Taupo here we come

It was a great trip driving up to Taupo on Tuesday, the weather was good and the car and caravan just hummed along.  We had our  favourite radio station belting out all the songs from the 50s, 60s and 70s “songs that you know and love”, as the adverts say, rather like spending time with good friends, as we hummed along.

Coming up to Mangaweka we had to stop as a goods train crossed over SH1 – that had never happened to us before at this rail crossing.    The barrier arms were lowered, and the lights were ringing and flashing behind a truck.The carriages seemed to go on, and on, as we patiently waited, and then it was time to continue on our way.

Rail crossing at Mangaweka

Arriving at Waiouru we parked behind the  National Army Museum for lunch, usually plenty of room plus a café and restrooms inside the building if required.  The museum building looks rather like a castle, I always think.  We ate inside the van enjoying “something I had prepared earlier”  The café has changed hands, previously it was contracted out, but is now run by the museum so we have to check out the new menu next time we are passing by.

Lunching behind the museum

View of Mt Ruapehu through the café window

I had noticed a new plaque and aa young tree close to where we had parked the caravan at lunchtime – this wasn't here last time we visited.  We all know about the Anzacs and the Gallipoli Peninsula battle at Lone Pine.  A solitary pine tree stood at the battle site, the only one remaining from a group, all the others being cut down by Turkish soldiers to cover their trenches.  This remaining tree was almost destroyed during the battle, and once the fighting had subsided, two Australian soldiers collected pine cones still attached to the branches used to cover the trenches.  These pine cones were carried home with the soldiers after the war, resulting in the germination of Turkish pines throughout Australia.

This tree is one of many raised in the Scion research nursery in Rotorua from seeds collected in 2012 from the Turkish red pine growing at Paeroa Golf Course.  This tree is an authenticated New Zealand descendant of the Gallipoli Peninsula’s original Lone Pine, and three seedlings were gifted to the museum as part of the ANZAC Day centenary in 2015.   How special to see this tree surviving here in New Zealand so many years later and so far from home.

Descendant of the Gallipoli Lone Pine

We continued on our journey snapping Mount Ngauruhoe as we drove along – this is an active stratovolcano in New Zealand and is the youngest vent in the Tongariro volcanic complex on the Central Plateau. 

Mount Ngauruhoe

We arrived at the NZMCA Taupo Airport site by mid afternoon, checking out the new dump station at Mobil Lake View close by on Anzac Memorial Drive.  Nothing is more exciting to campers than a well designed, easy to access new dump station!  We will be back to christen it tomorrow when we head on our way northwards – or maybe I should be clear, emptying the waste is a “blue job”, which means that Robin has to attend to it.

Oh goody, a nice new dump station. 

We made the most of the warm sunny afternoon, sitting outside, enjoying the warm fresh air.  Gemma joined us too, safe on her harness and lead, she was very interested in all those noisy birds chirping away.

Staying at Taupo