ICA Rally - Time to Test those Brains

It was fun and games in the hall at Wharehuia the other night when we presented a couple of challenges to the ICA members to test their brain power.  First up was “Quotable Quotes”, a quiz to see who could remember who said what.  Quotes and one-liners from famous people and film and TV characters as well.  The quiz provided the name of the person making the quote, and the answer was the quote itself.  Such as “Rhett Butler”, the answer was “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn”.  President Trump’s quotes were a case of take your pick, with any answer from Fake News/Stop the Steal/Fight like Hell, and many more.  All good fun, and as expected, some couples could recall more than others.  The winners were Ashley and Merice with 22 correct, closely followed by the three person team of Buddy, Jeanette, and David M who got 20 correct.  Well done all.

Then everyone was given a sheet of newspaper and the challenge was to rip out the shape of an elephant, but to do this with your hands behind your back!  Not at all easy, and the expressions on everyone’s face as they did this task was priceless.  Some shapes didn’t end up looking like an elephant at all, in fact, Glenys produced something which looked rather like the shape of Australia.  David M was declared  the eventual winner.  Many thanks for everyone for taking part so good naturedly. 

Busy concentrating and counting 4 legs, 1 trunk, 1 tail, head, tummy

The following night we had a very entertaining talk from Ashley who regaled us with tales of his work of 40 years as an ambulance officer.  Joining Wellington Free Ambulance in 1964 as a volunteer, he became a permanent staff member in 1967. The Lower Hutt Ambulance  Service brought the first  defibrillators into the country, what a game changer that must have been.  Ashley went on to do cardiac arrest training, then did medical training up to intern level, which required recertification every three years.

All ambulances, together with police, army, small boat owners, and civilian volunteers  all helped in the rescue efforts on that dreadful day, 10th April 1968, when the  Lyttleton–Wellington ferry Wahine floundered on Barret’s Reef.  This was  New Zealand’s worst modern maritime disaster, and fifty-one people lost their lives that day.  Ashley related his memories of working in the atrocious weather during that dreadful day and into the evening, dealing with the injured, and helping to pull the dead from the water, first at Seatoun then around the coast at Eastbourne.  The storm had left devastation everywhere, the coast road in particular was in ruins, trees and debris making access so very difficult, together with the lack of equipment and manpower.  A day never forgotten, but a few kindness remembered.  Ashley gratefully accepted hot soup while chilled to the bone, and petrol stations eagerly refilled the ambulance fuel tanks without looking for payment so they could continue collecting the injured and ferrying them to hospital.

Thank you Ashley

The weather has turned wet and cold, just right to keep warm inside the van and read “Pick and Shovel to Caravans” by Claude Hurst.  This was loaned to us by member Val, she and her sister Desma were daughters of Claude, who with his brother Reg were instrumental in caravan production in New Zealand.  The brothers started their working lives as roading contractors, and then decided to make a few caravans as a hobby.  Then moving on to full time production, becoming NZ’s leading caravan manufacturers at the time, Classic Caravans of Levin.

An interesting read

The Great Kiwi Pub Crawl – Pub No 1

Some time ago we purchased the book “The Great Kiwi Pub Crawl” and thought it would be just the thing to add to my reference books in the caravan.  This book tells the story of 50 iconic kiwi pubs which all have interesting stories to tell.

We are staying in Riverhead, Auckland, for the weekend, and remembered that the local pub was featured in our book.  So this is the first story relating to our own personal pub crawl – “The Riverhead”.

At 153 years old, The Riverhead is thought to be New Zealand’s oldest riverside tavern and holds New Zealand’s second oldest liquor license and remains fully New Zealand owned. Nestled on the shores of the upper Waitemata, The Riverhead is steeped in local history and played a part in the development of early New Zealand, with thousands using the wharf and hotel as the gateway to lands in the north prior to the completion of roads and railway.  Built in about 1870 by Thomas and Eliza Deacon, it was well known as a haven for weary travelers as they rested before continuing on their journeys.  It was also a meeting place for gum diggers and traders.

