he All Points Camping team in Canterbury were having a mid-winter dinner in a small town named Kirwee, somewhere on the Canterbury Plains. It had been quite some time since I had been to Canterbury and the thought of meeting up with fellow club members, that I hadn’t seen for many months, appealed.
It would mean taking a road trip of several days to travel from the deep south to Canterbury, but that also excited me. I put a message on the APCNZ — Chat, Share on Facebook to see if anyone else in the club wanted to join me on the journey. Noel Clayton was going, so we arranged to meet.
It was July. With the van windows defrosted, my campervan purred to life, and Loki dog and I rolled out of town, passing cows and sheep huddled together in steaming bundles on white frozen paddocks.
Noel and his dog Milo, were waiting at the Hedgehope Hall. After a short greeting, he started up his Toyota Hiace and we headed off on our adventure.
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Our first stop was Lake Waihola (above) for a stretch of the legs in the warm winter sun, then on our way. We were keen to get through the bustle of Dunedin city and over the Leith Saddle to reach our first campsite beside the sea at Warrington.
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We woke to another frost. The dogs busied themselves barking at workmen building a new Surf Life Saving Club and getting pats from other overnight campers on their way for a morning play on the white sandy beach.
Leaving Warrington, we headed north on State Highway 1, stopping at cafés for coffee and rest areas for dog stops. The coastal drive was stunning. The sea blue and the white waves rolled gently up onto the sand. We could have spent hours at the sea, but we had places to go. So, over hills, through small townships, across the flat plains of Waitaki, and over wide snow-fed rivers and joined the river of vehicles snaking through the city of Timaru.
We arrived in mid-Canterbury late in the afternoon. It was getting late, so we decided to turn off for the night at Ealing, south of Ashburton. The Canterbury Plains were surprisingly green. Noel said it was most likely due to the large number of irrigation set-ups, water-races and canals that were enabling farmers to extend their productivity.
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We stepped out of our campervans on Saturday morning to a blaze of a mauve and orange sunrise — and another frost (below).
We swung back onto State Highway 1 and about one hour later we pulled onto the grassy carpark of Thirsty Acres Bar & Restaurant in Kirwee.
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We found a nice spot to park under a grove of gum trees and beside Trevor’s motorhome. He beckoned us in for a coffee and no sooner had the jug boiled when Linda and Martin pulled up with their new caravan. More club members rolled steadily in, with warm embraces, laughter and hot coffee and biscuits, until all the less muddy spots on the grass were filled.
Dinner was only a few steps away in the restaurant and the conversation flowed freely as we shared stories and travel tips, forging new and old friendships. As it so happened, the mid-winter meal was on the same night that the All Blacks were playing rugby against France and the restaurant had a big screen TV, which added to a great night’s entertainment.
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The following morning, goodbyes and contact numbers were exchanged before some headed to the Oxford market, some home and others to the dog park. Some stayed on until Monday.
Monday morning broke to another frosty but sunny morning. There were several routes we could take to head back to Southland. Noel suggested we go via the Rakaia Gorge as I had heard much about its beauty but never seen it. There, I was happily cruising through the rolling countryside on a sunny morning in my van, when I noticed a sign announcing the settlement of ‘Windwhistle’. I was just pondering the reasons for the name when suddenly the camper was heading down a huge split in the earth, down a steep zig-zagged road, white with frost. I am pretty sure I rode my brakes all the way down into that wide river valley. I can tell you; I needed that coffee at Methven. My nerves were shattered!
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We stayed a couple of nights at my cousins (also APCNZ members) at the peaceful Milford Huts Lagoon, where we dined on bbq-ed mutton-birds and roast beef. Of course, the conversation was all about fishing and camping.
Again we woke to a cold frosty morning. We decided to spend the night at the Hampden NZMCA camp as it was right on the beach. After all, it doesn’t freeze down by the sea. We each bought a feed of Hampden’s famous fish n’ chips and climbed into our vans to spend a cosy night with the warmth of our heaters and a good book.
Minus 6! It was the first time in two winters of sleeping in my campervan, that I have actually woken because I was cold. Noel was worried his sliding door was frozen shut, but with a bit of brute force, he managed to slide it open and let Milo out for his morning walk. The sunrise was a stunning pink and lavender, but much to our surprise the pools of water down at the beach were covered in ice and all the taps were frozen. We thought we had better go back and check the app for road conditions. To our amazement, we learned that schools and some businesses in Dunedin were closed until 10am due to the dangerous icy road conditions.
We must cross The Kilmog hills to reach Dunedin. They are steep and winding and much of it in shade, so we decided to cross about mid-day. To fill in time, we drove to the Moeraki Boulders café for a hot drink with a million-dollar view.
Thankfully, it was an easy drive over the hills and through the city. We stopped again at Lake Waihola for a final cuppa and a sausage roll before parting ways.
As I drove back along the vast kilometres of the sheep- and cow-dotted pastures of Southland, the only sounds were the steady rhythm of the tyres on the tar seal and the snoring of a content and tired Loki dog.
It was a beautiful trip and we made some lovely connections with fellow club members. All in all, it was well worth taking the journey for a mid-winter dinner. 🏕️
Photos: ©2025 Heather Auckram
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