Down on the River

Enjoying a Dip in the Hawkesbury River

We just got back on Sunday from a two week road trip around the South Island of New Zealand. That same week, I had to go back to work after being off since 22nd December. The weekend after coming back from a two week trip would ideally be a weekend to relax, do some laundry, blog and just chill. This didn't happen. We were off again into the wilderness for a weekend away to the Hawkesbury River.

Living now in Sydney for a year and half, we have made some great friendships. We have different pockets of friends in Sydney and this weekend, we hung out with our American friends (couples of course) Ben & Blake and Danny & Melissa.

Ben was keen on renting a houseboat on the Hawkesbury River for the past few months. In November, he did his research and sent out a Facebook message about the trip, costs and details. We threw around some dates and finally agreed that the weekend of 20 January would be the only weekend we would all be available. Knowing fully well that weekend was the weekend after our big NZ trip, Dave booked anyway. I didn't think too much about the poor timing until Friday afternoon when I was dead tired from working and running all week. Always one to look on the brighter side, this was a good chance for us to see a part of New South Wales we have never experienced, plus hang out with some of the coolest people we know in Sydney on a house boat!

Taking in the Beautiful River

It's really easy to get to the Hawkesbury River from Sydney. In fact, it's a train stop on the way to Wyong via Hornsby and only takes an hour from Milsons Point to the Hawkesbury River stop. We arrived just before 6pm to find our friends with beer in hand enjoying the calm evening on the river. We expected a big boat, but this was boat was huge! We ordered a 6 person boat and were upgraded to a 10 person boat because it was available...free of charge!

We took the boat for cruise until we found a mooring (a big bobber floating near the banks held down by concrete to 'anchor' your boat) to tie us down. On our way there, we hit a wave from a passing boat and instinct told us to drive in the wave...from kayaking experience. This flat-bottom boat didn't respond well. Water rushed aboard and with our living room door open, the water continued to rush into the carpeted area remaining soaked for the entire weekend. Lesson learned, this is not a kayak, and shouldn't be driven like one.

A Mooring

Appetites emerged from the calamity of the 'wave'. Using a very handy grill attached to back of the boat, we made mini-burgers and enjoyed them on the top deck with Cheeseburger in Paradise playing in the background. This grill would be our 'stove' for the rest of the weekend.

First Night Dinner

Sing-Song Time

After dinner and a few drinks (Makers Mark and ginger beer is a new favourite!), Ben's acoustic guitar made an appearance for a very willing crowd of sing-alongers. We enjoyed old classics including Dave Matthews Band, Weezer, Rolling Stones and a few of Dave's metal favourites. We stayed up till nearly 2am belting out 90s classics and finishing the Makers Mark, which Ben and Blake couldn't finish for over a year!

Our Dining Table Bed

The bedtime situation was interesting. Because the boat fit 10 people. there was a variety of places to sleep. In the common area were two futons. In the bedroom was a queen sized bed with two single beds above. Missy and Danny took one of the futons. Ben and Blake took the queen bed in the bedroom. Dave and I opted for the dining room table, which when lowered, turned into a queen-sized bed. It looked like one of those square puzzles where you try to move blocks to get the mouse out. Surprisingly, it was quite comfortable and we slept on that dinner table both nights with no complaints.

At Your Service

In the morning, we were greeted by a coffee boat, which makes rounds serving coffee, tea, newspapers, and ice cream. This river is fully loaded with front hull convenience and service.

Goodbye Coffee Boat. See You in the Morning!

Making Breakfast on the Grill

Driving Sundancer

The Hawkesbury River

That day we continued to drive down the river stopping at a small beach called Refuge Bay, which also had a very popular waterfall. After we left, the weather turned on us keeping the sun away and us under the top deck canopy.

Nursing the Hangover with Mexican Train

For the rest of the day, we played 'Mexican Train' - a family favourite of Missy's. Her family sent her the game, which we found out that she is very competitive having once tipped the entire game over in frustration! There was none of that today though. We enjoyed a game, very much like dominoes. The highest domino value was 12, which lent to a 12 round game lasting 4-5 hours of our rain soaked day. Thankfully, by the late afternoon, the rain stopped and the sun came back out while we finished our last rounds of Mexican Train.

12 Rounds of Mexican Train 

Dinner Night #2

That night, Missy, the amazing chef and food shopper that she is, busted out a Costco spread only us Americans could appreciate. We dined on New York Strips, asparagus, risotto and home made key lime pie.

