I thought a picture of a Meconopsis poppy would be appropriate. This was taken at Inverewe gardens on the west coast of Scotland. The large healthy beds of them in partial shade, show they love this mild wet climate. We have tried growing them several times in Dorset and only managed to get a couple of flowers. This involved building an underground watering supply to keep the roots wet yet they need quite dry soil above, a little too demanding for our soil and drier condition; maybe I'll try again!!

Picture of the beach at Sandwood Bay after the mist had cleared.

Just returned from a trip to Scotland calling in at Stoke to see Emily, including a barbeque on her lawn and visits to local lakes, and then up the west side of Scotland to the very top at Sandwood Bay. On return we stayed a few days at Tain visiting Helen's Mum and Dad, doing some gardening and a trip out to Drumnadrochit on Loch Ness. We also managed to see Doug, Dot and Margaret in Edinburgh enjoying another excellent meal and catching up on our news and travels. Then on to meet Emily for her birthday at Ashkirk with Helen, and a meal out at Clovenfords near Galashiels. We had intended a three week break but it became almost a month. On route we found some great campsites near Lochs or Glens offering some great walks, views across lochs and out to sea to the islands.
The weather for the three weeks was brilliant with only one day of rain whilst at Oban and torrential rain on the A1 in the midlands. I managed a few walks including "The Cobbler" near Ben Ime and Loch Long and Buachaille Etive Mor and the ridge walk to Stob na Broige ("Peak of shoes"). This was a fantastic ridge walk with great views in the clear weather. The last 100 m up was a steep scramble and the route down the east side was also difficult in places over rock slabs, but worth the effort. Helen enjoyed some valley walks nearby wth great views across the lochs and hills.
We visited Fort William, Mallaig and Inverwe gardens (to mention but a few places!). The latter was really brilliant with the azaleas & rhodies finishing, lots of border plants and shrubs in flower, views of the walled garden and of course the blue Meconopsis (Himalayian poppy) in flower, all surrounded by plush woodlands and Loch Ewe in the foreground. Our campsite at Poolewe looked over the loch.
We also walked to Sandwood Bay, a John Muir Trust Reserve to the west of Cape Wrath. We started in mist but this cleared after we reached the beach so we have some shots of the Rock Stack as it appeared from the sea mist. We saw lots of Wheatear in the dunes and moorland, a Great Skua, Ringed Plover and lots of Gannets diving offsore. There was a sandspit separating the sea from a freshwater loch just inland and nearby a old crofters cottage. or the remains, where we ate lunch overlooking the loch, sea and dunes. The dunefield on the north side is quite extensive and although not as high as Swakop, they're the closest we've seen in Europe anyway. On our return along the same route, we were amused to see a lone surfer carrying his board ,complete with camping gear, on his bike negotiating the rocky & peaty track!

Now back at home after a long journey!! that went very smoothly. During our last week or so, we made our way around Coromandel enjoying the great weather and numerous beaches before hitting Auckland and a faster pace. Our campground was convenient to the city, about 20 minutes by bus. We did a bus tour around the city including the main sites and Sky City from where the photos were taken. We had the last night of our trip in a hotel, what luxury! So now in the cold (5 C during the day and - 5 C last night) so Spring is still far off, even our "February Gold" daffodils are a long way from flowering. It has been the worst Winter here for 31 years and that's after a prediction of the Met Office of a mild Winter before we left.

