Day 17 - Thurs 5 April - Oxford to Geraldine It was time to head south after morning tea with the other two. They are staying another night. We stopped for lunch beside the Waimakiriri River and not long afterwards arrived at Geraldine. We are staying at Peski CAP just outside Geraldine. What a great spot! Owen and Jeanette from Ngatea are staying here too - small world. We joined a group of ex motorbike enthusiasts for Happy Hour. They are from Wellington a...

Day 16 - Wed 4 April - Waipara to Oxford It was still very windy on SH1 as we headed south. We had a good run through to Oxford and got there in time for morning coffee with Min and Paul. It was so good to have time to chat and catch up with their adventures and share what has been happening with us too. Before we knew it, it lunchtime. Bread and bun making was done in the afternoon. We all went out for dinner at a local Pizza/Wine Bar. Only two other custom...

Day 15 - Tue 3 April - Kaikoura to Waipara First things first - dump station visit before leaving town. There has been a total revamp at South Bay Reserve with new toilet block and walkways. South of Kaikoura there were more stop/go sections to negotiate and lots fo traffic going north. We stopped for morning tea at Paia Point and on to Omihi for a lunch break parked beside the local school. There were very blustery winds across the plains so we decided to s...

Day 14 - Mon 2 April - Kaikoura We woke to a sunny day this morning. Yahoo! Keith and Sue (who are parked beside us) came down to the supermarket with us for supplies and a coffee in the town. The Four Square they were going to shop at was all boarded up. More rigs rolled in during the afternoon but not as many as last night. We had 4zees at Keith and Sue's motorhome today. Most of our neighbours are heading off tomorrow

Day 13 - Sun 1 April - Picton to Kaikoura There was fog about this morning - Daylight Savings Changeover. Bruce made scones (in the gas oven for the first time) and they were fantastic! We stopped at Blenheim for petrol and began our drive through earthquake country. Closer to Ward replacement bridges have gone in and also along the coast where big slips came down. The seascape has changed entirely - lots of rocky sections now exposed and bare. We got to Kai...