Joie de vivre - by Julie

Joie de vivre - exuberant enjoyment of life.

Today is Wednesday 17^th June 2015.  We have been traveling for over 100 days in Sabbaticus.  In less than a week we will return to Palmerston North. 

Our final port of call has been Kaiteriteri; what a picturesque seaside town to finish our journey.  The weather has been very kind with many good days for exploration and voyage. We have cruised around Abel Tasmen National Park, tramped the Able Tasman and driven over the Takaka Hill to Collingwood - stopping to enjoy the famous Naked Possum Café - thanks Lorraine for the recommendation.  We joined the Farewell Spit Eco Tour to visit the lighthouse, cycled and taken hundreds… literally hundreds of photos just in the last few weeks. The bird life here has been a delight, and I’ve been able to add new species to my growing bird portfolio - Kingfishers and White Faced Herons, California Quail, Goldfinchs and more. We also had visitors in Kaiteriteri which we always enjoy; my nephew Ben and his wife Katie and little Cohn whom we hadn’t met before. It was a delight to make your acquaintance Cohn.

Wayne Enjoying the Abel Tasmen.

I wouldn’t dare to bore you with our many stops over recent weeks, but I’ll regale you with the very best highlights. From the Otago Rail Trail, Oliver’s deliciously amazing restaurant and the Anzac Dawn Parade we headed further south to the Catlins via the Roxburgh and Balcutha. Stayed just out of Owaka at a boutique camping ground called Newhaven in Surat Bay.

The weather took an eminence turn for the worse and we were rarely able to venture out without four or five layers of clothing. One night I had to use ear plugs to drown out the pounding of rain on the roof of the van. Despite this, we did appreciate the ruggedness and raw beauty of this windblown coast line. We managed to see a Hoiko - yellowed eyed penguin after quietly hovering in a DOC hide while the wind chilled us to the bone. It was a unique opportunity to see these little penguins in their natural habitat,  one I won’t forget. As for Wayne, he’ll be remembering the ear full he received from a rumbustious sea lion who took a dislike to him in Surat Bay… perhaps thinking Wayne was a threat to his territory. Of course I wasn’t far from my happy place when we discovered the Catlins Café that served great tea in cups and saucers.

From the Catlins, where internet access was unbearably bad, we made our way down the coast and around to Invercargill, onto Riverton, Tuatapere, up to Manapouri and finally, after a very long day of driving in prevailing winds, we arrived at Te-Anau as darkness set in.

Te-Anau, like Tekapo, will hold a special place in my memories. Autumn, in all her colourful glory, welcomed us.   The weather was pleasant enabling us to walk and cycle. Our Doubtful Sounds overnight cruise gets our top overall rating, while the two dozen Bluff Oysters I scoffed on my own and dinner at the Redcliff’s Restaurant came a close second equal. I rated our visit to Milford Sounds somewhere down the ratings.

From Te-Anau we headed toward Mossburn and the Bracken Hall café: great tea and gift shop. At Balfour we turned towards Waikaia, where my Uncle and Aunt live.  A hearty welcome, great tomato soup and the southland specialty of cheese rolls awaited us.  Back up the road, in fact closer than we realised, we caught up with long-time friends John and Diane Smith. A wonderful welcome awaited us: hospitality of the richest and dearest kind was found with the Smith family.  I got to sleep in a real house and in a proper bed: the first time since we left home… it was so good.

Clyde, Fay and Julie.

 

John, Diane and Julie.

Departing late morning, we headed to Wanaka via Gore, Tapanui - famous for the filming of Pete’s Dragon - Alexandra, and Cromwell.  Other than the huge pumpkins in the Roxburgh Gorge, the trip can best be described as relentlessly tedious. Wanaka didn’t leave us with any memorable moments and the camping ground felt lifeless, perhaps due to the time of year and continuous cold rain: far from inviting.  The Federal café on Mother’s day was a highlight: great food and atmosphere.

The Haast Pass was full of promise and we stopped to take in the sights as we climbed slow and steady over the pass. We camped about 20 minutes out of the Haast Township on the road to Jackson’s Bay where we began to experience the West Coast rainforests; their height, density and the endless weaving of roads through them. I wouldn’t put Jackson Bay high on my favourite destination list.  The AA guide to the West Coast had promised me a fabulous seafood lunch at the Craypot, and I was hanging out for it: it would have been helpful if it had also included a ‘closed for winter’ in their review.

A visit to the Blue Pools - Haast Pass.

Some of the most spell binding moments on our trip occurred between Haast and Lake Brunner:  Bruce Bay, Fox Glacier, the Rainforest Retreat Camping Ground and the Franz Josef Glacier Hot Pools and Spa.  We took in the sights and experiences of Lake Matheson, Gillespies Beach, Lake Parina and Lake Ianthe, West Coast Treetop Walks at Hokitika, and The Denniston Experience (the coal mine from whence Jenny Pattrick took inspiration for her NZ Novel Denniston Rose). The West Coast of the South Island is vast and pictorial, rich in the history of gold and coal mining. Its remoteness, harsh environment and wet weather, however, doesn’t stop people calling it home. Greymouth also gave me chance to catch up with an old school friend from Christchurch. It was great seeing you Mitzi.

Wayne taking in the views on the
West Coast Treetop Walkway.

After Lake Brunner, we headed to Akaroa. Situated high above the township, the camping ground afforded us a priceless view of Akaroa Harbour . Family ties bind me to Akaroa. It’s my mother’s birth place as well as the place where my great grandfather Etienne Francois Le Lievre settled in 1840. I had some lovely moments catching up with family and exploring this quaint French village. My days were filled with reminders of why I love this place; its peacefulness, its beauty and its place in my family’s history. It’s my turangawaewae: my roots are here, and I am tied too this place.

Coffee in Akaroa.

Then onto Hanmer Springs. It too lived up to its reputation. It was here that Esther joined us for the night,  making us a merry party of three. I thrashed her at scrabble and she beat me at several games of ‘patience’. We joined the throngs of people bathing at the hot pools over the  Queen’s Birthday weekend and availed ourselves of every opportunity to walk and cycle through the extensive forest tracks. From Hanmer we travelled to our present and final destination.

Julie and Esther in Hanmer Springs.

Thanks for keeping us company on our South Island Journey. Keep checking in, we will post some more photo blogs and Wayne’s got a few thoughts yet to come.

As this chapter of our journey comes to its end to make way for paths yet undiscovered, an excerpt from John O’Donohue’s book Benedictus.

A Morning Offering; starting at verse two.

 

….All that is eternal in me
Welcomes the wonder of this day,

The field of brightness it creates

Offering time for each thing

To arise and illuminate.

 

I place on the altar of dawn;

The quiet loyalty of breath,

The tent of thought where I shelter

And all beauty drawn to the eye.

 

May my mind come alive today

To the invisible geography

That invites me to new frontiers,

To break the dead shell of yesterdays.

To risk being disturbed and changed.

May I have the courage today

To live the life that I would love,

To postpone my dream no longer,

But do at last what I came here for

And waste my heart on fear no more.

 

 

Au revoir

Julie