The Road Trip.

[JubileeNut]

Ebay are selling some of those thermostate housings at the moment!

[Kilroy]

Can't see them - got a link or an item number.?

Cheers

[Ausmarina]

310160027119 180315313399 I think that's what your after.

[Kilroy]

Aaaahhh.
Thermostat - not housing.
Cheers for the link..

[Kilroy]

We were up before the sun - every heating device turned on to conquer the chill. I went out and cleared the ice from the car so we could drive to the river. Jackets on. Off we go. Oops. More ice. Several clearings later we are off. Are we going to ride bikes in this..?
Dragged the bikes out of the back and fitted the front wheels, just as the sun rose..





Off along the track - a fabulous piece of work, winding 11k along the riverbank, with bridges, boardwalks, swoops and clever stuff - what a way to start the day.
We turned around at the 10k mark and retraced our path. Every so often there were warm patches of air, but I had to ride with one hand in pocket at times to thaw out a bit.





Back to the car, we repacked the bikes and headed back to the camp for breakfast. After that we packed all the gear and cleared up ready to hit the road..





We took the main road that goes from Alexandra to Milton, as we intended to make the Catlins today, and that required us to pass through Balclutha. Leaving Alexandra the scenery is quite moon-like terrain, and today had a stormy look to it...





A good drive through country that soon became dairy farm territory, with smooth rolling hills. We came to a small intersection with a signpost saying "Balclutha" - so I altered course and went that way. Some time later I saw another sign giving us 60k to go. Hmmm. Fuel gauge looking pretty borderline. Should be another town before there. Nope. Driving in major conservation mode, we finally reached Balclutha with only fumes left. Gassed up and grabbed coffee and food. There was a liquor store, so we grabbed some of that too. Navigated our way to Owaka - gateway to the Catlins. This is a National Park area reknowned for its natural and unspoilt beauty. Mid-winter was not really the best time to enjoy it, but at least we would have the place much to ourselves.
From Owaka, it was only a few miles to the coast, and we found a wonderful motor camp with a tiny cabin. Managed to knock the price down by staying two nights - that would give us time to do plenty exploring. Time to set up camp...





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[MarinaCoupe]

No mate, there are housing about as well, I sent you a PM with a link.

Great photography and stunning locations.

[Kilroy]

Having unpacked, we drove north to Kaka Point to begin exploring the area. Amazing lighthouses that are now being made accessible to the public - hard to imagine how they built them so long ago - usually after some unfortunate vessel had come to grief.





Mostly unsealed roads in this place, and at times they are quite rough. We developed a fairly loud rattle from somewhere forard - my on-the-move analysis was that the battery had been shaken loose - rather relieved to find I was right...





Back to base to investigate the facilities. We had the entire camp at "Pounawea" to ourselves. There was a huge kitchen with an open fire, so we lit a scorcher and enjoyed a meal in front of it. Next morning it was showery, so we travelled around the area immediately south of us - an abundance of short scenic walks to photogenic spots such as waterfalls..





We poked our noses into every conceivable place that might hold new delights for our smoking cameras. Some of the roads were a real challenge considering our lack of ground clearance - I had to flick the car from side to side of the available space to avoid grounding - we've tried that before and it wasn't fun.! Some roads became muddy tracks, and we got the car in a bit of a state. See why I don't do total restorations..?





After lunch the rain set in, so we decided to drive to Wyndham, Mataura and Gore. Some of these small towns are suffering fom serious recession since their main industries have closed down. The farming is constant though, so dairy factories proliferate, and there is still money coming into the district. The towns look much less happy than the countryside...





Sue and I are both into capturing images - our trips are constantly start/stop affairs as we see things that look like great photo material. Plenty to choose from...





We were able to return by a slightly different route than we first arrived, so until dark we got a real good look at the region. Definitely worth revisiting in warmer weather with more toys. We packed in the morning and headed back towards Owaka before turning south along the coastline.