There are many stories – such as a man falling off the wharf many years ago and being sucked into the mud below, what a terrible way to end your life.  But that ooey gooey mud had other uses too, as once upon a time it was used to hide barrels of booze from the excise man.  Attempted murders, a suicide, and even a supposed ghost of a former publican who wanders the pub, there is history galore in this old building.

Current owners Paula and Stephen Pepperell bought the run down pub from the Head Hunters Motorcycle Club.  During this time it was a forbidding place to enter, full of violence,  and was regularly raided by the police.  But hard work and refurbishment over the next few years have turned in into such a trendy establishment that the former Head Hunter cliental would not want to step back over the threshold.  A sign at the door reminds patrons to remove their dirty boots.  The public bar is blokey and masculine with large pool tables, bar stools, stories of local heros on the walls and bits of rusty old tools as decoration.

Public Bar

We walked through to  “The Landing” bar and restaurant and settled down to enjoy a drink looking out over the muddy Waitemata.  Later a walk through the doors took us down onto a large deck surrounded by 100 year oak trees.  It was such a lovely peaceful setting.

View from the deck

We asked if it was possible to speak to the owner Paula about their pub being in our book, and were delighted when she came to meet us.  She was interested to learn that this was the first pub from the book we had visited, and graciously signed our book, “Great to see you here, best of luck with your travels”.

Paula writing a message in our book

So that’s one pub ticked off on our pub crawl, and forty nine to go.  And I’m not even a beer drinker – it’s lucky that Robin is.

Awastone to Taupo

The caravan sites at Awastone Camp had dried out considerably overnight – most of the puddles had disappeared.  With the Rangitikei River racing along, and the towering cliffs as a backdrop, this is a very scenic spot indeed.

View from our camp site

There was time for a walk around the campgrounds in the morning, taking a few extra photos, and disposing of the rubbish.  The side view of the bridge makes it look much higher than when we drove over it the previous day.

And here are our vans – must be almost time to start packing up, winding up the steadies, hitching up, and on our way again.

Back over the bridge we drove, and turned back on to SH1.  We hadn’t traveled very far at all when we spotted a train in the distance.  The engine was pulling just a few freight wagons, followed by a long, long line of empty wagons.

Freight train at Mangaweka

There seemed to be an awful lot of road works being done along the very busy Desert Road.  Men with Stop signs held up long lines of traffic, while workmen were busily attending to their business on the side of the road.  Would I see the mountain clearly today, I wondered?  No - coming into Waiouru Mt Ruapehu was well hidden under the low clouds.

Mt Ruapehu is under the clouds

After a drive of 160km we arrived at our destination for the night, thee NZMCA site at Taupo Airport.  We have stayed here many times, and it is a handy stop on the way north.  There is water available, and some of those very important rubbish bins, plus a swap-a-book shelf for keen readers like me.  Geoff and Eileen arrived not too long after us.  And who should we find in residence, none other than Harry and Lorraine from the Wairarapa Caravan Club – so of course we had a catch up with them. 

Arrived safe and sound at Taupo

After a late lunch we drove down town to buy a few necessary items.  And top of the list was to take our new NZMCA Travel Directory into a stationery shop to get it spiral bound and a clear plastic cover front and back.  What a difference this makes to such a well used book as we travel around the country.

All ready for many kms of travel

Another great book for our Travels

With the chance to cash up some loyalty points recently, we decided on a New Zealand book to enhance our travels around our beautiful country.  It arrived speedily via a courier, and here it is, “The Great Kiwi Pub Crawl” and will join the other travel books in our caravan

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In the interests of full disclosure, I really have to say that I am not really a pub girl at all – much preferring a latte at a trendy café.  Robin went to his share of pubs in his young single days, and these days we only seem to go to the local establishments to have a meal.  Although both my parents worked in hotels in their later working lives, the pub gene passed me by – but you don’t need alcohol to have a good time, do you?

So why buy a Kiwi pub book – you may well be wondering?  Because the historic pubs featured all have tales to tell, so it might be nice to soak up the atmosphere, find out a little more of the history attached to these watering holes.  We really want to go and see “Ted’s Bottle” at the Waihao Forks Hotel, left behind by Ted d’Auvergne as he went off to war.  And to check out again the tiny Vulcan Hotel in St Bathans – last time we passed by we took our drinks outside at sat in the sunshine.  Robin would no doubt have a beer on the Great Kiwi Pub Crawl, while I would make do with that other great Kiwi drink, L&P, if the pub in question didn’t serve coffee.

