Touring South Island
Hi MX5'ers,
My wife and I are planning a trip around the South Island next year in our
Soft Top MX5.Possibly October.
We plan to take about 3 weeks, starting at Picton (after crossing over on the
ferry).
We intend going to Westport and then down the West Coast to Fox Glacier,
Milford Sound etc, and then across to Dunedin.
Here we will stay with family for a few days and then continue up the east
coast back to Picton then the ferry and back to Auckland.
We intend to stay in standard cabins in Top Ten Holiday Parks (or similar) to
keep costs down, so will have to carry sleeping bags and other stuff.
Has any one done this and can offer us guidance as to what to take and where
to put it? I am going to put the space saver underneath to give extra boot
space.
Roy N Sue
Touring South Island
Touring South Island
Hello Roy & Sue.
First : check the events calendars for the regions, it's great to catch up with club members from around the country - I did this on my last SI trip, and its a great way to spend a day in foreign territory!
Second : Lots of shopping bags!!! Each night, take out only what you need - toiletries, food, change of clothes etc. Pack your own coffee, sugar, thermos and brew up each morning ready for a morning tea stop. Other bags hold cellphone chargers / books / dirty laundry / washing powder / impulse purchases etc - you can cram these all over the boot, behind / under the stairs
Third : MP3 / CD player - you can't always get good radio reception in the Alps or the Fiords!
Fourth : Leave cabins around 9 in the morning, stop around 4 and find your next spot. I never booked ahead, always found a cabin. This gives you a chance to wander around the place before it gets dark.
Sightseeing : Denniston and Shantytown on the West Coast are unmissable and unforgettable - grat NZ history, a fantastic steam train at Shantytown - and don't forget to try panning for gold!
When you get to Fox, drive west to the beach, catch the sunset. You can walk North for half an hour first to an abandoned gold dredge, about the size of a large building.
When you leave Dunedin, head north to Oamaru then turn left for Kurow, which has an amazing museum. Last time I did this, I stopped at all the hydro lakes from Benmore to Tekapo - all the lakes are linked by canals, you can drive alongside the canal and see all thr high country - very little traffic, no tour buses!
Christchurch is a good place to buy a tow bar for your MX5...
Head north to Picton - detour inland to Hanmer Springs, then back to the coast to Kaikoura. Don't forget to Whale Watch if you have time...
Watch where you park at the Picton Motor camp, the train line runs overhead. On the other hand, they can hire you an old rail carriage to sleep in!
Good Luck!
Peter
DRGN1
First : check the events calendars for the regions, it's great to catch up with club members from around the country - I did this on my last SI trip, and its a great way to spend a day in foreign territory!
Second : Lots of shopping bags!!! Each night, take out only what you need - toiletries, food, change of clothes etc. Pack your own coffee, sugar, thermos and brew up each morning ready for a morning tea stop. Other bags hold cellphone chargers / books / dirty laundry / washing powder / impulse purchases etc - you can cram these all over the boot, behind / under the stairs
Third : MP3 / CD player - you can't always get good radio reception in the Alps or the Fiords!
Fourth : Leave cabins around 9 in the morning, stop around 4 and find your next spot. I never booked ahead, always found a cabin. This gives you a chance to wander around the place before it gets dark.
Sightseeing : Denniston and Shantytown on the West Coast are unmissable and unforgettable - grat NZ history, a fantastic steam train at Shantytown - and don't forget to try panning for gold!
When you get to Fox, drive west to the beach, catch the sunset. You can walk North for half an hour first to an abandoned gold dredge, about the size of a large building.
When you leave Dunedin, head north to Oamaru then turn left for Kurow, which has an amazing museum. Last time I did this, I stopped at all the hydro lakes from Benmore to Tekapo - all the lakes are linked by canals, you can drive alongside the canal and see all thr high country - very little traffic, no tour buses!
Christchurch is a good place to buy a tow bar for your MX5...
Head north to Picton - detour inland to Hanmer Springs, then back to the coast to Kaikoura. Don't forget to Whale Watch if you have time...
