On the road with John and Karin
Two years ago my wife Karin was diagnosed with early frontotemporal dementia. It was determined that she had gone undiagnosed for approximately 4 years.
For the past decade we have travelled extensively, touring New Zealand on our Honda Goldwings motorbikes.
So having covered over 300,000 kilometers, it was hard to imagine that our passion for touring and our endeavour to complete a full tour, north to south, east to west of both islands and their furthest most points, could come to an end.
But after talking it over with medical staff, I was encouraged to continue as much as I could, but also to diversify and add a camper to our stable. So we purchased a VW 2 berth camper and fitted it out for our personal needs.
Two weeks ago we set off to complete our objective. The only areas we had not done so far was the far south and the West Coast from Te Anau up to Franz Joseph.
We decided to travel down the East Coast, retracing the steps from our honeymoon trip from 2003, up to Mount Cook, before stopping of at a friend’s place in Lowburn. We then traveled onto The Catlins, Invercargill, Bluff, and over to Te Anau before cutting back across to Queenstown, Glenorchy, Paradise Valley, Cromwell and up the West Coast through the Haast Pass.
Catching the overnight ferry to Picton, we disembarked at 6.30am and set off, arriving in Kaikōura in time for breakfast.
After a feed at a café it was off to take the inland route to Hanmer Springs. But alas, we arrived just as the road was closed for repairs from the flooding the previous week, so, off over the Hundalee Hills and a stop at Motunau Beach for lunch before stopping off to visit friends in Pegasus.
After a quick cuppa and on to an overnight stop in Akaroa, we were on the inland route through Mt Hutt to Geraldine and Grumpy’s Holiday Park for the night.
From Geraldine we drove to Tekapo and onto Mt Cook, until we struck the end of the road because of a huge rock in the way.
Onto Lowburn, and after a two day stop it was down to The Catlins, Invercargill and Bluff then over to Te Anau.
After that, we drove onto Queenstown and up to Glenorchy and an overnight stop at Paradise Valley at the beginning of The Routeburn Track.
At this point the weather packed in, so a decision was made to head as quick as possible to the start of the Haast Pass and evaluate the situation from there. Onwards we went and stayed overnight at a quaint little café at Makarora.
We awoke in the morning to horrendous weather, so we made a beeline to Fox Glacier, where we were unable to take any photos as you couldn’t see more than 20 feet above our heads!
There was no letup in the weather, so we pushed on to Hokitika to avoid the worst of it and to give us the option to get back over to the East Coast.
With breakfast over, we drove to Greymouth where we decided to head back over to the other side. It was 9 degrees when we were leaving Greymouth, and 22 degrees when we arrived back in Kaikōura, with kids swimming.
Whilst we didn’t get to all the places we wanted, we achieved our main goals and had a ball.
Tips for making it work
Plan your trip carefully. Involve the other person in the planning. What would they like to see and do? Where possible use a route planner programme or Google Maps. If you are using a GPS, most have a route planning app.
Be prepared to diversify as needs dictate. Allow for no more than 300 kilometers a day and a maximum of 6-7 hours travel time between overnight stops. If the person becomes agitated, allow for an extra night to allow them time to calm down. Karin had two minor meltdowns but an extra nights stop and a delayed start the following morning had it under control.
Keep plenty of snacks and high energy foods to hand. Breakfast was usually porridge or toast with fruit. Lunch was cheese and crackers with salami, pickle and grapes with the occasional boiled egg. Dinner was meat and vegetables.
Keep hydrated. Drink plenty of chilled water, and avoid coffee and tea as it acts as a diuretic, making toilet stops very frequent. It can also cause issues if person has continence issues. Watch your salt intake and carry electrolytes to add to water if required.
Some of the best trips we have had have been between one to two hours from home. Do your research – it’s amazing what you can find. Go to your local i-Site and pick up brochures on what is around within a 2 hour travel time from home. Look also for special deals on accommodation and attractions. These can lead to some very memorable holidays.
Carry an adults colouring in book and some simple puzzle-crossword books. Use these when you are having a break to keep the person stimulated.
Happy touring!
John and Karin