Making Friends in Waiau

Waiau – Our Next Destination

Our reason for heading to Waiau next was to attend a Meet and Greet organised by Motorhome Friends New Zealand (a FB page which we follow).

A big part of living our lifestyle is meeting like-minded wanderers like ourselves.  We have found that fellow Wanderlusters can be both inspiring and informative.  Hearing their stories, sharing their experiences and also learning about their stories as to why they choose to be full time on the road, part-time explorers or weekend warriors.  

About Waiau

Okay, I confess, I did have to google exactly where Waiau was.  For those that follow us, know how we love ‘small town NZ’.  We often make it our mission to ‘stay and play’ in these exact types of towns.  Where others just consider a place a pee and tea stop – we love nothing more than peeling back the layers of the location to find out just what it has to offer and learn what ‘makes it tick’.

I think Waiau falls into this category nicely.

This small North Canterbury town (population of around 300) lies 30km east of Hanmer Springs and 120km north of Christchurch.  We were travelling from our overnight camping spot at Lake Taylor which was 91km away (see the previous blog).

Waiau (which means ‘flowing water’) is situated on the banks of the Waiau River and is the largest town on SH 70 (also known as the Inland Kaikoura Route).

Settling in and Exploring

The timing of the Meet and Greet suited us nicely as we were between house sitting assignments.  It did, however, mean that we arrived at Waiau early (Wednesday) but had to leave early (Saturday) to get to our next assignment.

We arrived at the Waiau Motor Camp, plugged in and set up home base.

our home for the next 3 nights

The Waiau Motor Camp is conveniently located close to the small township of Waiau (within walking distance) which has a well-stocked superette, tea rooms, fuel and of course a watering hole (tavern – more on this later).

The grounds of the camp are well laid out with 25 non-powered sites and 20 powered sites which are separated by hedges.

The owners Brent and Kara have put a lot of effort and money into upgrading the facilities with a new porta-com type ablution block and new laundry facilities.  Everything was spotlessly clean and well maintained.

It felt like a very family-friendly camp with the kids well catered for with an adventure playground which was well used while we were there.

the permanent onsite Laughing Goat Food Cart and the visiting Coffee and Snack trailer

The Laughing Goat Food Cart, located in the grounds are a real bonus and fantastic for ‘treat night’.  We felt that we had to conduct some research and test out their Blue Cod and chips.  I’m very happy to say that it passed with flying colours!

Camp History

The Waiau Motor Camp has its own slice of history in the town.  The camp was built in the late 1950s to house Nassella Tussock workers.  Nassella Tussock is known as a fast-growing noxious weed which was prolific throughout Canterbury.  

The North Canterbury Tussock Board was established in 1946 and had 4 grubbing gangs consisting of 34 men to clear the tussock throughout the region.  The board built 3 hostels (including Waiau) to house the gangs.  Because NZ workers were hard to find, many of the grubbers were from Fiji, India and Tonga.

The Canterbury Regional Council eventually took over the board in 1989 and eventually keeping the tussock under control became the landowner’s responsibility.  The hostel at Waiau was sold in 1987 and turned into a camping ground.

the original cabin complex has been nicely renovated and maintained

The original cabins which housed the tussock gangs have all been updated and they have thankfully retained the look of the 1950s era and are still very much in use today.  This is also the case of the fully equipped kitchen, dining room and TV lounge areas.

These cabins proved invaluable post the 2016 earthquake as they provided essential emergency housing for displaced residents.  

Morning Walkabout

the morning light reflecting off the mighty Waiau River

We were up and about early so found the Riverside Track which is right beside the camping ground.  This track meanders alongside the Waiau River and pops out close to the town (around 30min).

It was a lovely morning so we continued up to the lookout where the Waiau War Memorial sits.  This elevated site overlooks the Waiau township.

the riverside walk, old-style home on wheels, the War Memorial and locked in the stocks at the old jail

Making our way back to camp, we passed old churches, livery stables and homes that didn’t do so well after the 2016 earthquake and remain boarded up and vacated by their owners.

a sad sight, the beautiful stone church worse for wear post-2016 earthquake with the tower pulled away from the main building

The Day the Earthquake Struck

At 12.02 am on 14 November 2016, the Kaikoura earthquake struck at a magnitude of 7.8.  Ruptures occurred on multiple faults and described as the ‘most complex earthquake ever studied’ and centred only 5km away from the Waiau.

Roads in and out of Waiau were impassable and the damage to buildings around town was significant.

One of many victims of this damage was the Waiau Lodge Hotel.  The building suffered severe structural damage, was ‘red stickered’ and locked behind mesh fencing for the foreseeable future.

the earthquake battled scarred Waiau Lodge Hotel

Support from the community and businesses saw something new which morphed in its shadow – the Waiau Tavern.

the makeshift Waiau Tavern is certainly ‘fit for purpose’

In May 2017, the first beer was poured in the make-shift tavern and once again the town of Waiau has its own local watering hole.  A place for locals to gather and also a place for the traveller to quench their thirst and fill their empty stomachs.

reading the storyboard outside tells the tale since 2016 and the massive Blue Cod and chips for dinner!

Co-owners Michelle and Lindsay have done a great job to get the tavern up and running (only 6 months after the quake).  The converted Ideal garage has character and atmosphere and it only seemed right for us to support them during our stay at Waiau.

Michelle and Lindsay are committed to getting the old hotel back up and running.  The old pub’s foundations are reported to be sound and that the grand old lady can be repaired.

I think it will be a case of ‘watch this space’ and we hope to be able to come back in the future and enjoy a drink or two in the original building.

Motorhome Friends Start Arriving

It was exciting to see our fellow Motorhome Friends starting to arrive at the camp.  There were all sorts of shapes and sizes (the rigs that is!).  There were caravans, buses, 5th wheelers and motor homes.

What I enjoy most about meeting others is that we all come from different backgrounds, areas and professions.  There was a wide range of ages and everyone just seems to gel as we all have something in common.  The passion for travel, for a taste of nomadic life and that feeling of freedom while driving or towing your home on wheels.

the early arrivals enjoying one of many Happy Hours

Because of our need to leave on Saturday, we did miss out on the organised jet boat ride on the Waiau River and the group dinner on Sunday evening.  From the photo’s I’ve seen, it appears that everyone enjoyed the activities.

Before we had to depart we were fortunate enough to be able to visit the historical Derretts Livery Stables.  Bruce Forbes opened the doors to show off his collection of restored vehicles. Clearly a labour of love.

dedicated to restoring his fleet of cars, Bruce Forbes has a long history with Waiau

Summary

It was a great opportunity to put faces to the names we see on the FB page. I’m sure our paths will cross with many of them in the future. 

It was also heartening to meet some ‘first-timers’.  Some ‘bit the bullet’, felt the fear and did it anyway.  They soon felt welcomed and enjoyed the company of those around them.  Well done to those decided to make the effort to come along, hopefully, the first of many for you.

A big thanks to the organisers Brian and Diane as well as Bernie and Colin.  There is such a lot that goes on in the background when arranging events like these.  It did not go unnoticed.

We are also thankful that it gave us an opportunity to discover yet another ‘small town NZ’ gem.

Until we meet again Waiau.

Click on the link below to see a video of some of the highlights of our stay in Waiau.