80th Birthday Lunch

With an 80th Birthday to celebrate with our Super Leisure friends, we set off on the 160km (round trip) journey to Silverstream.  Road works on the top of Haywards Hill held us up  - thank goodness for cell phones to be able to communicate with our hosts so they didn't worry about our slightly late arrival.  After a meet and greet, and a cuppa, it was time to head out for lunch, to Luanne’s Bistro in Trentham.  This establishment has had many guises over the years, as a Cobb and Co, and the Game Keeper, and now as Luanne’s.

Time for lunch

What to order always involves lots of pondering and discussion, and we all seemed to pick a different dish.  From belly pork, to lamb shanks, corn fritters, beef and Guinness pie and an open steak sandwich.  All very tasty indeed, and it certainly quietened our table down while we were busy eating.

Sign in the restaurant

Fully sated, we then went back to Helen and Calvin’s home for coffee and birthday cake.  How delicious it was too, a yummy Black Forest Gateau.  Helen blew the candles out, and it was remarked that it was just as well she didn’t have to deal with 80 candles, as she probably wouldn't have managed!

Blowing out the candles

All too soon the afternoon was over and we had to think about traveling home.  Spotted a sign on the road leading over the Paekakariki Hill which is narrow and winding, telling truckers to “Ignore Sat Nav, road unsuitable for long vehicles”.  This would apply to motor homes and caravans too of course.  Obviously trucks had been taking tis road and got into difficulties.

Never seen this sign before

We turned onto the Pauahatanui Inlet Road then drove up the coast along SH1. Kapiti Island was covered in haze, so it wasn’t very clear at all, and the sea was running a little rough.

Kapiti Island

We made much better time returning home, with no hold ups along the way.  There are always plenty of roadworks happening, including this ramp being built to link up eventually with an over bridge.  These things take time, as they say.

There was no need to cook a big meal after our hearty lunch, so it was something light to eat while we sat and watched the evening news.  It was a lovely day out, catching up with our SLG friends, and wishing Helen well on her Big Birthday.