Time to Hit the Road Again

After three long months the caravan was pulled out of it’s storage spot and backed into the car park outside our home.  It was time to get ready for a three week trip away. So where are we off too?  Hamilton to get the caravan serviced, Opotiki to meet up for a ICA Rally, through the Wairarapa for our caravan club rally, and places in-between.

Time to pack the caravan

First stop was at Marton, to drop over my hard working sewing machine for a service.  Then it was on to Taihape for a lunch stop.  Always a handy place to stop, plenty of room for our car and caravan, a coffee cart close by, and a handy public toilet block at the other end of the car park.  We ordered a coffee to go with our lunch in the caravan, and admired the new perspex   screen now in place.   Fitted originally to keep the virus at bay, it will be just as handy to protect staff in the coffee cart from winter coughs and colds, and to keep the chilly winter breezes out.

Lunch stop at Taihape

We passed stands of these golden coloured trees as we drove northwards.  The leaves have changed from green to yellow, and are not far from fluttering down and leaving the trees bare for winter.

Season of change

Driving past the army town of Waiouru, we traveled along the Desert Road, keeping an eye on the temperature gauge as it dropped lower and lower.  Goodness me, it dropped down to 4C.  That’s getting rather chilly.

It’s getting rather cold

Not much chance of seeing “my” mountain, I expected, with rain and low cloud around.  But there it is, at least part of it.  I never tire of seeing majestic Mt Ruapehu when we pass along this road.

All I could see of Mt Ruapehu

We are staying the night at Turangi Holiday Park.  Turangi is a small town on the west bank of the Tongariro River, built to accommodate the workers associated with the Tongariro hydro-electric power development project and their families.

Many of the single men were housed in over 400 small huts, some of which are still on site here at the camp.  It would have been a cold and miserable place to stay in these small uninsulated buildings over winter, I imagine.

Some of the remaining single men’s huts

We are much more comfortable in our caravan, parked up on power, diesel heater keeping us warm, nicely insulated, all facilities we need on board. The temperature is sure to drop right down overnight, but we should be nice and cozy.  And the price is good too, we are taking advantage of the winter Camp Saver prices – a scheme offered by camps to tempt extra business during the quieter months.

Turangi Caravan Park