All posts by Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com

Founder and Creator of Buggeritweareoff.com. Ex Newspaper Photographer and Commercial Photographer for more than 40 years.

South Island 2015, South Island 2017, West Coast

The Pass

November 8, 2017 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com 5 Comments

We woke up at Franz Josef to find we had no power left. A combination of too much TV, no sunshine on the panels and sitting in one spot for too long. The electronic controller in Rafe turns things off if it looks like it’ll damage the batteries so nothing died! So lesson.. less power consumption unless we can generate more by moving or some sunshine. This is our first time in a winter South Island so its all about learning that the sun doesn’t work as well on solar panels in winter. 🙂

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After using the superb dump station and topping up with water, we set off for Haast and the pass. It was just drizzling when we left but by the time we got to Haast, it was pouring. After having lunch in Rafe with some locally sourced fresh bread, we set off through the Haast. It looks great and as many said, its an easy drive, even when its raining!

We stopped briefly to have a look at the Thunder Creek Falls which look amazing. The 5 minute bush walk to get to the falls is stunning.

There was one guy there who thought by hopping on rocks he’d get a better shot. The problem was his kids followed him! The shot would’ve been the same from the side of the river 🙂
We left there and a little bit further on, we stopped off at another called the Fantail Falls where various visitors to the falls had made little stacks of river stones by the falls.

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Great place to take piccies

Thunder Creek falls

People enjoying the stones at Fantail falls

Fantail falls

The stone stacks at Fantail falls

Rafe at Hawea .. amazing park

The play equipment. Even a couple of old Tractors.

Great parking

Lake Hawea from the township

Another nice spot and easy parking but it was still raining !

The plan was originally to stop at the Makarora Tourist centre but when we got there, it all looked a bit farm paddock like and Rafe being quite low is a bit allergic to lumpy paddocks to park in so we kept going and decided on Lake Hawea Holiday park by the lake and give Rafe’s batteries a good tweak.

Its a neat Campground and they’re very welcoming. We parked down by the lake despite the fact that there was a good wind coming off the lake but it was due to drop off. We also managed to fluke a TV signal first pop through the trees which pleased Fiona 🙂

Lake Hawea when we arrived.. a bit windy

I went for a walk along the lake and had a good look around. Nice bathrooms and a Laundry and a good sized Kitchen too.

We’re looking at going back there in a few weeks.

South Island 2017, West Coast

Waterfalls and the Glacier

November 6, 2017 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com 4 Comments

We liked Ross so much, we seriously thought about staying another night but thought, we’d better push on.

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We found the NZMCA park in Franz Josef really easily. Rafe’s GPS took us right to the front door !

A great setup with water, the dump station and the check in hut.

Its a really nice park. Looking in Google Earth, it looks like a square of brown cut out of the bush and sitting in it, its magic with all the ferns and Westland bush all around. The dump station works a treat too. Very easy.

After checking it all out, we headed off to town for some bits and bobs from the 4 Square and then went and did a recce of the Glacier car park to see what we were going to be dealing with the next day when the weather was supposed to clear up a bit.

The next day started out with blue sky but very quickly greyed over and was typical west coast drizzly close weather. We were heading to the Glacier anyway so took Rafe to the car park.

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The Glacier carpark was busy

The Glacier about halfway up with a waterfall.

Waterfalls

Interesting contrasts in the rock.

Looking back towards Franz Josef. Rain in the hills.

The river

The Franz Josef Glacier. See if you can spot a Helicopter

Rafe in the corner at the NZMCA park

Just as I got the umbrella out and stuck it under my arm, the sky lifted and there were big patches of blue and the drizzle petered out to nothing.

It was a 90 minute return trip according to the Doc signs and it was an easy walk. At the Glacier, it was amazing just sitting there watching the succession of Helicopters dropping people and guides off on the Glacier.. every few minutes there was another one.

If you look at the closer Glacier images, you should be able to spot the odd helicopter. There were heaps of people on the track in both directions and it was nice to see so many people enjoying the walk. It was like being in Europe hearing all the different languages as they walked past you.

At the top with the Glacier and a waterfall.

We stopped at the Glacier for 20 minutes or so before heading back and as it would happen, the weather closed in again just as we got back to Rafe 🙂

A fun day out walking by the river up to the Glacier and well done to the local NZMCA people there for setting up such a great park. Very cool and close to town too.

South Island 2017, West Coast

Sunday Roast at the Empire

November 4, 2017 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com

The fire was blazing, the bar looked fantastic and owners Paulette and Mark couldn’t have been more welcoming. I ordered a Chardonnay and paid the $10 for Rafe’s park with power and we had a look around this amazing pub in Ross.

