Higgins Heritage Park

We did a convoluted drive yesterday, leaving the pretty alpine village of St Arnaud on the way to Wakefield.  The reason was that the nearest dump station was in Tapawera, very important as we were moving on, so that's where we headed first.  The drive was very pretty, up and down hills, and through forested areas.  The road was rather windy, so we just took our time driving along.  In fact, there was hardly any traffic at all, we noticed.

Hop growing is a big part of the local economy, and we passed plenty of these vines growing up the supports.  As every beer drinker knows, hops are an important part of the beer brewing process.  I presumed that this large building was a hop processing plant, but no, hops are grown inside under cover.

Growing hops, outside and under cover

We had previously stayed at Tapawera on a farm POP, travelling with three other vans on tour and I remember being encouraged to milk a goat.  Which I did rather tentatively, concerned that the goat would take exception and would kick me.  Our hostess gave us some goat milk to take with us when we left.  Here is that significant picture from all those years ago of my fumbling efforts!  Ten years younger and not quite so grey.

A younger version of me

There have been a lot of changes to the small town since our last visit back in 2012.  Gold was discovered in the 1860s but it was such a small amount that no one made their fortune.   Tobacco was grown in the Nelson-Motueka area from the 1840s and provided jobs and wealth to the district for over 70 years until demand reduced, pushing growers to switch to other crops such as fruit.  Tapawera currently produces blackcurrants, berries and hops, as well as farming dairy, beef and sheep.

Moving on, we made our way to Wakefield, close to Nelson for our next stop.  The traffic was definitely getting busier as we drove along.  90km later we arrived at Higgins Heritage Park, our stop for the next two nights.  This POP (park over property) has a large grassed area for parking, water and toilets available and a bargain at $5.00 per night.  Once again, we are camping on our own.

Here we are, on our own again

Higgins Heritage Park has a series of large buildings, housing specialist collections.  It runs a series of Open Days and it appears that in-between times, club members come and work in their own areas – a bit like a giant Menz Shed it seems.

Just some of the many sheds on site

From the Wahine which sunk 10th April 1968

Plenty to see

Gemma and Robin resting after a big day