The main roads in NZ often follow the coast, and thats where many towns were first established, as the rugged terrain meant the easiest transport was by sea. It makes it easy to follow your progress on the map, as various landmarks come and go...





As is our habit, we got to some pretty remote little roads to see where they were leading us - you just never know what is going to present itself. Often we had to turn back when the road became a 4wd track - usually reversing for 50 yards or so until we could actually turn round...





Late afternoon we arrived in Invercargill - the largest city down this end of the country. A few supplies and petrol, and we were off to Bluff - the southernmost port, and our stepping off point to visit Stewart Island. The rain was still coming and going, and this adds another dimension to the photo opportunities...





We found a brilliant motor camp at Bluff, once again mostly deserted in mid-winter, so we had the run of the new kitchen and showers. Decided we would wait and see if the weather cleared before making our minds up about crossing Foveaux Strait for the day. This is a very bitchy stretch of water, and although we are seasoned travellers - there would not be much point in spending the money to cross if we would be unable to explore the island when we got there. Fortunately we woke to a mostly clear day, so we headed up to the top of the lookout before catching the ferry. This is looking north over Bluff and back towards Invercargill. This hill shelters the harbour and town from the extremes of weather and sea at this southern latitude.





Looking south on a clear day the island would pretty well cover the horizon in this shot. The cloud is sticking to the hills, but you can just make out some land to the left. Its 35k across, and the ferry makes it in 1 hour. Its a rapid trip. Lets go...!





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[JubileeNut]

NO! Thermostate housings as I said in my post! :?
Item no. - 310160191995
Item no. - 310160191977
Item no. - 310160191960
Item no. - 310160191941

If you search for Marina or Ital they are there but the item numbers are as above and there seem to be 4 of them, not sure it they are exactly the right ones for your car as I don't have an Ital but look like it!

Regards,
Paul.

[JubileeNut]

Great Pictures Kilroy!

[Number 63]

Great stuff Kilroy, really enjoying this. 8)

Have you ever thought about joining the NZ tourist board?

[norway_triumph]

truly amazing pcs & a great story as well !!

[Kilroy]

Thanks folks - I enjoy reliving the experience..
Its a bit like car ownership under wartime conditions...

Regarding the thermostat housings - thanks for the links chaps - not sure what the second smaller pipe was for - must have been a feature on later models. I guess it could be blanked off.
I do have a few spare items still - they would require cleaning up and probably smoothing off a bit where they tend to corrode under the cap - will haul them out and see how many are fit for reuse.
The Princess housing - whilst looking identical, has the outlet at 90 degrees because it was east-west. It would face directly forward on a Marina - making the hose a tad awkward.

Mind you - the knead-it is still holding...

[Kilroy]

The Ferry ride to Stewart Island was a blast. The aluminium catamaran literally throws itself at that stretch of water known for its failure to stay horizontal. Not for those who suffer travel sickness methinks - but we had a terrific time standing out on the rear deck, trying to stay upright when not holding on.
An hour and we were ensconced in the pub at Oban and enjoying a coffee as we decided where to head first..





We began on foot - there are few roads here, as most of the population live in this town, whilst the majority of the area is accessible on foot or by sea. There were a few showers to make walking far a nuisance, so we hired a car for $30 and covered the entire place from end to end. Very pretty place, and scheduled for a revisit..





Virtually entirely clad in native bush, this is probably what most of NZ once looked like..





Late in the afternoon we made the return trip to Bluff, and finished our ride with a rather spectacular race with the pilot launch - we had more horsepower...





A second night in the camp at Bluff and we headed away to Invercargill and beyond. We followed the coastline west and reached the farthest southern point of the highway. The distant point marks the extreme southwest corner of the south island - sparsely populated and rugged.





From here the highway turns north and begins to take us back to the mountains and lakes..





I can still rattle off the names of the major lakes, once learned in high school geography. We would visit them in reverse order. Manapouri came first..





Then Te Anau - vast bodies of water they are, like stumbling across an inland sea..