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Paulette informed us that as it was Sunday, they had 30 odd people coming for tea and that we should join in. For $20 each for Roast Pork or Beef and $5 for Pavlova and Steamed Pudding, it was a no brainer and we wanted to be at the front of the queue 🙂

We went for a walk up the street and checked out the Gold Mining area. It is all really well set out and well signposted with explanations of what happened during the late 1800’s with lots of photos and some of the original buildings still there.

Unfortunately we missed the Museum and seeing a replica of the biggest Nugget found there but we got to see Raymond the friendly Goat over the road from the Empire along with a lots of historical bits and bobs.

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Up in the Historic Gold area

The original Gaol

One of the waterwheels

One of the old cottages with the Museum on the left.

Looking back down the main road to the Empire

Some of the Trinkets on the fireplace

The Bar. Amazing working cash register

Everybodies friend Raymond opposite the Empire

When I went for a haircut in Greymouth, the lady absolutely raved about the food at the Empire Hotel when she heard we were going there, so the word is out. The food is fantastic!

We thought about staying another night as it was so good but decided we’d move on to Franz Josef and continue on towards the Haast while the weather was good.

South Island 2017, West Coast

The Famous Cheese Pub

November 2, 2017 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com 5 Comments

We couldn’t leave Greymouth without going down to the Breakwater to check out the entrance to the port. I’ve see pictures of some of the fishing boats coming in over the bar and it is not for the faint hearted. These guys are amazing with this harbour.

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People collecting Driftwood down by the Greymouth Breakwater

Today the water was very settled and there were a few people out gathering driftwood with the Mountains behind bathed in sunshine. You could tell from the water how ugly it could be though on a bad day.

Looking back to Greymouth from the Breakwater

As we travelled south, we had to stop at the Mahinapua Hotel and get some piccies there before checking out the Lake.

Looking back at the Mountains in the sunshine over Lake Mahinapua

There is a Doc park right opposite the Hotel where you can stay which has a kitchen and toilets right next to the lake. Its a lovely spot.

The Coal Trolley in front of the Mahinapua Hotel

Back out of the main road, there is a reminder of the history of the area with a coal trolley from a mine in front of the Hotel.

Fiona outside the Famous Mahinapua Hotel

The lakefront park is a neat spot to stop for a cup of tea or lunch.

My Motorhome, South Island 2017, West Coast

Bone Idle 2

October 31, 2017 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com 4 Comments

Early in the morning, Keith and Lyn rocked up in their 5th Wheeler and with minimal fuss, backed it into a nice big park in the Central RV park in Greymouth.

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Lyn and Keith on the back of their Izuzu

I met them later in the day and we enjoyed a cold drink leaning over the tray of their Izuzu 4wd while we told a few tall stories and had a few laughs 😎

Their 2005 Canadian Okanagan called Bone Idle 2 is just a thing of beauty and altough it needed a lot of tidying up, when they first got it 3.5 years ago, they have done all the work themselves and done it well. Keith was telling me how they had resealed the roof, completely repainted inside, redone the floor and generally tidied it up. They have even replaced some of the wood that was a bit suspect under the bed, above the hitch on the outside with checker plate. That won’t rot!

It looks fantastic and now they’re out and about enjoying the fruits of their labour !

Coming originally from Nelson they’re now well and truly part of the Westport community. Lyn was telling me that one of their favorite spots was at the Anatori river.

Lovely trailer and neat people.

South Island 2017, West Coast

The Brewery

October 29, 2017 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com 2 Comments

We couldn’t come to Greymouth and not visit the famous Monteiths Brewery where Fiona’s favorite Cider comes from 🙂

The tours are on three times a day and are $50 for two which includes some tasting and some complimentary drinks and discounts on West Coast Tourist attractions and some Monteiths clothing.
The coupons all come in a nicely packaged West Coast passport for each person on the tour.

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We checked in at the only central Motorhome Park, Central Motorhome Park and it is behind a Challenge service station almost across the road from Monteiths. Very handy!

An interesting wall hanging at Monteiths

The park is very reasonable at $20 a Motorhome but includes showers, free wifi and has water and a dump station. It is walking distance to everywhere so is VERY handy.

Monteiths is across the road and down a side street, less than 5 minutes walk and was very easy to find.

Our guide Nick with some of the product range

We arrived there right on time for our mid afternoon tour and soon after our guide Nick introduced himself and after donning some hi vis vests, we were shown given a quick background on how it all came about in the mid 1800’s. Originally the Brewery was in Reefton and wasn’t moved to Greymouth until the founders son moved it in early 1900’s. Fascinating history and I understand that after being owned by DB, it is now owned by Heinekin. Another good beer.

