Before we knew it, the last two days of the rally were here, and we drove down to Nga Manu Reserve to stay at the sanctuary. As we were traveling with our cat, we had to stay outside the sanctuary grounds because of the precious native birds inside – we were happy to follow the rules. The other motor homes parked up inside the gates in the large car park.
It was great to welcome Bill and Val to Nga Manu when they came to visit. They had put so much work into planning this three week rally, but sadly Bill broke his ankle just prior to the start, so they could not attend. But they made it for the last couple of days, nice and handy as they live close by. As it was Valentine's Day, Val handed around delicious chocolate hearts for us all to enjoy.
The sunshine had returned, and we spent the last day enjoying Morning Tea and Happy Hour in the sunshine. Most of us walked through the sanctuary to see what we could see, some of the birds were rather shy and elusive. But I managed to spot a tuatara sunning himself, this is our country’s own living fossil, and this species was around in the time of the dinosaurs. They can live up to 120 years.
Can you spot the tuatara?
Walking around the easy flat paths we met up with a couple of bee keepers. Yes, they have several hives here, they told me, although they are well away from the public paths. In these Covid times, they looked rather medical in their white hazard suits. And talking of Covid, these signs were everywhere.
Bee Keepers
I was keen to walk up to the lookout, and I’m pleased I managed to climb the stairs without too much trouble, just taking things slowly. The view from the top of the lookout was amazing, all that wonderful preserved forest in the sanctuary grounds, with suburbia not too far away.
From the lookout
We were all looking forward to the Farewell Dinner, catered by Relish of Waikanae. As there were minimal kitchen facilities available in the hall, the caterers brought in all the prepared food from their restaurant. And what a feast it was, hot ham, roast veggies, cold cuts and salads, followed by a selection of lovely desserts, no one went hungry, I’m sure.
Bill and Val selecting their mains, and dessert trays
After our meal it was time for a few speeches, starting with a few bloopers – and yes, people did get a small award for these. Such as the two couples who were a day late joining the rally, blissfully unaware of the date, and enjoying themselves camping somewhere completely different to the rest of us. And Buddy, who lost his drone while fishing off the beach at Opunake, not the first time this had happened either. Then it was time for thanks, and award chocolates to all those who had happily taking over the parking duties at each site, that was a big job with so many vans. Several people helped out when a couple of our members took sick, looking after them. And Buddy (he who lost the drone) got a special mention for all the repairs he happily did during out trip, fixing awnings, fridges, checking pipes, and these are only the jobs I happened to take note of, there were several more repairs done, as it turned out. A Buddy said, he was only too happy to help, and enjoys a challenge.
The following morning most got on their way quite smartly, we took our time as we were the closest to home. It certainly was a great three week rally, many thanks to Bill and Val for all their hard work and planning. We were happy to take over running the rally for them as they couldn't attend, although they were hard at work at the end of the telephone, sorting out the occasional problem which cropped up.
We received these coasters in our goody bags commemorating the Naki to Kapiti Rally. Showcasing Mt Taranaki (Egmont) on one, and Kapiti Island on the other. Beautifully done and such a nice memento of our trip.
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