The Easter Rally drew to a close on Easter Monday with the Closing Ceremony in the marquee. We were on the go from morning till late at night with all sorts of things taking place throughout the Show Grounds during the day, and first class entertainment every evening. There were 879 campers and caravans on site, 83 from the Wellington area. 211 pets attended the rally with their owners. The very prominent “First Response Team” did a wonderful job. All campers, they volunteered their expertise throughout the long weekend. There was a Fire Engine on site, and nursing staff to assist with medical mishaps. The nurse made a point of contacting all those in the “Special Needs” areas to ascertain each patient’s medical condition in case it worsened during the weekend. The “First Response Team” attended over 60 incidents during the weekend. What a great bunch of people.
One couple must have travelled over rough roads to get to the rally as they arrived minus a window. It was patched up for the weekend with cardboard and a sign proclaiming “It wasn’t my fault!” That certainly got a few laughs from people walking by.
Then there was the couple whose motor home sprung a leak and was awash with water. The carpets were pulled up and hung over the fence to dry. Then the couple used up all their towels trying to mop up the water. Their old fashioned mangle was doing a great job of wringing out the towels as I wandered past. “He won’t want his photo taken”, the wife told me. Ooops, too late, it’s done.
Tucked away under the grand stand were the trade displays, including “Massagical”, which helps poor achy feet and legs. Robin’s foot was still very painful so he decided that a $2.00 investment for half an hour’s treatment shouldn’t be missed. First he was set up in a machine that manipulated his feet very firmly for 10 minutes, rather like a heavy duty massage, supposedly equivalent to an half hour massage with a Physio. The second machine sent electrical impulses through the feet and up the legs. He came out feeling pain free and much refreshed, but felt he couldn’t really justify the amount of dollars required to purchase one of these machines. But he felt they worked very well giving short term relief, and at only $2.00 to try them, it was certainly a bargain. The long term relief is not completely pain free but is certainly much improved.
The Easter Rally is now over and the 879 motor homes and caravans have all left for home, or to continue with their travels. This was the first large NZMCA rally of this size that we had attended. The organisation was superb, the facilities were great, and the entertainment was first rate. This rally was promoted as “Have the Time of your Lives”. Did we have “The Time of our Lives”? Yes, indeed we did.
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