After the history run down, we were shown the process on a giant board and then shown the different Stainless Steel Vats that are used to process the Beers. Very modern and it all looks amazingly efficient. After this we were shown the bottling plant and then the original safe with some historic books with the original shareholders etc. They also still have all the original processing equipment there that was used before all the high volume products were moved to DB.

Afterwards, we were given lessons on how to pour a beer correctly and then we got to taste some .. Yum. Fiona and I had a couple of drinks each with some chips before we ambled back over the road to Rafe. All in all, a really interesting, fun afternoon and also not in any danger of dehyration 🙂

Central Motorhome Park behind the service station.

Seriously though.. well worth doing if you’re in the area.

South Island 2017, West Coast

The Bearded Miners

October 27, 2017 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com 5 Comments

The sun welcomed us into Reefton and after driving down the main street, we parked by the river and went for a walk.

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The I site is amazing as it has a fully set up mine in there. You can hardly see your hand in front of your face but after your eyes adjust, you can see the trolley with a chap behind it. It is all setup to look like the real thing.

Dusk looking down Reeftons main street with the old lights lighting the street.

There was also a good background on how Reefton got to be the first town in the Southern Hemisphere to have a full power supply.
In 1886, Walter Prince from Dunedin with a generator in tow and showed what could be done, totally dazzling the population of Reefton. Within a few years, they had the whole town up and running.

After wandering around looking at the shops and checking out the river, we came across a Miners Hut and all the related equipment. It was setup by 4 guys (all bearded of course) as volunteers and they take tours through all the bits they have there but they are a wealth of knowledge.

They weren’t there at the time but we found out we could see them the next morning so we parked Rafe at the local motorcamp by the river in the middle of town.

At the Reefton Camping ground. Toilets and showers behind

The weather was supposed to really pack a sad with a front coming through so we were pleased to be on gravel. In the end, it never really got much worse than drizzle.

In the morning, we headed back to the miners hut to meet three of the bearded miners. Gavin, Peter and Mark. Unfortunately, there was a fourth miner involved in setting this up too but he recently passed away. They were full of knowledge and very happily lit a lantern or two so I could photograph the inside of the hut. .. magic stuff.

They were waiting on a busload of tourists to arrive when we were there. Lovely to catch up with them and have a good natter and really nice guys who volunteer their time in their retirement to show off the history of Reefton.

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Looking down the main street of Reefton

Fiona checking out a local B & B

Nice sign

Replica’s of the old Lights

In the Miners Hut. An old collectible, the drunk Possum on the rafter.

The Bearded Miners. Gavin, Peter and Mark

Great mural on the loo wall

The town just reeks of history and the locals are just charming. Its a town that is often by passed but is well worth checking out.

Motueka, South Island 2017

Historic Sarau

October 25, 2017 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com

The forecast talked about several days of some rough weather coming in from the next day so we thought we’d make the best of the great weather and have a look at the Historic town of Sarau, now called Upper Moutere.

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Its an amazing little town up behind Motueka which was settled by several boat loads of Germans who landed here in the 1840’s. The town started with a hall and a church, followed later by a pub and was a thriving little town. The original church has gone but the current Lutheran Church on the same site that still stands there today, has a bell that has the original german inscriptions on it.

Lutheran Church with the original German Bell

We stopped in the middle of town and had a look around. The old Post Office is now a gift shop with some amazing jams and clothes and jewelery. They also coffee and a muffin if you’re peckish!

The old Post Office now a gift shop amongst other things

Across the road is an amazing Clay Gallery run by Katie Gold and Owen Bartlett. They have a rustic old barn there covered in all sorts which I thought had to be photographed. The house is amazing and while were there, I managed to get a piccy of Katie with one of her masterpieces.

After this, we found out that Kahurangi Wines were just around the corner and decided it would be rude not to stop there for a taste since we were in the area 🙂

After tasting some lovely Chardonnay and a wine they make from an Italian grape, I ended up buying a bottle of each. We shared the Italian beauty with our neighbours back at Kaiteriteri Selwyn and Lynda. It went down a treat !

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General Store

The Clay gallery barn.. amazing

Katie Gold

Katies Clay Gallery

Kahurangi Estate

Lovely Kahurangi Rose

The Moutere Inn

From here it was onto the historic Moutere Inn for a drink and something to eat. The Moutere Inn is still the original pub and is reputed to be the oldest in New Zealand that is still in its original state.

The pub is a favorite stopping point for a lot of Sunday Motorbike riders with some huge bikes so we got to have a quick look at some amazing bikes parked in the carpark.

