This
page contains the travel Tales of our well respected members Brian &
Jean Lister T11232, though retired they are both very fit and full
of life. They are very mindful of the need to travel while you still
enjoy good health, thus lead by example. |
Our
Tour of New Zealand |
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We recently had five
weeks touring New Zealand in a Motorhome, leaving Launceston on the
5th of March and returning on the 7th of April. We considered exchanging
Motorhomes, however most New Zealanders wanted to pick up in N.S.W.
or Queensland; so we found it easier to hire one. On arrival in Christchurch after a three hour flight we were ferried to the Maui depot in a courtesy bus. Picked up a four berth Ford transit Motorhome, then went onto the supermarket to stock up and then to a caravan park for the night. While we were shopping we found that they had phased out 5 cent pieces. The next day we went into the city for a look around, found an all day parking spot in Hadley Park; which is centrally located and walked a short distance to a tourist Tram stop. Bought a combined ticket for the tram and gondola. One can get on and off the tram at various stops around the city, which we made full use of. It is a lovely old place, reminiscent of England. Had lunch at the Casino for $2 each! It was 32 degrees, the hottest day of the summer. We drove to the Gondola station a few kilometres south of the city and rode to the top of a big hill. There is a beautiful view over Lyttleton Harbour and back to the city. After that we stopped overnight in a different caravan park. |
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Pancake
Rocks |
Flying over Mount Cook | Lake
Matheson |
Next morning
we headed west to Arthur's Pass. Drove through about 60 kilometers
of flat farming country and then into the foothills of the the big
mountain range that runs though the centre of the South Island. It
started to rain as soon as we arrived at the mountains, we stopped
at the township of Arthur's Pass; did a short walk in the rain and
then went back a few kilometres bac  k to Klondyke Pass, where we had
our first bush camp in a rugged mountainous setting.The weather cleared during the night and we drove through Arthur's Pass and into Otira Gorge which was very rugged with lots of shingle coming down the mountains and into the river. Turning off the main road at Jackson's we travelled north through farm land to Stillwater, then went to the coast at Greymouth. After a counter lunch we headed north up the coast to Westport, stopping at the Pancake Rocks which looked like lots of pancakes stacked up, an unusual sight. Stopped in a caravan Park at Westport. The following day we travelled inland through the Buller Gorge, which is very impressive. In one place the road was carved out of solid rock, single lane with overhanging roof. We turned south through Reefton, an interesting old gold mining town to a D.O.C. (Department of Conservation) campground a Lake Makinapua, south of Hokitika; it was a beautiful day. Another sunny day dawned so we drove straight to Franz Josef Glacier. It was a perfect day for flying so we went on a 50 minute flight over the mountains. It was a fantastic experience flying over the glaciers and Mt's Cook and Tasman with quite a lot snow on them. After two short walks to view the Franz Josef Glacier from ground level, we drove through Fox Glacier township and found a bush camp with a stunning view of Mt Cook and the Fox Glacier, another fantastic day! Next morning was nice and clear so we walked around Lake Matheson for some good views then to the toe of the Fox Glacier, it was amazing to see how thick the ice is in a temperature area. Driving on through the Haast Pass in more spectacular mountain country we found a rest area on the shores of Lake Wanaka. The weather changed during the night, we woke up to fresh snow in the mountains all around us. Drove to Queenstown and booked into a caravan park for two nights. It was cold and showery while we were there, However we were able to do a bit of sight seeing and had a look at Arrowtown. |
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Lake
Benmore |
Lanarch Castle | Near
Homar Tunnel |
| On leaving Queenstown we drove down the
side of Lake Wakatipu and found a bush camp near Mossburn. Then we
travelled through Te Anau to Milford Sound, there are several bush
camps beside lakes on the way, though it was to early to camp. The
scenery on the drive to Milford Sound was spectacular, went through
an old tunnel and very rugged countryside. We heard the road was closed
the day before because of snow and there was still some beside the
road. It was misty when we got there so we decided to do the boat trip the next day, we stopped in the car park for the night with a few others. Had a two hour cruise, it was still misty though it was a wonderful sight. Lots of water falls coming over the sides of the vertical cliffs. Mitre Peak was covered in mist though we had a clear view the previous day. Drove back to Mossburn for the night. Spent the next couple of days in the Catlins area east of Invercargill, almost run out of fuel on the Saturday because no service stations were open. There are lots of nice walks though the weather wasn't the best. The sun came out for awhile so we walked to Nugget Point which was a very scenic spot. We then went to the Otago Peninsular near Dunedin, saw an Albatross Colony and Lanarch's Castle. |
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Queen
Charlotte Sound |
Rainbow Falls Kerikeri | Te Puia
Rotorua |
We drove through Oamaru then inland to lake
country. There are three lakes and hydro dams and power stations, Lakes
Waitaka, Aviemore and Benmore, they were a beautiful turquoise colour.
