Maclean's Reserve - A Spot to Stop Near Mot

Between Motueka and Tapawera is Maclean's Recreation Area - a large freedom camping spot, suitable for campers big and small (including tents). 

When we arrived I was surprised to see so much empty space - there were only a few campers. I'm guessing some were a family group, because close to their camper-van were several tents. And other than us, there were only a couple of buses parked near the end of the reserve.

The river was noticeably clean, and ideal for all ages and abilities - slow flowing with a few deep holes, perfect for paddling or swimming. What a bonus finding a river unaffected by toxic algae. 

Oakly and Boo love; having freedom to roam, to explore new places, to discover new smells, and during the warmer months cooling off in the river, is the icing on the cake. 

Oakly 

As the dogs scope out the area, I enjoy fossicking about, looking at the vegetation, watching insects, finding stones, in fact I enjoy checking a place out, as much as the dogs do.

While I was debating whether to have a swim or not, an inflatable boat came floating by.

It was packed with gear and the couple on board, waved out as they passed. They said they were searching for a spot further downstream to pull into, to camp for the night. 

When we left the reserve, I kept an eye out for the couple in their boat and eventually spotted them pulled in beside a little sandy beach. It seemed they'd found what they were looking for - a perfect place to pitch their tent.

Not long after, we arrived in Motueka and went to the NZMCA park, wondering if we might have left it too late and we'd find it was full. Fortunately we arrived just at the right time as there were only a few spots left. And what a bonus, it was a beaut spot at the edge of the park with a nice, flaxy outlook.

Later in the afternoon a cute, little visitor hopped by, and wasn't at all fazed by us. Luckily the dogs were snoozing or they would have been keen for a chase (not that I would have let them).

As the sun was setting we wandered around the estuary. 

Of course the dogs were fizzing because they could smell rabbits and were zipping in and out of bushes. And when they eventually reappeared ... they'd changed colour! They were covered in thick, black, smelly mud! Bernie was not at all impressed. 😂 LOL

Luckily there was a tap nearby so I was able to get most of the mud off. 

After a nice, warm shower back in the bus, both dogs smelt divine and ended the night tired and content after their day of adventuring.

Seeing Red

People stopped in their tracks to watch this evening's sunset. Logs that had been washed ashore made great front row seats. 

It was Valentine's Day, and nature acknowledged it by painting the town beach red.

And ... just when I thought it couldn't possibly get any brighter, it did!

The tide was on its way out and the shallow channels of water looked like rivers of lava.

I thought the sky would gradually fade to diluted shades of red but instead it changed to amber.

And never far from my side were my shadows - my dogs. They sat beside me, enjoying the cool night air.  

Such a special way to spend Valentine's evening.

Bike Ride With My Best Buddy

Whenever I say the word 'bike' to Oakly he gets all excited. He adores being in the buddy rider on the front of my bike. It gives him a great view, with new smells, plus we often stop so he can stretch his legs and explore.

Monaco was the destination for this ride and we struck it lucky to have the tide in, so we got to see some reflections.

Looking from Monaco towards Richmond, across Waimea Inlet. 

The Honest Lawyer - a great place to stay in your motorhome.

The beach was our first stop and Oakly chased and dug up stones, which is his favourite thing to do.

It was a stunning Nelson spring day, with a cloudless, blue sky and many delicious smells of blossom wafting about.

When evening arrived, it brought with it a lovely warm glow.

And as the sun set over Monaco it began with a golden glow before ending with splashes of pinks and mauves.

Two Firsts

Last night, Dan, the weatherman, forecast severe winds for Canterbury. We knew if things got too breezy we could bring in the slide-ins and lower the TV dish. However the mechanism to lower the dish is activated when the truck moves, so we needed to hitch up to the truck.While we were hitching up, we decided we might as well pack up and move on. After all, we’d only planned to stay a week at Weedons and 14 days later we were still there.

A few people had suggested ‘Wakanui Beach’ as a nice place to stay. It’s east of Ashburton, near the mouth of the Ashburton River - right on the foreshore. It would be our first taste of freedom camping.

About an hour down the road we were there. This time we took our time choosing a spot. We checked where north was so we were facing the right way for TV reception (not that we’d put the dish up for the first night with the predicted severe winds). Secondly we found a level spot that was facing the correct way for the expected wind.

That done, we set up. With breath-taking sea views and not a living soul in sight, we sat down to enjoy a relaxing cuppa. It was then I realized we had no cell phone coverage. Eeek, would that mean no Internet too?