A lovely place to visit if you’re in the area.

Motueka, South Island 2017

A Happy Place

October 23, 2017 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com 4 Comments

Fiona’s cousin Iain has been coming here for years, every holiday break and he calls it his “Happy Place” and I heard somone else call it this too… and its all true 🙂

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Kaiteriteri is just a magic place in the world and with an off season deal for NZMCA members at $98 a week, it truly is happy time sitting there amongst other nice NZMCA’rs looking at the beach literally in front of your front bumper!

We’d just stopped and parked in front of the reception and I was walking in to check in when I met Selwyn and Lynda. This was before I’d even checked in ! They were off on a walk over to Little Kaiteriteri via a lookout on a track through the bush. They showed me how to get there so we could do it to. What a welcome !

The receptionist was amazing too. She insisted that if we weren’t happy with the site, I could shift which we did later.

Its a huge campground with muliple ammenties blocks. In winter, they cut costs by closing all but one block. There are more than 400 powered sites and several cottages. They even have their own small supermarket and nearby are several bars and restaurants to suit all tastes . A very well setup campground.

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Plenty of space

Looking down the back

Little Kaiteriteri from up by the lookout

In the bay

Flash beachside apartments upstairs. Supermarket downstairs with hot bread!

Some of the cabins

After checking in on a brilliantly fine day, we went for a walk up to the lookout at one end of the beach and Fiona carried on to Little Kaiteriteri for more exercise. That afternoon, we sat around the beach and checked out the camp.

Later in the day, we met up again with Selwyn and Lynda who were only parked two away from us so we commandeered an empty barbeque table and enjoyed an hour of laughs and something cold with them. They hadn’t come that far as they lived in Motueka or “Mot” as its known locally. This to me gives you some idea of how good they think it is at Kaiteriteri when they could be anywhere.

The next day, we took off in Rafe over to the next bay around Marahau. It is a really bendy, twisty road and we averaged probably 30 k all the way there. Interesting though to see and it is another lovely bay. From here you can go right up into the Abel Tasman Park. We headed back on another easier road and stopped for a cup of tea at the charming coffee shop in Riwaka.

We have been here before a couple of years ago with Gary and Chris with their Fuso. But weren’t here long enough to have a good look around.

Lovely spot and a very Happy Place !

Nelson, South Island 2017

Port Mapua

October 20, 2017 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com 6 Comments

Checking in at Mapua Leisure Park in the rain was easy. Getting Rafe organised in the rain on these huge parks was another matter. The parks are generally 9m by 9m but are marked only by little signs in the grass. Fun to see in the rain 🙂

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Rabbit Island and the Nelson hills behind

After figuring out that the trees I’d parked in front of were in the way of a good TV signal, all was well. It was all about knowing where North was 🙂 I was completely confused even though I was once a boy scout too!

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In a primo spot

Plenty of space

The kitchen, showers and toilets

The Port

Check out the current at the wharf!

Looking from the port over to the Richmond hills

Its all aboit bikes here. The shops at the port behind

Fiona riding off over the causeway to Mapua

We were right on the waterfront. Just amazing looking back over Rabbit Island to the hills behind Nelson. A great spot.

On our second day, we went for a bike ride around to the Mapua Port. In what used to some old cool stores have all been turned into a selection of specialty shops and food outlets. It was really interesting. The port is only about 10 minutes riding from the camping ground and is an easy walk too.

After looking through an antique shop with Fiona I went back to the wharf and watched the boats with the amazing current with the outgoing tide. It must have been at least 5 knots! The boats on the moorings look like theyre under way and when a small boat came in against the current, it looked like it was barely making and headway. It must be a dangerous area if you broke down!

The ferry and looking towards the camp on the left.

After having some great Fish and Chips at the fish shop, we headed back to the town for a cuppa at the bakery and then back to the camp.

The sun was shining, the wind was insignificant and it was just lovely by the water, watching boats come and go.

With over 100 powered sites, a pool, a Cafe and some motels, its massive. A very pleasant place to stay and I gather it rocks during summer.

Fiona & Chris, two empty nesters put their dreams of doing something different into reality… Now back in a house, they were living in their Motorhome, come along for the ride.

	Warmenhj on Cruising to the 2026 Dethleffs…
	Chris Miller - Bugge… on Cruising to the 2026 Dethleffs…
	Warmenhj on Cruising to the 2026 Dethleffs…
	Warmenhj on Cruising to the 2026 Dethleffs…

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Fiona & Chris, two empty nesters put their dreams of doing something different into reality… Now back in a house, they were living in their Motorhome, come along for the ride.