Situated beside the lakes were lots of inviting looking camp grounds.
We did a walk at Benmore Dam to a fantastic view looking across the
lake to the snow capped alps. From there we went to Lake Tekapo and
stayed the night in the caravan park. Travelled through sheep country, by passed Christchurch and back into the mountains at Lewis Pass, We were glad the Motorhome had an automatic gear change with all the hills we encountered! Had a look around Nelson which has a surprisingly big shopping district. Also visited an excellent Founder Heritage Park. Went to a D.O.C. camp on Queen Charlotte Sound which is a very picturesque waterway. On leaving camp next morning we damaged the waste water tank though didn't realise it until we were waiting to board the ferry at Picton. I rang Maui and they said to get it fixed in Wellington. Altogether we did 3500 kilometres on the South Island in three weeks and had a great time seeing some fantastic scenery. Now for the North Island. Had a lovely smooth crossing, about three hours. The ferry has two vehicle decks, one for cars and trucks and the other for trains. You drive in and out of the stern of the ferry, it is six lanes wide so there is plenty of room to turn around. By the time we had the tank repaired it was getting late, we just had time to go into Wellington and have a ride on the Cable Tram. Good views from the top, we saw the Botanical Gardens and the Cable Car Museum as well. From Wellington we drove through farming country to Napier with an overnight stop in a rest area on the way. Stayed with a relative of Jean's at Napier then went into Taupo. It is a nice tourist town on the shores of Lake Taupo, the Huka Falls are nearby and we found an official free camping area close to the falls. Drove through the thermal area to Rotorua, where we stopped ovenight with the Taylor's who we had met at the Casino Rally. Visited the Te Puia Maori Centre, where we saw the famous geysers and a cultural show. After we were finished in Rotorua we travelled to Springdale and stopped with the Dodge's we had met also at the Casino Village. |
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Old
University |
Waihi Pump house relocated | The
hole in the Rock |
The following day we went to Waihi, an old
gold mining town to visit some more of Jean's relatives. They showed
us the big open cut mine which is being extended. There was a big concrete
Cornish pump house in the way, it is over 100 years old and listed
National Heritage, the only way of preserving it was to relocate it,
so they cut it off at ground level and moved it two hundred metres
on tracks. We had a few days on the Coromandel Peninsular, a nice scenic area, then drove to the Bay of Islands; north of Auckland for a few more days. They had experienced heavy rain storms up there, so there were lots of washouts across the roads. We had an enjoyable cruise in the Bay of Islands to a hole in the side of a small island that the boat just fits through. Dolphins were swimming along with us and giving a good display. After we finished exploring this beautiful area we drove back to Auckland down the west coast. There is a Kauri Forest on the coast with huge trees and lots of ferns, no wonder the fern is the symbol of New Zealand, they are everywhere. At Matakoke there is a wonderful Kauri Museum, however it is much more than that, we spent a couple of hours there, it is well worth the visit. Had a night in a caravan park after visiting friends in Auckland, returned the Motorhome to Maui the next morning and flew home. We had two weeks on the North Island and travelled about 2000 kilometres, there is still lots of places to see in this very scenic country, though we are happy with what we managed to do. |
Our Adventures in
Western Canada |
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| The City of Vancouver | Jean standing by Dodge Motorhome |
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We thought it a good idea
to go somewhere quiet for a few days to get used to the Motorhome,
so we drove to Horse Shoe Bay just north of Vancouver and caught the
ferry to Vancouver Island. This cost about $70 for the one and a half
hour crossing, a lovely scenic trip which lands in Nanaimo; 113 kilometres
north of Victoria. Heading north from here we looked for a campground to spend our first night. We accidentally found one in a nice setting right on the shores on the Strait of Georgia looking across to the snow capped mountains on the mainland, $14 unpowered. The next morning we headed west to the other side of the island, on the way we visited Little Qualicum Falls a quite stunning sight and of course all the forests consisted of conifers, maples and birch - no gum trees! We had to feed a parking meter here. We called into Port Alberni although it is in the middle of the island it is a fishing town, there is a river that flows to the West Coast. Vancouver Island is mountainous in the centre so we crossed through the mountains to the west coast, very scenic with snowy mountains and lakes, we arrived at Ucluelet and did a coastal walk camped at a very basic RV park for $17.50. We found out that there was a long weekend coming up and it would be difficult to get on the ferry or into a caravan park so we decided to cut a day off our stay on Vancouver Island, we left Ucluelet about 7am and drove to Victoria, about 300 klms away. Victoria is the capital of British Columbia a beautiful city in a very nice setting. We had a look at the famous old buildings around the harbour then travelled northeast so we could be close to the Butchart Gardens for the next day. Finished up at another basic RV park on the coast, $27 unpowered plus $1 for a shower! |
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| Parliament House at Victoria on Vancouver Island | Butchart Gardens Vancouver Island |
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The
next day we went to the famous Butchart Gardens and spent three hours
walking around, very nice gardens especially the sunken garden in
an old limestone quarry. Everything was well cared for with lots of
gardeners working, it is their 100th Anniversary. It was now Friday
afternoon so we rushed to Sidney to catch a ferry back to the mainland.
