Eight Mile Track

The Eight Mile track is just over 12 kilometres from Murchison township. Heading west, turn left onto Fairfax Street, this street joins onto Matakitaki Road (which is where this walk begins).

The track could be missed as the sign is relatively small and on the left hand side of a bend.

We walked the track in spring, and it was obvious not many people had used it over the winter months. 

The path was smothered in soft, velvety moss and tiny, beech leaves.

We followed the creek for 500 metres or more before climbing upwards.

Luckily for the dogs this track didn't have any DOC signs or any indication they weren't allowed.

There were a couple of patches we had to skirt around to miss the mud. Bernie and I managed to, but the dogs plodded straight through.

The trees had moss dangling from their branches creating a magical landscape.

Going by the look on the dogs's face ... they all enjoyed themselves.

This is a great walk that will get your heart beating - it's half an hour or more uphill.

Murchison Bushwalks

Before breakfast, I took Paddy and Oakly for a drive hoping to find somewhere they could have a walk. Boo wouldn't come with us - she wanted to stay in bed with Bernie.

I found a quiet road and parked the ute. It was threatening to rain so it wasn't a long walk but at least the dogs got to stretch their legs and get some fresh air.

I went for a drive to find any places suitable for walking the dogs before heading back to the rig. There are some beaut swimming holes around.

The township has a few heritage buildings scattered around, we'll go to the museum tomorrow and find out some local history.

Murchison can lay claim to where the world's first suicide bombing occurred. After a long standing dispute between two farmers (Walter Neame and Joseph Sewell), the two men went to court in an attempt to settle their differences. Sewell strapped himself with sticks of gelignite and blew himself up outside the Murchison Courthouse on the 14 July 1905. It was reported worldwide an the 'Murchison Tragedy'.

We had several visitors during the morning and by lunchtime the sun had come out. Charlotte (who we met last night) left to go to Nelson so we waved her good-bye - she drove off as though she'd driven her bus for years.

After looking online for some walks in the area I grabbed the camera and set off.

The first walk was 'Johnson's Creek Track'. It's located 6km along a gravel road called Matakitaki West Bank Road (1km west of Murchison). The track follows a creek to a big slip which was formed in the 1929 Murchison earthquake. At one part of the track an orange marker on a tree indicates to cross the creek. Due to the amount of rain recently the creek was too high to cross so I had to turn back.

On the drive back a wild, black cat streaked across the road. I stopped and searched for it but it was nowhere to be seen. Probably a good thing I couldn't find it - 3 dogs and a feral cat might be a bit challenging!

Luckily these twin kids had their mum not far away or they too might have been encouraged to come home with me.

The next walk was the 'Skyline walk'. It also starts off from Matakitaki West Bank Road. The track is 3kms and zig zags uphill through native bush to the skyline.

I had a couple of feathery friends to keep me company along the way.

First Day On The Road

What a busy few days. Even though we’ve been preparing for this day for months (actually two years!), the last week has been hectic. We’ve stuck to our ‘To Do’ list and as we’ve ticked things off, we’ve added more. And then made extra lists! It seemed to go on and on.

But, it was worth all the effort as we drove away knowing the house was left spotless for the tenant to enjoy.

Saying goodbye to family was something I wasn’t looking forward to. But as someone said, ‘It’s not good-bye – it’s see ya later’. I like that. I’m so grateful our family is excited and supportive of our new adventure.

It was hard to sleep the night before we left. We were both excited and eager to get going.

By 10am we were sorted. The house was tip-top and we were packed and ready to leave. We said good-bye to the neighbours and then I went to say good-bye to Becs. I kept it brief because I knew I’d sob like a baby!

After filling the rig with water, we were on our way. I stopped at Wakefield to give the dogs a run and then stopped at the top of the Spooners to catch Bernie to check all was going well.

We arrived at the NZMCA park in Murchsion around 1 o’clock. What a great site. Lots of space to park on flat gravel. It’s $3/night per person, max. 7 nights.

It didn’t take us long to set up and put the dog fencing around. Then we made a cuppa and relaxed for half an hour before heading out to take the dogs for a walk beside the river.

After dinner we had a visit from Charlotte who is traveling with her dog and two cats in her 11.5 metre bus. She tows a dolly which transports her car behind the bus. What an inspiring person. She bought the bus in June and had never driven a larger vehicle like that before. After buying it she got her HT licence and ever since has been learning as she goes.

How Do They Know?

The dogs know something's up. Paddy has gone off his food. Oakly is clinging to me and as much as he loves visiting our neighbour, Sarah, she said he doesn't stay long now - he's anxious to get home. Boo has always been a home body (so no changes there) but she's lost her appetite as well. Perhaps the packing has unsettled them?

