Well it’s been a long time since we have put a post up and many will be wondering “where the bloody hell are ya”. Where?…. This year Aotearoamer is parked up at Trevelyan’s Pack and Cool Stores…. Why?… because we are sick budgies looking for a different perspective in life, we just want to remind ourselves of what working is like and working is exactly what you do in these packhouses. Last year we experienced the kiwi fruit season in Gisborne and had an absolutely awesome time with our dear friends Ian & Tui Harrington. What a blast that was… worked our butts off forRead More →

While the rest of the country is having a ho hum summer, Motueka has been having a pretty good summer season, not as good as the last couple of years, but overall better than most other places. Jude and I have enjoyed some hot as days and caught up with some friends we have met during our Moho life. The house sit is over and it’s now back on the road… at the moment we are still in Motueka enjoying the good weather while waiting for the NZMCA “Music In The Mountains” Rally at the end of this month (Jan). We have had a wonderfulRead More →

Wow what a big day 19km tramp up Mt Arthur, 8.8km up, 8.8km down plus 1.4km returning because numb skull forgot to turn off the vehicle lights and had to return and turn them off. Yep it’s only 8.8 km to the summit but boy are the climbs long and steep. The first 4km to Mt Arthur Hut is not too bad as it climbs steadily to 1300mtrs. Once past the Mt Arthur Hut the wind blew over the ridges constantly lifting the cloud up and over the ridges amplifying the cool temps at altitude, the track narrows and starts getting into the long steepRead More →

15th December has arrived so quickly, we have settled into our house sit. Jude decides that we need to have a day out of Motueka and a change from our regular MTB ride to Rewaka’s Ginger Box for our daily coffee, a round trip of 25 km. She had been looking at some rides in a cycling tracks book she found at our house sit and thought the Flora Track would be a good change…. marked as “easy” she seemed pretty happy to leave the eBike batteries at home for this one…. I say nothing. Well I’m no stranger to Jude and her desires toRead More →

Leaving Balmoral we head to Waiau to travel the inland route to Kaikoura. The pass through to Kaikoura was windy, hilly still showing signs of damage from the Kaikoura earthquake of 2016. Overall a pleasant trip through the gorge and one of the many routes we had not taken until now. Arriving at Kaikoura it was warm and we spent two lovely days walking the town looking at the galleries before deciding it was time to move on. While at the NZMCA park we met John and Barbara Kerse, a lovely couple from Rangiora and now keep in touch with them via social media. LookingRead More →

The dawns warm and breezy but cloudy, today we go up to Lake Coleridge, sealed road to the village, makes a change from the gravel road and dust. The village is on the banks of the Rakaia River alongside the historic Lake Coleridge Power station, 165m below Lake Coleridge. It was built between 1911-1914. The village is surrounded by mature trees, an arboretum created by Harry Hart, the first tree planted in 1933, with more than 200 plant and tree specimens. We wander through to the cemetry amongst the old man pines once again history is told in the headstones. We leave the village andRead More →