First Days at Combined Rally at Takapau

 It was a lovely day when we were all packed up and ready to leave on our next caravan adventure.

Getting ready to get on the road

Our caravan club had organised a combined rally at Takapau with the Wairarapa Caravan Club.  Four of us arrived a day early, just because we could, to find the camp chocker with Jayco caravans and motorhomes - they were having a roving rally and were moving out the following morning.

The two of us arrived a day early

The Jayco group moved out bright and early the following morning.  Robin and Owen sat out in the morning sun on the recently vacated grass waiting for their morning tea to be delivered.

Patiently waiting

Over the course of the day, caravans arrived and slotted into place.  The club flags were raised, and the weekend rally started.

Combined rally at Takapau

The outgoing caretaker had us intrigued when she wheeled her Lilac Birman cat out in a pet stroller.  We had never seen such a thing, but the cat seemed very content to sit back and be wheeled around.

Happy cat, happy owner

On Saturday evening we all met up in the dining room and ate our meals together, followed by shared desserts.  This is always fun, all sorts of desserts arrived, from ice-cream, trifles, chocolate balls, sticky date pudding, and much more.  Something for all tastes and no one went hungry, I'm sure.

Dining together

Back in Blenheim

Here we are, back in Blenheim again.  Before we left, our  Sunday morning started with a cooked breakfast, must admit that we haven't had one of these for a while.  Bacon, egg, tomato and a little black pudding, cooked by Robin, certainly was a great start to the day.

Nothing beats a Sunday Breakfast

It was a beautiful morning and promised to go on to be a rather hot day as we said goodbye to Kaikoura and set up along SH1.  The Seaward Kaikoura Range was looking crisp and clear in the morning sunshine, I must admit I rather like the South Island mountains.

Mountain range in the distance

Driving along the now repaired coastal highway, we reflected on how it was during our last trip to the South island when the road was still being repaired after the 2016 Kaikoura Earthquake.  This tore through fault lines, demolishing houses, ripping up roads and railway lines and causing massive landslides.  Kaikoura was cut off and isolated.  1700 engineers and workers toiled for over a year before Kaikoura was finally reconnected.  Two years later on  our South Island trip in 2018 we remember how the road on the hill side was lined with long lines of containers to keep further rock fall at bay, so work was still ongoing then.  There was not a container in sight this time as we drove along. 

Blenheim is a prime wine growing area and 30km out from the town the first few vineyards started popping up beside the road, nothing major, just a few paddocks here and there.  The closer go to Blenheim, the more we saw.  Just across the road from where we were staying there were rows of grapevines everywhere.

Just across the road from our CAP

On this return trip to Blenheim we decided to stay somewhere different, and booked in at Reta Tuckerman’s CAP (charges apply parking).  We had heard of this place, but had never stayed here before.  We parked up in a nice grassy area, very reasonable at $5 a night per van, and very close to town.  Power sites ($15) are along the fence line, but we decided we didn't need power in such glorious weather, so parked on the other side.  It was not too crowded so there was plenty of room.

Our site at Blenheim

Gemma wasn’t the only cat in camp, there were two others.  A white cat with black markings was nicely behaved on his harness and lead.  And the van next to us had a “catio”, I had only ever seen this before on an American blog, so went to check it out.  The older tabby cat enjoying the fresh air in safely has only recently been caravanning and hated the harness and lead.  So the owners decided that the catio was a great idea for their cat, and made one themselves which hooks on to the side of their motorhome.  The cat is free to hop in and out of the motorhome through the window, and really enjoys his room with a view, I was told.

Puss in the catio

Last time we were in Blenheim, goodness me, that was back in mid December, we discovered Burleigh Gourmet Pies.  Gourmet means expensive, Robin always says.  So we popped back to stock up on frozen pies, two creamy chicken and leek, and two steak and bacon.  They will be handy for future meals.  Plus two fresh pork belly pies for lunch, one of their top sellers.