In between spells of heavy rain, we managed to get out to the rig with some kitchen bits 'n pieces. Items such as; bowls, platters, serving dishes, tea towels etc. We found places for everything, although I'm sure we'll rearrange it once we're on the road.

Before we headed back home we sat and enjoyed time with the dogs. They were both settled. Oakly likes to sit on the step and catch any new smells wafting by. It's a good spot to watch the world pass by too. Boo prefers to sit up on top of a lounge chair. She's got a good view from there, plus it's nice and comfy.

And Paddy likes his own space in the back of the truck. It's spacious, cosy and safe. All things that Paddy loves.

The new NZMCA Travel Directory arrived in the mail the other day. We had a quick look through to see if there were any new places to stay in the Nelson region that were dog-friendly. We saw a POP site out at Spring Grove we hadn't noticed before. So we decided to drive out and check it out, as we'd considered spending the last night in Nelson there.

It's only a coin donation(max. 3 nights) and dogs are allowed. There's a large, flat, grassy area in the front of the hall which would be great for parking - if the weather was fine.

Behind the hall there's a small gravel area where a couple of large vehicles could park on. There's water available too. It looked like an ideal place to stay and one we'll keep in mind.

Two - Dog Rule

This morning Bernie and I went to the Richmond Motorhome and Caravan Park to enquire about staying two nights. It’s only 10 minutes from home and we thought we could stay there for a few days when we leave the house to begin our new lifestyle. We wanted to be out of the house but close enough to pop back for a few days to ensure everything was top notch for the tenant.

The hostess ‘Rose’ welcomed us warmly and explained their campground had recently made a rule - only two dogs allowed.

Eeek. That’s us out. I really hope this won’t be a new trend.

You might be thinking … three dogs are a lot. And we agree, at times they are. But we love them to bits and when we got the third one we were living on a 5-acre lifestyle property on the West Coast. We hadn’t imagined we’d end up ‘living on the road’. Still, no regrets, they’re family.

We’ll make it work. It’ll just mean sometimes we’ll need a plan B.

So what is this plan B? We’re not completely sure yet, but it’ll go something like this – find a place to freedom camp, search for a spot that allows three dogs and/or throw the problem out there on the Facebook group ‘Motorhoming with Pets in N.Z.’. That group is amazing!

Here’s a brief summary of each of our dogs; Paddy, Oakly & Boo.

PADDY

Paddy (an Irish Water Spaniel) is our ‘special’ boy. Paddy joined our family when he was 8 weeks old with all the worries of the world on his shoulders. To look at Paddy, he appears confident, extra LARGE and snuggly. And he is all of these things when he’s at home with us. Paddy adores running flat out over wide-open places, swimming in rivers or the sea. He loves the back of the truck and going for drives. Unfortunately Paddy is extremely anxious around people, it takes him months to let someone new near him.

OAKLY

Oakly is a happy go lucky, friendly bichon/foxie cross. He loves life, loves people, and adventures. Nothing worries him. His favourite things are cats, linen cupboards, going for walks and meeting people and dogs. He has been known to jump in people’s cars at the beach wanting to go for a ride with them. Oakly has that special ability to read people’s emotions. If someone is anxious or unwell he will snuggle quietly beside them and lie with that person for however long it takes.

BOO

Boo’s the smallest and the youngest of the three dogs. She’s the boss. Boo needs to know where everyone is and relaxes once we’re altogether. When she was a pup she could escape from any enclosure. We came out of the supermarket once and she was sitting on the bonnet of the truck waiting for our return. Many times we would come home to find Boo sitting on the dog proof fence, waiting for us and mocking us. Perhaps one of her greatest escapes was running away from a rural ‘Doggy Day Care’. She managed to run across numerous farm paddocks, swim across a river, run miles along the beach and navigate her way through town to find her way home.

Each of our dogs has their own unique personality. We love them dearly. To us they are family. I’m grateful we have an opportunity to enjoy life on the road with them and hopeful not too many places will have restrictions on the number of dogs allowed.

First To Resign

Bernie won! He was the first to resign. And here he is on his last day of work.

This is the happy face of a man who is about to begin an early retirement.

I went to resign yesterday but the principal was away. This morning when I tried to do the same he was busy organising the school production. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get an opportunity.

Renting the house proved easier than we thought. Around 50 people were interested in the property. Many seemed to be potentially excellent tenants with outstanding references. One offered to pay a years rent up front.

A lady, Jay, from Masterton rang and asked if she could view the property earlier than the proposed weekend we had set aside for viewing. We agreed. So she flew to Nelson the following Monday and liked the place. And we liked her. So Jay and her dog Bentley, are soon to be our new tenants.