Monday Spetember 7, Labour Day(!) Champion Creeks Golf Club BC

No, we haven’t taken up golf, but are parked in a grassed area beside the course…a really pleasant spot with several other motor homes, although they are all golfers.

It has been quite a slow leisurely day, woke to rain, so another slow start to the day. It has been quite a cool wet long weekend for Canadians, but the forecast is predicting an improvement from tomorrow. Every few days we need to empty our tanks, and this morning had to queue for about 20 minutes for out turn. It was quite a big park and everyone heading home from the long weekend was using the facilities.

Ambled along the side of the lake, a very pretty drive with lots of holiday homes nestled into the edge of the road, not dissimilar to Tarawera. Nelson is the biggest town in this area with a population of over 10,000. It was an old mining town that has survived and is really picturesque.

Stopped at the supermarket for supplies and found a wifi link, so caught up on a few calls and emails. Lunched down by the river and went for a walk along the marina. The lake is huge and understandably there are lots of boats.

We heard that there had been a “Gay Parade’ the day before and saw a real eclectic mix of people as we wandered through the main part of the town, a number looking as though there had been a great party the night before!. Some great galleries and cafes in the old buildings. A town that really looks to be surviving well.

The rain came and went all day, so by mid afternoon we headed west to the Champion Lakes to a provincial park. This area is full of lakes and mountains, a great place to drive around. We got to the park, but by late afternoon, with rain in the offing, the campsites among the trees looked pretty gloomy, so headed back to the main road to see what else we could find. Spotted a few vans at the golf club, called in and spoke to a few people and they said it was fine to park the night! Had heard that golf clubs are often happy to have people camp the night but have never been to one before, but a great location.