We ended the night with full bellies, a few more tunes from Ben's guitar, less drinks than the night before and a lot of good laughs.

A Bit of Blue Skies at Hawkesbury River

The next day cleared up and we enjoyed some sunshine. I finally got to lay out on the top deck as I had planned for the entire weekend. By 3pm, we were back at the marina, toting our luggage and driving back to Sydney. It was a full weekend away from the city getting to do something you don't often do even in a lifetime! We rented a house boat for $1,000 and had food costs at about $250 - way cheaper than a holiday away renting a car, staying at a hotel and eating out. When we dropped off the boat, all we had to pay for was mileage ($25/hr) and didn't even have to clean! Brooklyn Marina is highly recommended for the budget relaxing weekend away.

Weekenders: Danny, Missy, Blake, Me, Dave and Ben

It's amazing that we met these guys all the way back in September 2010 when we were 3 months fresh to Sydney. We made small talk at an American Expat Meetup flag football game. We then met again in October at the Australian Beer Festival. Then we spent Thanksgiving together in November. Although we're all expats living in Oz now, we are each other's 'American' friends reminding each other of a little bit of home.

End of a Kiwi Adventure

Kaikoura > Hanmer Springs > Christchurch > Akaroa

We took a morning run on the esplanade in Kaikoura admiring the coastline and crashing waves because we didn’t know if we would see the ocean again on this trip.


Back in our car, today’s destination would be Hanmer Springs and finally Christchurch, where the Kiwi adventure all began.

Eating Packaged Salmon

Hanmer Springs was more inland, so we faced more winding roads around the mountains. We made it to Hanmer Springs by lunch time. Dave was craving salmon since our trip to the salmon farm back on the west coast and so we bought packaged smoked salmon. The words “Ready to Eat” was the very thing that convince him. We bought brie and jarred olives and set up our picnic in the car once again because of those damn sand flies. They were at my feet again and I have been itching like crazy. I was highly skeptical of the packaged salmon, but it tasted pretty good. After about 6 crackers, I had had enough. It didn't taste so good anymore. Maybe I still have it in my mind that this came from a package.

Fit For a Car Picnic

Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa

We spent the next three hours at the hot pools. Paying only $18 each for entry, we enjoyed eight hot pools for an unlimited time. There were 'Adult Only' pools, sulfur pools, therapy pools and ones with spouts to massage your back. One of my favourite areas was the one we found last on our way back to the change room. The 'Lazy River' had floating coloured boards where you could grab one and hold on while it took you round and round. Yes, this is for kids and Dave and I raced other kids.  At 4pm we left with relaxed muscles and pruned fingers.

'Adults Only' Hot Pools 

We arrived in Christchurch glad to be back and happy to see city life again. We would have 1.5 days and weren’t sure what to do in an earthquake ravaged city. We knew this would be a good time to unwind from all the driving and hiking. When we arrived, we stopped at the first Burger King we saw because Felicity had recommended to us to eat a Rodeo Burger; a cheese burger with barbecue sauce and onion rings. Sounds like a dream! Felicity and her friends had been eating two a day when a Burger King was in sight. Dave and I are skeptical of fast food, but they had promoted this burger with so much enthusiasm that we had to try it ourselves.

It tasted just like any Burger King cheese burger with barbecue sauce and their sad little onion rings. Oh well. Maybe it would taste better after a night out.

It took us about half an hour to find our hostel, located in the city centre. Because of the earthquake's aftermath, most roads were one-way or closed. We literally took three lefts to make a 'right'. We finally checked into the last hostel of our trip; The Old Country House. For being located right where the devastation hit the hardest (eastern Christchurch), the place was quite in tact. It is a long running hostel, renovated to look like a cross between a colonial villa and a plantation home with its wood paneling and and antique accents.

Walking to our room in one of three villas, we found a long porch filled with the 'backpacker' types - the ones drinking, playing music and awaiting anyone willing to join them. Dave and I used to be those types, but now all we wanted was our private double room where we could unload two weeks worth of travelling and aching backs from road tripping.

That night, we enjoyed some comfort food at a Korean restaurant in Riccarton. It was so good to eat Korean barbecue, side dishes and rice again after eating potatoes (usually fried) and a protein. I think I've converted Dave to being Asian. He prefers alternating a rice dish just as much as I do.

