The campervan is proving an excellent way to see the country and we’re
becoming fast attached to our very comfortable home.
Off the field, we were offered an opportunity to try Curling for the first
time. Pulling into Naseby, near Ranfurly, a town with one bar and one street,
you’d be forgiven for being surprised that a Curling Rink existed here, but
there it was. Our opponents were ex-Otago Highlanders players who were getting
together for a reunion. Ominously, names like Moose, Hippo, Boof & Cheese
suited the man-mountains well, but the event was very enjoyable and naturally
competitive.
Moving on, we arrived back in Dunedin for the weekend’s games. The
Ireland-Australia game was the highlight of the weekend as England stuttered to
an unconvincing win over a battling Georgia.
Using the weekdays to explore the country, we left Dunedin and spent a night
on the stunning Otago Peninsula. Hiking up a vertical mountain (perhaps it was
only a gently-sloped hill) was a great way to spend a day and enjoy the
panoramic views of the surrounding area.
From there, we headed south to Curio Bay on the south coast of the country,
stopping briefly again at Carisbrook in Dunedin to watch an England training
session, to discredit the theory that they aren’t in fact receiving any coaching
or attacking direction. This still remains to be proven!
Curio Bay, in contrast, is a spectacular destination. Penguins, Sea Lions and
Dolphins can be seen at various times of the year, and a curving beach offers
miles of golden sand. The Curio Bay Holiday Park is a welcoming and comfortable
place to park the camper van, but beware of the Southern Ocean, however – it
turns out that it's pretty cold at this time of year!
Next on our schedule is a quick visit to Invercargill, before slowly winding
our way back on the scenic route to Dunedin through the Caitlins which promise
more great scenery and waterfalls. England-Romania is the next game on our list,
in a weekend packed full on interesting big games.
The campervan is proving an excellent way to see the country and we’re
becoming fast attached to our very comfortable home.
More to come next week.
