Car Rally

A large group of happy Probus Club Members gathered in the public car park, all keen and eager to get going on the annual car rally.  But first……we had to roll the dice, depending on how many were in each car.  Not as easy as it seems, of course, and after a few tries, we had rolled number two and were all set to go.

Rolling the dice before we head off

So off we went, armed with pages of instructions and questions to answer, and some toffees to keep our strength up.  And just in case we got completely lost, our destination was included too, only to be opened in dire emergencies. 

Our instructions and supplies

The first instructions was “turn right out of the car park”, and off we went, going around corners, criss-crossing over the railway line, up hill and down dale, counting rumble strips, turning at tee junctions and cross roads.  The beauty of a car rally is that it often takes you away from the suburbs and along unknown country roads.

One question was to identify the steel and concrete object standing in the paddocks.  Luckily we knew about the now defunct Opiki Toll Bridge – a suspension bridge constructed of reinforced concrete and opened in 1918.  The local flax industry was flourishing and three local mills (out of 30 in the region) were situated close by.  Previously the flax was carried across the river by flying fox.  The flax industry came to an end soon after due to disease.  A local farmer purchased the bridge, and it became a local toll bridge from 1925 to 1969 when the deck structure was removed and the present bridge opened.

Opiki Toll Bridge

Another interesting piece of local history we had to identify was the rather insignificant wooden marker showing flood levels of earlier times.  In fact, some of the rally participants admitted never having noticing this before, as they drove to and fro along the road.  The Moutoa Sluice Gates and floodway now help to keep the region safe.

Flood Level Indicator

Admittedly there had been a few terse words spoken while driving around, especially when we couldn’t find what we were looking for.  Eventually  we finally reached our destination, The Foxton RSA, where we had lunch.

 

Our lunch stop

What to order, we wondered.  Crumbed scallops sounded like a good idea to both of us, while others enjoyed fish, steak, sausages or burgers.   The questionnaires were marked, and believe it or not, we came in first with the highest score.  And no, we didn’t manage to answer everything, and got several questions completely wrong.  All in all it was a great day out. 

A Week of It

Although just a short week, with Monday being a Public Holiday, it was still full to bursting.  It started off on Tuesday when our 6 month old Birman kitten had a hospital visit to get spayed.  It all went well, and we took her home with all sorts of instructions ringing in our ears - keep her quiet, no running and jumping, no licking stitches.   Easier said than done, of course.  At her three day post-op check up the vet was a little concerned about her wound – it’s not too bad but they didn’t want it getting worse.  So she was prescribed extra antibiotics, and we were told to persevere with the collar.  Seems the trick to is to get an ordinary fabric cat collar, thread it through the loops of the plastic one, adjust to fit, and hopefully it won’t be slipped off so easily.  Poor Gemma is not at all happy.

Why are they doing this to me?

Wednesday was check up time for both of us at the doctor’s – no problems there, luckily.  No kitchen duties for the cook on Thursday evening when we attended a dinner to farewell a longstanding member from the Menz Shed.  This was held at HLC (Horowhenua Learning Centre) and the meal was prepared, cooked and served by students working towards their Chef and Hospitality Certificate.  The meal was great, and our retiring member and his wife were very touched with the Life Membership conferred, gifts and best wishes.  Their new home town also has a Menz Shed, so Tony is sure to find his place there.

Friday was a little sadder, as we attended the funeral of one of my co-workers from years ago.  Anne lived a full and happy life, but sadly, as is often the case, her last few years were fraught with health issues.  It was good to catch up with others, and remember some of the fun times we had together.

Saturday evening’s outing was a happy occasion indeed, helping our caravan friends Bill and Val celebrate their 50th Anniversary.  It may have been pouring down outside the restaurant, but inside was warm and happy as we watched a slide show of their years together, including snaps of the caravans they had owned over the years.  We enjoyed a lovely buffet meal together, heard a few stories, related some more, and Val replied in her usual manner with a poem.  A great night out indeed.