The next morning, we made use of our rental car and took our last road trip to Akaroa. I had heard about Akaroa at the rental car place when an elderly coupled inquired about renting a car for a single day. We were there to pick up a car for two weeks. There was no way this rental car place was going to have anything for a single day during peak season. I overheard the owner saying Akaroa was only 40 minutes away and was beautiful. Ever since our first day with the car, I kept running across the name as a must-see around Christchurch.

Akaroa Waterfront

Pier in Akaroa

Church in the City Centre

Paint My Picture

Akaroa Sandbar

Catholic Church in Akaroa

Akaroa is stunning. It's like my ideal retirement or vacation home. It's situated on the coast after a 40 minute drive from a major city through the mountains. The water is turquoise blue and clear enough to see at least 3 meters down. It is a village, just small enough or big enough for it to be described as quaint. There are only a handful of main streets all labelled Rue because it was a former French settlement leaving a lasting legacy in architecture and land development. There are only 500+ permanent residents giving it a small-town feel where the people are genuinely nice and eager to know you.

The village can expect up to 7,000+ visitors during the summer because of the various activities; dolphin watching, kayaking, nature walks or just taking in the beautiful scenery.

Afternoon Tea

Fried Mushrooms, Fried Meatballs, Fried Chicken and Fried Wedges

After walking through the streets and viewing the European style architecture of the stores, homes and churches we took in some afternoon tea at a local cafe. We sat under a tree with lazy branches that hung low dispersing gumballs all around us. On this sunny day, birds chirped and the wind blew a soft breeze. The best touch was that the cafe was playing oldies music like 'Going to the chapel' and 'Baby love'.

I Will Miss This Place

Reading in the Shade

After afternoon tea, we took in some shade from the bright sun and read on a hill. Afterwards, we took one last walk around Akarao visiting the lighthouse and taking as many photos of the harbour as we could because we wanted to remember this magical place.

Blue Waters Surrounded by the Canterbury Region Hills

The Akaroa Lighthouse

Can you find me? 

Tucked Away Paradise

By 5pm, we left Akaroa to go back to Christchurch. We found our last lookout of the trip and took in the breathtaking scenery of the Canterbury region and Akaroa.

On our way back to Christchurch, we found the two things we have been wanting to see the entire trip; olive farm and cheese factory!

We arrived just in time at the olive farm because the owner had just returned from the Christchurch markets. Unfortunately, he had sold all of his olives leaving us to taste his olive oils.

At the cheese factory, we were again too late because the factory had shut down operations for the day. We had one glimmer of hope when we found a package of cheese curds. However, these were 'too old' by cheese curd standards and were now baby cheeses. They did however, have a good operations video on how they make their cheese. We took home a cheddar for dinner.

Last Hostel Meal

Travelling for two weeks, we weren't able to budget in restaurant food every night. Along the way we picked up pasta, salt, pepper, butter etc. Being this was our last night in New Zealand, we took it upon ourselves to create a meal with everything we had.

We picked up some additional items to improve our dish like tomatoes, peppers and ground meat. We ended up with 'Dirty Pasta' aptly named for those college meals of whatever you could find in the fridge.

We ate pasta, drank our bottle of Gewurztraminer and kicked around the soccer ball in front of the guys sitting on the porch. The night was cool for kicking around a ball, refreshing ourselves with wine and re-energising with pasta. What a great last night of a long New Zealand trip.

Botanical Gardens Rose Garden

The next morning, we ate the last of our peanut butter and toast and dropped off the rest of our food goods into the 'free bin'.

We had to return the car by noon, so we went to the Botanical Gardens for a nice walk.

We encountered the Rose Garden, which looked pretty dead compared to the rose garden in Queenstown. But on the perimeter of the garden were tropical flowers of all shapes, sizes and colours.

Like Bursts of Sunlight

Like Coral Found in Nemo's Home

Reminds Me of Easter

Can't Believe the Red Isn't Painted On

Too Perfect...Like Fake Flowers

Nice Summer Coloured Flowers

Biggest Rose I've Ever Seen

In the Jungle

We ended our walk through the gardens by walking around a section of native Australia plants finally making our way to the river surrounding the gardens.




It makes me wonder what it was like when settles first arrived in New Zealand. There is such wild and diverse vegetation. You wouldn't know what kind of life lived beyond the vegetation. Whether encountering natives, wild animals and plant life or the most beautiful blue lakes, New Zealand is full of wonder and charm.

Walking back to our car, we passed by a women's cricket game (you just never know!). We dropped off our car and took the bus back to the airport we landed at 14 days ago.