We’ve now rebounded to North Island with a splash of sun and summer but with autumn leaves falling!! We finished our stay on South Island, travelling across H70 “The Inland Route” with spectacular mountains and wide valleys to reach Kaikoura. There we organised a “Whale Watching” trip for Helen and a Pennisular walk for me taking advantage of the fine weather. Helen saw Sperm Whales and Dusky Dolphins on her trip whilst I had to settle for Fur Seals and limestone cliffs (picture shows one of the coves). Moving on to Blenheim, we stayed at Whites Bay, a remote spot with a view to Port Underwood. It was a popular DOC site; the ranger told us they had 118 people there on the Saturday night whereas on the Sunday we shared with 20 others, so plenty of room. I took the opportunity to climb up to “Black Jack Whites” lookout (taking its name from a stranded sailor who lived with the local Maori) to see Port Underwood in the distance (photo). The following night we stayed on the north side of Port Underwood on another DOC site sharing with Kiwi “bus campers” but the connecting road was gravel so we went on the sealed road to Picton (from where the ferry departs) and drove around to the south.
Since arriving in Wellington we’ve had good weather in the high 20s, stopping on route along the west coast and then at a pub/campground which afterwards we found had been in the national news. We’ve been back to our old haunt near Cape Kidnappers, “Freedom camping” with the Kiwi buses, and then on to Lake Tutira amongst the crumpled hills north of Napier. This is a reserve (administered by DOC) set on the lakeshore with lots of walks into the hills and local farmland. We seem to have lost the “little black beasties” and so can enjoy the evenings outside!
Next we headed to Gisborne to see if it really exists as the local Radio “Gisborne” has a phone-in on national issues and some of the opinions we hear are very interesting!!. e.g. (censored by Helen!!). Interestingly the beasties reappeared but we have their measure now. Since then we’ve been meandering northwards returning to Lake Rotorua from Opotiki on the coast and currently camping beside Lake Rotoiti (with good internet access!!). We’ve lost the sun but it’s warm and humid so can’t complain.
You’ve got about two weeks to sort the Global Cooling issues in UK (we hear there is more snow predicted in England this weekend). From here we head north to the Coromandel Peninsular and then plan to spend a couple of days in Auckland before flying on the 3 rd March..ta ta for now.

Now in New Brighton South on the east side of Christchurch having been on Banks Peninsular for a few days, Sumner and Taylor's Mistake. The latter is an ideal little spot if you like surfing and local walks in the scrub/hills but you need a sense of direction to find it!! At Akaroa we did a "Spot the Dolphin" trip and Helen swam with a pod of Hector's Dolphins in the Harbour; these are unique to NZ and the smallest dolphins in the world (we're told). Meanwhile I was the photogapher for an Aussie and another Brit lady who'd been forsaken, so I was busy clicking (see photo of Helen and a dolphin). We also did a day walk around (and up) the "Stony Peak"(806m) near Akaroa; it was hot & sunny and gave great views of the harbour and to the Pacific Ocean on the other side of the Peninsular (see photo).
The weather has improved in that we are dry and getting some sunshine so we're heading back into the mountains (Arthur's Pass through the Southern Alps)so hopefully it will keep clear for us to see the peaks. That's all for now..

Now at Timaru south of Christchurch. It's a cloudy day but not raining so far and we'v been travelling from in Southland down to Tuatapere near the south coast and east to Invercargill and the "Lands End" of NZ, Bluff. We took a ferry over to Stewart Island and spent a couple of days there with fine weather. We did some short walks including that around Ulva Island which is a wildlife sanctuary and we were lucky to see may rare birds including the South Island Robin and Saddleback.
After that, we went to Curio Bay and camped there amongst the flax plants and saw our first Yellow-eyed penguins coming up the beach after their day out at sea. They were nesting amongst the scrub on the shoreline and bringing back food for their youngsters. Also Alan managed to get charged by a Sea Lion which had decided to sunbathe next to the door of the camper. Undaunted we continued on up the coast to Dunedin where we needed a repair to our camper fridge, so whilst that was being done we went around the "Cadbury's World" factory. After that we visited the Royal Albatross Centre and saw loads of birds soaring around and on nests. This is the only mainland nesting site in the world as the others are on off-shore islands.
Last night, staying in Oamaru, we visited the Blue Penguin colony and saw over a hundred returning to their burrows at an old quarry site, that was between 9.30 and 10.30 pm; again they were nesting and the parents took it in turn to go fishing for the day, leaving at daylight and returning at dusk. The pics are of the Yellow-eyed penguins at Curio Bay and us at the Invercargill Gardens amongst the roses (we had a picnic lunch in the sun here!). Couldn't photograph the Blue Penguins because they are too shy and easily disturbed....oh didnt mention all the different Shags around here, lots of photos but won't bore you !!

