CAMPING THE KIWI WAY

This venue is our favourite go-to for Christmas due to its proximity to everything. If you are travelling or want company for Christmas next year, do consider joining us. 

Motukārara is about 20 minutes from the outskirts of Christchurch.

Toilet, fresh water, BBQ, playground. $10 per vehicle per night. Pets okay.

It is a perfect location as a base for exploring the nearby Banks Peninsula (Akaroa, Okains Bay) Little River, Lincoln and more.

It is the gateway to the Motukārara Rail Trail leading to Little River, passing Birdlings Flat along the way. The trail to Lincoln is in the opposite direction. Lincoln or Halswell are the nearest for groceries and laundry. There is also a swimming pool at Halswell. Dump stations are located at Rhodes Park in Tai Tapu or Rolleston.

We enjoyed 2 weeks here where we met up with members from as far away as Taranaki, Oxford, Ashburton and many from Christchurch. Some stayed a night or two, others a week, another couple the entire 2 weeks. We also welcomed a lot of day visitors this season, met new members and welcomed others to the club.

Christmas Day, Denise and Kelvin from Taranaki joined us for lunch. Yes, we even had some pudding. (A couple of others were staying but went home to families for lunch due to the close proximity of the camp to their homes). Boxing Day saw a few more campers staying and we had a combined tea with the main drawcard being the roast lamb cooked by Parky and Liz. We all contributed something to the table. It poured with rain but the gazebo kept us kind of snug.

We spent a large part of our time sitting around chatting and camp watching (as we do). 

Caroline, Penny and I went for a short ride on the Rail Trail. Me on my scooter and she on her bike. We only went 4 kilometres in as the winds were a bit harsh. Still, we enjoyed the little we accomplished. Over the next few days some of the group enjoyed day trips to neighbouring towns including popular Little River, Akaroa and nearby Birdlings Flat. I have fond memories of there as a child fossicking for precious stones. Some of us also went ‘around the block.’ It is 4 kilometres on a mix of shingle and sealed roads. Ray took advantage of a moment for a teaching lesson (p11) on his new water bladder and a water pump which runs off his cordless drill. Interesting and tempting to purchase!

The Motukārara Races held their annual New Year event on 29 December. We positioned our chairs in a semi-circle to watch the cars arrive. Most went through the gate on the boundary of the race track. The domain soon filled with parked cars. A few just stayed around their vehicles or the trees and picnicked while making their bets and listening to the race over the loud speaker.

New Year was reasonably quiet for us. I do not think any of our group stayed up to see it in. Yes, we are party poopers… lol!

The weather was mean to us this season. It was temperamental. Vicious hot sun one day, pouring with rain the next. We did enjoy an old movie in the caravan awning, but I think a projector would give us a bigger screen. Not on the urgent list to purchase. Now we look forward to next year! n

Images: ©2025 Linda Butler and Tony Knights.