Wairarapa Safari – Carterton to Alfredton

We overnighted at Carterton Holiday Park  on Sunday for the start of our Wairararpa Safari Trip. This is one of our favourite camps, and very good value at $24 a night.  We had just had a hectic weekend at Brookfield’s Scout Camp where our club, Heretaunga, hosted a joint rally.  It was pleasant to sit outside in the warm sunshine and contemplate our upcoming 2 week Safari Trip, travelling with Peter and Elaine, Geoff and Eileen.

Carterton Holiday Park

It was a special occasion on Sunday and Eileen brought out a bottle of bubbly.  This was to celebrate the 40th anniversary of her arrival in New Zealand as a new immigrant from UK.  Accordingly, we raised our glasses and toasted Eileen on her good decision to emigrate all those years ago.

Happy 40th Anniversary, Eileen

Travelling north along SH2, we turned off the main road heading towards Mauriceville.  We came across a “Historic Place” sign on the roadside and stopped for a look at the site of the Scandinavian Camp.  This marked the locality of the southern limit of the 70 Mile Bush, which stretched to the Takapau Plain.  Over 700 people from Denmark and Norway lived in huts on this site before settling in the Mauriceville and Ekatahuna districts.

  Site of the Scandinavian Camp

A little further up the road we arrived at Mauriceville.  This once bustling town had settlers from both UK and Scandavia who worked on constructing roads and the railway, churches, schools and a Post Office.

Businesses in town included joiners, a bakery, saddlery and blacksmith.  The area is much quieter these days with a loss of most services, and is mainly a farming community.

 

There is a noisy lime works right in the centre of the village working out of the former dairy factory building.  This seems to be the only industry in the area.  The machinery clatters and clangs and the grounds were busy with many trucks coming and going.

Mauriceville Lime Works.

The country was very hilly and undulating and we drove up and down hills and through many valleys.  A mob of sheep on the road stopped us in our tracks as the farmer driving on his quad bike and his dogs moved the sheep briskly along.

Sheep on the road

Our stop for the night was the Alfredton Domain, a lovely rural spot seemingly in the middle of nowhere.  This was a free camping area with water and toilet facilities provided, but no showers.  Luckily we all have showers in  our caravans.  The sheep grazing on the domain looked a little put out when our three caravans arrived and disturbed the peace.  The Wairarapa sun was extremely hot and we happily relaxed under one of the large shady trees.

  Relaxing at Alfredton Domain

This is a lovely spot to stay although we had to look carefully where we placed our feet, in order to avoid stepping in the sheep droppings!  Guess that is what you get when you stay in the country.  We had a little trouble in the evening when the water stopped running.  We presume that the local farmer had turned off the pump providing water to the sheep trough, and this was connected the toilet block.

Once again, the cicadas were making a din all day long.  Birds were twittering, and the resident sheep slowly overcame their fear of us to slowly walk up and take a drink from their water trough. The Kereru, (native pigeons) crashed through the trees and we heard the whoosh, whoosh of their wings beating as they carried their heavy bodies from one tree to another.    One sat sunning itself high up on a tree.

Kereru sunning itself

We enjoyed a pleasant evening as we sat outside in the twilight in the warm evening temperatures.  This is the life, and a great start to our Wairarapa holiday.