In January, Dylan the house bus and Edith the Suzuki made their way up the West Coast of the South Island, carrying Billy the Greyhound and his humans, Ali and Rob. We left Christchurch on 31 December and headed for the New Year hot spot of Oamaru (hey, why not?) after which we had booked two nights at the Omakau races as part of a New Zealand Motor Caravan Association (NZMCA) package (entry to races on 2 January, a race book, and a tip sheet). Just before midday, with temperatures soaring into the early 30s, in they came: children, ladies dressed for the fashion competition, men wearing their best shorts; greeting one another with New Year’s g’days. It was fabulous. No wins on the monetary front but plenty from the human experience perspective. Also, Billy was a very well-patted pooch.

We had intended to help our son move into his new Dunedin flat in early January, which was why we were initially heading south, but he didn’t need us, so after Omakau, we veered towards the West Coast. Using the NZMCA and Rankers apps, we pulled into the Makarora Country Café – a beautiful green back garden with powered sites, laundry, and showers. One night here, one at Rapahoe Beach (unintended stop, but the place we had planned to park up was a tad manky), almost camped on the beach itself. It was awesome.

With Dylan’s new, larger water tank (up from 180L to 480L), a correspondingly larger waste tank, more storage (roll-out drawers for pantry and clothing – not together), and the curtains I had shortened for the front cab area and side windows, we realised how important it has been to travel for a while to figure out how we would live in the bus and what we needed to do. Lifestyle Motorhomes in Ashburton did excellent work before Christmas. They are awesome professionals. On the other hand, the curtains were not flash. Despite desperately wanting to be good at sewing, Christchurch Girls’ High gave me an ‘E’ for the subject, and in those days, ‘E’ didn’t mean “Excellent”. Anyway, the curtains were up, providing much-needed shade and privacy.

This time I haven’t had room to include Franz Josef, Lake Mapourika, Hokitika, Greymouth, Punakaiki, and Fox River (the Sunday market is always worth a visit – great food, music and stalls).

Next, it’s Golden Bay and onto Kaikōura as we head back to Christchurch.

After that – who knows?

HEADING SOUTH