Sometimes you have to get out and do stuff to break your cabin fever. A break in the winter weather gave us a chance for a road trip to Tumbledown Bay on Banks Peninsula, one of my favourite places in Canterbury!
Driving to Tumbledown Bay
It takes about an hour and a quarter to get to Tumbledown Bay from Christchurch. I wouldn’t suggest taking your campervan on this trip. The roads are just a little too skinny. A normal car should be okay.
Leaving Christchurch, the road takes you alongside the Motukarara Rail Trail. It looked as though it was almost fully submerged! Lake Ellesmere was looking fantastic too, with so much water. With no wind it had a glass surface, mirroring the mountains in the background. The Southern Alps had recieved a huge dump of snow during the storm. When that happens, the view is simply stunning.
Our Tumbledown Bay trip took us via Little River, where we turned off for the Southern Bays. I added an awesome D.O.C. toilet to the CamperMate database at Catons Bay, Banks Peninsula.
You’ll love the drive along Te Oka Bay Road, the next stretch on the way to Tumbledown Bay.
Days like these will make you appreciate what a beautiful country New Zealand is. You have views of the mountains, sea and farmland all in one sweep.
Winding Roads to Tumbledown Bay
Once you pass the signpost to Magnet Bay, it’s a bit of a mission driving down the windy road to Tumbledown Bay. As we mentioned before, it is a skinny road. You’ll also be right next to some scary drops.
Sometimes it’s hard to concentrate on the road when you have great views. So, stop as much as you like, and be safe.
When you do finally arrive at Tumbledown Bay, you may be the only people there. It’s not visited very often, especially in the winter!
Funnily enough, there was a bloke taking a mid-winter swim when we arrived. It takes all sorts!
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