Category: Photo Log

Photo Log

Urupukapuka and Waitata Photo Log

Post author By cruisingrunner
Post date March 1, 2024
No Comments on Urupukapuka and Waitata Photo Log

April 7-12, 2015

Logbook – April 7, 2015 (Opua to Urupukapuka)

Passage Log Highlights

1249 Engines on
1258 Depart
1359 SB engine off, main + genoa + port engine
1452 SB engine on
1510 Engines off Urupukapuka

Daily Notes

To Urupukapuka, Nautilus too. Kids play on the beach.

Beach dodgeball games at Urupukapuka Island

Logbook – April 8, 2015 (Urupukapuka)

Daily Notes

Caminante here too. 1/2 day school. Boys cleaned boat waterline then played on beach. T- dive w/ Hans & Gustav. D – walk w/ Tina and Katrein. Drinks on Nautilus to celebrate repaired watertank.

Logbook – April 9, 2015 (Urupukapuka)

Daily Notes

D – walk to the other side of island to the Pa site.
T – dive w/ Gustav & Hans – 2 kingies & 3 lobsters
Potluck on Exodus

If a tour boat comes right next to you to show the tourists the sights, does that mean your anchored in a good place or a bad place?

Fixing the shower pump and the bilge pump

Kid boat potluck on Exodus! (with Nautilus and Caminante)

Logbook – April 10, 2015 (Urupukapuka)

Daily Notes

Rainy day

Logbook – April 11, 2015 (Urupukapuka)

Daily Notes

D – run around island. Kids play on Caminante. T- spearfish (no fish). Lost wetsuit top off lifelines. Happy hour on Nautilus.

Logbook – April 12, 2015 (Urupukapuka to Waitata)

Passage Log Highlights

1308 Engines on
1312 Depart
1433 Engines off Waitata Bay

Daily Notes

Diverted to Waitata. Very rolly.

Photo Log

Another Opua Photo Log

March 14 – April 6, 2015

After the long road trip, we came “home” to Opua. After saying hello and good-bye to Cyclone Pam, we mostly just hung around the Bay of Islands. This is probably the most boring photo log ever. It’s like keeping a logbook when you’re at home doing chores.

Logbook – March 14, 2015 (Opua)

Passage Log Highlights

1331 Engines on
1353 Arrived at Mooring

Logbook – March 15, 2015 (Opua)

Daily Notes

Cyclone Pam – Max winds = 29 kts in our location
Back to school

Logbook – March 16, 2015 (Opua)

Daily Notes

Cyclone Pam continues – Max winds 31.7 kts

Logbook – March 17, 2015 (Opua)

Passage Log Highlights

1133 Engines on
1155 Anchor complete
1249 Engines off

Cleaning and organizing all the food Lockers

Logbook – March 18, 2015 (Opua)

Daily Notes

D – grocery store in Paihia
Showers for everyone!
Exodus enchiladas
Downloaded new history material

Logbook – March 19-22, 2015 (Opua)

Nothing recorded in the logbook

Logbook – March 23, 2015 (Opua)

Passage Log Highlights

1555 Engines on
1712 Engines off – re-anchor complete

Logbook – March 24, 2015 (Opua to Russell to Opua)

Passage Log Highlights

1155 Engines on
1300 Engines off @ Russell
1910 Engines on
2000 Engines off @ Opua

Daily Notes

Spent the day with Vales Valeo

Logbook – March 25, 2015 (Opua)

Nothing recorded in the logbook

Logbook – March 26, 2015 (Opua)

Daily Notes

Family shopping in Kerikeri

Logbook – March 27, 2015 (Opua)

Daily Notes

School + laundry day

Logbook – March 28, 2015 (Opua)

Daily Notes

Tim spearfishing with Andy. Yummy yellowtail!

Logbook – March 29-31, 2015 (Opua)

Nothing recorded in the logbook

Logbook – April 1, 2015 (Opua)

Daily Notes

(In Tim’s handwriting) D – Kerikeri provisioning, Boys shore w/ Nirvana & nautilus kids, T – Amazon & Arduino

Logbook – April 2-3, 2015 (Opua)

Nothing recorded in the logbook

Logbook – April 4, 2015 (Opua)

Daily Notes

Fuel dock and water

Logbook – April 5-6, 2015 (Opua)

Nothing recorded in the logbook

Sorry for the out of focus picture… Brenden is on the left. Alex, on the other hand, would have nothing to do with this dress up game, and at the moment this photo was taken he was sitting up on the mizzen mast spreaders (on s/v Caminante)

Photo Log

Franz Josef to Opua Photo Log

Post author By cruisingrunner
Post date February 17, 2024
No Comments on Franz Josef to Opua Photo Log

March 11-13, 2015

Cyclone Pam was headed for Opua, so we cut our road trip short and high tailed it back to Opua to ensure the safety of Exodus.

