Day 11

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Judy's Trekabout

Wednesday 1st, Happy New Year to everyone.

Woke to another perfect day. Had my usual morning cuppa listening to the sounds, such a wonderful way to start a day. We had two Female bowers and 3 Male bowers hanging about camp, playing in the wood pile, getting grubs I think. After breaky got cleaned up and got some shots of the bowers.

This dark Bower is the Male. This is the Female Bower.

Just relaxed around camp, don’t even need to leave camp to get to see things, always something going on. Lots of people heading down the road out of here and we just have new neighbours down the far side move in. Went for a walk up the road and saw baby Willy Wagtails, mum was protecting them from other birds, that’s what caught my attention, her noise, so cute they are, as is all babies. 🙂

Baby Willy Wagtails.

Baby Kingfisher. The country road. I have used Infrared on it.

Had another camp fire tonight. Good night. This is the second to last day of our holiday 😦

Day 10

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Judy's Trekabout

Tuesday 31st

Woke a wee bit later this morning, was great, Kay & Mark were all set up and ready to leave early so we all had a cuppa and said cheerio for now, this was 7.15 am.

We had a very overcast day so this is good, as I went down to the kingfisher spot and sat, but not a lot happening, I could here the kingfisher going off down the creek further, so headed back to camp. People on the other side of us were gone by lunch time so we now have all the paddock to ourselves, except for the bulls all going off and a goanna visiting again, plus there is a storm brewing.

These two bulls were always in competition, they must have their own girls and protecting there inheritance. Saw the most amazing sight, sitting watching the rain this afternoon and saw that the gum leaves were jumping up in the air, a good couple of inches and I haven’t been drinking ha-ha, but really watching, it was the big spits of rain hitting the very dry leaves made them jump, I wish now that I’d taken a wee video shot as photo’s didn’t do it. Filled all the containers up again, so that’s good saves our tank water. After the rain had stopped the thunder continued for hours just rolling around the hills, such a great sound.

Sat around the fire for as long as I could stay awake, the thunder was still rumbling, made for a very pleasant and relaxing time, but didn’t make it to midnight, the end of another year 2013 over.

Day 7

Posted on December 28, 2013 by Judy's Trekabout

Saturday 28th

Had a cuppa and got cleaned up after breakfast and going for a drive to see if we can see a bird I saw when we drove to Warwick, down near the Dump Point area, looked like a Yellow Rosella, so would be good to get a photo of it. We emptied the loo while down there. Just finished doing the ablution bit and noticed on the road behind us were a couple of bulls sizing each other up, one is a brown Brahma looking bull, the other one just a bull, I heard the cows going off mooing but didn’t take any notice, they must of known something, ha-ha. Stayed of course and got some photo’s, very exciting, the white bull won and then he headed back to the group of cows, so we can only assume that the brown bull was getting to close to his girls. This is the same white bull that has been very dominating over the cows and calves crossing the creek down by our camp site.

After all the excitement we then headed up a 4 wheel drive track to some look out, very steep, lots of loose surface on the track but was not to boggy, was good to test us and the vehicle on a small bit of 4×4 driving, we are new to this, Don has done it all about 30 years ago, so its a different ball game now a days in these smart vehicles. It was very steep, the view was so heat hazed we could not see much. We checked out another couple of area’s but never saw the bird again, in spite of sitting and listening many times.

Got back to camp, moved the solar panels again and put on a loaf of gluten free bread in the Weber in the camp oven. Now this turned out eatable but not very high as I only put a very small amount of mixture in due to the small camp oven I’m using, actually going to buy a proper bread tin when I get home.

Had lunch, grabbed some goodies for our smoko later and headed up to the rain forest and look at the Retreat. The walk to the Sylvester’s Lookout is really lovely not as steep as the Castle Lookout one, so more enjoyable, not many birds but did see one I have never seen before and cant find a name for it yet, not even in my bird book. Called into the retreat, what a lovely place, went up to see the lady and what a nice person, they have a great camping area as well as cabins, clean and a excellent real dump point. Just up from here is the Main Range National park

Entrance to the lookout. Everything is covered with mossy growth, this is up at the tops. View from the lookout, down in the valley towards the coast in a easterly direction. A bird that I do not know the name of yet! I think it is a Black-faced Monarch. Beautiful ferns in the rain forest. Lesueur’s frog’s.

