On a whim this morning, I decided to go and join my Dad and his partner (C), who are visiting from the UK and touring the South Island in a camper van. They had got near enough to be not too close but not too far, just less than 3 hours' drive away in Marlborough.
Sonny Jim and I set off in the car with our 2-man dome tent, while Wifie stayed home to look after the dog and do an honest day's work (or two!) We stayed at the Marfell's Beach DOC campsite, for the princely sum of $6.50 per adult and $1.50 per child per night, including flushing toilets, cold showers and water unsuitable for drinking. The campsite is right beside the beach and it is a wonderful secluded spot. Highly recommended for a day trip or overnight stop if you are in the area.
On our way to White's Bay the next morning we did a few geocaches, a kind of real life treasure hunt, but linked to the Internet. See www.geocaching.com for more details. One of the geocaches was placed near the old rail and road bridge at Seddon, which was opened in 1902, and continued to be used by both trains and road vehicles until the new road bridge opened in 2007. For more details try this link, and this one for a picture of a steam train crossing the bridge back in the day! I have lasting memories of once driving across the bridge on the lower deck at the same time as the train rumbled overhead - quite an experience, which made me feel like yelling "The sky is falling in! The sky is falling in!"
We started geocaching in 2006 when my dad and C were last in NZ, but haven't done any geocaching for several years. However, my dad and C are heavily into it, and I fear they may have given us the bug again! Watch this space. . .
No comments:
Post a Comment