The ferry went to Tsawwassen south of Vancouver; we headed east on
a freeway busy with long weekend traffic. We found an RV park on the
Vedder River near Chilliwich for the night, lots of families there
for the long weekend, however it rained all night. We had a look at the Bridal Veil Falls nearby, then went through Hope and then drove north beside the Fraser Gorge. It was mountainous country with a deep gorge running through it, there is an air tram crossing the Gorge at Hells Gates though we decided not to go on it; we found a free camp for the night in a rest area. The landscape has changed a lot from bush forest to almost desert with sage bush. |
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| Mistaya Canyon | Little Qualicum Falls |
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The next we turned
east at Cashe Creek and drove beside the wide gorge of the Thompson
River. There was a lot of Ginseng being grown in this area. The trees
came back around Kamloops and we drove through some nice lake country
to Sicamous, a lot of activity here with the houseboats and the pleasure
craft coming and going. We then drove through Revelstoke and into
the mountain country that we came all this way to see, it was exciting
to find it was just as we had imagined with rugged snow topped mountains
all around us. Found another rest area to camp in just past Revelstoke. Early start next morning, a spectacular day with great scenery wherever we looked, drove through Revelstoke NP and into Glacier NP a high risk avalanche area with avalanche sheds protecting the road in the worst areas. We saw our first black bear on the side of the road. Then into Yoho NP, paid $12 for a day pass, which is good for the two days, walked to Wapta Falls and saw a woodpecker, the falls weren't very high, though quite wide with a spectacular backdrop of high mountains. We then drove to Emerald Lake where we saw our first chipmunks then onto Natural Bridge. |
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| Jean Looking out over Lake Louise | Lake Seton |
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We spent the night
in the NP campgrounds for $14. It was a beautiful clear morning with
blue skies next day so we decided to visit Lake Louise. It was three quarters frozen and looked beautiful with high mountains all around it, there was a warning sign up saying beware of a bear that was in the area though we didn't see it. We saw some deer though just beside the road, in the afternoon we went south through more splendid scenery in the Kootenay NP and spent the night at Radium Hot Springs. We continued south to the ski resort town of Kimberley with mountains on our left and farms on our right, Kimberley is a nice little town with a Bavarian style and lots of Ski Lodges, the ski lifts can handle 9000 people per hour. We read somewhere about the Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump in Alberta where the Indians used to drive buffalo over the cliff to kill them, so we drove east through the mountains at Crowsnest Pass to have a look. The landscape changed to undulating country as soon as we drove through the Rockies, lots of wind generators on the hill tops it is the second windiest area in Canada. There was a very good interpretive centre at the Jump explaining how the Indians lived and how they herded the Buffalo over the cliff edge. Archaeologists have found this was in use on and off for 6000 years. The next day we drove north, skirted around Calgary and back into the Rockies at Canmore. We ventured into Banff the next day, the town is in a spectacular setting with picturesque mountains all around. We then set off on the Ice Fields Parkway said to be the most beautiful road in the world; it is certainly the best we have seen. The road goes for 230 klms from Banff to Jasper through the Rockies; words cannot describe it. |
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| Banff | Jean & Brian about to board the Snowcoach |
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When you get away
from the towns the campgrounds are quite reasonably priced and well
looked after, the two we camped in were $13 per night, we walked into
the Mistaya Canyon an interesting place where the water had cut a
very narrow passage through the rock. The highlight was the Athalbasca Glacier where we planned to do a Snowcoach trip on the Glacier in a huge six wheel drive bus, it snowed while we were driving there so we thought we wouldn’t be able to see much, however it cleared away just as we arrived. The bus takes you about 2klms up the Glacier to where the ice cliffs start; it was beautiful being right in the mountains and getting there so easily. We then drove through Jasper to Maligne Lake and Canyon then back though Jasper and out of the Rockies. We went through Mt Robson Provincial Park on the way, through we couldn't see the mountain for cloud. After that we went south to the Wells Gray Park where there are some magnificent waterfalls and wild