A good day was had, did get pretty hot in the afternoon.

Day 6

Posted on December 27, 2013 by Judy's Trekabout

Friday 27th

Went into Warwick to get some stores, it rained last night and on our way back from Warwick you could see the storms brewing, fork lightning, black clouds. When we got back Kay said that it had really rained which we could tell, then only a few showers and now all fined up. So good for the country side, they need rain very badly.

Went to get some photo’s of birds down by the water hole and the chap came down to where we were going to sit on the log which we had been doing before and said there is a python carpet snake sitting in there, he showed us, we got some photo’s and then moved away to the water. It was beautiful and very curled up, reckon about 6 feet long.

When we came back up to the trailer, Don noticed a small frog jump out by the fire pit, then another and then when we started really looking there was like a migration, so many all along the bank right up to Kay’s site. So tiny, didn’t know what sort they were as hard to tell when very small, i’m talking about as small as my thumb nail.

Made a Gluten Free bread in the camp oven yesterday, turned out bad, burn’t the bum out it, far to much in the small camp oven, and the coals were to hot in the fire, so made another one today, and only ¼ of the amount, turned out good to look at, bad to eat, then I knew that it still has to rise, so tomorrow I will try again but do it in the Weber. I will get it right sooner or later.

Mark is doing a big casserole in the camp oven for all of us, and I have we just realized that there is mushrooms in it and Don can’t eat them, so he will do something else for himself.

Looking at K & M site from our site, posting this to show how roomy it is. Our site from the entrance, we have neighbours on the right side, but still plenty of room. K & M site is to the left of this image. K & M site from the bottom of entrance. M & K sitting back relaxing, our site in the background. To the left of where Mark is sitting was a Red Bellied black snake today. This is a carpet snake of some sorts, just bathing in the sun, warming up, there are heaps of little birds in this area, so plenty of prey for him I imagine. A frog in the grass in daylight. He is the Lesueur’s Tree Frog.

Day 5

Posted on December 26, 2013 by Judy's Trekabout

Thursday 26th Boxing Day

Had another great day, just relaxing with Mark and Kay for some of the time, and getting bird shots.

Had lots of activity with the cows and the bulls today, there was one bull controlling the cows with calves from crossing the creek, he really was getting angry for a while. Didn’t even need to leave camp to have fun.

Did some washing, showered, gave the camp a bit of a tidy up.

The weather is real good, not so hot and nice and overcast.

We spent some time at K & M’s fire pit this evening chatting about the day and then did tea.

Lots of people driving around but so far we still have the place to ourselves. Time to have a cuppa and then crash for the night.

Had a couple a young opossums visit us while we were sitting at the fire and during the night. Good night.

Bower Birds Bow, all the blue bottle tops that it had collected, plus many other blue bits, wonder where it finds them. Crimson Rosella, just in the trees where we camped. Azure Kingfisher in the trees at camp. Mother cow with suckling calf, needs to grab a drink while it can. This bull was real funny to watch, he was not allowing a few cows and their calves to cross the creek and as one was crossing and about to go up the bank he turned and ran, I managed to get a grab shot.

Day 3

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Judy's Trekabout

Tuesday 24th Happy birthday to me.

Had a good sleep, was a wee bit cool but not as cold as was predicted. Got up at 6.30 am and put the kettle on, had a cuppa. It is so nice and peaceful listening to the sounds, and a bull roaring in the background.

Having a concern about the Waeco freezer, it’s losing its temp fast, we have had a lot of problems with it, or it’s our battery system, so have had the generator on for 1 ½ hours and took all of the 1 1/2 hours to pick up the freezers temp again. Solar was in full sunlight all day yesterday and is in full sunlight now, so we will be monitoring it, will be getting the system checked out by the solar people when we get home.

It’s warming up now. We went for a drive to check out a few things, can’t find the dump point they have said is here. Checked out other areas for camping, we really do have the best spot for what we like to do. Collected some fire wood for Mark and Kay in case they get here late. They are not here yet so assume that they will come tomorrow.

Lots of birds around us and then tonight we saw the Crimson Rosella’s came in. They are so pretty and colourful.