From here we had to head east to link up with the central highway to Queenstown - one of the most popular winter destinations. We had some fuel management issues on this stretch, and finally gasped our way to a card-operated pump at Kingston, right at the base of Lake Wakatipu. It was getting dark, and it was quite amazing to see the skifield all lit up for night action..





We lucked into a motor camp in the dark, just before Queenstown. Spent the night in a large apartment beneath the owners house, and woke to some cool views up the lake..





Cool it was.! The car handled the cold starts fine, and was behaving perfectly well, despite its large load. We had all we needed aboard, and that included 90% of the food for the entire trip. We were eating our way to better fuel economy.!
We skipped Queenstown and headed up to Arrowtown, which is very old and quaint. Had a good wander about and headed up the Crown range - quite a steep zigzag climb that we roared up with ease. 2 litres helps. Great vantage point to observe the area - this is a zoom back towards Queenstown..





The Crown range road is unpassable often during winter, but the current fine spell meant it was excellent motoring even at the highest point..





Not surprising most people have 4wd's here though. We had a few slidey bits along the way - nothing that had us reaching for the insurance papers, but you need your wits about you. Back down towards Wanaka we passed this lovely old pub - still operating, and probably doing ok with the skifields nearby.





Reached Wanaka early afternoon - another tourist destination, so we were not going to loiter too long. Checked out the township, and joined the folks down at the waterfront in the sunshine.




It was sure looking sweet - wouldn't mind a dollar for every camera that clicks here today...





An obliging local even took a pic of us doing the tourist thing. Was wishing we had brought the kayaks about now...
This is me feeling fit and healthy at 58.!
Scientific nutrition works.!






We left Wanaka heading for the Haast Pass and the West Coast. Our destination tonight would be Hokitika - and from there it would be a relaxing days hop back across the Alps to Christchurch and home. It was Sunday, and we both had work Tuesday.
I knew there was a petrol station at Hawea, and very little from there on, so we decided that would be our best chance of going the distance.
Mistake.
On a sunday there was only a card operated pump, and our card was not the right colour. Back to Wanaka again and fill it to the top. For the second time we drove through Hawea and began heading up that majestic lake.





The road crosses back to lake Wanaka before winding up into the mountains and over the Haast. It was getting later in the afternoon now, and we had lost time with our fuel miscalculation, so I was keen to get some miles behind us before the sun ended its job of keeping the ice at bay. The Pass is not a place to hang around.

I shall at this point let you in on a little known skill concerning Morris Marinas.
It concerns the fastest way to change the fluid in the auto.
Its simple.
DON'T AVOID THE ROCK..!!
I didn't see it in time to even swerve really.
Pity - considering the miles of rough roads we had travelled with me keeping the very low auto clear of the hazards.
There was a great commotion as it went under the car - just on my side of centre.
I looked in the mirror and saw bits of rock and several other bits - obviously ours - bounce along the road.
Bother.!
Stopped and leaned out the door to look underneath.
Fluid spewing from the gap where the filler pipe used to be.
Needed to get off the road fast, and as luck would have it, a pulloff area appeared on our right, and I swung into it as we lost drive.
I ran back up the road to retrieve whatever I could find before someone ran over it - perhaps it could be repaired...
Found both pieces of the filler pipe mostly intact, and the dipstick with the handle end broken off.
Returned to the car and rolled it back so I could look underneath without lying in the last remains of our auto fluid..





It was pretty evident where most of it had gone...





I suppose - if you really have to break down - this was a very pleasant place to do it...





.. mind you - it would not be pleasant in a few hours, so we needed to do something pretty quickly.
Hmmm.
30k from Wanaka on a Sunday.
Not liking our chances...

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[Number 63]

Stunning scenery Kilroy, pity about the autobox but a good opportunity to fit a manual..

Better mpg and the casings are as tough as old boots. :twisted:

[locost_bryan]

Kilroy,

Your narratives are superbly entertaining , and your photographs are wonderful . Have you ever considered writing a book, or submitting articles to some of the mags (North & South, NZ Today, Driver or AA Directions)?