Getting a pie fix

After two very hot days in Blenheim it was time to move on again, this time back to Koromiko just out of Picton for our ferry trip on Thursday, all going well.  Both ferry companies are having problems, so we have our fingers and toes crossed our sailing goes ahead as planned.

Christmas in Kiwitea

It was nice to spent Christmas with the family this year, in rural Kiwitea, just north of Feilding.  We took the caravan up to Nicky and Robert’s smallholding, and with a bit of manouvering the caravan as tucked in behind the house. 

On the farm for Christmas

Grand-daughter Emma loves Christmas so knocked on the caravan door door  bright and early on Christmas morning.  This family always have a Christmas tradition of hot croissants with ham and cheese for breakfast,  delicious indeed, so much so that we have borrowed their tradition when we have Christmas on our own.  Then came the presents, and what a stack there were.  We ended up with a whole pile too.

Christmas presents galore

Robert has just been made “Master of the Hunt” and was thrilled with his gift of a new bridle in the club colours, and the plaque attached with his title. 

Robert, Master of the Hunt

Dog Noodle was thrilled with his gift too.  Every year he gets a pink plastic pig toy and one squeak from the parcel was enough to get him excited with anticipation, and he could hardly contain himself.   There wasn't much left of piggy by the end of the day, but he certainly had fun.

Well and truly destroyed

Christmas lunch was a feast of BBQ chicken, glazed ham, salads, yummy desserts and a glass or two of bubbly, eaten picnic style outside under the shade of the gazebo.  The girl’s boyfriends were there too, so it was nice to get to know them a bit better.  Also invited were some neighbors who live alone, so it was quite a lively bunch.  We were fit to bursting after lunch and I must admit to a nana nap in the afternoon.

Poor Gemma was traumatized by the household cats.  The older cat PK (Psycho Killer) had gone missing for several months and only just returned home.  Meanwhile, the family had just acquired a young kitten, so both of the felines were rather put out with each other.  And then, we arrived with Gemma in the caravan, so there was a bit of hissing going on and Gemma couldn’t cope with this at all. We decided that it would be better for Gemma, and our peace of mind, if we kept her in the caravan, well away from the other two cats.  But that didn’t stop them from coming to the door, ready and willing to sort out this townie cat who dared to enter their patch.

PK on the caravan doorstop

Life on a farm doesn't stop jest because it is Christmas.  Thee were chickens to feed, so I went to help with that.  We could hear the chickens clucking away behind the trees in their chicken yard, quite a soothing sound, really.

Daughter Nicky with one of her chooks

Robert went to collect two steers to fatten up on Boxing Day.  And there was baleage to deal with, holidays or not.  It was mowed today and will be baled and wrapped tomorrow.

Hard at work in the hot sun

We had a lovely time here in Kiwitea, eating our meals on the picnic table under the gazebo, enjoying the warm sunny weather, and generally relaxing with the family.  It’s almost time to move on, where to next, I wonder?

Moving on to Napier

It was time to continue on our safari,  stopping off at the lookout to bid the mountains goodbye

.

Looking over Lake Taupo

Then we traveled along SH5, the Napier-Taupo road, 262 kms in length, with signs warning of no petrol/diesel available along this route.  But we did notice a couple of areas where you could stop to plug in your hybrid car, should you be driving one of these.  As we drove along the scenery changed from farmland, to forestry, to native bush, with plenty of hills along the way.

Along the Napier-Taupo road

Eventually we arrived at the Hawkes Bay region, and drove along the very pretty Esk Valley.  This is a very productive area, and planted with many grape vines and fruit trees.

Our plans were to stay the next three nights at the NZMCA camp at Napier.  How busy would it be, we wondered, after all, it is peak holiday time.  But this is a large site, with plenty of room, so we had no trouble at all finding room for our four caravans and one motorhome.

 

Now at Napier

Napier really turned the weather on – hot and sunny and approaching 30 degrees!  Luckily we had put our van beside Geoff’s and had our two awnings facing together to give us some shade.  We were a day late with our Sunday bacon and eggs for breakfast, but it tasted just as good on Monday morning, cooked on the BBQ.

