Up Ship Creek

If you're travelling up (or down) the West Coast, it's worth putting aside a couple of hours to visit Ship Creek. It's about 20kms north of Haast. 

Ship Creek (Tauparikaka)

After I'd parked the bus, a couple travelling in a campervan came over to chat. They'd noticed I was travelling with dogs. And regrettably, they'd left their pooch at home, as they knew many areas of the West Coast were managed by DOC. They couldn't believe how restricting DOC are with dogs. I totally agreed!

Anyway, here I was at Ship Creek, and another DOC sign stated 'No Dogs'. So, Oakly and Boo stayed in the bus while I went to explore.

There are two walks at Ship Creek. The 'Kahikatea Swamp Forest Walk' and the 'Dune Lake Walk'. Both are easy, loop walks.

I decided to walk through the ancient swamp forest, which runs alongside Ship Creek. Being tannin stained, the water was a chocolate-brown colour, which enhanced the reflections.

You might be wondering how Ship Creek got its name. I thought it might be associated with the gold rush days. And thanks to 'Google' I found the answer. Ship Creek was named after a large fragment, belonging to a ship, was discovered at the mouth of Tauparikaka Creek. The wooden debris was unusual and hadn't been seen in New Zealand before, so its source was unknown. Over the years, other remnants were washed up and the mystery was solved. It turned out they were fragments off a sailing clipper named 'Schomberg.'  In 1855, the Schomberg set sail on its maiden voyage, from Liverpool to Melbourne. Originally, the Schomberg was described as the finest and fastest ship in the world. James 'Bully' Forbes, the captain, boasted that he'd reach Melbourne in 60 days. However after becoming becalmed, the voyage extended to 80 days. Then alas, the Schomberg ran aground after hitting a sand bar and its 300 passengers, stepped ashore in Victoria. Fragments of the ship drifted in all directions and some were discovered on a West Coast beach in the South Island. And that's how Ship Creek got its name.

New Zealand's tallest trees, kahikateas, seem to thrive in the swampy habitat.

Kahikateas (white pines)

The walk looped back to the start and I soon found myself back at the lookout tower (by the carpark). Nearby are picnic tables, toilets and a few information boards. I climbed up the two levels of the lookout tower to be rewarded with 360 degree views. 

View from the tower

I decided not to walk the Dune Lake track as I didn't want to leave the dogs in the bus for too long. Besides, that walk could wait for another time. So, instead I wandered along the beach, taking photos of reflections over the glass-like water.

The photo below shows the start of the Dune Lake Walk. It crosses over windswept sand dunes before it heads into a dense coastal forest, with stunted, wind-swept trees.

Goodbye Otago ... Hello West Coast

After leaving Albert Town, we headed to the West Coast. Plan A had been to spend a night at Lake Hawea, but after losing the dogs, I decided it was time to leave rabbit country.

Before long, the countryside morphed into the wonderful West Coast - wild and remote. The trees had changed from deciduous to native. Our first stop was at Boundary Creek, off SH6.

Boundary Creek Campsite is located on the shores of Lake Wanaka. There's lots of sheltered spots to camp, flush toilets, fresh water, and dogs are allowed. 

Although, we hadn't planned on staying overnight, we spent some time exploring.

There are so many things I love about the South Island, and one of them, is how quickly the landscape can change. Half an hour ago, in all directions, there were the stunning colours of autumn (and rabbits!) and now, 30 minutes further on, all around was every shade of green. 

Another change was the temperature! It had dropped and rain wasn't far away. 

The shore line was smothered in coloured rocks, they'd be the perfect colour for skinks to camouflage amongst. 

A sturdily built driftwood hut, had the perfect view, looking down the lake. And all around was driftwood and not a single rabbit in sight!

Once the dogs had sniffed everything, and stretched their legs, we continued on to Haast.

'Haast Pass-Makaroa Road' has several short walks to waterfalls, but we only stopped at Fantail Falls. DOC has provided lots of room to park and the walk to the waterfall, only took a couple of minutes. Fantail Falls (a 23 metre waterfall), is fed by Fantail Creek and falls in the Haast River. There's an information board, which explains the area's history and how the road was made.

When the Haast highway was being constructed a Pelton water wheel was placed at the bottom of Fantail Falls to generate energy for driving compressors to power some of the road making machinery. The concrete foundation of the water wheel can still be found at Fantail Falls. 

