We've seen good and bad too. The worser one was like camping on a moonscape. Power was weak and intermittent. A vicious senior gang, The Grannies of Anarchy, took over the park and often partied until after seven PM , drinking herbal tea and playing Lawrence Welk CD's at half volume!. Anyone caught outside risked being bingo dobbered, tied to a lawn chair and forced to look at pictures of grandchildren until delirium set in.We slunk away under the cover of darkness.
Nice vlog K ,thanks for sharing. When we tour in the motorhome we generally just book one night at those sites we haven't been to before. Then,after checking out Internet reception ,the noise levels of fellow campers and the facilities,the following day we then book for a longer stay if satisfied. U.K. has Trip advisor for camping/touring info. and the reviews can,in the main,be relied on. Take care,stay safe and enjoy.
Yes, that's a good idea. Although I've been stuck doing that once... when I went to extend, the site was already pre-booked so had to move on anyway! We have comments on the app for all the campgrounds, which is usually helpful, but for some odd reason the comments mislead me this time🤣
Loved the waterfalls. Of course one of the advantages of the rain is it makes waterfalls better :) By the way, the way you say 'campgrounds' triggers my ASMR for some reason. Keep up the good vlogs.
Hi Karen, excellent video. I love seeing all the sheep on the roads there. It is certainly iInteresting seeing the bottom edge of the South Island. I would imagine that it would be quite cold there. Just of interest, back in the analogue TV days, I used to occasionally receive TV1 from Hedgehope (near Invercargill) New Zealand from here in Australia. Anyway, all the very best. Robert.
Plenty of sheep in the area🐑It's the middle of summer, so it wasn't cold... but I didn't feel like swimming. That's unusual that the signal reached Australia!
Hi Karen, Analogue TV signals are known to propagate far further than digital TV and they also used to use lower TV frequencies in both countries as well. Over the years, I have seen New Zealand TV1 and TV2 signals here on several occasions, especially during the summer months. I also know some contacts living in New Zealand, who have received Australian TV there. With digital TV only using higher frequencies now, cross Tasman TV reception has become virtually impossible. Some of my long distance analogue TV reception is included on my RUclips channel, which includes New Zealand. I am glad to hear that it wasn't too cold there, though you seemed to have experienced some heavy rain during your journey. We are still in need of a good downpour here in Melbourne. Anyway, take care. Robert.
I heard on the news recently about bushfires in the North Island of New Zealand. I think it was somewhere around Northland area. it is the first time that I have heard of bushfires happening over there. I hope you get your rain soon.
I remember when Coco and I were down in southland Xmas 2017 we saw evidence of a "lot of wind", ie- trees that had grown on severer angles. Looks like a good region to be putting windfarms.
Bluff Hill is a great view. The sign at Sterling point is at the official end of SH1, it isn't the southernmost point (That is Slope point in the Catlins as you visited). We also found that the camp at Niagara was a good base to leave the caravan.
I always thought the most southern point in NZ was Stewart Island? One other thing, and of course I don't know whether you have this or not, but you could try an external antenna to improve your reception.
ha yes, Stewart Island is the most southern... I meant most southern on the south island. My internet is generally good enough not to worry about an antenna🤷♀️
Thanks Karen, loved Gemstone Beach and later at the waterfalls . Never been to that part of NZ , i will make a point of going there the next time i,m home. I love the beach on a windy day.
Hey Aucklander.... Balclutha (Bellclooooootha!) isnt that unknown ya know! ;) And yeah hope you kept lots of the ladybirds cos they are good luck! So pretty :) We stayed in Owaka precisely 8 yrs ago to the week! And I came back to Welly saying exactly the same thing as you, nice to be back in civilisation haha Did you miss out the cool Lost Gypsy place on your travels? At Papatowai?
yeah... I failed with pronouncing Balclutha... and a few others too. Bring on the luck! I did miss stopping at the Lost Gypsy! Really gutted. Could have done with some more time down there really...
Hi Karen, I must admit the first caravan site did look a bit ruff but as you say you can’t judge a book by its cover when you look at the beautiful scenery this earth has to offer it’s amazing but not appreciated enough thank you for sharing 👏👍
Thank You for the ride along !! You turned a ill place into beautiful beaches mts ect !! .......often those race car people are mechanics and have really old stuff that works well (they fix things for fun and often for free!!) ...but use your best judgement .......your NZ is a paradise !! Enjoy !!
I don't know if you know, or have been there Karen, but there is a similar 'funky sign-post' - as you call it - in England @ Land's End (the further most Southern land-point.) Also I believe they have one at the top most Northern point of the British Isles @ John O Groats. I haven't personally seen the latter but I have witnessed the former more than once.