At the airport, we heard our flight was 'overweight'. New Zealand offered five people to fly the next morning on a 7am or 9am flight, getting you back to Sydney at 8am or 10am, being a three hour time difference. The airline would put up the passengers in a hotel and give them $300 each. We were tempted, but were ready to go back to Sydney, our home.
*A family of five took the offer earning $1500, basically paying for the holiday!

What an amazing trip. Definitely in the top 5 for scenic beauty. I highly recommend a trip to New Zealand for at least 10 days. It's the perfect getaway from Australia. It's the perfect trip to re-introduce nature to children. It's the perfect couple's trip. It's the perfect camper van trip for retirees. We did everything we wanted to do and more. I do have one regret; I didn't get to see the elusive Kiwi bird. I'll just have to come back!


Trip Extras:

• Try the Rodeo Burger from Burger King. It's actually a decent road trip bite
• Visit Akaroa. Walk around the cute village, have afternoon tea and enjoy the views
• Visit the olive farm and cheese factory before 3pm
• Take a walk around the Christchurch Botanical Gardens
• Drive around Christchurch to see the contrasts of earthquake devastated areas and untouched areas
• Christchurch Accomodation: The Old Country House ($170 for 2 nights in a private double room)

Chocolate, Wine and Seafood

Picton > Blenheim > Kaikoura

Despite the struggle to get there, we were glad to wake up in Picton. If we hadn’t, we would have so far to travel that morning from Nelson knowing it wasn’t a straightaway road. Instead it was a winding road climbing up and down the Mt Richmond Forest Park.

Quaint Hostel

We weren't able to take in the hostel as much as the others. It was cute. We stayed in a separate unit behind the main building. Between us was a giant chess set. Looking around from my porch, other units looked similar with multi-coloured hammocks. It reminded me of Tasman Bay Backpackers, the hostel we stayed in Nelson, which turned out to be the sister hostel of this one. We had only arrived at midnight and were out by 9am. I'm glad we got a full 8 hours of sleep. Although we weren't going far today, we were going to do a lot...of drinking.

Picton Waterfront

Playing on the Ship Jungle Gym

Picton wasn’t much of a city. It’s real importance is being the ferry link between the South Island and North Island. It also lends a pathway to other surrounding National Parks. By this point in our trip, we were done with anything that resembled going through or on a mountain.

Orange Tree Outside the Chocolate Factory

Leaving Picton wasn’t a huge let down because only a few kilometers away is the Marlborough region famous for its Sauvignon Blanc. Before we indulged in the wines, we stopped at Makana Chocolate Factory. It was a small garage compared to our notions of a Willy Wonka sized factory. Nevertheless, the small building only needed a room of four chocolatiers to make their chocolate creations. When we entered we were greeted by the cashier who offered us a tasting of a slice of candied lemon with their famous chocolate covered toffee with macadamia sprinkles. With the first bite, I was in love. We gave in and bought a 250g $25 box, which we would need to finish before boarding our plane in the next three days! Now it was time to get our wine on.

Makana Truffles

Rolling Out Sheets of Toffee

Chocolate Covered Toffee with Macadamia Sprinkles

Allan Scott Winery, Marlborough NZ

Poor Dave, my driver couldn’t indulge as much, so I indulged for the both of us. We followed the wine trail stopping at Allan Scott winery first. We paid $5 and drank almost every white and red offering they had. My favourite part about the winery was our wine guide. She was so bubbly and made us so comfortable with her jokes. Even with a growing crowd, she remained composed and treated us all with warmth and a heavy hand. We bought a Gewurztraminer, a fragrant white perfect with spicy foods. This is a new favourite wine discovery since coming to Australia.

Allan Scott Vineyards

The Wine Tasting Bar

We stopped at another vineyard, but left right away. The place reeked of pretentiousness and their lunch prices hovered around $40 a plate!

Lavender Field in the Marlborough Region

We found ourselves at Wither Hills, a relatively new winery established in 1996. They had a nice lunch menu and the place looked regal, like somewhere you’d get married. We ordered their fish of the day and lamb croquette. The prices hovered around $25 pp, but it was worth it because we were given a free wine tasting while we waited for our meals. The wine wasn’t anything to write home about, but was a nice relaxant from yesterday’s adventures kayaking and driving hundreds of kilometers.

