Adventures with Scout

Adventures with Scout Scout is my beloved fully self-contained campervan that I bought to explore New Zealand.

She can be hired at: https://www.camplify.co.nz/rv/campervan-rental-west-melton-scout/142875

As much as I adore Queenstown, it has never been great for campervans. It’s near impossible to get a park in the CBD (th...
06/09/2022

As much as I adore Queenstown, it has never been great for campervans. It’s near impossible to get a park in the CBD (there is one about 15mins away near the library) and the two campsites were basic but did the job.

This time I discovered the newly opened Driftaway. It’s on the shore at Frankton and has the best layout and facilities of any campsite. It’s a short bus ride into town and close to the airport. There is a variety of affordable and stunning accomodation options, starting at a tiny $29. They also have hot tubs looking over the lake opening next month. It’s so good, I’ve booked again in November.

Picton to Hamner Springs: I left at dawn and saw the sun come up over the vineyards. The road was busy up until around 8...
06/09/2022

Picton to Hamner Springs: I left at dawn and saw the sun come up over the vineyards. The road was busy up until around 8.30am, but after that was clear all the way. I stopped at Kiakoura briefly, before taking the inland road to Hamner springs. It was a very quiet, windy road through farmland and old pine plantations.

I missed Hamner Springs on my long trip, but after so many people recommended it, I decided to go this time.

Hamner Springs is super cute, it’s an alpine village very similar to Ohakune on the north Island. There are plenty of things to do, but the reason most people come is for the Hamner Springs Thermal Springs & Spa. It has the largest range of pools I have seen, including cascade, aquatherapy, hexagonal, rainbow, sulphur and rock pools. There are also private pools, saunas and spa treatments. Best of all there are waterslides. Prices start at $35 per person.

The is a great freedom campsite on the river about eight minutes out of the town centre.

On June 9th 2021, I jumped on a plane from Sydney to Wellington, NZ to deal with some urgent family matters and ended up...
30/06/2022

On June 9th 2021, I jumped on a plane from Sydney to Wellington, NZ to deal with some urgent family matters and ended up getting stuck when the borders closed.

Rather than stick around in Wellington for another three months, I decided to buy a Ford Transit Freedom, turn it into a home office and discover the country I was born, while no tourists were about. This was in Sept-Dec 2021.

I've pulled together this page to help others plan their trips around New Zealand. You can search the page for places or things you want to do. If you have any questions, please ask and I will try and add the answer to the post.

Scout is fully self-contained with solar, perfect for a holiday or travelling home office. Scout the Campervan is based in Queenstown, New Zealand and is for hire: https://www.camplify.co.nz/rv/campervan-rental-queenstown-scout/32700

The drive from Nelson to Picton is absolutely gorgeous and snakes between the water and hills. There are cute little tow...
30/06/2022

The drive from Nelson to Picton is absolutely gorgeous and snakes between the water and hills. There are cute little towns with lots of places to stop for food and photo opportunities.

I did a side trip to Anakiwa to see the start of the Queen Charlotte Track. There were cute little weekenders spotted on the hills. Exhausted walkers were sprawled asleep in the shady spots near the beach.

Linkwater was memorable because it had painted postboxes, which took an hour photogrpaph them all.

Hot tip: The road between Linkwater and Picton can take a while since there seems to be a lot of landslides and roadworks.

Undoubtedly the biggest treat on my whole trip was the vegan cherry ice-cream from Thomas Brothers Cherry And Real Fruit...
30/06/2022

Undoubtedly the biggest treat on my whole trip was the vegan cherry ice-cream from Thomas Brothers Cherry And Real Fruit Ice Cream Stall in Riwaka. It was only one of two places in New Zealand that offered vegan ice-cream, so I ate there every day.

I was lucky to get a great spot on the beach at a huge campground called Kaiteriteri Beach Reserve. I had a work project...
30/06/2022

I was lucky to get a great spot on the beach at a huge campground called Kaiteriteri Beach Reserve. I had a work project on, so I settled down for a few days to use their fast internet. If I had more time, I would have done part of the Abel Tasman Track, but the borders were starting to reopen, and I knew I had to get back to Australia.

While most tourists flock to the Fiordland area, Golden Bay seems to be New Zealand's hidden gem. Tucked into the North-...
30/06/2022

While most tourists flock to the Fiordland area, Golden Bay seems to be New Zealand's hidden gem. Tucked into the North-West part of the South Island, you have to go off the main route to get there. The region has a Bohemian vibe as well as plenty of retirees.