Are you able to connect an external antenna to your internet router? If so you could pop the antenna on top of the caravan to improve reception - having just the router inside the caravan (which is effectively a metal skinned box) isn't going to help when reception is marginal.
I played it back a couple of times and I think it is working, however the high level one seemed to be out to me? That's even less likely though as it's LED? But worth checking Karen.
Wondering if there's any form of external aerial you can get for your 4G router? It's an Huawei B315 if you want to have a nosey if something is available in NZ. Also, did you have any joy sourcing the 12v power supply for it, so it'll run straight off the caravan 12v system instead of needing the inverter?
I think I can get an aerial, but don't know if it's worth the bother as I've rarely had issues before. I will be going more into the 12v for the modem soon😜
Omg... You past my house when you went to Wyndham! What a shame your videos are so far behind! Would have loved to have caught up with you! Safe travels
Loved comparing your impressions with those of my own. Like with your other videos - I was disappointed by your promotion of NZMCA which treat some of their now ex-members very poorly.
yes it is a shame that you can't judge a book by its cover but there are usually reasons for long stayers and in most cases they are the first to give the shirts of their backs and help in anyway...you prolly brightened his day
At least you are seeing places I should knot say this but it gets boring seeing caravan every day plus the weather is not very good Where going to get 70 mile wings here I love too so you what I do
Apart from the scare of getting stuck half way up the hill, the sheep were novel and entertaining🐑🤪The Buller District is stunning - hope you're not getting too much rain right now?!
I could be wrong but you seem...a little bit tired or not yourself..not so many smiles..but still thoroughly entertaining and as attractive as ever ..do you ever use 4wd in your Nissan ?
I was tired. I think it was staying at a campground that wasn't relaxing and then needing to move quickly. Luckily I have a break after this video and get to properly relax. Funnily enough, I haven't used the 4x4 feature properly for off road driving. But it has come in handy at the odd campground.
The soft acoustic guitar in the background made this very relaxing. That bird made a friendly finale "Hi in there!". PA, usa
Thank you for saying you like the music! Yes, that bird did look like it was saying hi 🤣
I loved that final shot of the bird :-)
I had to include it 🦆
Nice job on the video, and good for you getting out and enjoying the real NZ. Safe travels where ever you are K.
We've seen good and bad too. The worser one was like camping on a moonscape. Power was weak and intermittent. A vicious senior gang, The Grannies of Anarchy, took over the park and often partied until after seven PM , drinking herbal tea and playing Lawrence Welk CD's at half volume!. Anyone caught outside risked being bingo dobbered, tied to a lawn chair and forced to look at pictures of grandchildren until delirium set in.We slunk away under the cover of darkness.
🤣That gang sounds terrifying! A moonscape would be a surprising look...
😂
Great scenery again. And, like David, I loved that shot of the bird at the end.
Thanks Jim!
Nice vlog K ,thanks for sharing. When we tour in the motorhome we generally just book one night at those sites we haven't been to before. Then,after checking out Internet reception ,the noise levels of fellow campers and the facilities,the following day we then book for a longer stay if satisfied. U.K. has Trip advisor for camping/touring info. and the reviews can,in the main,be relied on. Take care,stay safe and enjoy.
Yes, that's a good idea. Although I've been stuck doing that once... when I went to extend, the site was already pre-booked so had to move on anyway! We have comments on the app for all the campgrounds, which is usually helpful, but for some odd reason the comments mislead me this time🤣
Awesome video !!!
It would vevgreat if you could make a notebook with all of thisvinfobin it so you would know next go around .
I loved the ending :)
Loved the waterfalls. Of course one of the advantages of the rain is it makes waterfalls better :)
By the way, the way you say 'campgrounds' triggers my ASMR for some reason. Keep up the good vlogs.
And I think we have pretty good waterfalls in NZ 😉
So sorry to hear of the events today ( UK time) for you and your country folk. Stay safe K .
Yes, a very sad time and can't believe something like that would happen in NZ.
Hi Karen, excellent video. I love seeing all the sheep on the roads there. It is certainly iInteresting seeing the bottom edge of the South Island. I would imagine that it would be quite cold there. Just of interest, back in the analogue TV days, I used to occasionally receive TV1 from Hedgehope (near Invercargill) New Zealand from here in Australia. Anyway, all the very best. Robert.
Plenty of sheep in the area🐑It's the middle of summer, so it wasn't cold... but I didn't feel like swimming. That's unusual that the signal reached Australia!
