Rally at Opaki School

There were no complaints about the weather as the hot Wairarapa beat down on us over the weekend.  Several campers were sporting a good dose of sunburn on their faces, we noticed, sitting out in the sun without the benefit of a sun hat.  Our cat Muffy kept herself cool as she snoozed inside the van all weekend, with a little breeze wafting through opened windows, roof vents and the door, all protected by insect screens to keep the bugs out.

It’s very tiring being a camping cat

We wandered down past strawberry plants to visit the “Wee Red Barn”, just a short walk away.  The owners grow their strawberries on stands, making the fruit so much easier to pick at this height.  The young plants are placed directly into a bag of food, and are watered by a series of hoses and pumps.

The Wee Red Barn

Strawberries growing

After our purchases of a huge punnet of freshly picked strawberries, enough for several desserts, and some strawberry ice-cream to serve with it, we stopped to look at the chickens, goats and ducklings.   The baby ducks seem to be from several different hatchings, as they varied considerably in size and colour.

Lots of ducklings

We all got together for a BBQ meal, the men did the cooking while their better halves busied themselves getting salads and vegetables ready.  Robin was in charge of cooking our satay chicken kebabs to a turn, Noel was dealing with sausages and patties, while Harry was just offering helpful advice.

Robin, Harry and Noel at the BBQ

IN the evening we were put into teams and had to answer questions from the Road Code.  Let me tell you, that was easier said than done.  Although we have all had our driving licenses for many years, some of the questions had us stumped.  My team, made up of three ladies and one lone man, came in a credible third, soundly beating Robin’s team who were not placed at all!  As a final bit of entertainment, three people were chosen from the audience to sit in front of the hall, with a name written on their head band.  As it turned out, all three were from our Heretaunga Caravan Club.  Elaine (Queen Elizabeth), Derek (John Lennon), and Kath (Marilyn Monroe), had to ask questions from the audience to try and find out who they represented.

Elaine, Derek and Kath wondering who they are

The evening finished with a fine spread of home baking, provided by all the ladies, before we all toddled off to our vans to bed.  So concluded our first day of the joint rally.