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“Thaaaat’s right, keep going, keep going” I thought to myself, as his campervan moved slowly along the curved exit road of the campground that led past my van. I was willing him to keep going, to not stop and talk to me.

Haast Pass – Cameron Flat – Hawea – Alexandra – Roxburgh – Ettrick
30th April – 5th May, 2021

Last week I abruptly put the West Coast on hold and skipped ahead to Otago, so that I could witness its reputed autumnal beauty before winter snatches it away.  It’s pretty chilly here – overnight low temps have been between -2º and 0º. The landscape here is so much different to that of the West Coast; everything’s huge, open, broad and wide. It’s dry, even a bit barren. There’s lots of lakes, wide open plains, and mountains in the distance. This all makes for dramatic sunsets and sunrises, which I’ve enjoyed photographing. And importantly, there’s deciduous trees, which means autumn is splashing the landscape with golden yellows and reds.

I decided to go for a swim in this lake the other day.

I expected it to be as freezing cold as all the other mountain-fed water I’ve swum in so far. But the water was actually quite nice and the experience was invigorating.  Bracingly cold, but indefinitely bearable; no ice-cream headache. 

Travel dates: 13th March to 2nd April 2021

Hokitika’s not the kind of place I’d thought it was. I guess my impression of the place mostly came from childhood family holidays when we stopped off at Hokitika on our way to places like Okarito or Lake Kaniere. Who knows whether it’s the town or if it’s me that’s changed – probably both. Turns out it’s chilled, friendly, beautiful, and has some kind of magic weather-bubble that (partly) shields it from the West Coast’s beastly weather.

There’s no shortage of blogs about people travelling around in a van. Pretty pictures and stories about how awesome everything is. I’m not gonna do that.

This is more of an outlet for my photography, videography, and writing. The photographs & videos will relate to where I’ve been travelling, the writing will be anything I feel like writing about, so long as it’s authentic & honest.

So, each post consists of two things:

1. Photos and/or videos relating to the place I was in.
2. Creative writing about interesting stuff that I think about or that I’ve experienced. I’ll do my best to share honestly and vulnerably. Some of you won’t be into it. Some of you will. C’est la vie.
   You can see an example of this kind of writing in my Lake Brunner post.

Give it a whirl. If you only want to keep up with my travels and look at the pretty photos & videos, then that’s cool – scroll no further than the photos, and/or check out the “Where I’ve been” map.

With love,

–Ash