Trip to Johnsonville

It’s been a long time since we have last been to Johnsonville, near Wellington – we were going there to meet up with our SLG friends for lunch.  The weather wasn't at all nice, we could hardly see the hills through the rain.  Just as well we packed our raincoats in the car, just in case we needed them at our destination. 

Not a nice morning at all

But the weather cleared as we drove down the Kapiti Coast.  By the time we reached Paramata, for a short stop, it had turned into a lovely day.  The boat sheds on the edge of Pauatahanui Esplanade made rather a pretty picture.

We made it to Johnsonville with time to spare.  These days you never know if the never ending road works will delay the journey.  Johnsonville is  seven kilometres north of the Wellington city centre, at the top of the Ngauranga Gorge, on the main route to Porirua.  Johnsonville was originally the site of a Maori track from Wellington to Porirua and the area was covered in dense native forest.  In 1841 settler Frank Johnson had purchased a certificate of selection for 100 acres and called his land  'Johnson's clearing', He built a house by the Johnsonville stream and a timber mill, quickly denuded the entire Johnsonville area of virgin native forest, with timber sold to help build the nearby town of Wellington. In the 1960s, the first shopping mall in the Wellington region was built in Johnsonville.  These days Johnsonville is a busy residential and shopping town, close to the CBD.

The café was full to bursting so it was just as well Trish had booked a table for us.  I have never seen so many young Mums and babies all in one place, guess it was their regular coffee morning to come out for a mother and baby outing.  The food was delicious, but there was too much chatting going on for me to remember to take a photo or two.  Never mind, it was great to catch up with everyone again, and enjoy out leisurely lunch together.

After saying our goodbyes it was time to head home, and we decided to drive along the “old” main road rather than go on the motorway.  Narrow and windy, it was a pretty drive along the bush clad hills.  Eventually we reached Tawa, another suburban town not too far from the big city of Wellington.

Taking the slow road

Then it was back on the motorway heading north, and up the Kapiti Coast.  Oh look, there’s Kapiti Island, nice and clear, free of the rain and mist which kept it from view on our trip down in the morning.

Kapiti Island

Katikati - Mural Town and Omokoroa

Katikati was founded in 1875 by Irish settlers.  There are many kiwifruit, avocado and citrus orchards in this area, and the town has many murals painted on the buildings, showing life in earlier times.

A couple of the many murals in town

We are staying the night at a delightful POP (park over property) just a few kms from town.  Such a beautiful property, with fruit and avocado trees in abundance.  Our hosts brought us some freshly picked apples and mandarins to enjoy, how very kind of them.

Our site for the night

Growing in the home garden

After a trip to the local laundromat for never ending laundry duties, we went to visit my cousin Brian and his lovely wife Bev.  It has been several years since we have met up, so it was good to catch on on the the news – sadly   Bev didn’t want her photo taken, so we just came away with memories.

After a leisurely start to the morning, and being invited to morning coffee on the deck with our hosts, we eventually got on our way.  Not a long trip, just a mere 17km to Cooney Reserve in Omokoroa.  We don’t usually do “freedom camping” but this place was recommended to us by friends Andrew and Debbie who live close by.  Such a wonderful peaceful place place to stay with gorgeous views over the estuary.  There is a very popular cycle track and people were coming and going all afternoon.

Such a lovely place to stay

We were invited around to Andrew and Debbie’s home for afternoon tea.  And to say hello again to their two rag doll cats, Beau and Van.  These two had certainly grown since we saw them in the New Year, particularly Beau who is now a very big boy indeed.  And smaller Van looks so cute with his eye patch.  They were having fun hanging about  on their cat tower.  Later on Andrew and Debbie came back to our caravan and we shared a fish and chip meal together it was so nice to spend time with them again and catch up on all the news.

