made near the shore so that people can watch the penguins cross to get to their nesting spots. After about a hour, most penguins had arrived and retreated to their nesting spots. We left the place with happy memories, grabbed dinner, and returned to our resting spot.

The only picture I have of the penguin colony as no pictures could be clicked inside

The next morning we left our facility as early as possible as we had to cover quite some distance to reach Christchurch from where we would fly back home the next day. On the way we stopped and visited the quiet and beautiful St. Patrick's church. The streets were quite empty and I was able to click this picture of the church and that pretty blue sky. 

Try and spot the moon :-)

We reached Christchurch by 4 p.m. and it was time to goodbye to our moving home. In addition to all that driving, parking, seeing around, cooking, and eating in the caravan, there constantly are a set of chores to attend to when staying in a motor home. Stocking up on water, charging the batteries, emptying the septic tank, and cleaning the van each morning. All those beautiful looking autumn leaves would stick to our soles and enter the van just making the area very dusty. But it was my temporary home and I didn't mind fixing it up again and again at all. :) And when I look back now, I must say I did manage to have a pretty good time in that small four wheeled house. It was definitely a dream come true as I had always wanted to travel in a caravan ever since I had read about it in Enid Blyton books. To add to it, I had some splendid views, great weather, good wine, good food, and most importantly the best company to keep me going despite the occasional glitches and discomfort. How could it not be memory for life then!?