Weekend Rally at Kai Iwi

 Kai Iwi Beach Holiday Park is a camp our club hadn't visited for a while, and the Camp Saver rates were certainly a bonus.  Five vans, two Birman cats and a dog were in attendance over the weekend.

Here we all are

Sue and Murray were the last to arrive, and certainly made a statement when they arrived towing their new van.  That's always exciting.  Everyone was very interested to see it.

Sue and  Murray's new van

The camp runs a fish and chip shop, so that was on the menu that evening.  I think we all indulged in Friday fish and chips for our meal.  Then there was the usual evening catch up - plenty of room in the lounge for our group.

Owen had arranged a visit to local car enthusiast Sandy's home to view his cars, and his brother Colin was there to help with questions as well.  This beauty, a 1952 De Soto, was in the driveway, all  bright and shiny and waiting to be admired.

1952 De Soto

Sandy wanted a sports car with a long bonnet but couldn't find a commercial option, so decided to build one himself.  No plans, it was all in his head, just waiting to be acted on, he said.  What a clever man, so talented and I'm sure not many people would be able to accomplish such a thing like this.  

Hand built shiny red long bonnet sports car

Another of Sandy's projects was to build a cannon.  This one can fire a cannon ball hundreds of feet, we were told.

Sandy's cannon

Time for lunch - but with the first choice closed up tight, we backtracked to Pukeko's Nest Cafe.  There was a group from a car club in attendance taking up a lot of tables,  but we managed to find a couple of tables for our group, and settled down to enjoy our lunch.  Soup was on the menu so that was my choice, and Robin enjoyed his bacon and egg sandwich 

Time for lunch

Driving back to camp to tool a slight detour, driving through the tiny Mowhanau Village down to the coast.

Although the estuary is pleasant, this is a rough and wild coast, with a sign telling of the dangers.  There was a tiny Life Savers hut perched on the cliff overlooking the beach.

The wild beach

At 4zees we had a very interesting talk from the camp host, telling us how he moved on from a high powered IT job advising Government Agencies to purchasing the lease on Kai Iwi motor camp.  He is enjoying the slower paced life and is active in the community on several committees.

It was quiz night on Saturday night, (guess who won) followed by Sue and Murray telling us about the highlights of their 3 month South Island trip.  Our final morning tea was enjoyed sitting in the sunshine, then it was time to pack up, hook up, and head away home.