Called on “Plan C” for park-up last night (too big/ ⛺️ full), but good AM view from 3rd-try pitch at Manganese Pt on #Whangārei Harbour (📷1). On to Pātaua, two halves of which are linked by a footbridge spanning Pātaua River estuary (📷2). The North side was popular with bathers & people playing on watercraft (📷3). An ocean beach opposes Te Whangai Head on South side (📷4).

🚐 #VanLife #Motorhome #CamperVan #RV #Travel #RoadTrip #Nomad 🇳🇿 #Aotearoa #NZ #NewZealand 🤔🌲🧭❤️ #CREWmission 📷 #Photography

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 In deviating to the east of SH1 north of Ōtepoti | #Dunedin we would discover a new favourite locale in Pūrākaunui Inlet & stumble across a beautiful rare bird we were not supposed to see here. At Aramoana, the small town with a troubled past, we would see our first mainland sea lion—having previously encountered them on Stewart Island.

🚐 #VanLife #Motorhome #CamperVan #RV #Travel #RoadTrip #Nomad 🇳🇿 #Aotearoa #NZ #NewZealand 🤔🌲🧭❤️ #CREWmission 📷 #Photography 

🚐 More? See https://curiositydrive.org/2023/09/29/northern-dunedin/

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 Sandymount to Sandfly Bay track took 1h to descend 2.7km to the beach (from car park at end of Sandymount Rd, via lookout). The track begins as sandy soil but very soon becomes pure sand (📷1&2). We didn’t access the beach due to presence of large sea lion bulls (📷3)/ insufficient beach to keep a  respectful distance. Sandfly Bay (as in “Sand flies”) seen from lookout (📷4).

🚐 #VanLife #Motorhome #CamperVan #RV #Travel #RoadTrip #Nomad 🇳🇿 #Aotearoa #NZ #NewZealand 🤔🌲🧭❤️ #CREWmission 📷 #Photography

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 Sandymount is a giant of a sand dune, peaking at 320m on Otago Peninsula. There are decent views of Allans Beach from the car park (📷1); a 500m climb to the lookout reveals Hoopers Inlet, Otago Harbour & Papanui Inlet (📷2). Or, Sandymount loop track passes a viewpoint (📷3); no access to Chasm. Contining backside look down over pasture (📷4); no access to Lovers Leap—unsafe.

🚐 #VanLife #Motorhome #CamperVan #RV #Travel #RoadTrip #Nomad 🇳🇿 #Aotearoa #NZ #NewZealand 🤔🌲🧭❤️ #CREWmission 📷 #Photography

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 Allans Beach on Otago Peninsula takes its name from Scottish surveyor John Allans, who mapped the area in the 1840s (📷1). The wind whipped up the sea (📷2) & threw sand in our faces. Idiots holding phone cameras got too close to sea lions; one beached behind us (📷3), so eyes on a swivel. At entrance to Hoopers Inlet a mother & pup tried & failed to surmount the bank (📷4).

🚐 #VanLife #Motorhome #CamperVan #RV #Travel #RoadTrip #Nomad 🇳🇿 #Aotearoa #NZ #NewZealand 🤔🌲🧭❤️ #CREWmission 📷 #Photography

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 (1/2) Victory Beach, Otago Peninsula. We took the loop walk through Okia Reserve, which begins between a pair of volcanic “Pyramids” (📷1). Here you can see basalt columns akin to those of the Organ Pipes nr. Mt Cargill (📷2). Noted trackside pikiarero/ Clematis sp. (📷3) & pōhiri/ Pittosporum tenuifolium (📷4). Cleared for pasture in 1800s, the area is #rewilding since 1991.

🚐 #VanLife #Motorhome #CamperVan #RV #Travel #RoadTrip #Nomad 🇳🇿 #Aotearoa #NZ #NewZealand 🤔🌲🧭❤️ #CREWmission 📷 #Photography

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 Taiaroa Head | Pukekura on Otago Peninsula is home to a blue penguin colony at Pilot Beach (📷1). The paid tours run after dark, but during our daytime visit we admired the robust burrows these #birds construct (📷2). Tours are also offered into Fort Taiaroa with its disappearing gun (📷3), installed to defend against feared Russian invasion. Opposite is Aramoana’s Mole (📷4).

🚐 #VanLife #Motorhome #CamperVan #RV #Travel #RoadTrip #Nomad 🇳🇿 #Aotearoa #NZ #NewZealand 🤔🌲🧭❤️ #CREWmission 📷 #Photography

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 Northern royal albatross/ Diomedea epomophora can be seen at Otago Museum, in adult (📷1) & juvenile (📷2) form. Taiaroa Head | Pukekura is only mainland breeding colony: oceanic winds provide lift for these 8.2kg/ 3m wingspan giants who spend 85% of their lives at sea. At Royal Albatross Centre we watched cliffs (📷3) & saw one of the last soaring #birds of this season (📷4).

🚐 #VanLife #Motorhome #CamperVan #RV #Travel #RoadTrip #Nomad 🇳🇿 #Aotearoa #NZ #NewZealand 🤔🌲🧭❤️ #CREWmission 📷 #Photography

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 St Clair & St Kilda are contiguous beaches in South Ōtepoti | #Dunedin (📷1). Am I alone in finding the absence of demarcation irritating? St Clair has had an esplanade since 1870s; salt water baths opened 1884 but weren’t heated until 1960s (📷2). Viewed from the lookout at Lawyers Head, St Kilda is the less urbanised end (📷3). The beach here looks almost tropical (📷4).

🚐 #VanLife #Motorhome #CamperVan #RV #Travel #RoadTrip #Nomad 🇳🇿 #Aotearoa #NZ #NewZealand 🤔🌲🧭❤️ #CREWmission 📷 #Photography

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 Lake Heron at 691m elevation also within Hakatere Conservation Park in #Canterbury high country; sheep-jam on approach (📷1)! Just 360m/ 10min detour to kettle hole left by retreating glacier (📷2), now home to rare & delicate plants. Lake Hill at 762m is a 3km/ 45min rtn track, with views of Mt Sugarloaf 1238m & Harrisons Bight (📷3) & Wild Mans Brother Range opposite (📷4).

🚐 #VanLife #Motorhome #CamperVan #RV #Travel #RoadTrip #Nomad 🇳🇿 #Aotearoa #NZ #NewZealand 🤔🌲🧭❤️ #CREWmission 📷 #Photography

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 A clear morning to bring fresh perspective on life’s trivial annoyances at Lake Camp, #Canterbury. Standing on the shore at -3°C with freshly brewed coffee in hand to watch the sunrise is something to lift the spirit.

🚐 #VanLife #Motorhome #CamperVan #RV #Travel #RoadTrip #Nomad 🇳🇿 #Aotearoa #NZ #NewZealand 🤔🌲🧭❤️ #CREWmission 📷 #Photography

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