Watch where you park at the Picton Motor camp, the train line runs overhead. On the other hand, they can hire you an old rail carriage to sleep in!
Good Luck!
Peter
DRGN1
Touring South Island
and no, I don't have stairs in my MX5, I meant seats.
Peter
DRGN1
Peter
DRGN1
-
Grant
- Need, more, 5-ing, time....
- Posts: 175
- Joined: Thu May 18, 2006 9:41 pm
- Location: Sunny Blenheim
Touring South Island
There is always a bed in Blenheim at our place for MX5ers passing through 
We can also take you on the wine tours - sober drivers for you as we don't
drink.
The west coast is magnificent. You could easily spend 2 weeks there and
still not fit everything in. Sunsets are spectacular all the way down that
coast.
Check out
http://photobucket.com/albums/v144/cary ... pril%2005/ for
pics of the recent trip we took to Karamea (above Westport) with the Nelson
MX5 club.
Grant
We can also take you on the wine tours - sober drivers for you as we don't
drink.
The west coast is magnificent. You could easily spend 2 weeks there and
still not fit everything in. Sunsets are spectacular all the way down that
coast.
Check out
http://photobucket.com/albums/v144/cary ... pril%2005/ for
pics of the recent trip we took to Karamea (above Westport) with the Nelson
MX5 club.
Grant
Red 2006 NC Tiptronic
FIX A PC
FIX A PC
-
Bill Rehm
Touring South Island
Roy & Sue
I can email you a map of the SI marked with the route I took between 1
Jan -15 Jan this year (I covered ~ 5K). It's 1MB in size. Send me your
personal email address.
Regards
William
I can email you a map of the SI marked with the route I took between 1
Jan -15 Jan this year (I covered ~ 5K). It's 1MB in size. Send me your
personal email address.
Regards
William
-
Janet & Jeff Curtin
Touring South Island
You must must do the road {Rahui saddle?} between Springs junction and
Reefton, I'm sure God built this section of road for sports cars and
motorcycles[IMAGE]. actually St Arnaud thru the shannadoah over lewis
pass to Hanmer was a blast as well.
Regarding packing we just bungee strapped a large sports bag behind the
seats, no problems.
J&J
Reefton, I'm sure God built this section of road for sports cars and
motorcycles[IMAGE]. actually St Arnaud thru the shannadoah over lewis
pass to Hanmer was a blast as well.
Regarding packing we just bungee strapped a large sports bag behind the
seats, no problems.
J&J
Touring South Island
There are quite a number of devices which make packing an MX5 easier.Some of
these are made by members and come at the right price.
Check out the bag which Paul (09 4129838) makes to fit in the 'parcel shelf"
area, behind the seats, he made me one recently and it is astonishing how much
gear this can absorb. It is easy to get in and out. It works with the lid up
or down and can also accomodate long stuff like small folding tent poles
without them rattling round loose, I think it cost $65 and is well worth it,
being very well made. It also has a very "genuine accessory" look to it.
Paul also showed me the prototype of a storage net which fits on the underside
of the boot lid and holds stuff in an area which is otherwise useless, he
should have them in production well before you go.Great for holding wet
weather gear where you can get at it (a must on the West Coast, but take a
couple of "drawstring" kitchen tidy bags to put it in when the gear is wet and
you want to put it back in the boot).
The big thing with packing a 5 is to pack small, flat and soft. We pack by the
day, in small kitchen tidy bags, having all the clothes for one person, in one
bag for one day, any more than that and it is too big to fit in a small space,
and, since we usually drive top down, we wear any big coats. It is important
to fold stuff up in the bag, even the dirty gear which goes back into the bag.
Basically, the smaller the individual package, the more fits in.
If you really want to get keen, you can take along one of those plastic bag
pumps designed to evacuate freezer bags, and pump the air out of the plastic
bags, you will be most surprised how much smaller all your gear gets to be,
around 30% less volume is not unusual and the bags get "stiff", so you can
stack them on edge if required
If you have the genuine, non venting, acid gel battery (but not otherwise
under any circumstances) you can actually get a bit of stuff in the battery
compartment, (but absolutely nothing made of metal of course), and if you dont
have to push the seats back all the way, you can get several flat packed
plastic bags on edge behind the seat.
