Ross and Wyn Davies Travel Blog

Sea Sand and Sorrow

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Ross

By early March we’d finished work at the Westport motels and had a couple of weeks before our next engagement. We were ready for some time-out. Starting at the North Beach of Westport. There had been big storms and big tides. The wild West Coast beaches looked even wilder. We were able to park up by the beach Continue reading →

Posted in Daily log | Tagged Denniston, Waimangaroa, West Coast, Westport | Leave a comment

Will the Real World Please Stand Up

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Ross

After seven special days at Totaranui, it was time to move on. Back to the Real World – not that Totaranui wasn’t real. Quite the opposite. It is the natural world and over the hill was the wierd world that the majority of us inhabit and call Real. Continue reading →

Posted in Daily log | Tagged Abel Tasman, Golden Bay, Takaka, Totaranui, Wainui Inlet | Leave a comment

Totaranui – The Other Way

Posted on April 27, 2014 by Ross

A couple of days after our walk north from Totaranui we headed south. This is the direction of the main Abel Tasman Track/Walk. We’d spent a few days watching all the people coming and going. Either heading off all fresh and keen. Or finishing up, a bit weary and worn. Either way everyone seemed happy. Surely it has to be one of the best coastal/beach walks in the world. Continue reading →

Posted in Daily log, Walks | Tagged Abel Tasman, Awaroa, Golden Bay, Totaranui, walks | 2 Comments

Joining Up The Dots – Abel Tasman National Park

Posted on April 26, 2014 by Ross

The fine February weather continued at Totaranui. Next morning was just glorious. Down the beach was the place to be at 7am. Calm and clear. Waves measured in millimetres. No early-morning swim this time – just a stroll… Continue reading →

Posted in Daily log, Walks | Tagged Abel Tasman, Anapai Bay, Golden Bay, Totaranui, walks | 2 Comments

Swims at Totaranui Beach

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Ross

After our first sunny-and-windy day at Totaranui DoC camp and golden beach, it rained. It started (as foretold) later on that first day, and rained most of the second day. This was mostly good because it encouraged us to do nothing. And rain on the (aluminium) motorhome roof is great for encouraging sleep. By the third morning it had stopped raining, and stopped blowing, and it was foretold Continue reading →

Posted in Daily log | Tagged Abel Tasman, Golden Bay, Totaranui | Leave a comment

To the Beach – Totaranui

Posted on April 20, 2014 by Ross

Our busy time at the busy Christchurch motel came to an end. Phew! We then drove north and started a day later at a busy Blenheim motel. Then by early February we were finished for a bit and ready for some relaxation. Golden Bay beckoned; Totaranui specifically. Nice beach, DoC camp, end of a long road. So we loaded up the truck Continue reading →

Posted in Daily log | Tagged Abel Tasman, Golden Bay, Totaranui | 2 Comments

Mt Peel Revisited – In Christchurch

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Ross

Towards the end of our walk around the Christchurch CBD (see previous post) we sought out the earthquake exhibition place to see what it was about. There was a lovely stained glass church window there – or three of them to be exact. It took a while to realise that we were looking at the windows we’d seen back in 2007 on the Mt Peel farm station in Mid-Canterbury. Continue reading →

Posted in Daily log | Tagged CBD, Christchurch, church, downtown, earthquake, Mt Peel Station | Leave a comment

Christchurch Re-Visited

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Ross

Back in Christchurch again after Christmas; back working at the motels out near the airport. We had a chance for a few hours off one day, and headed back to the CBD. We’d done a bus tour a few weeks before but this time we wanted time to digest what we saw; walk around and look and see. We made a bee-line for the Re-Start mall Continue reading →

Posted in Daily log | Tagged CBD, Christchurch, downtown, earthquake | 1 Comment

500 Posts Later – A Bloggy Milestone

Posted on March 9, 2014 by Ross

Crikey! This is the 500th post on this blog thing. It seems like a milestone worth a bit of reflection. This all started back in May 2008 as something to record our motorhome adventures for family and friends to see where we were and what we were up to. That has remained the theme, with a few rants and side-tracks creeping in now and then. Along the way it has become a record of some of the many wonderful, lovely, beautiful, interesting parts of New Zealand that we have been lucky to visit and explore. Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged Ron Mueck, Sawcut Gorge, sculpture | 6 Comments

South for Christmas Shortly

Posted on March 8, 2014 by Ross

Luckily we arranged for a few days off over Christmas when we took on the motel minding job at Christchurch. The job turned out to be fairly frantic, what with having to run a shuttle van to the airport and most guests only staying one night and being mostly foreign tourists. And a quarter of the guests arriving after we went to bed and another quarter leaving before we got up. Continue reading →

Posted in Daily log | Tagged Central Otago, Dunedin, Hawea | Leave a comment

Christchurch Visited

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Ross

Before we started work at the motels in Christchurch we thought we should finally approach the CBD area which we hadn’t seen since before the earthquakes. We’d skirted around enough times, playing Spot the Chimney and moving on. We’d been in Christchurch just days before both the bad earthquakes, and one of my enduring memories is of the efforts going into restoring the Carlton Hotel – now no more. Continue reading →

Posted in Daily log | Tagged CBD, Christchurch, downtown, earthquake | 3 Comments

Nelson Nice in November

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Ross

The weather down the Marlborough Sounds in November refused to clear up. And the forecast for Nelson always seemed to be “Fine weather with afternoon sea breezes”. So we loaded up the truck, and we moved to Tahunanui…. The Tahunanui holiday park at Nelson has a good off-peak deal for motorhomers so we decided to check it out. The sun did shine …. and it was good. Continue reading →

Posted in Daily log | Tagged Marlborough, Nelson, Rarangi Beach, Tahunanui, Whites Bay | 2 Comments

Titirangi Bay – On the Fringe

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Ross

We have moved on from November, but there is one more little adventure to mention. While we were down the Marlborough Sounds, we took the opportunity to drive over to Titirangi Bay, north from Kenepuru Sound. We were not sure about the road so left Suzi motorhome back at Kenepuru Head and headed off in the little car with the even littler tent. The road climbs up a ridge; above Endeavour Inlet of Queen Charlotte Sound, around the side of Mt Stokes, above Gore Bay, Continue reading →

Posted in Daily log | Tagged Marlborough, Marlborough Sounds, Titirangi Bay | 3 Comments

Alive and Well Out West in Westport

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Ross

I’ve done it again. Got busy on the job(s) and neglected my blogging. We’ve ended up working fairly busily through most of the summer so far. I think I’ve forgotten how to do some of this stuff. Time to get remembering and get caught up. My camera is gathering dust and so are our walking shoes.
Oh yes, by the way …. Merry Christmas for a couple of months ago, and Happy 2014 …..

Posted in Daily log | Tagged Westport | 1 Comment