Road Trip Journal – March 11, 2015 (Franz Josef to Picton)

Long, beautiful drive
Stopped for lunch & fuel in Greymouth
Stayed at Picton Top 10 Holiday Park. $118 for basic cabin.
Dinner at Cafe Cortado. Very good/flavorful tapas.

Road Trip Journal – March 12, 2015 (Picton to Turangi)

Breakfast at Seabreeze Cafe. Meh. Le Cafe next door looked better but we were being cheap.
Afternoon ferry back to Wellington. Different ferry.
Stayed at Turangi Kiwi Holiday Park. $94 for huge family cabin.

On the ferry, headed back to the North Island

Road Trip Journal – March 13, 2015 (Turangi to Opua)

Home Sweet Home

Photo Log

Franz Josef Glacier Photo Log

Post author By cruisingrunner
Post date February 17, 2024
No Comments on Franz Josef Glacier Photo Log

March 9-10, 2015

Road Trip Journal – March 9, 2015 (Queenstown to Franz Josef)

Queenstown –> Franz Josef
Stopped in Arrowtown. Very cute. Dudley’s Cottage panning for gold. $15/each for lesson and panning on the river.
Pitstop to make sandwiches in Albert Town by the river
Pitstop at Thunder Creek Falls. Short walk, impressive waterfall, lots of sandflies.
Pitstop in Haast for restroom & fuel.
Pitstop at Knights Point to photograph The Tasman Sea. Calm day. Lots of sandflies.
Stayed at Holiday House at Rainforest Retreat Holiday Park. $265/night. Beautiful house in nice, remote setting. No wifi, but good cell service. No cell service from Haast (probably before) until Fox Glacier.

Arrowtown was just a short drive from Queenstown

Getting a gold panning lesson in Arrowtown

Arrowtown to Franz Josef Glacier with lots of pitstops

At Franz Josef Glacier Village we splurged for a Holiday Home with a comfy couch…

Road Trip Journal – March 10, 2015 (Franz Josef Glacier)

Walk to Franz Josef Glacier viewing point. 1.5-2 hrs return. Nice walk, beautiful cliffs & waterfalls. Disappointing glacier, small & dirty.
T/D – Glacier Hot Pools. $11/each on bookme.com. Nice & not too crowded.

Why does the ranger want to smack me in the head?

Brenden will give him a high five for that

Photo Log

Queenstown Photo Log

March 6-8, 2015

Road Trip Journal – March 6, 2015 (Te Anau to Queenstown)

Te Anau -> Queenstown.
Lunch at Fergberger. Awesome burgers. Worth the wait and ducking inside from the rain.
Underwater World. A & B $5/each. Brenden enjoyed it.
Stayed at Frankton Motor Camp $101/night for cabin with table & fridge. Easy lake access. Nice views.

It was a gloomy day when we arrived in Queenstown

Holy crowded Fergberger (best burgers we had in NZ, worth the wait.)

We stayed just outside of Queenstown at Frankton Motor Camp, and this was our view over the cabins below us.

Road Trip Journal – March 7, 2015 (Queenstown)

Chard Farm Winery. Beautiful views. Purchased Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.
Visited A.J. Hacket Bungy Complex at Kawarau Bridge. Saw one jumper & watched a movie. Alex decided he wanted to do it.
Peregrine Winery. Interesting architecture. Purchased a Riesling and a dessert Riesling.
Boys went to Frankton Driving Range
D – morning run along lake side.
D/T – Dinner at Frankton Alehouse. Nice view, decent prices, decent food + beer.

There was easy lake access from the motorcamp

Gorgeous ravine. Vineyards on the left, highway on the right

Road Trip Journal – March 8, 2015 (Queenstown)

Skyline Gondola & Luge. Family pass includes 10 luge rides $125. Definitely worth it. Great views + fun luge.
Lunch at Market Cafe. Don’t recommend, expensive and not good.
A.J. Hacket Ledge bungy. Awesome! Booked ahead using bookme.com for B & T $136/each. Paid same day for Alex for $145. Full price adult would have been $195. $35/each for online photos. Free t-shirt & certificate
Met Dafne there & luged together.
Dinner w/ Dafne at their vacation apartment.

I happen to have a few friends who say I have a big head. Literally, not figuratively. Anyway, I was so happy when the boys needed blue helmets and I only needed a red helmet. Big head, whatever!