We’ll let you know how we get on with The Great Kiwi Pub Crawl – it may well take some time to achieve.

Back on the Treadmill

With peaceful January now  just a distant memory, the month of February has arrived and our calenders are filling up fast.  Clubs have reopened after the Christmas/New Year hiatus, and with them, committee meetings.  So we are back on the treadmill again.  Today we attended our Probus group, and it was good to see such a big crowd in the hall for the first meeting of the year.

Our speaker was Linda Fletcher who spoke about her trip to honour the soldiers and nurses of WW1.  Linda and her fellow travellers to Gallipolli and nearby places were gifted the nurses uniforms used in the four part TV series Anzac Girls.  These were altered to fit, and the worn at various cemeteries and places of interest on their tour. 

Piped along the beach while dressed in WW1 nurses uniforms

Linda Fletcher has long had an interest in this part of history and has recently researched and written a book which identifies all the casualties named on Horowhenua War Memorials.  “Horowhenua and the Great War 1914-1918” details the lives and deaths of 188 men from the district who died in World War I, telling their stories through letters from the front and obituaries printed in newspapers.

Linda Fletcher’s book

We enjoyed our club meeting this morning, and meeting up with members not seen for a while.  But our aim this year is to take longer trips away in the caravan for weeks on end, and hopefully overseas for a trip or two, while we are both still fit and healthy.  Something has to give, and after quite some thought, we have decided to both give up our respective committees when the AGMs roll around shortly.  That will give some relief from the feeling we were on a never-ending treadmill and we can plan our trips away without having to rush back in time for yet another committee meeting.

Bunny Rabbit for Dinner

Friend and neighbour Bruce, also known as “The Great White Hunter”, likes to range on them thar hills with his rifle slung over his shoulder.  He quietly tracks an elusive deer or two, and carries them out of the bush to be butchered and prepared into tasty treats.  Bruce also despatches rabbits when he gets the chance, doing his bit to rid the country of this scourge.  These little bunnies may well look cute and cuddly, but here in New Zealand they are considered a pest.  Rabbits were introduced to New Zealand in the 19th century for food and sport, but without any natural predators they soon became uncontrollable, reaching plague proportions in some areas.  Rabbits have cost New Zealand many millions of dollars, through the direct cost of controlling them, and the loss of production from farms.

Bruce presented us with a pack of venison sausages and a rabbit a while ago.  “I’ve given you a nice young one”, he told us.  The venison sausages were soon eaten, but the rabbit was hidden away in the freezer.  What to do with it – that was the question, I’ve never cooked rabbit before.  Luckily Bruce’s lovely wife Julie loaned me her NZ Game cookbook to give me some ideas.

Long slow cooking seemed to be the best way with rabbit, so I duly prepared a rabbit, bacon and mushroom casserole.  Mmm, it smelt great, but what will it taste like?  Not too bad at all, we decided.  Just as well we were not feeding a large family, as there is not a great deal of meat on a young bunny carcass.  But well enough for a meal for two.  Thanks very much, Bruce and Julie.

Rabbit casserole

Robin has also done some rabbit shooting in his day.  As a High School lad, he would range far and wide around the hills, taking home dressed rabbits which his Mother would duly cook up for a family feast.  Those were the days. 

Gypsy Boy

It’s no secret that I love a good read, and on the recommendation of keepinglifenomadic.blogspot.com I went to our local library to find the book Gypsy Boy, written by Mikey Walsh.  I’ve always been rather pleased of my own gypsy heritage, rather like the Aussies who can claim a convict in their ancestry, I expect.  My great, great, great Grandfather Robert Beresford was a gypsy, and I can just imagine this dark handsome stranger sweeping my G,G,G, Grandmother off her feet. This must be why we have a caravan and why I love travelling!!