Now south of Millford Sound on the west coast. We’ve had a bout of cold and wet weather but did get a few hours of almost clear sky for our cruise in Milford Sound. Because of the torrential rain over the last few days, all the waterfalls were flowing giving us some spectacular sights. We didn’t stop in Queenstown because of the weather and camped at Te Anau before travelling to Milford Sound and camping at Cascade Creek in a DOC site. Also saw a few Kea Parrots (Mountain Parrots) on route through the rain forests

Happy New Year..we’re still in Golden Bay near Collingwood spending a few days exploring the area and catching-up on camper jobs with plans to move off tomorrow towards Greymouth on the west coast and onto the Glaciers etc.
The tramp along the Abel Tasman coastline went well and we had our frozen Christmas lunch at Totaranui by the beach. We started at Wainui Bay on 24th and walked over the hill through Manuka scrub to Whariwharangi Bay where we camped. This area was very quiet as most walkers start or finish at Totaranui further on so we had the Bay to ourselves, apart from a Fur Seal and Pied Shags on the beach; we also mixed with hundreds of bees that swarmed over patches of sand (we think pouncing on sand fly larva) but they didn’t bother us. We did manage a campfire here with wood from the beach (lots and lots as usual) reminding us of Namibia and were later joined by another couple camping.
The next day to Totaranui was a climb and descent to Mutton Cove and other Bays before reaching the long beach and big campground. The “Trampers” camp was separate in a grass field by the beach and also covered with bees, funny to us! It had been a hot walk and sunny, so for the first time we went for a long swim (even though it was cold water!) and once in we noticed the changes in the sea temperature as pools of warmed water mixed with colder, very refreshing! Spectacular sunset for an evening walk along the beach and then to see all the Kiwis with their massive tents, freezers, boats, kayaks and you name it, they had it, camping in style!
On Boxing Day we followed the coast, sometimes on the beach, e.g. Goat Bay, before climbing over a wooded ridge to Awaroa Estuary, our first “critical” river/estuary crossing. This was easy but did entail removing boots and cooling our feet and legs (up to our knees) even at low tide, mainly because of the river crossing. This was a pleasant site but with lots of sand flies near the beach and again lots of bees on the sand paths nearby.
In the morning, to avoid the “heat of the day”, we were soon toiling uphill to the Tonga Saddle and down to our second “critical” crossing. I had been a little concerned about this one, the Onetahuti River crossing, as the park authorities warned that it could sometimes stop progress even at low tide. In the event we stepped across it in our boots over two hours before low tide! After more forest including lots of tree ferns and gullies, we reached Bark Bay in time for a wade across to the campsite. The Bark Bay campsite set on a peninsular of sand was pretty busy and although quiet to start with, we were soon joined by many other groups, the site next to us being South American students studying in NZ. Then we got our first rain in the night and a Possum, or something, had feasted on pasta in the students’ tent next door. We decided to have a quick breakfast in the covered kitchen area, pack our wet tent and get on our way hoping things improved…which they did. So next we had the added excitement of a passage over a long suspension bridge over the Falls River (the largest river in the park) and meandering around-up-down many gullies now with flowing water after the night’s rain. Soon we were sitting on a bench overlooking Torrent Bay and figuring out the route across the estuary and whether it was too early to cross. It turned out that the route was easy (being marked with large orange discs!) and the crossing possible. The Anchorage campsite is large with lots of space and many local walks to Bays and lookouts etc. We found a nice sunny spot and explored Te Pukatea Bay, a sandy bay just 20 minutes over a low ridge. At the campsite we met an Australian who’d come over especially to do the “Tramp” and was busy exploring all possibilities in the area, and also a group of Kiwis on their summer break. Also this was the first time we saw as well as heard the famous Bell Bird which with Tui (Parson Bird because of its white bib), were feeding on the nectar of wild Flax around our tent.
We had a night of rain, which in a small tent, tends to disturb our sleep! so by 7.20 h we had broken camp and left without breakfast, with a plan to stop later when the sun was out. Well it did work out that way but only after a long “drag” over a pass in drizzle to eventually reach picturesque Apple Tree Bay and breakfast with a cup of tea. From then on the going was easy, contouring close to the coast to reach our destination at Marahau. We did spot our first “Rifleman Bird” (about the size of a golf ball and no noticeable tail and so-called because of its green colour) on the way. By now we were looking forward to a hot shower at the campsite (they are use to trampers/kayers asking to use their showers!!) and a nice lunch at the café at the entrance to the park. From here, we’d arranged to get a bus to Riwaka and change to the “Golden Bay” coach to Pohara our campsite near the start of the walk.

