Traveling Home, Ngongotaha and Turangi

Leaving Hamilton, our first stop on the way home was at the Ngongotaha NZMCA camp in Rotorua.

What a transformation this place has had since our last visit.  Gone is all the uneven concrete slabs from the original days of being run as sale yard.  The whole area has been resurfaced in nice clean gravel and the long driveway has been sealed.  We were most impressed with these improvements, the camp was looking very smart indeed.    There weren't too many vans staying overnight, so there was plenty of room.

Plenty of room at Ngongotaha

The meeting room had been extended with a covered in seating area, and a new building had also been erected at the rear.  This was built to house NZMCA’s #1 motorhome – which was originally owned by the Association’s founders, Andy and Gladys Anderson, and now restored to it’s former glory.  Read all about it here.

Extended meeting room with the newly built garage behind

We also spotted something different at the back of the camp.  Power boxes!  That’s certainly quite new for an NZMCA park.  Not sure if they are ready to go at this stage, but I’m sure they will be popular in the winter.  Cards will have to be purchased to access these power points.

One of several power boxes

Moving on the next morning, we drove through the Desert Road without a single glimpse of Mt Ruapehu, there was too much low cloud hanging around.  Our stop for the night was at Turangi Park, another NZMCA site available for members.

Staying at Turangi

It was quite breezy the following morning and the wind was doing a great job of blowing the NZMCA flag around.

Time to get moving again heading homewards, and we decided to stop at Flat Hills Café for lunch.  They do the most delicious hot roast meat sandwiches here, well worth a stop.

Flat Hills café

It was roast beef for Robin and I chose pork, very tasty indeed.  I had a chat to the owner as this café is a popular stop on the tourist bus route.  He told ne that the buses stopping are now only two a day, down from five, because of the lack of overseas tourists and back-packers.  So it seems that Covid is having an impact not only on hospitality outlets, but transport as well.  No doubt he was happy that we stopped at his establishment for lunch while we were on the way home.  On the wall I noticed a sign listing items dear to  Kiwi hearts.  Who doesn't love pavlova and hokey pokey ice-cream? 

Lunch at Flat Hills café

Continuing on our way we drove through Bulls, a quirky little town with statues of big black bulls dotted here and there.  Oh look, there’s one over there!  I’m sure the uninitiated would get a real fright catching a glimpse of one of these.

Traveling through Bulls

We made it home safe and sound, unpacked everything, until we do it all again………very soon.