Haast was our destination. I booked in at the 'Haast River Motels and Holiday Park' for a night. It was forecast to rain the next day and being on the West Coast, I thought it might be a good idea to charge up the batteries incase I had a few days of wet weather. Plus, I needed to do some washing. This would be the first time I plugged into power since leaving Nelson.

With an arm load of washing I headed to the laundry. Once I'd turned the machine on, I walked back to the bus. As I turned the corner, I saw we had visitors. Not the human variety, nor any of the rabbit family ... but chickens! Super friendly, inquisitive chooks.

They were extra neighbourly because the guy camping beside us was feeding them. He gave me a container of pellets, so I could feed them too. Not that they needed any encouraging, they were happy to saunter around the bus tantalising the dogs. And needless to say, Oakly didn't get much sleep again that night! Haha

I Lost My Dogs!

I'm sure every dog owner's worst nightmare would be if their dog went missing. Well, my nightmare came true. I lost my dogs! Not just one but both dogs! 

Before I share this latest ordeal, let's start from the beginning.

This post, follows the one about driving over the Crown Range. The Crown Range experience happened in the morning, then around midday we were in Wanaka, and late afternoon we arrived at Albert Town. Which proves, a lot can happen in just one day!

Now Albert Town is another place you could easily spend a week exploring. I didn't do it any justice by only spending a night there.

Just to the left, over the Albert Town Bridge, is the Albert Town Campground, which was where I planned to stay. It's located on the banks of the Clutha River and costs $10 per person/night. 

There was an empty area near the river which looked perfect. I reversed in and got myself reasonably level, turned the bus off and then turned the gas on. The spot was great. My views were of the Clutha River and the Albert Town Bridge. As I was waiting for the jug to boil, I spotted a sign, which I must have driven passed without noticing. I walked over to check it out. 'No Camping Beyond This Point' Ha! So, that's why this ideal spot was empty.

So, back in the bus, and a few hundred metres further on, close to the river was another idyllic looking spot. Another bus was parked a little further on (so, it must be okay), plus I checked for signs - no signs about. All looked good. 

Perfect, I could now put my feet up, enjoy a cuppa and reflect on that bl***dy Crown Range experience. And, while I was doing just that, another thought popped up ... was I parked too close to the river? It was a fast flowing river, and it looked as though I was almost level with it. What if there was a flash flood? 

Seriously Katrina, who has these thoughts out of nowhere? But, it was now lodged in my brain, niggling away. 

So I took a photo of the river from inside the bus and sent it to Bernie. He said, I'd probably be fine, but for peace of mind it wouldn't take much to drive to a higher spot.

And, for the hundredth time, I appreciated how simple it was to be able to move. When we had the big rig, it would have been a mission. But, with the bus, all I did, was jump in the driver's seat and move another few hundreds metres upward!

While finishing my now luke warm cuppa, I noticed a couple of people walking their dogs. Both were off leads, so I (wrongly) thought there can't be any rabbits about, otherwise the dogs would've be on leads. Not wanting Oakly and Boo to miss out on a chance to explore, I grabbed the camera and the three of us set off for a sunset adventure. 

I found what looked to be a good spot to take a photo and as I lifted the camera to my face, the dogs, in sync, used that exact moment to bolt. Had they planned this??? Who knew they could even run that fast?!

In a split second they'd charged down a bank. And my theory that there weren't any rabbits about was blown! Suddenly, there were white, fluffy tails bobbing in all directions. I tried calling the dogs, but it was a complete waste of time. So, I scrambled down the bank, after them, but they were no-where to be seen! They'd gone ... miraculously disappeared! I couldn't even hear them, surely there would be snapping twigs or crunching leaves as they sped through the undergrowth. But nothing! Absolute zilch! 

I called, I looked, I called, I searched and I then I panicked! Every time I stepped on something that made a noise, I startled more rabbits. A scene, which at first glance, appeared to be rabbit-free was actually infested with them - they seemed to materialise from all directions!

The sun was setting and I knew it wouldn't be long before I'd be searching in the dark. I raced up a nearby bank, to a path that ran above the river. All the time, calling and searching. But, there were no signs of the dogs ... only more rabbits!

After about twenty minutes (it felt like 20 hours!), I spotted Boo in the distance. I couldn't believe it - she was the one I thought would disappear down a rabbit hole. She's the smaller of the two and has been down a few holes before.