Bill and Val cutting the cake

And there was another celebration on Sunday as well.  We met up with daughter Nicky at the grandly named Orlando Country Club (Palmerston North) for a birthday lunch.  There were plenty of keen golfers taking advantage of the Driving Range with their buckets of balls.

Driving Range, Orlando Country Club

The three of us enjoyed a nice lunch together, and Nicky presented me with flowers and a lovely gift – Led Candle Lantern, which will be just the thing for the caravan,   while we sit outside on warm summer evenings .  Another lovely meal out, and it was great to have a catch up again.

 

Nicky and Jenny, Happy Birthday to me

So that was our week, practically full to bursting.  There’s always plenty to do to keep us on our toes.  

Owlcatraz

During our weekend in Shannon, the caravan club members took a trip to Owlcatraz, native bird and wildlife park.  Entering the café building, we paid our fees and got reacquainted with Big Red, or rather, what was left of him.  Sadly, Big Red is now confined to the wall, but in his day he was a real draw card.  Reputably  the world's biggest cattle beast, Big Red weighed in at 2.8 tonnes and stood 2m high at the shoulder.  All that weight had given him trouble with his hips and legs, and he died during an operation on his feet.  We remember getting our photos taken standing beside him some years ago on an earlier visit.  

The remains of Big Red

Derek made friends with Joey the Cockatoo outside.  Who’s a cheeky boy then?

Derek with Joey

The peacock was busy displaying his gorgeous tail feathers while the two peahens showed not the slightest bit of interest.  No doubt they had seen it all this posturing and tail feather shaking before.  We were quite impressed though.

The resident peacock

The guide led us to the main aim of our visit to see the native owls (ruru) in their owl house.  Photography was not allowed inside the darkened house, and we were told the exciting news that two new owlets had recently hatched.

Then we were taken on a farm walk, and helped feed the Kune Kune pig her dog biscuits.  She is so well mannered that she sits down waiting for visitors to toss the biscuits in her mouth.

Oha Kune waiting for her treats

What else?  Donkeys and alpacas, all coming up to the fence when the visitors arrived, waiting for some treats from the public.  Children in particular (and the young at heart) love to feed the animals. 

Donkeys and alpacas

The path meanders through native trees and took us on to the man made Lake Owlsmere, home to many varieties of ducks and birdlife.   Our guide stopped and we looked for eels in the streams, yes, they were there all right.  This is a lovely property, with much to see and do.

Tranquil Lake Owlsmere

Returning to the gift shop we sat and enjoyed a complimentary cuppa, while Joey the Cockatoo kept us amused at his antics.  His favourite thing to do is to tear up cardboard boxes, and have fun with the visitors.  It was a great afternoon out.

Long Weekend at Shannon

Just before we departed Marton on Friday morning, there was a tap at the door and our neighbours popped in to say hello.  They recognised our name from the NZ Motor Home Forum.  Sadly, their names went in one ear and out the other, sorry about that, blame old age.  I was fascinated to discover that the husband has gypsy lineage several generations back, just like me – perhaps we are related?  It was lovely to meet them, and chat about camping adventures.

Driving through Bulls, there are lifelike statues of big black bulls standing here and there.  Tourists traveling through this small town must get a real fright when they catch a glimpse of these creatures out of the corner of their eye.  Look – there’s one creeping out between those two shops.

One of the black bulls at Bulls

We had a lunch stop at Viv’s Kitchen, home of the world famous Cream Horns.  Not an easy thing to eat with any decorum, but we did our best.

Cream Horns at Viv’s Kitchen

Our destination was Shannon School for a three day caravan club rally.  But being a school day we couldn’t enter the grounds till 4.00pm, so we had a bit of R&R in a park, reading, relaxing and maybe a little snooze.  Seven vans attended, with one van making an epic journey to join us.  With SHI closed for some hours due to a truck tipping over and spilling toxic substance all over the road, the only alternative route was to travel over the Paekakariki Hill.   Don and Pamela were not thwarted by this difficult route, and bravely towed their van up and over the Hill to join us.  Not something we would like to do, at all.  

