No Fixed Abode: Campervan Unfriendly Road

Sun 31 Jan 2016 - Marlborough Sounds

Woke to an overcast morning, not what the weatherman had predicted, but up an away on the expectation of sunshine and kayak rental on Queen Charlotte sound.

The scenic drive along Queen Charlotte Drive was lovely with breaks in the ever present bush for views over the sound. It really is quite a stunning place. At the western end we found a small layby with views over a pretty bay with lots of boats moored up and stopped for a while. Whilst eating breakfast a family arrived and we watched grandad row out to nice looking cruiser moored to buoy whilst grandma, two children with partners and a couple of grandchildren moved the days supplies to the end of an old wooden jetty. Shortly afterwards grandad expertly brought the boat alongside and they were off - and so were we.

Just above Picton, where we planned to rent our kayaks, is a large lookout with a viewpoint overlooking the harbour. With heavy clouds covering the sky we had no desire to rush to the kayaks so we showered and watched the first of the days ferries from Wellington (North Island) arrive and marvelled at the precise control the helmsman had over such a large craft. Before long the various lorries and cars were being driven off the open deck at the top and a few minutes later we noticed train carriages being driven from the inside of the ship - never seen that happen before.

With the clouds still overhead we made our way into Picton town centre and found the i-site where we collected plenty of brochures for the Marlborough wine region, which we plan to visit tomorrow, and discussed options with the assistant. Once outside the sun began to break through but by then we had lost the yearning for the kayaks so went food shopping then up to another viewpoint, Victoria Domain that Yvonne had noticed for a spot of lunch.

By now the clouds were gone and we sat on a bench watching two ferries load and depart while Glenn burnt himself in the midday sun - plonker.

As it was now afternoon we decided to make our way south to the wine region. The journey on the highway is quite short but Yvonne had spotted a small coast road on the map so guess which we way we took. Initially the road was sealed and wound its way through Waikawa then up a steep pass with plenty of flashy, modern houses hugging the hillside for the views of the sound. At the top of the pass the road dropped steeply back down the other side to Port Underwood, a large bay/small sound from which we could see the headlands beyond Blenheim. The bay had a boat busy landing ramp and many of boats, some of them quite large, were being hauled over the pass from which we’d just struggled in our van!

The road then set off along the coast hugging the contours of the steep cliffs. It then became unsealed, then bumpy, then very bumpy! We bumped, twisted and skidded for the next 10 miles passing a couple of very isolated settlements from which all the locals gave us friendly wave - more in surprise we suspect than civility.

Eventually, with Glenn becoming more and more frustrated, the road became sealed and dropped down a steep slope to the sea. With a lovely straight, flat, even road ahead we slowly cruised along in the evening sunshine until we found our camping spot on the banks of the Wairua Diversion, a man made channel that makes a shortcut for the river Wairua to the sea.

On initial inspection the site looked a bit flat and featureless but as we got closer to the sea we found a lovely grassy area with the river one side, miles of grapevines the other and large empty beach just beyond the spit. With the sun shining we sat outside and drank a couple of beers for the first time in ages, having been kept in by either rain, cold or sandflies. It felt great. To round the day off and work up an appetite we walked along the windswept beach and then settled down for a very peaceful night.