Hi Karen, Analogue TV signals are known to propagate far further than digital TV and they also used to use lower TV frequencies in both countries as well. Over the years, I have seen New Zealand TV1 and TV2 signals here on several occasions, especially during the summer months. I also know some contacts living in New Zealand, who have received Australian TV there. With digital TV only using higher frequencies now, cross Tasman TV reception has become virtually impossible. Some of my long distance analogue TV reception is included on my RUclips channel, which includes New Zealand. I am glad to hear that it wasn't too cold there, though you seemed to have experienced some heavy rain during your journey. We are still in need of a good downpour here in Melbourne. Anyway, take care. Robert.
That's interesting to know!
We're a lot dryer here too with a few fires. Some rain arriving this weekend I think.
I heard on the news recently about bushfires in the North Island of New Zealand. I think it was somewhere around Northland area. it is the first time that I have heard of bushfires happening over there. I hope you get your rain soon.
I have just subbed to your site. We are currently looking for our first caravan and I am really enjoying your videos and learning.
That's great to hear! Very exciting for you and any questions, let me know😀
I remember when Coco and I were down in southland Xmas 2017 we saw evidence of a "lot of wind", ie- trees that had grown on severer angles. Looks like a good region to be putting windfarms.
Some of the trees did highlight how windy it must get down there!
Bluff Hill is a great view. The sign at Sterling point is at the official end of SH1, it isn't the southernmost point (That is Slope point in the Catlins as you visited).
We also found that the camp at Niagara was a good base to leave the caravan.
Ah ha! That's good to know about the end of SH1.
I always thought the most southern point in NZ was Stewart Island? One other thing, and of course I don't know whether you have this or not, but you could try an external antenna to improve your reception.
ha yes, Stewart Island is the most southern... I meant most southern on the south island. My internet is generally good enough not to worry about an antenna🤷♀️
Ladybirds, sheep and a cheeky seagull, what more could you ask for?! McLean's Falls are stunning. (Watch my "Escape to Catlins" video on my channel).
hehe full of Wildlife! Will have a look😀
Thanks Karen, loved Gemstone Beach and later at the waterfalls . Never been to that part of NZ , i will make a point of going there the next time i,m home. I love the beach on a windy day.
It's different to the rest of NZ - worth a visit!
Thankyou Karen, as always, very informative for the caravan family.
Glad it was helpful! I certainly managed to jam in a lot of places in this one, haha.
Hey Aucklander.... Balclutha (Bellclooooootha!) isnt that unknown ya know! ;) And yeah hope you kept lots of the ladybirds cos they are good luck! So pretty :) We stayed in Owaka precisely 8 yrs ago to the week! And I came back to Welly saying exactly the same thing as you, nice to be back in civilisation haha Did you miss out the cool Lost Gypsy place on your travels? At Papatowai?
yeah... I failed with pronouncing Balclutha... and a few others too. Bring on the luck! I did miss stopping at the Lost Gypsy! Really gutted. Could have done with some more time down there really...
Travelling K oh well can’t cover all places aye. are u back up north now? hope not around chch 😱
Hi Karen, I must admit the first caravan site did look a bit ruff but as you say you can’t judge a book by its cover when you look at the beautiful scenery this earth has to offer it’s amazing but not appreciated enough thank you for sharing 👏👍
Yes, I felt a little silly after that nice chat. And we do need to appreciate the beautiful scenery more often😀
Thank You for the ride along !! You turned a ill place into beautiful beaches mts ect !! .......often those race car people are mechanics and have really old stuff that works well (they fix things for fun and often for free!!) ...but use your best judgement .......your NZ is a paradise !! Enjoy !!
Yes, I learnt I can’t judge a book by its cover there!! 🤦♀️ But some beautiful spots in the area.
@@TravellingK Very Beautiful area !! : )
Many many years ago I use to travel to New Zealand our last port always seemed to be bluff, lovely people but horrible weather
I have heard Invercargill gets the most rain in NZ!
I don't know if you know, or have been there Karen, but there is a similar 'funky sign-post' - as you call it - in England @ Land's End (the further most Southern land-point.) Also I believe they have one at the top most Northern point of the British Isles @ John O Groats. I haven't personally seen the latter but I have witnessed the former more than once.
Hmmm that’s interesting to hear! Will need to visit again to see them 😜
Are you able to connect an external antenna to your internet router? If so you could pop the antenna on top of the caravan to improve reception - having just the router inside the caravan (which is effectively a metal skinned box) isn't going to help when reception is marginal.
I could get an antenna, but since my internet is generally fine, I currently don't feel the need to get one... maybe in the future though.
