Greymouth, NZ

Wednesday, February 26

Last night was our first freedom camping experience in New Zealand. Freedom camping is like “boondocking” or “dry camping” in the United States — it’s when you camp in the wilderness without being hooked up to power and without any services. Before traveling here, Andi and I heard freedom camping spots in NZ are amazing and plentiful. It’s true there are many designated freedom camping locations, but most of the ones we’ve encountered are simply permission to park at a business or in a parking lot along the highway. Not exactly our version of prime camping.

Last night’s spot in Punakaiki was nice enough considering the cost — free. There were four parking spots at the end of a dead-end road overlooking the ocean. Unfortunately, all the parking spots were occupied by other campervans when we arrived around 7:30pm. I suppose we should have gotten there earlier. Instead of leaving and driving to another freedom camping spot or a holiday park in or around Punakaiki, Andi and I decided to make the best of it and park alongside the road next to some construction equipment. Honestly, it doesn’t matter much where we are once we pull the blinds shut over the windows. Our RV parking spot for the night was quite unlevel, but good enough as any at the end of the day.

The four of us woke up around 7:00am to the strong stench of cow manure. We couldn’t figure out where it was coming from until we opened the window … there it is!

Andi and I decided to get a jump on to Greymouth, the next town over. Greymouth is the largest city on the west coast and we figured it’d be a better place to workout, get fuel and compete our school work for the day. Greymouth was a 40 minute drive from Punakaiki.

In Greymouth, Andi dropped me off at the Westland Recreation Center so I could workout. It was a treat to exercise indoors for a change. Meanwhile, Andi took Tory and Aden to get breakfast and refuel the RV. He picked me up at the gym an hour later, and together the four of us went to the Greymouth Library to do school.

Libraries are a great place to stop while traveling. Quiet space to work, free & fast-speed internet, and lots of toys and books to keep the kids entertained.

After school, we were all hungry for lunch so we walked the streets of downtown Greymouth searching for a place to eat. The top-rated spot in town was a greasy-spoon cafe called Maggie’s that none of us were feeling. Andi and I stumbled upon a Thai food truck and another upscale restaurant that sounded great to us, but weren’t exactly kid-friendly. Ultimately, we settled on a coffee cafe that served a few breakfast and lunch items. Andi ordered a BLT which was just OK he said. I had a piece of frittata, but it was still cold in the center. The kids enjoyed their meals — pancakes and Nutella toast.

There are lots of great hikes, or “walks” as kiwis call them, around Greymouth and we settled on one near Nelson Creek Campground. After waiting too long to find a campsite last night, Andi and I decided today we’d get to the campground early, settle in and do a hike from there. Nelson Creek Campground turned out to be the perfect spot for that. This place reminded me of a state park campground in the States — there was a playground there, a local swimming hole in Nelson Creek itself, a kitchen area with grills and a few different walking paths to explore.

Unfortunately, Tory got stung by a bee shortly after we arrived. She was a little gun-shy going outside for an hour after that, but we convinced her to put on tennis shoes and join us for a family walk.

The northern west coast of New Zealand has a long history of gold mining. The trails at Nelson Creek were unique in that they began by walking through an old hand-picked mining tunnel which lead to a suspension bridge. From there, various paths weaved throughout the mossy, hardwood forest. We walked for about an hour and then decided to cool off in Nelson Creek.

The waters of Nelson Creek were chilly! Andi bravely jumped in right away and convinced Aden to wade into the water with him. Tory’s foot still hurt from her bee sting, so she and I sat on the shore and watched the boys swim. We saw a bunch of kids jumping off from the cliffs before our hike, and Andi decided he wanted to try it. He climbed to the top of the cliff and jumped into the water. Then, he convinced Aden to climb up the rocks and jump with him. Aden was scared at first, but overcame his fear and jumped! We were proud of him for trying it.

For dinner that night, Andi made a ground beef skillet with zucchini. We tried to eat outside at the nice picnic table area, but the bees were so thick we had to move inside the RV.

After dinner, Andi and Aden walked up the hill to the local pub while Tory and I stayed back at the RV. Andi loves the experience of going to local bars. Some things don’t change, he said, no matter how far away you are from home. It was definitely a “working man’s bar” — talk of farming, drought, the local logging industry and the economy.

Tomorrow, we’re heading back to the east coast via Lewis Pass. Stay tuned …