Camping under the Limestone Cliffs in Charleston on the West Coast. Photo / Supplied
Camping under the Limestone Cliffs in Charleston on the West Coast. Photo / Supplied
Yes, my West Coast road trip really made me reconsider my job. However, it wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies; sleeping in the back of a vehicle has its ups and downs.
Waking up under the limestone cliffs alongside the Waitakere/Nile River on a nice summer morning is as amazing as it sounds until you factor in waking up in suffocating heat, all itchy and sweaty.
Our makeshift tarpaulin bug net did not work, and at some point in the night, we had to abandon the idea of fresh air and do up the windows; however, with the tarpaulin still over the truck, we essentially baked ourselves in the morning sun.
My annoyance at the heat didn’t last long because as soon as I jumped out the door of the truck and went for a wander to the bathroom, the beauty of the landscape hit me, and I am still blown away by the fact I just got to be there in that moment.
Morning swim under the limestone cliffs. Photo / Supplied
After a quick Up&Go for breakfast, Matt and I headed down to the river to take a dip in the swimming hole we had found the night before.
The perfect swimming spot was right under the limestone cliffs, which look like something out of the Avatar movie; however, because the swimming hole was under the cliffs, the sun hadn’t reached the water yet, making it quite chilly.
I will have to admit Matt was in the water a lot faster than I was, but after eventually diving under the icy-cold water it was quite refreshing, after waking up in the hot truck.
After swimming, we packed up the truck and started on our long day of driving as far north along the West Coast as possible.
It was another scorcher of a day, and Matt decided it would be a perfect day to take a little detour and drive up to the Denniston Plateau.
Perfect photo opportunity looking out over the West Coast from the Denniston Plateau. Photo / Supplied
For most of the year, the Denniston Plateau is an 18km, 600-800m-high coalfield plateau in the Papahaua Range on the West Coast of the South Island surrounded by clouds.
Luckily on the day, we headed up the windy road with chunks of the road missing due to slips; the weather was amazing, and the sky was a bright baby blue with a few clouds in the distance.
At the top of the plateau, not only did it feel like I could see the whole West Coast, but there were still relics of the old coal mining site.
Coal mining is not something that I can say I have ever been super-interested in; however, walking through the rubble of old mining huts, along the ageing train tracks and past the giant ming carts was like nothing I had seen before.
Looking at the old coal mining equipment at the top of the Denniston Plateau. Photo / Maddisyn Jeffares
After admiring the breathtaking views, watching the widespread coastline waves come in, and Matt making sure he read every single information board, we climbed the dusty pathway and back to where we had parked the truck.
We drove back down the winding hill road and got back on track, making our way up to Karamea; at this point, I must admit I am a car sleeper; when I am in the passenger seat, there is almost nothing stopping me from having a nap, and I am lucky my boyfriend doesn’t mind because as hard as I try, I always end up drifting off.
After a good nap, where Matt says he could barely hear my snoring over the truck engine, we were getting close to Karamea, it was about 3.30 pm, and the sun was still beating down in the high 20s, and I was excited to get to the stunning beach spot Matt had described.
Swimming in the lagoon where the Kōhaihai River meets the ocean in Karamea. Photo / Supplied
We continued to drive through the Karamea township and followed the main road until it turn to gravel and then dirt as we made it to the DoC Kōhaihai campsite at the end of the road.
Karamea is best known for being the start or end of the Heaphy Track, one of New Zealand’s great walks, and the road leading to the Kōhaihai campsite is as far north as you can drive along the West Coast.
When I tell you this is one of the most beautiful places I have seen, I’m not exaggerating.
As a self-described beach bum and lover of the outdoors, I have seen many wonderful beaches throughout the North Island and South Island, but I think this white, golden sandy beach and river lagoon takes the No.1 South Island spot.
After quickly finding our camping spot for the night and putting $20 in the honesty box, we were in our togs; Matt was lathering on the sunblock, I grabbed the towels, and it was straight down to the lagoon.
Our camp spot for the night at the DoC Kōhaihai campsite. Photo / Supplied
It was a quarter to 5 by the time we were heading down to the water, and the sand was still hot under our feet, the sun was warm on our backs, and the water wasn’t too cold but not warm either.
The lagoon is a mixture of both salt and freshwater and is where the Kōhaihai River meets the beach, and was the perfect spot for just floating around.
Families were playing in the shallows, people were jumping off rocks and tree stumps, and there were a few paddleboarders out.
Neither of us could get over just how stunning the mountains, native trees and rocks on the other side of the lagoon were and how nice and refreshing the water was.
It doesn't get much better than watching the sunset from bed. Photo / Supplied
We even considered staying an extra day, but decided neither of us was idle enough to lie on the beach all day when there were other places to see.
Deciding we would move on the next morning, we pulled ourselves out of the water and made our way back to our home on wheels.
Again we had issues with sandflies and lost our bug spray, so we tried new ways to keep the bugs out; however, we ended up just having to close all the windows.
We ended our night with ham and chicken buns, a competitive game of Rummikub alongside the lagoon, and watched the sun set over the beach from bed.
Come back next week for the final instalment of why I almost quit my job.
