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Photo Log

Island Hopping Photo Log

February 16-19, 2015

We had a long drive from Taupo to Wellington, but we enjoyed a stop along the Kapiti Coast, which is along the southwest coast of the North Island, just north of Wellington.

We caught the afternoon ferry to the South Island and then drove down to Blenheim. We couldn’t have picked a more beautiful day to cross Cook Strait.

Kaikoura is a coastal town known for its seal colony and lots of opportunities for whale and dolphin watching. We passed on paying and arm and a leg for the whales and dolphins (been there, done that) but we did take a peek at the seal “colony.”

Road Trip Journal – February 16, 2015 (Lake Taupo to Paekakariki)

  • Taupo –> Paekakariki
  • Pitstop at NZ Army Museum @ Waiouru. Nice coffee shop, bathrooms, and gift shop.
  • Pitstop @ Sassy Cafe in Sanson. Flat white cost $4.50
  • Pitstop at Raumati beach to stretch legs
  • Arrived at Paekakariki Holiday Park. $95/night. Cabin 2/ queen + bunk beds, kitchenette. Small shower/bathroom & kitchen. Playground, trampoline, creek. At edge of Queen Elizabeth Park. Short walk down to beach. Check-out 11am. 4 min hot showers.
Lake Taupo to Paekakariki
We took a pitstop and stretched our legs at Raumati Beach
Tim and Brenden had some races along the beach
And yes, I was there too! (but not Alex, apparently)
We intended to drive all the way to Wellington, but decided instead to stay at the Paekakariki Holiday Park about an hour away from the ferry terminal in Wellington. It was a nice campground with a creek and close beach access, but the highlight, by far, was the trampoline. It turns out many holiday parks have trampolines, and this will become one of our metrics in our holiday park rating.
Tim enjoying his beer while watching the trampoline mayhem

Road Trip Journal – February 17, 2015 (Paekakariki to Wellington to Blenheim)

  • Paekakariki –> Blenheim
  • Drove to Wellington. Nowhere to part at botanical gardens
  • Drove up to Stellin Memorial Park to eat our sandwiches. Great view of harbor. Lots of trails. couldn’t have picked a better day for the Cook Strait Ferry. Sunny with light breeze.
  • Took the Interislander $259 booked online a few days in advance.
  • Took the Interislander $259 booked online a few days in advance.
  • Stayed at Blenheim Top 10 Holiday Park. $112 for basic cabin with 2 bunks. Sm TV, kettle, and toaster. Train tracks. Bikes for hire. Trampoline not as good. No dishes in kitchen. Would not recommend. Checkout 10am. Beds like hammocks. Unlimited hot water.
Paekakariki to Wellington
We arrived in Wellington with some time to spare, so we just picked a random park on a hill to have lunch…
…and the views of Wellington and the harbor were amazing!
Wellington to Blenheim
Waiting in line to board the ferry
Here it comes
Ferry top deck. (We didn’t stay there long after departure, because even though it was a beautiful sunny day, it got very cold out there)
Not happy because they were just told they couldn’t play their iPads the whole way.
Making our way down Queen Charlotte Sound
This ferry can turn on a dime
Lots of sailboat traffic around Picton

Road Trip Journal – February 18, 2015 (Blenheim to Kaikora)

  • Blenheim –> Kaikora
  • Winetasting @ Wither Hill. Medium winery, large tasting room, restaurant, lawn with beanbags. Stairs up to lookout for good view. D still sick, so hard to judge wine. Friendly but somewhat unprofessional staff.
  • Pitstop at The Store, cafe with wonderful atmosphere and setting on the beach
  • Peketa Beach Holiday Park – $55/night, tent site right on the beach. mini-golf $3/person. No dishes in kitchen. Kids school camping trip 9-10 yr olds. Met Lukas from Czech.
We stayed one night in a holiday park in Blenheim, which has the premier NZ wine country right in its backyard. We hit one winery on our way out of town.
Boys hanging out while mom finishes her tasting
Drive from Blenheim to Kaikoura
Between Blenheim and Kaikoura we made a pitstop at The Store, which is a cafe all alone in a great location
The beach just steps from our campsite

Road Trip Journal – February 19, 2015 (Kaikora)

  • Drove to Kaikoura. Parked at end of peninsula
  • Point Kean Seal Colony – FREE. Low tide, lots of rocks to walk out on tide pools. Just a few seals up close. Some more further out. T/Boys walked pretty far out. D walked up to the lookout
  • Parked in town center for a picnic lunch
  • Drove out to the end of South Bay. The othe rend of the Kaikoura Peninsula walkway.
  • Back to camp, boys played on the flying fox & worked on Pigi. 
  • Chili for dinner
  • Watched kids do “Fear Factor”
We spent the afternoon walking around Point Kean hoping for a glimpse of the seal colony
The boys were good sports
We were there at low tide, so the seals were not easily accessible. The guys walked all the way out and saw quite a few.
Close in, this guyswas the main attraction
Lunch in Kaikoura
We drove around to the other side of the peninsula to check out the views there
Back at the camp the fog was rolling in
The Gresham men rocking the computer room at the holiday park

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