Here’s the photographic evidence of my non-big head. Wait, what! The helmet looks orange (XL)!!! I swear it was NOT orange, it was red!

These are our friends from s/v Dafne. They sailed all the way to Australia this year but were visiting New Zealand, and we managed to hook up in Queenstown.

Click here to see the bungee jumping photos!

Photo Log

Fiordland Photo Log

March 4-5, 2015

Road Trip Journal – March 4, 2015 (Te Anau round trip to Milford Sound)

Milford Sound day trip. Pre-booked on bookme.com with Jucy for 9:15a cruise. $45/adult, $15/child. Early morning, but beautiful, foggy drive. Milford sound cruise – amazing! Nothing special about Jucy, but it was the cheapest option. Bought Pita Pit sandwiches to take away for lunch.
Milford Foreshore Walk – short. nice spot for lunch.
On the drive back stopped The Chasm. Short walk. Amazing waterfall. Very crowded with tour buses.
Also on the drive back stopped at Lake Marian turnoff – 1 km drive to car park. Short walk to viewing gantry. Includes suspension bridge.
Dinner at Fat Duck Cafe in Te Anau. Very good burgers, lamb, & venison. Short walk down to the lake.

It was a pretty foggy morning, so this was one of our few glimpses of the peaks

After our cruise we went for a short walk to find a nice place to eat our lunch

On the drive back we stopped at The Chasm — Here it looks like just a normal stream…

…but then it shoots down this chasm. Very hard to photograph. Sorry.

Back at the holiday park in Te Anau we enjoyed some views

Road Trip Journal – March 5, 2015 (Te Anau)

Lazy morning.
D- short run along road & side dirt rods
Drove to find LoR movie settings, but no success. Went to Kepler Track Trail head at Rainbow Reach with suspension bridge over Waiau River (Anduin River in LoR).
Had lunch at the visitor center park and fed the ducks.
Back at camp, boys played w/ girls next door.

We went on an expedition to find some some LoR film settings…

The Kepler track is one of the popular “Great Walks.” We only poked around the trail head at Rainbow Reach.

It included another suspension bridge, and the boys amused themselves by throwing things from it

Brenden and his duck minions. (Notice the family in the background. They had two little boys in diapers. Brought back memories.

Another random side of the road shot. Llamas or Alpacas?

Photo Log

Dunedin and The Catlins Photo Log

Post author By cruisingrunner
Post date December 30, 2023
1 Comment on Dunedin and The Catlins Photo Log

March 1-3, 2015

A brief visit to Dunedin before heading to The Catlins. The Catlins is the region in the southeast of the south island and has some very beautiful rugged coastline. It is sparsely populated and off the tourist beaten path due to its remoteness.

Road Trip Journal – March 1, 2015 (Otago Peninsula to Dunedin to The Catlins)

Brunch at Kitchen Table Cafe in Dunedin. Good food, atmosphere, and service. Wonderful fresh baked whole grain bread.
Dunedin Public Art Gallery. FREE. Doesn’t really compare to major city art galleries but some interesting displays to spark conversation.
Dunedin –> The Catlins
Stopped at Nugget Point. short walk to lighthouse, good views.
Stayed at Newhaven Holiday Park. Excellent. $125/night, tourist flat, everything but a stove (has double hot plate, though.) Small but nice amenities. Nice courtyard w/ giant chess board. Trampoline. Easy beach access.

The boys LOVED going to the Dunedin Public Art Center.

The boys at Nugget Point, with some of the “nuggets” in the background. Notice anything missing?

We stayed at Newhaven Holiday Park, and this was our favorite one by far.

Road Trip Journal – March 2, 2015 (The Catlins)

Walk down Surat Bay then across false islet to Cannible Bay. Lots of sea lions. Heading back wind went from 0 to 25-30 kts instantly. Cold. Rain started after we got back.

We took a long walk along Surat Bay and then over the ridge at False Islet over to Cannibal Bay. The highlight was definitely…

Taking the trail between Surat Bay and Cannibal Bay

Permission granted to return back to the holiday park

The weather changed instantly on us. It went from warm, muggy, and not much wind to ice cold and about 25-30 kts. This photo tries to capture the wind chop on Surat Bay, but it doesn’t do it justice.

Road Trip Journal – March 3, 2015 (The Catlins to Fiordland)

The Catlins –> Fjordland
Stop at Purakaunui Falls. Short walk to falls. Nice but low flow.
Pitstop at Tautuku Beach Lookout with spouting cave. Loud cows.
Curio Beach. Drove thorugh campground to lookout. Stopped to see fosslized trees. Spotted 2 yellow eyed penguins in the bushes.
Lunch at McD’s in Invercargill.
Stayed at Great Views Holiday Park in Te Anau. $75/night for basic cabin. 3 bunks, small dresser, toaster, kettle. Nice amenities.