Do take a good pair of soft, unstudded, hiking boots, apart from their obvious
use, there are a number of areas where they are fully acceptable evening
casual wear. Saves another pair of shoes.
The MX5 can actually carry a lot more than you might think, when creatively
packed. You will have a ball.
Eric
these are made by members and come at the right price.
Check out the bag which Paul (09 4129838) makes to fit in the 'parcel shelf"
area, behind the seats, he made me one recently and it is astonishing how much
gear this can absorb. It is easy to get in and out. It works with the lid up
or down and can also accomodate long stuff like small folding tent poles
without them rattling round loose, I think it cost $65 and is well worth it,
being very well made. It also has a very "genuine accessory" look to it.
Paul also showed me the prototype of a storage net which fits on the underside
of the boot lid and holds stuff in an area which is otherwise useless, he
should have them in production well before you go.Great for holding wet
weather gear where you can get at it (a must on the West Coast, but take a
couple of "drawstring" kitchen tidy bags to put it in when the gear is wet and
you want to put it back in the boot).
The big thing with packing a 5 is to pack small, flat and soft. We pack by the
day, in small kitchen tidy bags, having all the clothes for one person, in one
bag for one day, any more than that and it is too big to fit in a small space,
and, since we usually drive top down, we wear any big coats. It is important
to fold stuff up in the bag, even the dirty gear which goes back into the bag.
Basically, the smaller the individual package, the more fits in.
If you really want to get keen, you can take along one of those plastic bag
pumps designed to evacuate freezer bags, and pump the air out of the plastic
bags, you will be most surprised how much smaller all your gear gets to be,
around 30% less volume is not unusual and the bags get "stiff", so you can
stack them on edge if required
If you have the genuine, non venting, acid gel battery (but not otherwise
under any circumstances) you can actually get a bit of stuff in the battery
compartment, (but absolutely nothing made of metal of course), and if you dont
have to push the seats back all the way, you can get several flat packed
plastic bags on edge behind the seat.
Do take a good pair of soft, unstudded, hiking boots, apart from their obvious
use, there are a number of areas where they are fully acceptable evening
casual wear. Saves another pair of shoes.
The MX5 can actually carry a lot more than you might think, when creatively
packed. You will have a ball.
Eric
-
Michael & Kate Cooper
Touring South Island
Our 2 cents!
We have removed the metal cover that covers the fuel tank pipes - as you look
into the boot from behind it's on the left. There's quite a big space behind
there and things can be stuffed behind and around the fuel pipes.
There was a guy in the Christchurch club who made boot racks that fitted on
with no holes to drill. They looked really swish in chrome, but then he had
trouble getting a decent chroming job, and powder-coating didn't look so good,
and as he was getting a bit older and sold his MX5 (replaced with a Harley!)
he stopped making them. However, there may be some floating around, and if
you wanted to e-mail the Chch club they may be able to ask around and find out
if there are any left anywhere. christchurch@mx5club.org.nz
Also, On your way to Milford Sound, after the Homer Tunnel, there is a wee DOC
sign on the left that says something like: "The Chasm, 10 mins." Well worth
pulling over and taking a quick walk to see it - it is pretty groovy. Even if
you're in a hurry - it doesn't take 10 mins if you're a speedy walker.
Have fun
Kate & Michael Cooper
We have removed the metal cover that covers the fuel tank pipes - as you look
into the boot from behind it's on the left. There's quite a big space behind
there and things can be stuffed behind and around the fuel pipes.
