So many Bumblebees

Monday - South Island

Takaka to Murchison

After a good nights sleep & a final hike along the beach, it was time to head back through dairy farming country, re-tracing the previous day's route.

We made a quick pitstop at the supermarket & garage in Takaka, then began the ascent of the steep Takaka Hill.

The morning's route had a little more traffic than the previous, milk tankers on their collection route,

and a traffic queue as we passed route works.

The climb back over the top to Motueka didn't seem quite as bad as the previous day's.  Coming back down to the coastal plains, we stopped at the road side at Riwaka for fresh cherries, deliciously juicy pische pears & fresh fruit ice cream.

The frozen fruit was added to a vanilla ice cream mix then served, whippy style in a large waffle cone.  Yummy!

Our journey to Murchison  involved a right hander in the centre of Motueka, past the airfield, a drive past vineyards & orchards, along river banks, through shady forests.  The Motueka Valley Highway, twisted & turned as it ran south, rejoining highway 6 at Kawatiri. Around every corner a new vista, roaring rivers, lush forest & waving grasslands.

As the day progressed, so did the temperatures.  By the time we pulled into the Murchison Motorhome Camp, it was melting.  Now this site, l guess, was about the best on the tour so far.  To the wafting scent of wood smoke, we were given a guided tour of the site by the proud owner.   The facilities, all eco-friendly & hence the wood smoke, were really something else, gold star by my reckoning. 

The pitches, all hard standings, were softened with plantings of native plants & shrubs, there was even a bathing pool in on of the eddies on the Buller River, a god send on such a seriously hot day.

The site had only 6 or so other motorhomes that evening, everyone despite the heat, sat indoors listening to the constant thump, thump, thump as huge pollen-drunk bumble bees hurtled into the sides of their vans.  I have never, ever seen so many bumblebees in one place, l guess they were taking advantage of all the pollen & nectar coming from the landscaped gardens surround the motorhome park. An island of pollen in a sea of grassland.

Today's mileage = 127 miles