Hi K. I could be wrong but it looked like your kerbside brake light was out on the caravan. Thanks for the vlog, and best wishes 👍
I played it back a couple of times and I think it is working, however the high level one seemed to be out to me? That's even less likely though as it's LED? But worth checking Karen.
Hmmm, ok, I'll have a look - thanks guys!
Wondering if there's any form of external aerial you can get for your 4G router? It's an Huawei B315 if you want to have a nosey if something is available in NZ. Also, did you have any joy sourcing the 12v power supply for it, so it'll run straight off the caravan 12v system instead of needing the inverter?
I think I can get an aerial, but don't know if it's worth the bother as I've rarely had issues before. I will be going more into the 12v for the modem soon😜
Omg... You past my house when you went to Wyndham! What a shame your videos are so far behind! Would have loved to have caught up with you! Safe travels
Really! Oh, what I shame, always nice to meet people. I thought the town was very cute and relaxing.
very cool video 😎
lol love the seagull! Never choose the shortest route on gps around nz...ive heard some horrendous stories lol i still use old fashioned maps
hehe I had to film the seagull! Yes, I've ended up on some random roads, haha
@@TravellingK lol gps scares me :D
for such a windy and rainy place nz seems to have plenty of camping places also how long does it take to pack up the caravan on moving days
Yes, we do have quite a few options for so small a country. It generally takes me half an hour to pack up and leave.
Loved comparing your impressions with those of my own. Like with your other videos - I was disappointed by your promotion of NZMCA which treat some of their now ex-members very poorly.
Many of those campers were evicted from another camp ground at Oreti Beach, change of ownership didn't allow for long terms.
Really!! That's very interesting to know...
I must say I did like Bluff, especially the hill. Very windy as it looked like you found out. Will you be at COVI this weekend?
It was extremely windy! haha. And yes, I will be at the Covi Supershow. I'm also speaking at the seminars every day at 11am! Are you going?
@@TravellingK yes, probably on the first day. Need any more brake cleaner? :-)
hehe that brake cleaner has come in handy lately! I'm actually talking every day at 11am!
that waterfall! We’ve been there!
haha great! It's a good one, isn't it😀
Don't forget housing is so expensive in New Zealand and salaries quite low - not all of us who live simply in vehicles are nasty folk!
That is so true! And food is just so expensive here. I've met plenty of lovely folk permanently living in vehicles.
yes it is a shame that you can't judge a book by its cover but there are usually reasons for long stayers and in most cases they are the first to give the shirts of their backs and help in anyway...you prolly brightened his day
Yes, I learnt my lesson there!
Just wanted to let you know that you and the people of New Zealand are in my thoughts....🥺
It's truly shocking. Something I never would have thought would happen in NZ.
Good old Invercargill.
At the last place You wasent alone. You have a seegril.... nabor
haha and such a quirky neighbour too!
At least you are seeing places I should knot say this but it gets boring seeing caravan every day plus the weather is not very good
Where going to get 70 mile wings here I love too so you what I do
Ohhh what is the 70 mile wings? I'm curious😀Keen to meet everyone in the UK
Nice vid mate 🚐👍🏼
Thank you!
Sorry about the sheep ;p
I’m in the buller district
Apart from the scare of getting stuck half way up the hill, the sheep were novel and entertaining🐑🤪The Buller District is stunning - hope you're not getting too much rain right now?!
I stayed on one site like this one's with long stayers on l wouldn't go back. .allways stay on tourist sites from now on. ..Alan. .
They can have a different feel to them...
Hi byby my wish my job in nz can your help me
I could be wrong but you seem...a little bit tired or not yourself..not so many smiles..but still thoroughly entertaining and as attractive as ever ..do you ever use 4wd in your Nissan ?
I was tired. I think it was staying at a campground that wasn't relaxing and then needing to move quickly. Luckily I have a break after this video and get to properly relax. Funnily enough, I haven't used the 4x4 feature properly for off road driving. But it has come in handy at the odd campground.
Do you have a sister named Misha? She looks a lot like you.
No sisters😀
Don't you get lonely? I'd be sick lonely....
Ladybugs are a sign of luck
Oh oh I like the sound of that😀
Would that be good luck OR bad luck??
🐞
1:32 😘
haha knew someone would point it out!
Everyone needs a place to live, even “hooligans”.
Very true
You are harsh...
Guess every campground can't be my favourite though...
Ha ha sheep
Seriously not the smartest animals 🤣
What agenda are you pushing? Do things the old fashioned way use your instincts Sorry I've had to unsubscribe.