life. Then we drove through some fairly uninteresting country till we reached the turn off to Lillovet where the scenery improved again. The road was cut into the side of a very steep Gorge for about 160 klms very spectacular. Another highlight was Whistler a popular ski resort about 120klms north of Vancouver. The day was magnificent we caught a Gondola up to the top of the mountain; we could see mountains covered in snow for miles. There were a lot of people skiing up there, we were walking around in our t-shirts. We took our time getting back to Vancouver as we had a couple of days left. Saw the Shannon Falls, which fall about 300 metres and did a bush walk in North Vancouver also spent time in Stanley Park in Vancouver. Cleaned the Motorhome, emptied the wastewater tanks etc and reluctantly returned the van to Go West after a wonderful three weeks. We did consider doing a bus tour though we found this was much cheaper we had a about ten days longer and were much more flexible so we were very happy with the experience. The day after the Motor home was returned we departed on an eight day cruise of the Inside Passage to Alaska, this was completely different and another terrific experience that we will share with you at a later date. |
Carnarvon
Gorge |
Brian
& Jean Lister T11232 Carnarvon Gorge is south of the township of Emerald in outback Queensland, We visited it after the Casino Rally, the road in from the Carnarvon Development Road is very rough in places and is approximately fifty (50) kilometers long. The road is such that if you take it easy in your Motorhome and let the four wheel drive vehicles fly past spraying rocks you stand a chance arriving in one piece. We stopped over at the Takarakka Camp Ground at $24.00 per night with power. The camp ground at the Gorge itself is only open on school holidays, though it is cheaper, however the facilities are not as good, Takarakka is about four (4) kilometres from where the Gorge commences. On our first day we walked to a lookout at Takarakka which gave us a good view of the area, after lunch we walked to Baloon Cave which has some fairly recent Aboriginal Hand Paintings and the rock pool. Our tour guide gave an interesting talk around the camp fire in the evening, the temperature was 2 degrees that night. The Boat People (a term of endearment bestowed on recent Campervan and Motorhome visitors who visited Tasmania for our National Rally and remained to enjoy our island state) can't complain about the temperature of our state of Tasmania. The next day we did a bird watching walk with the Ranger which was great, in the afternoon we climbed up hundreds of steps to Boolimba Bluff which is at the entrance to the Gorge. It was hard work though worth it for the spectacular views. |
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| Carnarvon Gorge | Carnarvon Gorge |
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The
Gorge is wide at the entrance, however narrows as you get into it;
the Rangers in the evening conducted a slide show at Takarakka. The walk into the Gorge starts at one end and goes for about twelve (12) kilometers with features off to the sides of the main Gorge, you don't have to walk the full distance to see and experience some marvelous sights. If you wish to see it all you have to retrace your steps if you do not complete the trek all in one day. We had four friends with us to egg us on so we did the whole lot in one day, a distance of about twenty six (26) kilometers, which we were proud of. |
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| Cathedral Cave | Cathedral Cave from another aspect |
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There
are spectacular sandstone cliffs to see all the way into the Gorge,
highlights were the Amphitheatre were you climb a series of steel
ladders to get into it, on arrival you enter a big circular cave with
no roof. The Art Gallery, Cathedral Cave, Big Bend, Wards Canyon,
Moss Garden and Hell Hole Gorge are all spectacular in many varied
and different ways. We were all stiff and sore that night though satisfied with what we had seen and experienced. The next morning we walked up Mickey Creek to Warrumbah Gorge which was very narrow, you could touch both sides of it at the same time. There was water in it that made for some challenging walking, guess who had wet feet! That afternoon we packed up and said farewell and headed off to our next adventure at Lawn Hill. |
Lawn Hill
National Park |
| Brian
