“Close to Home” Caravan Rally

With just a km or so to drive to our rally destination for the weekend, we arrived at the Levin Kiwi Holiday Park in no time at all.  Managers Debbie and Repi warmly welcomed us back, although it had been a while since our previous visit, they certainly remembered us.  The ground was quite wet and slushy and sadly it continued to rain during the weekend, but we certainly didn’t let the precipitation dampen our spirits.

Early arrivals

Things had certainly been happening at the camp with quite a bit of work taking place. The large central grassy area had been dug up, with new cabins and tourist flats being added to increase the accommodation options at the camp.

Work being done at the camp

Friday evenings are usually casual get-togethers at a rally weekend.  We were fortunate to have the use of the small hall, and met to socialise and relate our usual Friday night jokes.  The pretty sunset coloured the sky just long enough for me to take a few snaps, before fading away into darkness.

Sun set at the motor camp

This sight rather took my fancy the following morning, a long row of sparrows lined up on a caravan roof.  Wonder if they were waiting for a hand out for breakfast?

Sparrows on top of the van

On Saturday afternoon our planned drive our for coffee was delayed a little by a minor catastrophe – Rally Family Don and Pamela’s car  had a flattie.  Or as one of our blokes commented, “all the air had gone to the top”.  Luckily several of our club members were only too willing to help Don out and the question was, “how many men does it take to change a tyre?”  Several it seems, with a couple looking on at the sidelines to make sure the job is done correctly, plus another interested party (me) snapping a few photos.

Helping to change Don’s tyre

Once this little job was accomplished we car pooled and drove up to Murrayfield Café.  With orders taken we sat down to enjoy our coffees and cake, with several up our end of the table deciding to indulge in a milkshake instead. 

Afternoon Tea at Murrayfield’s Café

Don and Pamela had organised a couple of brain teasers in the hall on Saturday evening.  Everyone was asked to bring a baby or toddler photo of themselves, and most remembered, although some admitted to not having any early photos.  The photos were numbered and laid out on a table, and then we had to guess who was who, not an easy task at all.

Just who are these youngsters?

Earlier in the day we had been invited to bring in something unusual from our vans, to see if the items could be easily identified.  There was much head scratching going on as these items were closely inspected, picked up and turned over.  Some were relatively easy for us to make an inspired guess, while others kept their secret till the owner disclosed what it was and what it was used for.

 

Checking out the mystery items.

Our weekend concluded after morning tea on Sunday, and we all packed up and went on our way.  With all the wet weather and mud and puddles underfoot, there was no point in staying over for lunch as we often do on nicer days.  Wet weather or not, it was still a great weekend, it’s always nice to get away and meet up with our caravan club friends.