Leaving the Catlins on the way to Fjordland with several stops between the Holiday Park and Invercargill

Is anyone else shocked that Tim actually stayed INSIDE the yellow line?

These guys were hiding in the bushes, so we didn’t get a good look, but at least we’ve caught a glimpse of the rare yellow eyed penguins

Photo Log

Waitake Valley and The Otago Peninsula Photo Log

Post author By cruisingrunner
Post date December 30, 2023
No Comments on Waitake Valley and The Otago Peninsula Photo Log

February 27-28, 2015

After stops along the way and lunch in Oamaru, we made our way out to The Otago Peninsula.

Road Trip Journal – February 27, 2015 (Twizel to Otago Peninsula)

Twizel –> Portobello (Otago Peninsula)
Stop at Takiroa Maori Rock Art Site. Rock art mostly unimpressive but a good place to stop and stretch.
Stop at Elephant Rocks. What an unexpected gem! Bizarre limestone boulders landscape. Fun for climbing.
Lunch at The Bridge Cafe in Oamaru. Terrible burgers & fish n chips. Nice location & atmosphere. Probably an excellent coffee shop, but to not recommend for lunch.
Stay at Portobello Village Tourist Park on Otago Peninsula. $140/night for fully self-contained tourist flat

From Twizel to Oamaru by way of Takiroa Maori Rock Art Site and Elephant Rocks

The rock art was mostly unimpressive, but we liked this sailboat

Second stop – Elephant Rocks. A unique limestone rock formation. Used as Aslan’s camp in the Narnia movies. This was an unexpected gem,

Third stop – The town of Oamaru for lunch.

From Oamaru through Dunedin out to Portobello on the Otago Peninsula

The train station in Dunedin – very European

We stayed at The Portobello Tourist Park, and this is a shot of the small town of Portobello

Road Trip Journal – February 28, 2015 (Otago Peninsula)

D – walked out to end of peninsula to closed aquarium. Good views.
Family hike at Sandymount. First hiked up to lookout (500m) then to The Chasm (1.2mile). Excellent short easy hike. Deep dark woods. Sheep. Beautiful coastline.
Take out dinner at Ric’s Galley. not too expensive but not too good either. Good onion rings & fires.
Nighttime blue penguin viewing at Royal Albatross Center. Booked ahead on bookme.com – $54/family. Not executed very well, but viewing the penguins was well worth it.

Photos from my morning walk out to the end of the peninsula near Portobello

We did the 500m walk to the lookout and then the 1km walk to the Chasm.

What do you think, it gets windy here some?

Driving up to The Royal Albatross Center (where we watched the Blue Penguins come ashore) we were awed by a rainbow

The blue penguins are the smallest of all penguins at about 20-30 cm tall and weighing about 1kg. They return back to shore each night just when it’s getting dark and they usually return in groups of 10-20 at a time. This little guy returned on his own about 20 minutes ahead of everyone else.

So, it was dark and these photos are frustratingly out of focus. But I’m posting them anyway to give an idea of what we saw. If you use your imagination you can appreciate what a site this was and how cute they were.

They would run up the beach very fast and then stop and rest at the rocks. Climbing the rocks was no easy task for such small penguins

Photo Log

Fairlie to Twizel Photo Log

Post author By cruisingrunner
Post date December 30, 2023
No Comments on Fairlie to Twizel Photo Log

February 23-26, 2015

A combination of circumstances found us staying in the rather unremarkable towns of Fairlie and Twizel, but we had fun anyway. The highlight of the area was the day trip we took to Mt. Cook Village.

Road Trip Journal – February 23, 2015 (Banks Peninsula to Fairlie)

Packed up a wet campsite and drove to Fairlie
Little River –> Fairlie
Fairlie Affordable Homes $340/2 nights. 3 bd, 1 bath. Not very nice but served its purpose. Dried all the camping gear and did laundry. 8 kids came to play.

From Little River Campground on The Banks Peninsula to Fairlie

This is the house where we stayed in Fairlie

Brenden still rocks the red skinny jeans

Alex and Brenden played with the kids next door

Looks like a heavy conversation is going on

Road Trip Journal – February 24, 2015 (Fairlie)

House day. Laundry & internet. Address of house: 40 Regent St. Fairlie. Linens & internet.

