Off on a Road Trip

We've only been home a week from our Aussie Adventure Holiday, but Robin was itching to get in the caravan and take to the open road again.  Today is a very special day, he’s now the grand old age of 70!!

It’s Robin’s birthday today

The temperatures have been rather low at home, low enough to have a sprinkle of snow on the Tararua Ranges behind our home.  Perhaps we will see some more snow on our road trip north – who knows?  So it’s goodbye to Levin, and we will be stopping in Taupo tonight.  Can you see a peep of our caravan Romany Rambler in the car park, getting packed for our trip away?

Snow on the ranges behind our village

But first, we had something very important to do.  The General Elections take place in two weeks, and we will still be away.  So we went down to the local library to cast our votes before we set off on our trip.  So did lots of locals – we had to queue up behind quite a few who also had the same idea as us before we got our voting forms. 

Democratic duty – done!

After stopping for diesel at Sanson, we were buzzed by four F16 fighter jets from Singapore which are at Ohakea Airport for four weeks' training.  Singapore pilots are flying high in the Manawatu sky as top-level talks continue about the Asian nation setting up a permanent air force base in New Zealand.  Not a terribly good photo, the jets were just too fast for me.

F16 roaring past overhead

The trip went well, although the weather couldn’t decide to be sunny or rain all over us, so we got a bit of both.  We passed lots of new lambs in the paddocks, and groups of young calves, just weaned from their Mums, it seemed.  Lunch was at Taihape – around the back by the railway station.  I heated up some savouries I had brought from home, and we enjoyed a coffee from the handy coffee cart.

 

We stopped for lunch at Taihape

Driving along the Desert Road – but where were the mountains?  Mostly covered in low clouds, it seemed.  But I managed to catch a glimpse of Ruapehu hiding under the clouds.

Mt Ruapehu is under there somewhere

We arrived at the NZMCA Park at Taupo Airport mid afternoon, and found ourselves a site for the next two nights.  Although Geoff and Eileen are traveling up north with us, they were running a little late and arrived later.

At Taupo Airport site

There was no cooking duties tonight, the four of us went out for a celebration birthday meal at the local Cossie Club.    Between us we had steak, chicken, salmon and scallops.  And very nice it was too – the meals are great there.

Waiting for our birthday meal at the Cossie Club