Shannon School

Early birds on site

Staying at sleepy little Shannon for a three day weekend would not necessarily be the place to spring to mind, but like most little towns, there is always a lot to see once you scratch the surface.  Shannon was named after Major G V Shannon, a director of the Manawatu Railway Co and began as a camp for railway construction workers in 1885, with the settlement growing rapidly.  The first North Island Dam and Hydro Electric Power Station was constructed in 1924 at Mangahao in the foothills east of the township and employed a staggering 700 workers – we certainly didn’t know that.  The historic Railway Station Museum tells the story of the area and is well worth a visit.

The old Shannon Post Office – just one of the lovely old buildings in the main road

Dot and Derek were our rally family for the weekend, and had organised several things to keep us occupied.  Like this Sunday competition, where we walked up and down the main street  to identify the locations of twenty photos.  The locals must have wondered what on earth all these grey haired people were doing.  Several managed to complete the task, but four locations eluded us.

Where in Shannon are these?

Just as well they had also arranged a stop for afternoon tea at the local Horseman Café – we all really needed to rehydrate and have a little sit down after all that exercise.

Time for Afternoon Tea

Lorraine had baked a chocolate cake especially for Geoff who had helped her recently with her caravan.  Sadly Geoff and Eileen could not attend this rally, so we helped to eat the cake.  Don’t worry Geoff – Lorraine promised to make you another one sometime soon.

Home made chocolate cake

It was a lovely weekend away, which we had incorporated into the final days of  our trip to Hamilton and New Plymouth.  It’s always great to catch up with our caravan friends again.

Hawera and Marton

After a lovely restful few days in New Plymouth it was time to get moving again.  There was no sign of Mt Egmont when we left,  the mountain was completely covered in low cloud, as often happens.  Travelling down  SH3 we made the obligatory stop at Eltham.

What is the attraction at this small town?  It’s Fonterra’s Cheese Factory Shop, well worth a stop as you never know what you will find on special.  I was after some Parmesan cheese, some for me and some for my daughter, and also came away with a big bag of Blue Vein offcuts.  You can tell we are cheese lovers.

Goodies from the cheese shop

Our stop for the night was at the NZMCA Park at Hawera.  Work was being done on a new subdivision over the fence so we are not sure how this will impact on the camp.

Workmen over the fence

The weather was fine but cool, too nippy to sit outside in the fresh air, unfortunately.

Hawera NZMCA Park

Just a glimpse of the Hawera side of Mt Egmont

We can’t stop at Hawera without a side trip to Mania – Bread Capitol, to visit Yarrows Factory Shop.

This must be the right place.  A few goodies got carried to the van, nice fresh bread, and dare I admit it, a couple of cream filled chocolate eclairs for lunch.  According to the sign outside the door, we’re not in much danger of being kidnapped, so that is good to know!

Sign outside Yarrow’s shop

Stopping overnight at Marton, always a favourite with us.  The double gate has been replaced with a large single wire gate, we noticed, and the gardens are looking lovely, with shrubs and trees in blossom.  The camp was fairly empty when we arrived at lunchtime, but vans and campers generally roll in during the afternoon, so we will soon have more neighbours.  The weather is warming up nicely,and we finally got to enjoy some time relaxing outside.

At Marton

Out and About in New Plymouth

It was a morning of nostalgia for Robin, checking out his old family home and the Primary, Intermediate and High Schools he attended back in the day.  New Plymouth has rather steep hills and as boys, groups of them would race their trollies down these slopes, without a care in the world – no thoughts of danger back then.  Then there was the sea water swimming pool – hours of training took place in the mornings before school.  We stopped to have a look at Paritutu Rock which is a volcanic remnant, a part of the nearby Sugar Loaf Islands, all eroded stumps of an ancient volcanic crater.  As a scout, Robin and some mates not only did the challenging climb to the top, but stayed overnight in a tent.

Paritutu Rock

Captain Cook named the seven small offshore islands after the lumps of sugar loaf he put in his tea, but the white sugar you can see is actually bird guano.