Road Trip Journal – February 25, 2015 (Fairlie to Twizel)

Fairlie –> Twizel
Pitstop at Lake Tekapo lookout to stretch legs and take photos
Stopped at Lake Pukaki Lookout & Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon Shop 500g of salmon sashimi – $30. Yummy. Great view of Lake Pukaki.
Detour up highway 80 to Mt. Cook Village
Lunch at The Hermitage at the 2nd floor cafe. Surprisingly good pizza & wedges & not too expensive. Excellent view of Mt. Cook & Mt. Sefton (w/ Huddleston glacier)
Drove a little further to White Horse Hill Campground hike to Kea Lookout. Up close views of Huddleston Glacier & the moraine from Mueller Glacier.
Stayed at Lake Ruataniwha Holiday Park near Twizel $75/night for large cabin w/ table/chairs & fridge. Old & shabby but decent and functional. other facilities adequate. No trampoline.

From Fairlie to Lake Tekapo to Lake Pukaki to Mt. Cook Village back down to Twizel

We learned about the hydroelectric system

Another shot of Lake Pukaki. Yes, the water really is that blue.

Lake Pukaki with Mt. Cook in the background.

A quick snack at The Hermitage at Mt. Cook Village

This is a moraine left behind by Mueller glacier

Our cabin at Ruataniwha Holiday Park near Twizel

Road Trip Journal – February 26, 2015 (Twizel)

Picnic lunch at Lake Ruataniwha. Beautiful setting. All to ourselves.
Excursion to town of Twizel. Pretty unremarkable.

Lake Ruataniwha, we went down for a picnic lunch and had the place all to ourselves. A very pleasant spot.

Twizel. We went into town for dinner but decided our money would be better spent elsewhere. We hit the Four Square and cooked in.

C’mon, doesn’t every playground have a tractor?

Photo Log

Christchurch and The Banks Peninsula Photo Log

Post author By cruisingrunner
Post date December 30, 2023
No Comments on Christchurch and The Banks Peninsula Photo Log

February 20-22, 2015

Road Trip Journal – February 20, 2015 (Kaikoura to Christchurch)

Kaikoura –> Christchurch
South Brighton Holiday Park $45/night tent site. Facilities in temporary buildings. 20 min drive to downtown Christchurch. 100Mb free wifi for each adult. Good trampoline.
Cantebury Museum FREE. Definitely recommend. Good, if random, exhibits. B’s favorite – tarantulas. Discovery area (geared for kids) $2/each. Maori, European, Kiwi, Kitsch, T-shirts, MUCH MORE.
Botanic Gardens FREE. Beautiful park with fountains, trails, a river, and of course plants and flowers.

Our first afternoon in Christchurch we visited the Cantebury Museum and The Botanic Gardens

We didn’t stay in Christchurch, but rather we camped at South Brighton Holiday Park, which is out on a spit that has an estuary on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. This photo was taken when we made a brief stop to check out the beach on the ocean side.

Road Trip Journal – February 21, 2015 (Christchurch to Banks Peninsula)

C1 Espresso for brunch. Good food and bustling vibe, but expensive. Sparkline water fountain. Toilets behind secret bookshelves. Fries delivered by tube system.
Cathedral Square. Street performer Sport Suzie. Arguing zealots Christians x 2 vs. non-believing wizard.
Victoria Square – Cricket World Cup on big screen.
Beers @ Pomeroy’s Brewery Inn. Good beer & atmosphere
Christchurch –> Banks Peninsula
Little River Campground $50/tent site. Outdoor kitchen facilities, composting toilets, modest shower facilities, but plenty of hot water. Campsite by the creek. Playground and trampoline. ”Free wifi.”

Our second day in Christchurch started with brunch at a trendy cafe. See the tube on the wall on the left side of this photo? They deliver fries to your table through those tubes.

A lot of Christchurch looks like this as they continue to rebuild

In a lot of spaces they have temporary exhibits or in this case, a garden.

Just a little cricket on the big screen at Victoria Square

They do have a sense of humor in Christchurch

We ended the afternoon in a comfy corner in a pub

Christchurch to Little River Campground out on the Banks Peninsula

Our campsite by the creek at Little River Campground on The Banks Peninsula. We had bad luck with weather our two days there, otherwise this would have been a great campground.

Road Trip Journal – February 22, 2015 (Banks Peninsula)

Day trip to Akaroa
Cold & rainy and foggy
Akaroa – cute, French town.
Drove to Hinewai Reserve – didn’t stay – to damp and cold to tramp.
Spent time at By the Green Cafe. Played cards, drank coffee & smoothies.
Dinner at Hilltop Tavern (between Akaroa & Little River). Nice location but fog ruined view of harbor. Mediocre food. Good beer. Live accordian music. Pool table. Wood-fired pizza – thin crispy crust, too much BBQ sauce.
D/B/A – Creek walk back at camp.