So much rain!!

 Soooooo much RAIN!

Spring weather at Nelson Lakes National Park

Map showing some of the road closures during the spring storm. 

WEDNESDAY 8 OCTOBER 2025 - THURSDAY 23 OCTOBER 2025 (Only 6 months till my next birthday!)

As we had already done the trip from Christchurch to the top of the South Island via the east coast several times we wanted to map out a journey that took the road less travelled. At this time of year your planning has to take in several factors like weather and road conditions and you have to have a Plan B in case those factors conspire to thwart your Plan A. To give ourselves time to work on our Plan A we didn’t travel very far when we left Akaroa and headed for Spencer Beach which is just a little north of Christchurch. This campground is huge and as we approached it we couldn’t quite work out why because there didn’t seem to be a lot in Spencerville but looks can be deceiving. The campground is only a short forest walk away from a l-o-n-g, white sand beach. It is right beside a large forestry area that is riddled with mountain bike tracks and recreation areas. It is across the road from a large wetland area that has boardwalk paths to explore and it has an adrenaline junkie type park as a neighbour. Best of all though, it was SUNNY!! We were treated to a couple of unique bird experiences on our first trip to the beach seeing a New Zealand Bellbird (Korimako) as we headed along the forest walk. Then, as we strolled down the beach we encountered the Lesser Spotted Dick as apparently there is a very active nudist group here who all cluster around a flag with a bear on it proudly announcing “Bare it ALL”. You will be pleased to know that Dave resisted the urge to join them. LOL.

Spencer Beach

For the first time in ages we (as in Dave) got the bikes down from the back of the Beast and not only could we explore some of the paths through the forest but we also got to hoon along the beach. I say hoon, but there was a strong head wind so it was more of a frantic peddle. 

For the next stage of this trip we were hoping the spring weather was going to cooperate as we wanted to head back to Hanmer Springs. We had already booked a DOC campsite in  the Nelson Lakes National Park so we were counting on Lewis Pass, the most direct route, remaining open. Going against my need to be organised we hadn’t pre-booked any other campground because if the weather didn’t treat us well we needed to factor in time to make the longer trip to the Nelson Lakes via Kakoura and Blenheim. As we headed away from Spencer Beach we drove through Kaiapoi passing a rather interesting sculpture. Actually Kaiapoi looked like an interesting spot to spend some time as it is nestled in between several lakes and rivers - so we bookmarked it as a place to return to when we come back down again next year.

Sculpture on the way to Kaiapoi

The last time we were in Hanmer Springs it snowed so it was a welcome surprise to arrive in sunshine, warmth and spring blossoms everywhere. We re-kindled our love of PJ’s pies and Baileys gelatos and finally got a photo in the hot pools.

We did get some rain and we were keeping a very close eye on the weather and road conditions which suggested Friday was going to be our best bet to get through Lewis Pass and the suggestion was correct. We had a very calm, uneventful trip through this most northerly of the three alpine passes - there were some windy bits but compared to the weather that was about to hit in this area we could not have timed it better. We arrived in Murchison in fine weather but battened down the hatches for the first of the impending atmospheric river of rain that was predicted to hit.

And boy did it hit. We woke to reports of Lewis Pass being closed because it was missing chunks of the road and the wind in the South Island was playing havoc with motorhomes, trucks and trailers and trees which had all been blown across highways. When we were at the Riverside Holiday Camp in Murchison in March we were walking out on the river bed to pan for gold. With all the rain the South Island has had this year the Buller River was now quite a raging torrent. In between the rain we got to explore the paths beside the river and also keep an eye on the state of the roads between Murchison and Nelson Lakes National Park.

As we already had a booking at Kerr Bay Campground at the Nelson Lakes it was with some relief that the weather on Sunday was okay for travel. It was only a 45 minute trip but we were heading up to Alpine lakes so we knew we would be gaining elevation and therefore the wind could prove problematic. Luckily it was a very pleasant drive with only one brief gust of wind that was strong enough to be a concern. We arrived in Kerr Bay in sunshine. 

It may have been sunny but the temperature had dropped considerably. We knew there was more rain and wind coming so rugged up and made good use of the many excellent tracks around the lake and up to the village. We found a very respectable Alpine Lodge in St Arnaud and enjoyed a quality lunch there - what a surprise!.

Once again we got a very noisy night of rain and woke to find the lake level had risen dramatically and another lake was forming in the campground. Still all this inclement weather has given me this opportunity to update the blog but I do wish summer would hurry up and arrive. If we had still been in Hanmer we would have been stuck as the Lewis Pass Road is still closed and State highway one from Kaikoura to Blenheim is also closed. Spring weather has been more trouble than winter was.

Tomorrow, all going well, we will head off to Motueka. As I type this the road we need is open with no warnings on it AND then, hopefully, this patch of weather will just be a memory.