Beau and Van

Wonderful Wairarapa

We recently enjoyed a day in the wonderful Wairarapa with our SLG friends.  Leaving Levin bright and early our 122km journey took us past major road works along the way, coming along well, by the look of it.  Let’s just hope they all meet up in the middle when completed.  We had a quick stop at Pauatahanui Inlet, with a glorious view over the estuary.

Pauatahanui Estuary

Once through our old home town of Upper Hutt, we drove up and over the Rimutaka Hill.  Always plenty of traffic on the hill, including many big trucks – most of them seemed to be loaded up with logs. We stopped to take a photo of this handsome new sign at the entrance of Featherston.  Can you see the shiny black bantam rooster at the base of the sign?  He was clucking away and enjoying the sunshine. Our friend Les was organizing our day out, and we met at his home in Featherston for coffee and cake. 

New sign at Featherston

Morning tea over, plus a good catch up with our SLG friends, we drove through to Greytown for lunch.  Greytown is a pretty little town, quite a trendy place and chock full of shops and cafes.  Our stop for lunch was the Corner Café, a popular establishment with an extensive menu.  Orders coming to our table included a couple of variations of their  fancy home made pies, and a couple of fish meals.  Les couldn't go past his old favourite, lambs fry and bacon, and I enjoyed a plate of locally grown  Parkdale Mushrooms on toast.  After lunch some of us popped in to see Les’s wife Anne, a much loved former SLG member who is now cared for in a local  Rest Home. 

 

The Corner Café

Our last visit of the day was to stop at Schoc Chocolates,  makers of hand made chocolates.  In December 2002 Schoc Chocolates was born. In a tiny turn-of-the century cottage, in gourmet Greytown’s main street (the original confectioners shop), owner and creator Murray Langham of the Chocolate Therapy books opened the doors for customers to buy his sumptuous hand-made chocolates.

My excuse for stopping here, as if I really needed one, was to buy something to pop in with my daughter’s birthday gift.  With 60 flavours available, it was lucky that we could have a few tastings to help us make up our mind.  I found a little something for Nicky, and an interesting  cake of raspberry, pear and apple dark chocolate came home with us.

Schoc Chocolates in Greytown

Saying farewell to our friends, we started on the return journey, getting caught up in homeward bound traffic once we reached SH1.  We were in stop-start mode for half an hour as the traffic banked up between Plimmerton and Pukerua Bay – it’s  always a bottleneck here.

Hardly moving at all along this stretch of road

The sun had set on the last part of our journey and we finally made it home.  Our cat Gemma was so pleased to welcome us, winding round and round our legs, after all, she had been home alone all day.  I think it was just cupboard love, as she soon settled down to the business of eating her dinner when I filled her dish.

Visiting the Valley

It was a trip “back home” recently when we spent the day in the Hutt Valley, our old home town.  With a couple of things on the agenda, we left home bright and early at 8.30am .  A fine but chilly morning, with the temperatures hovering at 4 degrees C, it was certainly a cool start to the day.   The roads were busy, with lots of workers heading off to their daily grind, and we slowed down for the never ending road works along the way. 

We stopped briefly at the Pauatahanui Inlet for a photo stop.  Self contained caravans and campervans can stay at this tranquil place overnight, very handy with toilets available.  And while I was taking a few photos of the estuary, I noticed a keen photographer setting up his tripod ready to do the same.

Pauatahanui Inlet

Once over the Haywards Hill, we turned north and drove on to Upper Hutt, crossing over the Hutt River to the suburb of Totara Park.  That certainly brought back memories, we lived in Totara Park for quite some years before moving up to Levin.  Of course, we just had to drive past our former home and see if it still looked the same. The only difference we noticed was that the owner has a boat on a trailer parked up where our caravan used to go.

Totara Park Bridge

We were visiting Tony and Jeanette for morning tea.  Tony is a Life Member of the Levin Menz Shed, and the pair of them recently moved from Levin to Upper Hutt.  As we were passing by, so to speak, we took the opportunity to visit them.  The family dog greeted us enthusiastically, woof, woof, with lots of tail wagging, then soon settled down as we caught up with each other’s new.  It was so nice to see them again, and many thanks for the refreshments.  We had a look around the garden, Jeanette  has done a lot since they moved in.  But you know what keen gardeners are like, there are still many plans she wants to get on with.

