Kiwi Nutz
The Alternative South Island Diary
Picton to Blenhiem Accomodation
The Journey from Picton to Blenhiem takes about 30 minutes. We opted for a Top10 holiday park for our first stay. It was close by, and the Top10 name brings with it a certain guarantee that the accommodation will be clean and comfortable. We decided long before our trip that camping was not something we were prepared to undertake but if you book early enough most of these parks can provide holiday-rooms, kitted with beds, sheets, a kitchenette and basic essentials. If you are lucky you may even get hold of one with it's own bathroom facilities. Not to worry though because the communal facilities are always clean and plentiful with hot showers, a must for any camper.
Snapshot of Top10 Holiday-Room
You can't tell from the picture but there is in fact a small kitchette, equipped with fridge, small stove and sink to the left. Good enough for any tired traveller to feel at home for the night. We weren't sure if this was going to work with the 6 of us packed into a small room but the kids enjoyed it and by virtue of this, so did I.
Camp Facilities
The camp had a river flowing through it, with ducks and cooling trees scattered the entire site, offering those real-campers, no doubt, some cooling shade to their tents. Trees seem to be a regular feature of campsites in NZ, and with the strong sun I can understand their necessity. There were childrens playareas scattered throughout the camp, which were enjoyed by the kids, and I guess this is a measure of their quality. The toilets and showers where plentiful and immaculate.
Costs
Of course I recommend that you verify all costs with the parks themselves but this one night, with fresh sheets, and use of all facilites cost $95.00 NZD for the six of us. By my estimation an exceptionally good deal.
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