Let’s go a day early to Wanganui for our caravan club rally, we decided, so off we went on Thursday morning. We stopped briefly on the roadside at Turakina for Robin to check on something in the van, and look, that’s us in the mirror o the road, fancy that!
Stopped at Turakina
The trip up was rather windy, and we made our way to the Wanganui East Club, our venue for the evening, and we settled down for a late lunch. Then we discovered that we had forgotten to pack a very essential item, our WIFI router – that was a first for us. Bill and Val arrived later in the afternoon, and we spent a good time having a great chin wag. No other vans arrived during the afternoon, so we were the only people staying here overnight.
Staying at Wanganui East Club for the night
We had booked in to the club’s restaurant for dinner, and the eternal question was, what to choose? A dozen battered oysters certainly got my attention, but at $75.00 or so they remained wishful thinking. Our second choice of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, was much better value and very tasty indeed.
Dining at the club
The wind gusts rocked us to sleep and the sound of shunting engines woke us in the morning. What shocking news we found out on Friday morning. A tornado had wrought a trail of damage through our hometown of Levin at 6.30am ripping off roofs, uprooting trees, blowing over fences and sheds and throwing trampolines around. Some streets were closed, and several schools were also closed while they were assessed for damage. A quick call to friends in our village reassured us that our home and archgola had not sustained any damage, but scarily the tornado had come within a few streets of us.
Arriving at Whanganui Seaside Holiday Park it was easy to see that the heavy rain had left the ground sodden and full of puddles as we squelched around. After a bit of tooing and froing we tried to dodge the rain as caravans were maneuvered onto sites, legs wound down, power plugged in we settled down for the weekend rally. Our group was accommodated in two close areas, separated by a hedge.
At the motor camp
The camp has a large dining room available for us to use for our 4zees and morning teas. In the warmer months there is patio seating outdoors, and a small pool for those brave enough to want to squeeze into their swimming costumes and take the plunge. We sung Happy Birthday to Owen on Saturday morning, many thanks for the birthday goodies for morning tea, it was much appreciated.
Owen had arranged for us to have dinner that night at the Castlecliff Club, and the club shuttle bus came and collected us for a very reasonable cost indeed, that certainly saved us from driving down. We decided on bacon, eggs, and sausage for Robin, and battered fish for me.
Dining out again
There was a lot happening at our final morning tea on Sunday. Owen had recently purchased a compressor for his tires and was keen to show us all. Nice and neat and packs away in a sturdy case, ready to be brought into action if needed. As it turns out, a couple of members also have one of these, so our group should be fine in case all our tires get let down.
Owen’s new toy
Also on show at morning tea was a wonderful painting. Owen had commissioned Sue to do a painting of his shiny black Zodiac classic car, and she had done a marvelous job. Helen and Owen have just the place to hang the painting at home, they assured us.
Well done, Sue
We said our goodbyes and headed for home. It was still rather windy and we were caught by several sharp gusts of wind as we travelled, but made it home safely, thank goodness. What a weekend it had been as far as the weather was concerned, wind gusts, rain, and that nasty little tornado here in Levin which damaged quite a few homes. It was a relief to arrive home and double check that our property didn't sustain any damage.
On another note last week a small group of Committee members and spouses called in to see Selwyn and Cath at their home for afternoon tea, and a very special presentation. Our President Owen presented Selwyn and Cath with a Life Membership certificate to the Heretaunga Caravan Club, in recognition for their long, loyal service to our club. This was a complete surprise to Selwyn, who had no idea this was coming, Cath knew but managed to keep it a secret.
Congratulations, Selwyn and Cath
3 comments:
I did wonder if you were affected by the tornado, it must have been terribly frightening for those affected. Pleasedtoear you escaped it all
I’m very late in reading your post. You were so lucky to not have received any damage to your home. Despite the weather, it sounds like you had a very enjoyable weekend.
Jenny, that last anonymous comment was me. Blast this new Google setup!
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