 

The book tells of a life of violence where young boys must uphold the family honour by taking part in bare knuckle fighting.  The author relates how his father started training him from a very young age, disregarding that the boy had no interest or aptitude in fighting.  Beatings and cruelty were commonplace, and eventually young Mikey sneaks away from home as a teenager when he discovers he is gay.  This dishonours his father, who tries to track him down to kill him. 

As well as finding the violence against the gypsy women and children so shocking, I was dismayed at the attitude the gypsies had towards the rest of the population - people they call Gorgies.  Stealing, doing shoddy “fly-by-night” workmanship, and ripping off elderly people in particular is considered normal and how they make a living.   As a law-abiding person who is upset by the thought of any dishonesty, my Romany genes are obviously well diluted by now, and I  found the book all rather disturbing.  I’m presuming that my Romany ancestor left the gypsy life when he married as I have not come across anything to dispute this, so perhaps it is easier for a man to leave the fold than a woman.  Or maybe he was shunned once he left.  Wonder how I would ever find out?  Perhaps someone in the wider family who is working on the family tree will be able to fill in the gaps.

An addition to our travel library

We have a couple of handy reference books which we regularly delve in to when we travel around our great country.  And now we have added another one to make our travels even more interesting.  It is called “Museums to visit in New Zealand”, by Alison Dench, and lists 150 public and private museums.  The museums are grouped into 13 provinces, from Northland to the deep South.  Big city museums are listed as well as small provincial ones.  A quick flick through the local ones show that we have visited all but a couple of them, so we will have to put these on our list of things to do while we are at home.

The listing for each entry book tells how to get there, what each museum has on show, and even where to go for coffee after your visit.    There is a museum dedicated to butchery, another to taxidermy, one showcasing lace, and especially  for the men folk, a collection of 13000 beer cans.  Truly something for all tastes.  The author goes on to add that there are over 400 museums throughout New Zealand, and many of them are listed on the website of the National Museum of New Zealand.  We are sure to get a lot of use out of our new book on future travels. 

Scouting Memories

Robin was a boy scout many years ago at the Westown Scout Group when he was growing up in New Plymouth, and rekindled some of those memories yesterday, thanks to his scouting buddy Gary.  The post man delivered a BIG parcel from Gary yesterday and inside was the book “100 years of Scouting Memories – Scouting New Plymouth and North Taranaki”.

He spent a happy afternoon on the back deck engrossed in the book.  Robin, Gary and another friend John attended the scouting movement from cubs right through to Scouts.  He smiled over photos showing the three of them in their Scout Troop all dressed up in their uniforms with the scarf and woggle around their necks. 

The three friends  travelled to many Troup Camps and District Camps together, including one memorable 10 day Otago Jamboree right down in Waiora, Dunedin in 1962. This involved a train ride from New Plymouth to Wellington, going across on the Inter Island Ferry to Christchurch, and boarding another train to travel down to Waiora.  Imagine this trip with 1100 excited, mischievous and noisy youngsters.  He tells of a legendary pillow fight taking place on the way home on the last stage of the journey when there were only Taranaki boys remaining on the train which left the carriage looking like a snow storm had hit!  

That was the life – childhood friends together all having fun.  And learning valuable life skills along the way.  It’s good to have these happy childhood memories.

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What World Cup?

It would be true to say that Robin is only mildly interested in the World Cup football games taking place in South Africa. He will be taking an interest in the New Zealand team, and will no doubt watch the occasional game. He will certainly wish the All Whites well, and hope they play their very best. After all, the hopes of the football fans of whole country are over there with them.

Robin is a rugby fan through and through, and this is the game he is closely attuned to. He played rugby as a boy, with none of this sissy stuff such as wearing rugby boots. The boys are tough in Taranaki, and his primary school team used to play barefoot. When he came down to Wellington as a young man he joined the prestigious Petone Club and spent several seasons with them. Give him a rugby game to watch on TV, and he is happily occupied for hours. Provincial games are good to watch, but the mighty All Blacks are better. The team played Ireland last weekend in New Plymouth and won their first game convincingly. Rugby is in the blood, you know, and part of the Kiwi psyche. Robin is currently enjoying reading about the playing career of the legendary Colin Meads.