Opened a red wine to have with tea for my birthday, sorry Kay you were not here to share. Got very hot during the afternoon, but has cooled down nicely now, it’s now 7 pm and quiet windy, so closed up Mark and Kay’s tent. Good night.
Well Kay and Mark arrived at 10.30 pm, she came over and sang happy birthday to me thru the window. Was a lovely surprise, I was to tired to get up and have a cuppa, let them get organised.

Kingfisher My daughter and her husbands camp site Our camp site, well camouflaged

Kookaburra

Gordon Country Trip.

Posted on December 22, 2013 by Judy's Trekabout

Sunday 22nd Dec 2013

Got up at 5 am and started to get organized to head off.

My daughter gave us a ring to say they were heading on down to Aratula, this is where we are all meeting. Kay and Mark have decided to bring their camper and set it up so we are all together, then they go home for 2 days work and come back. We can watch the camper for them.

Okay, Kay and Mark arrived early so they came on thru to the Gordon Country which was great, they got to drive around and picked out the best spots, we all love the same thing as far as camping goes, they did well, we have a very quiet, some shade, by the river, not much of a flow, but there is water, lots of birds, so we are happy little photographers. 🙂

Once we were all set up and had a quick chat, Kay and Mark headed off home.

We got about having lunch, sorted out where everything is to be and it got very hot, about 38 degrees.

When it cooled down we went for fire wood, etc and just relaxed the rest of the afternoon.

Had tea once it cooled down, had a wee fire as it cooled off very quickly, amazing one minute you are sweating the next its cool, but very pleasant.

Had a great night sleep, everything wide open and there was a good breeze all night.

This is the set up for the next two weeks.

Inside of the awning and our living area.

Nice big sites and well away from each other.

Looking out at the view and this is our back yard for two weeks 🙂

Other side of the cub camper.

Camping Spots, South Island, New Zealand.

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Judy's Trekabout

Tekapo Caravan Park on the shores of Lake Tekapo. Bitterly cold day, snow is in the air, we spent 2 nights on powered site, needed the heater, woke in the morning and it was snowing, just beautiful. Lots of sites here and the hot pools are in the next complex, I noticed that the prices have gone up,but that’s life.

Round Hut Bush Camp. This spot is on the shores of Lake Ohau, really lovely, no facilities at all, you are allowed to stay here and it’s free, about km off the tar seal on good dirt road. Heaps of trees to park under if your vehicle is not to high, lovely shade in summer, but we used the trees as wind break as it was a very windy, cold night, woke to a beautiful fine day and snow on all the tops.

Deer Flat, Road into Milford, we spent 2 nights here one on the way in and one when we came out, toilets here are chemical long drops, clean and no smell. This is a DOC site. (Department Of Conservation) $5 a night, this was in August 2012.

Frankton, at the caravan park just out of Queenstown on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. Very old but clean and tidy, nice place to stay, was a reasonable cost. The Remarkables in the back ground.

Turnbull Holiday Park. This is on the road to Jackson’s Bay, only road in and out. Lovely spot, great facilities, clean and reasonable fee.

MacDonald’s Camp. This is a DOC site. Very big area, even though it’s just off the main coast road it’s not noisy at all. There is a river just adjacent to us here and very good for Salmon run when there is water flowing. Just over the next bay there is another big area a DOC’s site as well called Otto’s Camp ground on the shores of Lake Mapourika.

Glendhu Bay, on the shores of Lake Wanaka, on the road to Mt Aspiring. This is a wonderful spot, quiet, clean and reasonable rates, very big and lots of shore walking.

Glendhu Bay, the top end at the entrance. What a view. 🙂

Mosgiel Camping and Show Grounds. Small, clean, tidy, great facilities and reasonable rates. The show grounds are beside the camp grounds so there was always something happening.

St Andrew’s Camp site Reserve. Off the main Christchurch to Dunedin H’way, quiet, clean plenty of room and very reasonable.

On this trip there were a lot of camp sites we couldn’t get photo’s of due to bad weather. I hope that some of this information is helpful to the reader. 🙂

Judy's Trekabout

Beautiful memories of Judy's travels

Tag Archives: Camping NZ & Au