Murchison, NZ

Sunday, February 23

Today, we’re heading inland from the South Island’s northern coast. Our destination: Murchison, New Zealand; a place where thrill enthusiasts gravitate to some of the country’s most beautiful rivers. For us, Murchison is a great stopping over point as we make our way to the West Coast.

Andi and i were dreading the day’s drive because we’d have to take the same twisty two-lane highway that we took to get to Golden Bay a few days ago and we wondered if traffic would be worse today given it was Sunday. Fortunately, we were pleasantly surprised when we crossed Takaka Hill. The views of Tasman Bay were beautiful! We hadn’t seen a thing on Friday during our drive because it was raining and foggy. Sunshine makes all the difference.

On the way to Murchison, we stopped by Te Waikoropupu Springs (nicknamed Pupu Springs) to see some of the clearest spring water in the world. At the entrance of the springs were a few signs provided by the New Zealand Department of Conservation describing the significance of the springs. A walking trail led us through an old-growth forest to a viewing area of the water.

Pupu springs were really beautiful, and a great place for us to stretch our legs before we made our way to Murchison. Today was a longer drive day for us. We stopped along the way in Mokueka to buy more honey blossom pears (pearples, as the kids call them — pears that are crisp and sweet like apples). We also stopped at the grocery store there to pick up travel essentials (toilet paper, french bread, and wine).

The countryside changed from seaside to mountains as we drove farther south. You would’ve sworn we were in Montana — the crystal-clear rivers flanked by mountains and farmland were gorgeous.

Andi booked us a campsite just outside of Murchison at the Murchison Motorhome Park and we pulled in around 5:00pm. The campground was so cute! Very well cared for with a grassy lawn, manicured gardens and a nice community kitchen with screened-in dining area. Our favorite part was the music piped through a speaker in the kitchen and bathrooms; what a difference that added to the ambience.

The sun was shining when we parked our RV in a campsite, so we pulled on our swimming suits and decided to go check out the Buller River which ran right through the property. Andi, Tory, Aden and I followed a path from the campground down to the river.

WOW, was the river gorgeous … and ice cold! Andi bravely jumped right in, and Aden eventually followed him with some prodding. Tory and I only got in as far as our ankles.

After a quick dip to cool off in the river, we walked back to the campground to make dinner. Tory and Aden played yard games in the grass while Andi and I cooked dinner together in the community kitchen. It was a really lovely end to the day.

Monday, February 24

Andi requested to go jet-boating in Murchison, and booked us tickets for a 1:00pm ride today. We decided to drive into the town of Murchison first thing to check out the town, do school, get fuel, etc. before our afternoon outing. Aden was up most of the night with a belly ache, but luckily felt fine this morning so we decided to proceed with our afternoon activity as planned.

Jet boating is a thrilling speed boat ride through the protected Buller River Scenic Reserve. The boat speeds through white water rapids going 50 mph, narrowly passing by rock canyons and waterfalls. We booked our outing with Buller Canyon Jet which departed right from the popular Buller Gorge Swingbridge, so it was the perfect chance to see both sites.

The swingbridge in itself is an adventure. It’s New Zealand’s longest swingbridge at 360 feet long and suspended 62 feet in the air. It didn’t ruffle our feathers too much crossing it, but definitely would be thrilling for someone afraid of heights!

Once across the bridge, we walked along the wooded path to the jet boat docking area. Our captain, Mac, warmly greeted us on board and gave safety instructions for our white water adventure. He was one of those charismatic tour guides who made everyone in the group feel special — especially the kids.

The 40-minute jet boat ride included lots of high-speed 360-degree turns and passes through the pink granite canyons. It was really fun! Aden had two thumbs up the whole time; he loved it. Tory, on the other hand, wasn’t a big fan. She scraped her hand against one of the metal handlebars about half-way through the ride and got pretty upset. In the end, 3/4 of us really enjoyed it.

After Buller Gorge, we hopped in the RV and drove toward the west coast. We’ve read and heard so many great things about New Zealand’s west coast that Andi and I were excited to experience it.