Wither Hills Vineyards

French Oak Barrels Filled with Wine

Lamb Croquette

Prosciutto Wrapped Snapper and Risotto

By our last glass, our waitress notified us that our meals were at our table. We sat down to one of the best meals of my life. No joke. Dave had snapper wrapped in prosciutto on a bed of zesty lemon risotto. My meal was the perfect foil to Dave’s. I ordered a lamb croquette with vegetables and pea puree. We went bite for bite. The earthy and rich taste of my meal complimented his light and tart fish and risotto.

Wither Hills Gardens

Full Bellies & Wine Haze

After lunch, we couldn’t sip another sip of wine. Only after two vineyards, we were ready to leave the Marlborough region. I slept off the wine on our way to Kaikoura.

Seal Colony

Kaikoura was only 150km away from the Marlborough region. The drive there also got us out of the mountainous region to drive along the still winding coastline.


We stopped once at Ohau, a famous seal colony point. We were there at the perfect time. During the New Zealand summer, seal pups have been born and breeding continued. We observed the curious seal pups waddling up and down the rocks as their mothers hunted around the water or sunbathed. The large males on the other hand looked like big turds laying on the rock hard to move unless another male stepped flipper on their rock. They would wake from their slumber and turn into aggressive beasts ready to knock the lesser male off the rock or shoo him away in submission.

Laying, Yawning, Sleeping All Day

Sometimes I Wish I Could Live the Life of a Seal

On the other side of the road was a 15 minute nature walk to a waterfall, famous for seal pups going upstream to the waterfall where they played and their mothers bred.

No Seal Pups, But Nice Waterfall

Unfortunately, there were no seals here. They were all too grown up for the waterfall playground and were out at the point.

We arrived in Kaikoura at 5pm. We checked into our hostel taking a tea break (because every hostel in NZ offers free tea and coffee). Dave played the communal guitar and I read up on what’s around the Kaikoura region. Their big claim to fame is sperm whale and seal watching and eating crayfish or rock lobsters. Kaikoura literally means 'meal of crayfish' - from the native Tamaki-te-rangi.

View from Kaikoura Peninsula

Can You See the Mountain?

All in a Row

That evening, we drove out to another seal point, only 1km from our hostel where we saw a disappointing single seal. This seal acted like a seal at Sea World posing for pictures and even came out of the water to lie on the grass!

Solo Seal

Kaikoura Seafood BBQ

Shared Seafood Platter

En route to the seal point, there is a famous Kaikoura Seafood BBQ trailer selling the famous Kaikoura crayfish. Prices hovered around $45 per crayfish. We opted for a plate of garlic prawns, garlic scallops and crayfish patties which came with 3 pieces of buttered toast, rice and salad for $26. I guess you get what you pay for because the prawns were the size of bait, the scallops were tiny and we could hardly taste the crayfish in the egg omelet. Worst of all was the undercooked rice tasting like soft pebbles. If anything was to turn us off, it was the rice.

Enjoying a Kaikoura Evening

We walked off the meal climbing up the terraces overlooking the seal point. The pathway wasn't concrete or wood this time. We were walking in someone’s pasture where cows roamed.

View Towards the Point

 Along each lookout, we took breathtaking pictures. We saw more seal points and sat on the hill at sunset. No one else was around and it seemed like we were in our own world with the seals below. On our way back, we hand fed some grass to the curious cows. I don’t think cows are all that cute, but this time of year, the cows are all loved up caressing each other and it was adorable.

Amazing Evening Sky

Must Be Spring

Cows Loving On Each Other

The View Below

The View From the Point

Kaikoura Coastline

Two Seals On a Rock at High Tide

Chillin' in the Hostel Nook

That night we spent time in the common area taking over the nook. I blogged, while Dave picked up a new hobby; reading! He’s read before on our travels, but only when he’s beaten his games. His Dad had pointed him to a famous travel writer Bill Bryson and he was really enjoying his commentary on hiking in America. After he couldn't stand reading anymore, he picked up the communal guitar again.

Travel Extras:

• Accommodation: Picton: Sequoia Lodge Backpackers ($80/night for private double room with bathroom ensuite)
• Pick up the Marlborough wine trail map at the Information Centre and have them circle the top 5 vineyards to visit
• Stop by Makana Confections, the chocolate factory before starting the wine trail
• Visit Allan Scott Winery, one of the first on the wine trail
• Have lunch at Wither Hills Winery and enjoy the outdoor bean bag chairs
• Visit the seal colony and waterfall at Ohau
• Try the rock lobsters or crayfish in Kaikoura
• Walk the nature walk up at Kaikoura Peninsula at sunset
• Accommodation Kaikoura: Albatross Backpacker Inn ($70/night for private double room)