Jeanette and Tony

Two cups of coffee later it was time to go and head off for our next appointment.  We were meeting up with our SLG friends for lunch.  Trish was in charge of our day out and had chosen the café at Boulcott’s Farm Heritage Golf Club, somewhere we hadn’t been before.  The area has an interesting history and was the scene of fierce fighting between the settlers and the local Maori people.

Our lunch stop

The Battle of Boulcott Farm took place on 16th May 1846.  Disagreements over land purchases and opposition to European settlers led to fighting between the local Maori people and government forces.  Te Mamaku of Ngāti Haua-te-rangi of Whanganui led the attack on the British outpost at Boulcott Farm, he arrived with 200 fighters to support the local Maori.  The Maori warriors crossed the Hutt River at dawn and surprised the garrison. Six soldiers were killed and two more Europeans were mortally wounded in the attack, a demoralizing blow to the settler community.

George Page painting of Boulcott’s Stockade, 1846 (Alexander Turnbull Library, B-081-002)

Our group all arrived in good time, we found our reserved table in the café and settled down to peruse the menu.  What to have is always a bit of a trial for me, I finally settled on a hot roast beef sandwich and Robin ordered a burger and chips.  Everyone seemed happy with their choices, and we happily munched away.  As usual, we had plenty of news to catch up with, so the talking hardly stopped.  Sadly, not everyone could make it, so we wished our absent friends well.  A kindly member of staff took some photos for us.

Yvonne, Ashley, Les, Robin, Jenny and Trish

Then it was coffee and cake at Trish's home, to help her celebrate her upcoming birthday.  Not just any old birthday, our “young at heart” Trish will be 80 next week.  Her family are whisking her away for a special family holiday next week, so we were pleased that our SLG friends could celebrate this day with her before she heads away.  The carrot cake was delicious, and afterwards Trish was presented with our joint gift.

Happy 80th Birthday Trish

Then it was time to get started on the homeward journey – we had the longest trip so wanted to get on our way and not get caught up with the workers heading home at the end of the day.  The road works are still progressing on the 27km Transmission Gully Project. 

 

Transmission Gully

Driving on the homeward stretch up SH1 Kapiti Island came into view, situated about 5km off the coastline.  Kapiti Island is now a tranquil island bird sanctuary and one of New Zealand’s most accessible nature reserves. It's a unique visitor experience in a predator-free paradise. Access is by approved tour operators only, well worth a visit if you are in the area with a little time to spare.

Kapiti Island

Once safely home our cat Gemma greeted us very warmly - after all, she had been left home alone all day!  Another great day out, catching up with Tony and Jeanette,  and so nice to help celebrate Trish’s Big Birthday with her.

Cable Bay - Schroders Mistake

Just how many Cable Bay’s are there in New Zealand?  I’m sure we have been to at least a couple of them over the years.  We have now visited another one – about 30km from Richmond.  Our trip took us past the Port of Nelson, and along the waterfront.  A couple of the waterfront cafes are still boarded up following storm damage from an earlier storm last month.  No sign of a storm today, and the water looked rather peaceful and sparkled in the sun shine.

We were surprised to see quite a large settlement at Cable Bay, as well as a Motor Camp and Café.  The beach has a boulder bank connecting to Pepin Island that forms part of the Delaware Cable Bay Estuary. Cable Bay was once known as Schroders Mistake, after a Nelson skipper mistook the bay for another and put his boat on the rocks there. The laying of New Zealand's first international telegraph cable gave the bay its modern name. The operation, from Sydney to Cable Bay, took 11 days and transmission began on 21 February 1876. A fire razed the station in 1914 and in 1917 the cable was moved to Titahi Bay, near Wellington.