Once Boo was safely in my arms, I continued calling out to Oakly. I couldn't see any sign of him. My fear was, Oakly would run from rabbit, to rabbit, to rabbit and continue for miles! 

Then, in the distance, I heard a man shouting 'I've found your dog!' I could not have been more relieved! Or surprised, I thought I was the only one there. I followed the man's voice as he kept calling out to me. Eventually I found him, standing above a bank - pointing towards the river.

He told me he'd seen a dog go down a rabbit hole in the side of the bank. As I looked to where he was pointing, I couldn't see anything, just a bank with lots of rabbit holes. I asked, was he sure it was a dog and not a rabbit? He was certain it was a dog.

Holding Boo tightly, I clambered down the bank. The guy followed me and pointed out the the hole. Although, it had a decent size opening, when I looked inside, there was nothing. Just darkness. I called and called Oakly's name, but absolutely nothing - no noise, no movement - nothing!

However, the guy was very convincing and swore Oakly had gone down the hole. There was only one thing to do. I started digging. The guy offered to hold Boo while I dug (if I had of put Boo down, she would have been off again!) So I started to dig, and then the hole veered to the right ...

And bugger me ... there was Oakly! Well Oakly's face. He must of gone in and turned around. How big was this hole!? Every inch of Oakly was covered in dirt! He wasn't keen to come out - I'm not sure if he thought he was in trouble or whether he knew he was on to a good thing, and didn't want to abandon ship.

Thankfully, he came out. And I couldn't thank that guy enough! What were the chances!!!!!

With a dog, tucked securely under each arm, I eventually got back to the bus. By then it was dark. And as I mentioned earlier, the river was fast flowing, so I couldn't take the dogs down to wash them, if it was still light, I would've found a shallow spot, but I wasn't about to try my luck in the dark.

So I brushed off as much dirt as I could, rubbed the dogs down with a towel and filled a bowl with water and washed them as well as I could. 

By this time, I'd missed several phone calls from Bernie. He would of been wondering why I wasn't answering. But I wasn't quite ready to tell him what had happened ... first I needed a wine or two. 

That night, I lay in bed, with a dog snuggled up on either side of me. I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking how close I'd been to losing our little buddies! Between the Crown Range trip and this rabbit adventure, it was a day I wouldn't forget in a hurry.

And, to rub salt into the wounds, one of the dogs began snoring! A deep, loud and relaxing snore! Obviously their day had only tired them out! Not an ounce of remorse for those puppies...haha. 

That Bl****dy Hill!

'Go to Wanaka" they said. 'It'll be fun' they said!

And, they were right, Wanaka was fun. But getting there was another story! And another great lesson was about to unfold (crickey, how many lessons were there going to be on this trip???). 

Lesson 101:  "Check the map thoroughly BEFORE setting off!!!".

As I left Queenstown I followed the road signs directing me to Wanaka. Ahead was a sign indicating Wanaka was the next left turn. The corner was a sharp one, and the road I was about to turn into, was narrow, so I slowed down while being mindful of the cars behind me.

Once I'd turned off the main road, I saw another sign - 'Not recommended for towing vehicles'. And that's when a red flag went up!  Eeeek, It's gotta be steep!  My next thought was to pull over and google how long and how steep this road was going to be. And there was my next predicament. There was no where to pull over!!! The road was narrow, steep, steep, windy, zig-zaggy and have I mentioned, STEEP!

Bloody hell...I was only in second gear and even then the bus was struggling! There were cars behind me, and I had a gut-feeling their conversations about 'that bus' in front wouldn't have been all that encouraging.

Even if I'd wanted to turn back I couldn't. And believe me, I REALLY wanted to turn back! So onwards and upwards we chugged - ever so very, very slowly.

And as the hill (mountain) got longer, so too, did the trail of cars behind me. I had a feeling that it wouldn't be long before one of the cars would get frustrated with the sluggish pace and try and over take. And sure enough, just before a bend, that's exactly what one impatient driver did. And as luck (or no luck) would have it, a car happened to be coming down hill at that exact time. There was no room to spare, just a lot of braking and horn blasting from the downhill vehicle, and an impressive burst in speed from the overtaking vehicle. I don't even know how it got between me and the oncoming car (I had shut my eyes by that stage!). Miraculously, there wasn't an accident and that bit of drama kept the trail of cars compliantly behind me.