Can you smell the bacon cooking?

And then the weather changed dramatically, heavy torrential rain, with thunder and lightning to boot!  We all seemed to have things to do during our time here, rellies to visit, off to find a laundromat, then a supermarket.  Gemma settled down well, as she usually does, making herself at home.  If she’s not at the front window, she is found curled up on the bed, or then again, she rather enjoys sitting on the vanity looking out the bathroom window.  Whatever takes her fancy, it seems.

Gemma in the caravan

Friends Andrew and Debbie, whom we caught up with in Taupo, were also staying at Napier.  Come and take photos of the babies, we were told.  So we did.  Van and Beau are Ragdoll kittens, so soft and sweet, and just getting into the caravanning life.

Sleepy Van and Andrew with Beau

Safe on their leads, the kittens then went exploring.  Lots to see, sniff at, and investigate around the hedge line.

Two little Ragdolls

Tomorrow we will be moving on again, not too far this time, to a POP just south of Hastings.  This will be a new place to all of our group, and sounds and exciting place to stay.  More later……

Adventures in Taupo

Our safari numbers have now dropped to four caravans and one motorhome as people left us to continue on with their plans.  Leaving Piriaka we traveled along SH41 and came across a sign for the Waituhi Lookout.  Up, up the narrow, winding, overgrown road we drove, towing our big van behind us, hoping we wouldn't meet another vehicle coming down, almost driving blind as we couldn’t see round each corner.  Arriving at last at the top, a tiny area open to just a small number of freedom campers, with a tower to climb to see the view.  The view was beautiful, native forest as far as the eye could see, with mountains in the distance.  But we wouldn't recommend driving up to the Lookout with a big rig, it was a rather hair raising experience.

View from the Waituhi Lookout

We were staying at Taupo Airport NZMCA site for the next two nights, always a favourite of ours.  It was lovely to find out that friends Andrew and Debbie were also staying here – they are now the proud owners of two cute little Rag Doll kittens.  So we had plenty to talk about, but sadly, omitted to take any baby photos.  However, there was another blue point Rag Doll cat camping a few vans away, this one was two years old, the same age as our Gemma but so much bigger, and goes on holiday with a fifteen year old Border Collie.

Nearby neighbours

We had quite an adventure today when we went to find the Kaimanawa Wall, quite a drive up the Napier-Taupo Road, turning into a pine plantation, and then driving through native forest onto Clements Mill Road.  No cell phone coverage up there, (let’s hope nothing goes wrong) but the native forest was stunning.  The GPS told us when we finally arrived, but where was this mystery wall ?  Perhaps by that green sign we drove past?

Clements Mill Road

We found a clearing to turn the cars around, and settled down in the sunshine for morning tea.  The manuka trees were in full bloom, and the area was buzzing with bees.  I’m sure some enterprising beekeepers have hives placed in this area to take advantage of the manuka.  Robin placed his camera on the table, set the timer, and rushed back to his seat in the nick of time before the shutter went off.

Helen, Owen, Jenny, Robin, Dot, Pamela, and Don

Then it was back into the cars again to see the fabled Kaimanawa Wall.  According to the Dept. of Conservation sign, “the rock formation has been scientifically established to be part of a large Ignimbrite  outcrop formed about 330,000 years ago”.  Some sceptics believe that the stone wall is man made, constructed by people about 2000 years ago, who pre-date the Maori population.  The stones consist of ignimbrite, a type of rock that results when pyroclastic pumice solidifies after a volcanic blast. The structure seems to bear the hallmarks of a deliberate construction with neat rows of stacked blocks. Precision joints and surfaces appear carved or sculpted. The most heated area of contention about the wall is its age. If someone built the formation around 2000 years ago, then a mysterious group of people must have settled New Zealand before the first Maori – however, we believe the scientific explanation.  This was certainly very interesting to see, and it certainly did look like cut blocks of stone stacked together.  I’m pleased we made the effort to travel out to see it.

