Let the Journey Begin

Packing up from the caravan club Christmas Rally was the start of of our South Island adventure.  We called into home to drop off a few extra items we took away for the rally, and collected the Christmas ham, and a bag of gifts from the family – not to be opened till Christmas Day, were the strict instructions.  And I better not forget the big bag of books to swap as we travel around.  Travelling south we drove up the hill at Pukerua Bay to come to a stand still.  This is the site of a huge slip which had this road closed earlier for quite some time, and it looks like the work is still ongoing.

That’s a big clean-up job

It wasn’t too long till we arrived at the NZMCA Park at Plimmerton, our stop for the next two nights.  This is nice and handy for the Inter Island Ferry.  There were plenty of spaces available when we arrived in the early afternoon, and sure enough, a steady stream of rigs arrived during the afternoon.

Staying at Plimmerton

This is a great park, plenty of room here with water available, a dump station, and rubbish bins, all very necessary when travelling around.  Inside the members room is a nice big bookcase, for those who like to swap books.  That’s where my big bag of books ended up, and I found several more to take on my travels.  I really can’t cope with not having a handy book or two to get immersed in during the evenings.

Swap-a Book fun

Today was a spare day so we had time for a little drive around Plimmerton.  Plimmerton has its modern origins as a late 19th century seaside resort. It is named after John Plimmer, an English settler and entrepreneur who, through the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, helped to fund and direct construction of the railway line. Regular services began from 10 October 1885. With the railway's arrival, Plimmerton became accessible to holidaymakers, and evolved into a seaside resort.  Sections began to be sold in 1888 and by the late 1890s Plimmerton had become a popular holiday destination with 30 summer cottages, two private hotels and one general store.  The estimated population today is 2,180.

Plimmerton featured in my past too and I was delighted to take a photo of this large building in Steyne Street.  Way back in 1964 in a former life I lived here as a young bride with my new husband for several months, in one of the upstairs flats.  After all this time I wasn’t sure if the building would still be standing, and wondered if it may well have been demolished and something new built on the site.

A blast from the past

Plimmerton boasts a small beach,and a rocky fore shore.  Many of the sea front houses have been replaced by those of a much more modern design, although some of the older homes are still dotted about.

Plimmerton Coast

Just off the coast is Mana Island.  We have visited this island a couple of times in the past, and can remember being part of the Forest and Bird group planting young trees under instruction.  The steep-sided and flat-topped Mana Island Scientific Reserve is a distinctive feature of Wellington’s west coast. The 217 ha island lies only 2.5 km from the mainland at its closest point. Mana Island’s name is an abbreviation of Te Mana o Kupe ki Aotearoa. This acknowledges the achievements of Kupe, the legendary 12th century Polynesian navigator.  Mana Island’s potential for threatened species conservation was greatly enhanced in 1990 when mice were eradicated – they had been present in plague numbers. Fortunately, rats and other mammalian predators never established themselves here.

Mana Island

There will be no sleeping in for us  tomorrow morning, we will have to be up and away to drive into Wellington to the Ferry Terminal.  South Island, here we come!