After about 20 minutes, I saw a spot where I could pull over. Far out ... my relief was audible! And the line of cars that went passed lasted a whole lot longer than I'd imagined! That never-ending succession of vehicles, would have made a great front page photo, and  an excellent conversation starter!

Making sure the handbrake was firmly on, I jumped out to get some fresh air (and calm my nerves), and eventually I began to admire the view. It was pretty darn impressive.

I grabbed my phone to google 'Crown Range' but alas I was out of range (excuse the pun!)

Before long a car pulled in behind me, so I asked the driver if he happened to know this area. Turned out, he did. He told me, if I'd been driving a car, I'd probably have about 10 minutes of driving till I reached the top. And then with amusement (all his), he pointed out, as I was in a bus, I had a least another 20 minutes or even more before I reached the top!  And with a smug grin, he asked me, not to carry on until he got in front - and then he was off! Hahaha

After that, the last of the climb was enjoyable. I now knew the bus could make it, albeit ever so slowly, so all I could do, was sit back and enjoy the view (if only I had known that when I started!)

The down hill trip was soooo much better. All I can say is thank goodness for exhaust brakes, they're amazing!

If you're thinking of traveling over the Crown Range and you're in a car, you will be absolutely fine. If you're in a bus, you'll also be okay. Your speed will obviously depend on the size of your motor and length of vehicle. Our bus is over 5 tonne and has a 4.1 land cruiser motor, which explains why (like me) it isn't so keen on climbing steep hills.

This is what I later read about the Crown Range on the internet...

The Crown Range Road is a memorable journey located in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand, linking Queenstown and Wanaka. It’s one of the highest roads in the country reaching an altitude of 1.121m (3,677ft) above the sea level.

This drive is not for the faint hearted and several of the bends are actual hairpins bends many with 35km to 15km sharp bends, the drive on the descent drops away to a seeminly bottomless gorge. There are some switchbacks on the descent and the road is not advised for towing vehicles or vehicles longer than about 12 metres.

I had to stop at the Cardrona Hotel. Built in 1863, it's New Zealand's oldest hotel. And, although tempting, I didn't go and sit at the bar for a few hours!

Opposite the Cardrona Hotel is a cliff face (photo below) ... is it just me, or can you see a face too?

After a few photos, we continued on to Wanaka. I found a dump station and emptied and was about to fill up when I noticed the hose they'd provided didn't have an end attachment, so I couldn't attach it to my fresh water tank to fill. I decided to drive to the lake and take a walk while I sussed out what to do about getting some water. Maybe there was a local garage I could ask?

Lake Wanaka is beautiful. I love that even though it's a tourist-magnet, you can still walk along the lake and feel as though you're the only one there. 

Yip, myself and several others couldn't resist that well known Wanaka photo.

Being around the Otago region in autumn has always been a dream of mine and walking along tracks carpeted in golden leaves was magical. I was in my happy place!

There's something so exhilarating about autumn! I think it's all the warm golden colours and mild climate. It was such a special moment, the gorgeous scenery, being on holiday (no alarm to wake up to), having my dogs to hang out with, no plans, just a big feeling of freedom.

The island in the photo below, named 'Ruby Island', is one of four significant islands on Lake Wanaka (the other three are; Mou Waho, Te Peka Karara and Mou Tapu). Ruby Island covers about 3 hectares and is the closest island to the township of Wanaka. 
During the 1920s and1930s, Ruby Island was popular for its Saturday-night cabarets. These evenings were run by the Hunt family, and a ferry would transport people from the mainland to the island. 
Nowadays it's a popular place for picnickers, kayakers and swimmers to visit. And it's dog-friendly ... if only I'd brought the kayak along!

Ruby Island (formally known as Roy's Island & Merino Island)

After an hour or more of walking, we turned back. I still had to fill up with water before finding our next place to stay.

I rang Bernie and he reminded me that there was a container in the back of the bus with lots of different hose connections. Perfect. I found the right one, went back to the dump station, connected the attachment to the hose and filled up with fresh water. Tick that one off!

Next destination was Albert Town. It was only a 20 minute drive away. But in hindsight, I shouldn't have stopped there at all. I should have driven on and avoided what was about to be, the most stressful time of my trip!