I ended up getting stuck for a few days in Takaka while waiting for a new part for my van. The locals were not so friendly, and they don't seem to like campervanners. So much so, that there is nowhere in Golden Bay to fill up your van with water, not even at the paid campgrounds. It's ironic when they boast having the biggest fresh water spring in the souther hemisphere. So bring plenty of water, because you will have to head to Nelson to top up.

There are not many signs advertising the tourist spots, but thankfully the mechanics pointed me in the right direction.

My favourite part of Golden Bay was called the Grove Scenic reserve (although I think it should be renamed to Gardens of Stone). They have done a great job of integrating walkways and viewing decks into this wonderful part of the world.

Golden Bay also has Te Waikoropupu Springs, which as previously mentioned is the largest cold fresh water spring in the Southern Hemisphere, and has measured as some of the clearest water in the world.

You can catch your own salmon at Anatoki Salmon Fishing & Cafe, and they can either smoke it or have it made as sushi for you.

You need to travel across a few farms to get to the carpark for Rawhiti Cave. The rock formations are incredible. The track up to the Cave is quite rigorous and natural, but that is what makes it so special. It's such a fantastic cave, you'd expect a gondola taking you up, and a gift shop, but instead it's like you are the first human to discover it.

It's a bit tricky to find Wainui Falls, but it's a great walk. The falls are a lot bigger than you expect.

I never realised that tourists visit Farewell Spit to see Wharariki Beach, which was probably the biggest surprise of my...
30/06/2022

I never realised that tourists visit Farewell Spit to see Wharariki Beach, which was probably the biggest surprise of my trip. It was so jaw-droppingly stunning, I decided to stay a couple of nights to photograph it at sunrise and sundown.

There are two ways to walk to the Beach from the carpark, one is quicker than the other. I found the longer route is hard to follow the track, especially at night. There are also lots of prickles which are hard to see in the dark. The longer walk takes about thirty minutes and is quite easy. Remember to bring a torch if you are going at dawn or dusk.

There are numerous longer walks around the area. Some take a full day, but you will need someone to pick you up at the other end. You can also hire horses to take you to some of the best spots.

Te Wharariki Holiday Park is perfectly positioned next to the carpark with fairly-priced campsites. Its not huge, so probably best to book.

I had flown over Farewell Spit countless times, so was excited to finally be on the ground to explore. I stayed at Farew...
30/06/2022

I had flown over Farewell Spit countless times, so was excited to finally be on the ground to explore. I stayed at Farewell Gardens Motor Camp which was tidy and welcoming. It was a short drive to the start of farewell Spit.

The actual hike around Farewell Spit only takes you a few kilometres in and covers a variety of landscapes. It also has a beach covered in fossils which you have to visit at the right time of day. The locals said that people don't do the whole spit as it would be very long and boring.

I was told how beautiful St Arnaud was, so made the detour to stay one night. The freedom camp site was closed, so I squ...
30/06/2022

I was told how beautiful St Arnaud was, so made the detour to stay one night. The freedom camp site was closed, so I squeezed into one of the last spots at Kerr Campground. The campers were incredibly welcoming, fun and friendly.

Hot tip: St Arnaud has the most sandflies I have ever experienced in the world. Not even insect repellent deters them. I'm not sure if it was the time of year, or if they were starving because of lack of tourists, but come prepared! A full net suit would have been perfect.

The journey between the West Coast and St Arnaud takes you along the road that hugs the Buller River. It has spectacular...
30/06/2022

The journey between the West Coast and St Arnaud takes you along the road that hugs the Buller River. It has spectacular scenery and some great photo and picnic opportunities.

I stopped briefly at Westport, and was surprised to find immaculately done up heritage buildings, as well as run down ones, with not much in between.

The Buller Gorge Swing Bridge was interesting as they show how a recent earthquake reshaped the rivers edge. There was also numerous places to stop for food, I chose the Commercial cafe in Murchison for a decent burger.

Punakaiki and the surrounding areas are some of my favourite parts of New Zealand. Punakaiki is famous for the rock form...
30/06/2022

Punakaiki and the surrounding areas are some of my favourite parts of New Zealand. Punakaiki is famous for the rock formation called Pancake Rocks as well as the Nikau palms. The Pancake Rocks area is quite touristy, but there is a place to park and it's about a thirty minute round trip to see the rocks. There are quite pricey cafes too, but their rent would be exorbitant.

I was so close to buy a bit of land here, parking up and never leaving. But when I saw how the prices had more than tripled since before Covid, i figured I'd better wait until it calmed down.

This area is where the mountains meet the sea and has some great little areas such as Barrytown and Fox River. There are the cutest little baches spotted along the oceans edge. I looked into it and if they become available, you can buy a leasehold for a large amount of money.

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West Melton
Christchurch
3337

Telephone

+64 800 779 779

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