The “Tramp” covers some stunning coastline and beautiful coves with soft or grainy sand. Our route was in the opposite direction to that taken by the majority of walkers and because of the tides it meant that we had the track to ourselves most of the time apart from the last hour near the end when we met lots of “day walkers” (a bit like dog walkers on the South West Way when approaching a town!). After Christmas and during January is the busiest time of year on the track but the number of people allowed into the park is decided by the number of camping & hut places. Apart from the campsites we stopped at (these had filtered water and covered kitchen areas) there are many smaller campsites, mainly in small coves, that also have idyllic settings but lack potable water (there is water but you have to treat it yourself) and they have toilets (usually long-drop). Of course all hut places and campsites have to be booked (the wardens did check us at every site). We did meet a couple without a tent having to do 9 hours walking on Christmas Day because there were no hut places available on route and because of the tidal crossing at Awaroe, they had to start before 6 in the morning. In general the track is very well maintained, well marked (I challenge anyone to get lost there), it does have a few steep gradients but less than 200 m altitude and is similar in difficulty to “moderate” graded sections of the South West Coastal Path.

We’re now in Wellington before getting the ferry to South Island. Since leaving the central mountains, we have been travelling around the west side of the country, going down to Wanganui and then along the coast of the South Taranaki Bight, getting glimpses of Mt Egmont in the cloud and rain. The weather didn’t improve in New Plymouth so we left there to travel south to Himatangi near Palmerstone North which was a nice location near a long beach and our first “Fish & Chips” at a Takeaway. Looking at the weather forecast, we decided to chase the summer on the east coast, so the next day we drove to Hastings and found a quiet campsite near Cape Kidnappers (Clifton Motor Park) where the beach and cliffs go around to the largest mainland Gannet colony in the world. Back in summer with temperatures up in the high twenties we stayed there for 6 nights enjoying the sun, walking to the Gannet colony, trips to Hastings and Napier and of course visiting vineyards and sampling the wine of the area. The climate here seemed like the south of France in August with our camper right next to the surf. So yesterday we had to leave and make our way south again passing alongside the Ranges, stopping at the Pukaha Mount Bruce, at DOC Wildlife Centre for Threatened Species. This was a great experience to see the Kaka parrots, Tuatara reptiles and a Takahe (flightless marsh type hen at one time thought extinct!). We found a small campsite nearby at Eketahuna besides a river and managed a walk around the woods before the rain set in for the night and so in the morning all the rivers were in spate, a chocolate colour. After that, a “blowy” drive got us alongside the Hut river over a 700 m pass to sunny Wellington where we are staying until Tuesday with a couple of days in the city (a short bus ride away). Photos are Mount Egmont (about the only glimpse!) and one of the colonies at Cape Kiddnappers.

Now in New Plymouth in the Taranaki Peninsula but rain and mist all day so hoping for better tomorrow. This is a photo down to the Emerald Lakes descnding from the top of Mt Tongariro. Great walk and I was lucky with the weather; it was clear all day without the winds they predicted. We've come around Highway 45 from Wanganui stopping last night in sight of Mt Egmont and next to the black sand dunes at a small recreational campsite near Manaia on the south coast. The cliffs and dunes there were quite different from what we've seen previously with layers of volcanic debris. Also we know where all the House Sparrows from England are, they're here! Everywhere they're busy nesting, chirping away and with the Yellowhammers, Skylarks and numerous Goldfinches, it is like the countryside when we were younger. We're not sure what we'll do next as we plan to canoe a stetch of the Whanganui river soon but this depends on the weather as we'll be camping at DOC sites and with rain, the river will be up. Otherwise we'll go to the east coast and south.

A Variable Oyster Catcher in the sand dunes amongst flowers. They're different from ours without the full white breasts, more like the Black Oyster Catches in South Africa. They were breeding amongst the dunes, together with New Zealand Dotterels, on the east coast of North Land.

We're now in Whanganui city till Tuesday and still hope to do some canoeing on the river for a few days. At the momet they're busy with school trips so we're keeping clear! I'll put some pics of the Tongariro alpine crossing later; it was great weather for it.

Stanley I presume? the explorer along the banks of the mighty Waikato river during our short "Tramp" from the Falls to get a view downstream. Our first Warbler sang for us near here and lots of "Pheasant Berry" growing wild. Helen made our first rope out of the NZ Flax that is everywhere, a trick we learned at the cultural centre. A little easier than nettle string but still hard work!! Anyway, the weather is changing to summer so we'll spend a few days here at L. Taupo.