There was a guy in the Christchurch club who made boot racks that fitted on
with no holes to drill. They looked really swish in chrome, but then he had
trouble getting a decent chroming job, and powder-coating didn't look so good,
and as he was getting a bit older and sold his MX5 (replaced with a Harley!)
he stopped making them. However, there may be some floating around, and if
you wanted to e-mail the Chch club they may be able to ask around and find out
if there are any left anywhere. christchurch@mx5club.org.nz
Also, On your way to Milford Sound, after the Homer Tunnel, there is a wee DOC
sign on the left that says something like: "The Chasm, 10 mins." Well worth
pulling over and taking a quick walk to see it - it is pretty groovy. Even if
you're in a hurry - it doesn't take 10 mins if you're a speedy walker.
Have fun
Kate & Michael Cooper
-
Simon Lord
- See my 5 and raise you.
- Posts: 98
- Joined: Fri Sep 22, 2006 1:09 pm
- Location: Albany
-
bert wouda
Touring South Island
What about a nice little trailer guys , that will solve the problem ... (
do I have to run now ,...people might shoot me ) ...
couldn't believe me eyes the otherday ... a motorbike with side car and a
trailer behind the bike @@### !!!
so a trailer behind a MX5 doesn't look too bad then.
BERT
do I have to run now ,...people might shoot me ) ...
couldn't believe me eyes the otherday ... a motorbike with side car and a
trailer behind the bike @@### !!!
so a trailer behind a MX5 doesn't look too bad then.
BERT
Touring South Island
Recently saw an evolution orange series 2 heading north through Huntly. Was having a good look at the car as it came towards me, when I realised it was towing a pop top caravan - probably weighted more than the car!!
From: bert wouda <wouda@paradise.net.nz>
Date: 2005/05/24 Tue PM 12:07:20 GMT+12:00
To: MX5List <mx5list@mx5club.org.nz>
Subject: Re: Touring South Island
What about a nice little trailer guys , that will solve the problem ... ( do I have to run now ,...people might shoot me ) ...
couldn't believe me eyes the otherday ... a motorbike with side car and a trailer behind the bike @@### !!!
so a trailer behind a MX5 doesn't look too bad then.
BERT
-
Ian Watson
Touring South Island
I went camping in the south island several years in the MX5 and the
advice to pack small "is" the way to go. The tent (3 man) fitted nicely
on the parcel shelf with the top up or on the folded roof with the top
down (glass rear window in my 98 but I don't think it will damage the
plastic window) - bottles of sunscreen, insect repellent, shampoo etc
all fit nicely around the battery. bottles of wine fit just beside the
outside edge of the seat backs, books under the seats. you will be
surprised how much you can pack if really try but don't forget to leave
some space on the outward trip for impulse buys on the trip.
in addition to the tent we had a double air matress, camp stove, plastic
plates etc...two folding seats, sleeping bags, waterproof travel rug/mat
plus clothes for 2 weeks so if you're going to motel/cabin it you'll
have heaps of space - I wouldn't take the trailer!!!
Roy & Sue Cunningham wrote:
[...]
[...]
advice to pack small "is" the way to go. The tent (3 man) fitted nicely
on the parcel shelf with the top up or on the folded roof with the top
down (glass rear window in my 98 but I don't think it will damage the
plastic window) - bottles of sunscreen, insect repellent, shampoo etc
all fit nicely around the battery. bottles of wine fit just beside the
outside edge of the seat backs, books under the seats. you will be
surprised how much you can pack if really try but don't forget to leave
some space on the outward trip for impulse buys on the trip.
in addition to the tent we had a double air matress, camp stove, plastic
plates etc...two folding seats, sleeping bags, waterproof travel rug/mat
plus clothes for 2 weeks so if you're going to motel/cabin it you'll
have heaps of space - I wouldn't take the trailer!!!
Roy & Sue Cunningham wrote:
[...]
[...]
-
animalmagic
- Need, more, 5-ing, time....
- Posts: 100
- Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 5:55 am
- Location: UK
Touring South Island
One solution?
<http://miata.net/motm/2005/bradley.html>
--
Regards Terry
Acting: The art of keeping the audience from coughing.
--
<http://miata.net/motm/2005/bradley.html>
--
Regards Terry
Acting: The art of keeping the audience from coughing.
--
Regards
-Terry
-Terry
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