Coach House Museum

Our weekend was spent at a caravan rally in the grounds of the Coach House Museum in Feilding.  As with a lot of collections, there was some overflow items displayed outside.  Such as this huge contraption on the grass behind our caravan.  What on earth was it, I wondered?

In the museum carpark for the weekend

Seems this was a stationary thresher, manufactured in USA, and known as the Tin Mill.  Used for threshing wheat, oats and barley, it was towed from farm to farm by a traction engine and powered with a long belt.  This monster needed 9 or more men to work the machine.

Tin Mill Threshing Machine

Inside the museum was a treasure trove of all thing to do with farming and agriculture.  A grand selection of carriages, gigs, carts, plows, all sorts of horse drawn implements.  Even a few early cars which would have been the envy of all in the area at the time.   Shearing, milking, and blacksmith tools, and a great array of John Deere tractors.

Gigs and carts

From the sheep’s back, wool bales

Four motor homes and four caravans spent the weekend in the museum carpark, and it was great to welcome prospective members Helen and Stuart.  There was plenty of room for our group, as well as many spare car parks available for visitors to the museum.

Another visit was arranged for us, this time to the beautiful Bloomsberry Cottage, built in 1877, just three years after the town of Feilding was founded.

Bloomsberry Cottage

This has been a labour of love for the current owners, painting, renovating, and transforming the house and huge garden.  The lady of the house gave us a tour through her home, downstairs first then up the beautifully carved kauri staircase.  Kauri trees do not grow this far south, so all the timber was  transported from Northland by boat then overland from Foxton by bullock cart.

Kauri staircase

Garden views

We had a very pleasant weekend indeed.  Some went to visit the Kimbolton Country Fair, and we stayed behind and caught up with the grand-daughters and their dad.  Our first time rally attendees went exploring the area on their electric bikes.  There were 4zees and morning teas as usual, nice sunny weather and plenty of time to catch up with each other’s news since the previous rally.  All good fun indeed!