Kaimanawa Wall

On the drive back there was another attraction we had read about and wanted to see.   At the Opepe Bush Historic Reserve there is a tiny cemetery which tells the story of a surprise attack in 1869 by Te Kooti  on 14 members of the Bay of Plenty Cavalry camping in this area.  The attack left nine British soldiers dead, and their bodies are buried in the cemetery.  There are four graves in this tiny cemetery, and another tucked away nearby.  This was a piece of New Zealand history which we were unaware of.

Opepe Bush Historic Reserve

Back at camp for a late lunch and a bit of R&R watching the never ending stream of people jumping out of airplanes and floating down to earth overhead.

 

Tandem Sky Dives

Gemma couldn’t care less about all this drama, and tucked herself away under our outdoors step.  Much better, now those people falling out of the sky wont be falling on her!

Gemma knows she is safe and sound

Udys on Anders

That’s an interesting name for a CAP (Charges Apply Parking) and we stayed there over the weekend. There was one permanent van  parked in the corner, and we had the rest of the area to ourselves.  Robin had a couple of back to back meetings to attend, so spending some R&R time in the caravan negated the need for those long drives to and fro over the weekend.  How about this for a lovely peaceful setting, and being on the outskirts of Palmy, not too far to drive to those meetings.

Plenty of room for us

We left the van and Gemma behind on Friday afternoon and drove to town to collect a few groceries, and on the way back to camp had a a minor accident while waiting for the lights to change.  No, it wasn’t our fault, thank goodness, the car behind us failed to stop and ran into our tow ball.  So you can imagine who came off worse.  The young man was most apologetic, but worried about how he could afford to get his car fixed – no insurance, it seems.  Our tow ball didn’t suffer any damage.

Robin left for his in the early evening “dinner meeting”  while I stayed behind with Gemma.  She enjoyed a walk across the paddock, excitedly flushing out a few bugs and moths, which were duly pounced on, and having a good look around.  All at the end of her long lead, to keep her safely tethered.  We had seen a large Rag Doll cat patrolling the hedge  line earlier  in the day, so didn’t want any trouble with the neighbouring live stock.

The meeting continued on to Saturday morning.  There was plenty of birdlife pecking about for insects to keep Gemma amused.  She would dearly love to become “a great white hunter” and quivers with excitement when she spots birds outside.  Sorry Gemma, in your case it is look, but don’t touch.  However, when the bunny came calling she was curled up asleep.  They may look cute and fluffy, but rabbits are considered vermin in New Zealand.  They were introduced around the 1830s and have since competed with livestock for the best grasses and pasture. With no natural predators, they have been causing great damage to farmland, so have been hunted and poisoned to try and keep their numbers down.  

Where there is one, there is sure to be more

The rabbit and the resident chooks soon disappeared when the property owner got his blue tractor out and started the long task of cutting the grass.  That certainly kept him busy for quite some time.

Lawn mowing duties

We awoke to incessant rain on Sunday morning, thunder and lightning, and extreme weather warnings.   On the news we heard that the South Island was faring much worse, roads flooded, bridges washed away, towns cut off, and hundreds of tourists stranded.  Just as well we weren't on a South Island caravan holiday.  

It’s a rough old day out ther

Before traveling home we called around to see Yvonne, Gemma’s breeder,  and show her how Gemma was now she is grown up.  Yvonne told us Gemma had developed beautifully, and said she was a lovely Birman indeed, and true to type.  Then we were taken out to the cattery to see the newest arrivals.  This cute little baby seal point boy is a half brother to our Gemma, (same father, different mother) and will have a great life when he grows up, as Yvonne will be keeping him to use for stud.

Beautiful baby Birman

It was a nice “close to home “ weekend away, and worked out well with Robin attending his two meetings in Palmerston North.  And the bonus was that we took Gemma around to meet up with Yvonne, her breeder, her first visit back now she is an adult cat.