& Jean Lister T11232 We travelled to Lawn Hill National Park via the Burke & Wills Roadhouse and Gregory Downs in outback Queensland. The road is Bitumen as far as Gregory Downs leaving about one hundred (100) kilometers of gravel road to Lawn Hill. The first half is good due being the access to the Mine, the road from there on in is pretty ordinary. We both thought it was worth doing the trip into Gregory Downs even if travellers did not want to tackle the gravel road to Lawn Hill. There is a lovely bush camp down on the gravel river bed with dozens of like minded people camped there. The Gregory River flows swiftly past and is a nice place to have a spa in the rapids to cool down, there is also a Caravan Park, Hotel, Shop, fuel is available (though at the moment it could be that the fuel cost would be very high) and Public Showers plus Toilets. There is also abundant bird life no doubt due to the availability of water, we saw Purple Crowned Fairy Wrens, Crimson Finches and Tawny Frog Mouths, we also met fellow Island Wanderer Chapter members Geoff and Rae there and it so good to see familiar faces so far from home. The drive into Lawn Hill National Park from Gregory Downs took us nearly three and half (3.5) hours, we camped at the National Park camp ground for eight (8) dollars per night, no power and cold showers. We relaxed for the remainder of the day for it was to hot to walk. |
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| Lawn Hill Gorge | Lawn Hill Gorge from a different angle |
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The
next day we walked up to Island Stack it was a steep climb to the
top, then level going walking around getting good views over the lower
Gorge, it reminded us of Katherine Gorge in the Northern Territory.
The rock colour here was red in contrast to the yellow of the Carnarvon
Gorge. In the afternoon we walked to Indarri Falls from where we had an excellent view of the falls from the lookout, to get there took us one and half (1.5) hours walking time. The highlight of Lawn Hill is to hire a canoe and paddle up the Gorge , it is absolutely a wonderful experience. If you wish to hire a canoe you need to be there early for they are very popular mode of transport. The water is an emerald green in colour and the sides of the Gorge a deep red and are very steep, the palms and moss' grow right down to the waters edge; it is very peaceful to paddle in these beautiful surroundings. |
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| Indarri Falls Lawn Hill | Island Stack Lawn Hill |
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About
half way up the Gorge you arrive at Indarri Falls, the only way to
continue on is to portage your canoe for about two hundred (200) Metres
into the next Gorge. There was great camaraderie there with fellow
adventurers helping one another, we became lost a few times due to
bushes growing in the water camouflaging the main waterway. We paddled
up a dead end off shoot, however eventually we paddled into the second
Gorge that was just as good, if not better, as the first Gorge. We turned around and headed back to return the canoe, in all we covered about six (6) kilometres altogether taking us three (3) hours all told. In the afternoon we did a walk around the base of Island Stack to an aboriginal art site. It was only one and half (1.5) hours though the walk gave great views of the weathered red rock of the Stack wall. The next morning we packed up and headed back to Gregory Downs for a couple of days to regain our strength for our next destination of Kings Canyon in the Northern Territory of Australia. |
Kings
Canyon |
Brian & Jean
Lister T11232 Last year (2003) we also did a walk around the of Kings Canyon. It is about 450 kilometers by road from Alice Springs (located in the Northern Territory, Australia) there are caravan parks a the canyon and at Kings Creek Station, However you can bush camp at an area about 140 kilometers before the canyon. We were there in 1999 though we didn't tackle the rim walk because it was too hot and our knees were giving us trouble, we both regretted not doing the trip so we decided the need to return. |
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Kings Canyon
Walk |
One
of the many gorges at Kings Canyon |
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The
whole walks takes approximately three and a half hours (3.5) starting
with a steep climb up to the top then you walk around in a big loop
and come back down the other side. it really is not a canyon rather
a gorge, the distance you walk is about six (6) kilometers, once you
climb the first hill it is fairly easy going. The most spectacular feature are the sheer rock faces at least one hundred (100) metres high and look as they have been sliced with a knife. About half way through the walk you go down to the floor of the Gorge to the Garden of Eden, a lovely Oasis pool with cycads growing out of the rocks and ducks swimming around. You wonder how they found that water in all this barren desert land. |
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The Lost
City |
Garden
of Eden |
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A
little further on you come to the lost City, consisting of ancient
weathered rocks reminiscent of the Bungle Bungle without the stripes.
A side track, not to be missed, leads out to some spectacular views
over the gorge. it was a most enjoyable experience and we are glad
we took the trouble to come back to see it. |
West
Coast-Tasmania, Australia |