Cable Bay

It was a short drive up and over the hill and on to Delaware Inlet.

Delaware Inlet’s sea grass and cockle beds provides habitat and refuge for juvenile fish, and are important feeding grounds for many shore birds.  The banded rail has recently been discovered in this area, and a trapping programme to protect these rare birds is now in place.

On our drive back along Pa Road we came across some “rock art” – quite modern it seems.

Rock Art on Pa Road

Back in Nelson City again (named after Admiral Horatio Nelson) – and did you know that the first game of rugby was played in New Zealand was at Nelson?  We decided to head up Botanical Hill – somewhere up there was the “Centre of New Zealand”, the sign read.   Maybe not – we didn’t really want an hour’s walk uphill.

The geographical "centre of New Zealand" allegedly lies in Nelson on a hilltop near the centre of the city. This is the point "zero, zero" from which the first trigonometrical surveys were started in the 1870s by John Spence Browning, the Chief Surveyor for Nelson.  However,  later surveys have shown that when Stewart Island is included, the actual Centre of New Zealand can be found in the Spooners Range in the Golden Downs Forest.

Monument at the top

Although we didn’t make it to the top and actually see the monument, (photo courtesy of the internet) we did get some good views of Nelson Port and City from the hill.

Riverton – Riviera of the South

After three days in Invercargill we hit the road again, taking SH99 down to Riverton – a place we had visited briefly on our previous trip when we passed through on our way to the cute sounding Monkey Island.  After a few false starts (no room at the Golf Club, and not feeling comfortable at another POP in town) we went with Plan C and pulled into the Riverton Racing Club for the night.  Plenty of room here, power available, water, toilets, friendly campers, and dare I say it, a washing machine – oh joy!!

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At the Riverton Racing Club

After lunch we decided to explore this delightful town.  And they don’t call it Riviera of the South for nothing.  It was a lovely summers day and the beaches were crowded, it looked like all of Riverton was out enjoying the good weather, and they must have invited all their friends from outside the area as well.  Cars were parked every which way by the beaches (there were several) as people surfed, paddled in the water, and lounged about on their towels.  We have never seen a road sign like this before.

Fun at Taramea Beach

We continued along Rocks Highway to the Howell’s Point, which was just as crowded with people. Not in the water, but checking out the waves, climbing over the rocks, and taking photos. 

Waves on the rocks at Howell’s Point

Back in town we walked along the lookout which gave good views over the estuary,and the hillside houses across the river.   People were out on their small craft enjoying a sunny day’s sailing. This was a very popular piece of engineering with visitors coming and going.

Views over the estuary

The rather   insignificant pieces of wood sticking up in the estuary are known as a “Compass Dolphin” and had a very important part to play in the early days.  A ship was moored to the dolphin and eight compass bearings were taken at regular intervals on fixed points, as the ship was moved around and the bearings noted.  These were totaled with the average producing the correct magnetic bearing.

Riverton Compass Dolphin

Captain John Howell is known as the Father of Riverton, and a large memorial honours him near the spot on the Aparimu River where he landed in 1835 to set up a whaling station.   The downturn in whaling led to the abandonment of the station about 1850, and Howell then built the 130 ton Amazon, with which he traded between New Zealand, Tahiti and California. In 1853 he landed 500 sheep, the first in Southland; cattle were also imported.  He also introduced rabbits – with the best of intentions.  As a child back in England he had known the punishment meted out to rabbit poachers. Determined that the settlement would enjoy this rich man's fare, he brought a number of rabbits from Australia and released them on an island near Jacobs River.

Howell’s Memorial

Riverton is a lovely little town, full of cafes and shops along the main street, and seems quite a bustling little place.  The good weather certainly added to the happy vibes we got as we traveled along the coast, checking out the pretty beaches and further around, the rugged rocky coastline.  Added to that, it is a place steeped in history as these coastal towns often are, with whaling, flax milling, gold mining and farming all adding layers to the story of the region.