Rain, Planes - we're in Nelson Again.

 Rain, Planes - we’re in Nelson Again.

Finally some sun at Tahunuanui Beach, Nelson

THURSDAY 26 JUNE 2025 - TUESDAY 22 JULY  2025

It has been a while since I last posted but if I had written this any sooner it would have just read - Rain, rain and more rain. We survived the Nelson / Marlborough floods but we have certainly been aware of the devastation they have caused in this area and our travel plans had to change to ensure we did not cause any extra grief to the very damaged roads around these parts.

We had intended to only stay four days in Havelock but Mother Nature had other ideas. The first lot of heavy, heavy wind and rain came and not only did the wind make us think twice about taking The Beast on the road but the floods and slips closed Highway 6, the main road to Nelson. We had to keep phoning ahead to Nelson and asking if we could shift our booking out until it was safe to drive.

The three extra days we spent in Havelock were spent in the motorhome, hunkering down against the weather. Luckily we were on a powered site as it was about this time that our diesel heater gave up the ghost and we weren’t really in a position for Dave to be able to do anything about it so we busted out the little fan heater that had to really step up to the challenge of keeping us warm with some very low overnight temperatures.

Our original plan was to head to Nelson for a week and then return to Motueka and Kaiteriteri Beach. We managed the first step and arrived at Tahuna Beach Holiday Park at Tahunanui Beach, Nelson ready for a couple of days of sunshine and hoping for some drying out weather for the area.

The campground is MASSIVE with about 850 sites plus cabins, motels etc and it is very close to the beach, the city, the waterfront and the buses. We quickly got ourselves organised to get a ‘Bee Card’ and load our Gold Card info onto it which then gave us free travel on the buses. We were within easy walking distance to two different routes that could take us into town or down to Stoke and Richmond and the buses arrived every 30 minutes - how convenient!

The slip on Rocks Road - the main road to Post Nelson and the city

Our first bus trip included only two little slip ups. The first hiccup saw us waiting for ages at a stop that wasn’t in service as a slip on the main coastal road (Rocks Road) had closed the rest of that route into the city. Eventually a passer by let us know this and suggested we use the other bus route. The second slip happened when we tried to get home from the city. We got on the right numbered bus but one that was heading in the wrong direction, we quickly disembarked, walked back into town and had another go at getting home. Dave has realised that it is a hard job to find the perfect navigator!

The sun was still shining when Rocks Road finally opened the next day and with hardly any wind it seemed perfect for a walk around the waterfront. We spotted where the slip had been and also found The Boat House which was open for lunch. 

Their balcony was sheltered and the sea was glassy so we stopped for a wee bevy and a little something to eat. While we sat there we had a fabulous view of the tugs bringing a large container ship into the port. 

We also watched with much interest a young man on a Hydrofoil board who was being towed around the bay by a little electric “thing’ in the water. It looked like he was holding a leash and being towed around by his dog - only this battery lasted for ages.

Watching the tugs do their job.

Hydrofoil fun at Nelson’s Port

It was really just as well that we took advantage of these few days of sun as the second wave of devastating weather hit the Nelson Marlborough area causing even more damage to a region that was still licking its wounds from the initial barrage of rain. In Kaiteriteri, the Bethany camp ground we had stayed at back in March was decimated when a wall of water filled with forestry slash hit the park. It was so sad to see the reports on the TV.

Bethany Park Campground after the flood (Photo from RNZ)

We were safe and sound where we were but it did mean a few days tucked inside the Beast with Dave reading and me knitting furiously. We took walks along the beach whenever the rain eased enough to get outside but boy she was damp. We watched several motorhomes get stuck when trying to get off their sites but we had booked a concrete site so were not too worried.

A new beanie for Dave - love that it looks like a stained glass window.

Eventually the sun came out again and luckily a bit of a wind came with it which has helped to dry the very sodden ground. Rocks Road closed again for nearly a week as another slip occurred and of course, many in this region have a heart breaking amount of mud and water damage to clean up.

With the weather predictions looking a bit more hopeful we were finally able to get the bikes back down. Our camp ground is right beside part of the Great Taste Bike Trail. We had already done a considerable part of this trail but had enjoyed the ride out to Rabbit Island in summer so much we thought we would repeat that and maybe take the ferry across to Mapua. We knew that the part of the track that went to Brightwater and Wakefield had been affected by floods but Rabbit Island hadn’t been mentioned. This is an awesome track, well sign posted and great surfaces. It was the first rocky track I had been on and when we did it back in March I was really slow and quite stressed but compared to some of the tracks we have done since then it was a doddle this time! For part of the track you follow right beside highway 6 and I have to say we put a LOT of faith in a low fence consisting of steel poles with four strands of wire rope linking them as that is all there is between the bikes and the HUGE logging trucks that thunder past. Unfortunately we only got as far as the Nelson Pine Industries factory before we discovered that the rest of the track to Rabbit Island had also been affected by the floods and was closed. We stopped for lunch and rode back home instead.

Once the weather had improved Dave gave some serious thought to what was happening with our diesel heater. He watched heaps of YouTube videos to work out what might be causing the problem. Dave had brought some tools from home but we still needed to do a wee stop at Mitre 10 to get a few things that would make the job easier for him. Bear in mind that he doesn’t have his workshop with him, we are parked on a concrete pad that is right beside some very boggy lawn and it is freezing outside and of course the double back wheels are right where he needed to go to be able to get the heating unit out. It took several attempts of getting the unit out, cleaning bits, checking bits, watching more videos, phoning the factory in Rangiora where we purchased the heater before Dave finally realised what needed to be done. Completing this with his usual wizardry we once again have the luxury of our diesel heater. Such perseverance on Dave’s part!!

On one of our walks we strolled past a pub called “Smugglers”. We have some very good friends who make a range of fabulous amphibious boats that are also called Smugglers so, after checking that they hadn’t diversified their business, we decided to give the pub a go. Luckily we booked as it was quite busy when we got there and we both enjoyed the meals we chose. We may even have to go back.

One of the other excursions we both enjoyed on our last trip to Nelson was the Classic Car Museum. As it is right on one of our bus routes we busted out our Bee Cards and headed off for another look around. We spent more time actually reading the information about the different cars and once again came away raving about what a fabulous place it is to visit. 

Being in a motorhome, once we have arrived in a camp and set up we tend to walk, bike or use public transport if we need to get anything rather than have to strap everything down again to use The Beast. With our 9 kg Gas bottle running out we discovered the closest ‘swap a bottle’ place was about a 2.5 km return trip. Gas bottles are pretty light when they are empty but surprisingly heavy when full so we scoured the beach for a decent stick that we could thread through the handle of the gas bottle thereby being able to share the weight of it on the trip home. This worked a treat but it was heavier than I thought so we did have to keep stopping so I could have a break. On our walk back from the beach yesterday, for the first time, we walked past the front of the reception area for our camp only to spot that they do ‘Swap a bottle’ gas right here in the camp - a mere fifty metres from our campsite - doh!

Nearly forgot to mention that the campground is quite close to Nelson Airport so we have Air New Zealand regional planes going over fairly regularly - amongst several smaller planes as well. We actually quite enjoy seeing them fly over but are grateful that they don't start too early in the morning and finish at an acceptable time each night.

Today is James’ 38th birthday and so we will be having a wee toast to our boy with dinner tonight.

There are still a few places we want to visit in Nelson so we are staying here for another 10 days or so and then??? We may head back to Christchurch and might even get to see Akaroa.