Then back through Auckland to Cambridge, and further to Rotorua and the hot springs where we spent 3 days of good weather amongst the smelly steam and mud! The photo is the largest Geyser (30 foot) Pohutu that seems to erupt often. Also went to a Maori cultural event and wood carving and weaving schools. The park near the campsite and lake shore had areas steaming and mud bubbling, the whole area seemed alive. Lots of new birds on the Lake and our first large supermarkets to stock up. Really enjoying the relaxed driving (no cameras!!) and warm welcome at all the campsites. The sites are well equipped with kitchens and dining areas set aside for campers. So far they have not been very busy even though the weather is improving. The hot tubs have been nice in the evening as it doesn't get dark until about 8.30 -9.00 pm. On Sunday we did a great walk along the side of one of the volcanic lakes (Okareka, just S of Rotorua) in sunshine and each day we come across laid out walks somewhere; today it was the Waikato river near the Huka Falls.

Hello, this is the end of our journey to the north at Cape Reinga, the tip of Northland. You can just see the Puhutukawa tree where the Maori spirits leave to return home. From here we travelled down the west side of Northland to Ahipara and onto the Gannet colony at Muriwai beach first camping in the Waipoua forest amongst the giant Kaori trees. The walkway takes you right above the Gannet colony so we got great photos of the nesting birds including Terns. Our camper wasn't allowed to go down 90 mile beach!! but the scenery and waves reminded us of the Skelton coast of Namibia.

Helen relaxing and our hire camper at Pakiri Beach.

At the arch, the turning point on the Mangawhai walk.

10 th November: now at Mangawhai Heads in Northland on the east coast, north of Auckland. We've had good flights and time in Singapore. Did the usual bus tours, visited the Botanical Gardens to see their collection of Orchids, really amazing. The rest of the time we visited Changi PoW museum and the beaches nearby,
The camper is great, an older shorter version of the one we have (Fiat Ducata) so feels like home!! We've been stopping at campsites on beaches, Pakiri and Mangawhai Head and guess what, we've got a bird ID book already and the number of "new" on the list is increasing each day!! Almost spotted the really rare Fairy Tern! but have seen lots of others (won't bore you with details). Next it will be a tree book as the plants are so different from home but have seen lots of the Pohutukawa tree that will have red flowers at Christmas time and that seems to grow near the coast, even near sand dunes.
Today we did a walk along the Mangawhai Cliffs north with great views of the nearshore islands. We were supposed to return along the beach but even though it was 3 hours from high tide, the water level was up to our chests, so we decided against it.
The weather is mixed with some light showers and then sunshine, but it does change very quickly. It gets cool at night, down to 10 C and daytime up to 19 C. It should get warmer as we go north over the next week or so. Will try and post a picture of us at Mangawhai.

October, 2009. I've just finished a 100 mile stretch of the Southwest Coast Path from Barnstaple, Devon, to Padstow in Cornwall. The path between Hartland Point and Port Isaac was tough going at times with continous ups and downs. Only about 160 to 200 m each valley but several following each other in quick succession. Did a combination of camping and Bed & Breakfast. I was lucky with the weather, only 1 day of rain with mostly sunshine and cloud cover and no high winds. The route is well marked but not many supply points after Hartland quay for quite a while and had to ask villagers for water or take it from streams (treated this). The scenery is teriffic and it is hard to choose one photo from the hundreds I took. Only disappointment was the area around Clovelly which seemed to be overun with pheasants and the local gamekeepers were using the tracks to feed grain; sometimes I had 50 pheasants walking in front of me! The highlight was the cliffs at High Cliff and the path climbing up. I only met 2 other long-distance walkers, a young man who had come from Brighton and was a "pebble artist" walking the entire coast of the UK, and another chap walking the South Coast path. Of course, there were many dog-walkers particularly within a few kilometers of villagers or towns. All set now to continue through Cornwall, perhaps next spring.

Pyrenees, July 2009. GR11 in Catalonia, hot walking but a few springs still running. There were many changes to the route and some long days but great scenery with a rapid change in vegetation as I approached the coast. Only a few camp sites near the route and some camping places mentioned in the Guide (Paul Lucia) were not possible because of new National Reserves or developments.

Pyrenees, June 2009. View across the Lac du Col de Arratille at the Spanish border ridge, on route to the Ara valley and Ordesa and Refugio Goriz. Camped at Bujarelo before climbing over to Anisclo canyon. Great weather with clear skys all the way.