Looking down at a couple of sugar lumps

Close by is the Pioneer Memorial, marking the locality where the pioneer settlers landed in 1841-43, carried across on eight vessels.

Pioneer Memorial

Another intriguing memorial we stumbled across was the Fitzroy Pole, “Pou Tutaki”.  The original carved boundary post, known as Fitzroy Pole, was  erected in 1848 by the Te Ātiawa chief Te Waitere Katatore, marking the boundary beyond which no European was to settle.  This replacement Fitzroy pole was erected to mark New Zealand’s centennial in 1940.

The Fitzroy Pole

Early mornings are often the best time to catch a glimpse of Mt Egmont without too many clouds obscuring the view.  Also known as Mount Taranaki, it  is New Zealand's most perfectly formed volcano. The mountain is around 120,000 years old and last erupted in 1775 and volcanologists agree that the mountain is 'dormant' rather than extinct.

Mt Egmont

We went for a short walk around the beautiful Pukekura Park today.  The park covers 52ha (128 acres) right in the heart of the city and is one of New Zealand's premier botanical garden.  The lake is so beautiful and serene, surrounded by native trees and lush ferns, and with plenty of exotic flowering trees and shrubs too.  We could see people away in the distance crossing over the footbridge, swans were swimming lazily by, a delightful place indeed.

Looking over the lake

The Band Rotunda has been a major feature of the park since 1887.  I loved the old photo on the information board showing the Band Rotunda and the nearby monument to Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, with views of the lake and Mt Egmont in the background.

Our last evening was spent catching up with Robin’s old school mate Gary and his lovely wife Glennis, who invited us around for a delicious home cooked meal.  Robin and Gary go back a long way, so there was plenty to talk about, even though we had seen them when they stopped off at Levin recently.  It’s always nice to catch up with old friends.  We are moving on tomorrow – next stop Hawera.

Up in the Snow

New Plymouth has a brand new NZMCA Park at Bell Block, opened in July 2018.  Transformed from a gorse covered piece of land, to a site with all weather parking, water, rubbish facilities and a dump station.  Trees have been planted around the outside of the section, and something we hadn't seen before, site boundaries are marked for vans.  There is an area in the middle of the camp to accommodate large buses. A new wooden shed houses the sign-in book, local info, shelves of swap-a-book, and for those who really must keep the laundry up to date while on holiday, a sturdy clothesline in a nice sunny area.   It is all very well done, and a credit to all those involved.

New NZMCA Park, New Plymouth

Hearing about a recent fall of snow on Mt Egmont, we took a drive to to the North Egmont Visitors Centre.  The road took us through 6 km of dense rainforest, past rimu and rata trees, ferns and mosses, a very pretty drive indeed up a fairly narrow, winding road. 

Driving up the mountain

Snow started appearing on the edges of the road, getting thicker the closer we got to our destination, and some cars on the way down had packed snow onto the bonnets.  The car park was full – being a Sunday it seemed everyone was out and about.  Children were having fun playing in the snow, throwing the occasional snowball, and slipping and sliding about.

View of Mt Egmont from the car park

We walked carefully up the snow covered walkway to the Look Out, which gave us a rather hazy view over New Plymouth.  And look – someone’s had fun making a snow man family.

It’s more years ago than we can remember when we were last slipping and sliding about in snow.  Lovely to see up close, and great to see so many people out and about enjoying themselves.  For some children, it would be their very first time in snow, so that is rather special for the families.

The Visitors Centre also housed a café, so we carefully negotiated the snow covered steps and deck.  Don’t want to slip and fall and do ourselves a mischief, do we?  A hot drink was in order, which we enjoyed looking out at the view through the large picture windows. 

North Egmont Visitors Centre

We noticed a sign in the Visitors Centre prohibiting dogs – “not even in your car” it stated, and with a huge fine of $100,000 to those who flout the law.

No dogs allowed

We had a lovely time enjoying the snow on the lower part of the mountain.  In his younger days, Robin has climbed right to the top of Mt Egmont, and has a certificate to prove it, he tells me.