So, not only was it to be our first freedom camping experience, it was also the first place we’ve been without Internet. Bernie didn’t think I’d last long.

The view from the dining room windows.

The beach was definitely inviting – isolated with crashing waves. So I took the dogs for a walk. We stumbled across a seal lazing on the grass bank. He didn’t seem too bothered by us and the dogs knew to leave him/her alone.

 Roundish flat stones covered the beach, so there was no rolling in the sand for Boo.

While we were getting dinner ready, a Chilean tourist with limited English appeared. He had parked further along and locked his keys in his car. He said he hopped out of his car to shut the passenger door properly and as he did the wind slammed the driver's door closed. The keys were in the ignition and all the doors had locked. So it was Bernie to the rescue.

As I’m writing this, I’m sitting on the couch with a view of the Pacific Ocean. The sky is cloaked in dark grey cloud with small patches of white. I’m hoping for a stunning sunset but it looks to be too cloudy.

I can hear the sea. Every few seconds it seems to be louder as waves thunder against the shore. I wish I had a way with words, like poets have. This place would be paradise for anyone wanting time alone, time to think, to write and/or to have a break.

And to compliment the sound of the sea are birds twittering as they settle in for the night. I’ve seen ducks in a tiny lagoon beside us, and have noticed swallows and sea birds. But I’m yet to identify which ones are chirping up a storm.

And speaking of storms … there isn’t any sign of the predicted wild winds. In fact there’s hardly a breeze. Or could it be ‘the calm before the storm?’

Fast forward 24 hours …

The severe wind has past, and it’s still darn windy and cold outside at the moment.

I woke at 4am and decided the wind must have gone around us, then half an hour later, boom, it hit. Once we had pulled the slide-ins in, the noise lessened and we were able to sleep until sunrise. By then it had eased and we were in for a sunny day.

The sea was rough but other than that there was no evidence that a storm had blown through. And that night we were treated to a stunning sunset.

Mot's the Spot!

Bernie left early Friday morning to take the rig to Marchwood Park in Motueka. I had to work so I followed around 5 o'clock. When I arrived everything was set up which was a bonus - even the awning had been put up. 
On the way over, I stopped at Ruby Bay to give the dogs a run.

Next morning I got up before sunrise to photograph the iconic 'Janie Seddon'. I'm not sure if it was such a good idea to take the dogs. The little ones got in the mud on the foreshore and were smothered in it. Boo actually got stuck in it!

The Janie Seddon was built in the United Kingdom in 1903. That same year she was brought out to New Zealand as a submarine mine laying vessel based in Wellington. 
In 1936 Talley's Fisheries purchased the ship to be used as a fishing trawler. However vessels the size of Janie Seddon weren't permitted to operate in the coastal waters of Tasman Bay. Her operating radius was limited by a 5 day coal bunker which often meant she would return with empty coal bunkers and half empty holds.
In 1950 she was laid up at the Motueka Wharf and five years later stripped of everything valuable and beached on the Motueka foreshore.  

I walked the dogs along the beach front hoping to rid them of some mud. In the end I drove to the Mot River and shampooed them.

Marchwood Park proved to be a great place to stay. There was all day entertainment in the form of horse jumping, parachuting and several planes practising taking off and landing.

The dogs seemed to enjoy their view from the couch.

Not far down the road are the historical salt baths. Too cold for a dip this time of the year though.

Some time during the 1920's the Motueka Beach was thought to be too dangerous for swimming due to sharks. Money was raised and in1926 an area was enclosed using shark proof fencing. This rusted away so in 1938 a pool was made with three concrete walls - the floor remained sandy. At high tide the pool would fill up, however over several years it filled up with sand. This resulted in a fourth wall and a concrete floor being added.

In the evening I went to the marina to get some photos of reflections as the sun was setting.

I couldn't resist popping back to the 'Janie Seddon' to get some shots in the evening light.

On Sunday morning we woke to horses neighing. The show jumping beside us had started.

We took the dogs for a walk along the beach. A trendy thing to do while at the beach seems to be to make a driftwood tepee. 

When we stay at a place we like to collect wild flowers. This was our 'Mot' lot.

Marchwood Park was a great place to stay. Many people living full time on the road choose this spot to 'winter over'. This large park has several gravel parking spots and areas beneath trees which would be perfect during the hot summer months. Plus it's suitable for all size motorhomes. Being close to town and providing free entertainment from your campervan windows are an added bonus.

View from the lounge window.

Being beside the airport was great!