Leisureline Owners Club Get Together

We were looking forward to the Leisureline Owners Club Get Together as we had missed the last couple due to Robin's two knee replacements and the time needed for him to recover.  Three vans were attending from our Heretaunga Caravan Club and we met for lunch at Manawatu Boating Club carpark on the Foxton Estuary.  It was a lovely sunny day, which boded well for our weekend away.

 Stopping for lunch  at the Foxton Estuary

Arrival time was after 2.00pm, and it was just a short distance away to our weekend venue at the Foxton Bowling Club.  Here we are, and a nice welcome too at the Bowling Club entrance.

Foxton Bowling Club grounds

Plans had been altered to allow for early birds, so we arrived a day early on the Thursday.  We were directed where to park with our three vans in a row, and we were soon joined by our Wairarapa friends Rae and Dave. 

Turnbulls, Bentons, Archers and McMasters, all in a row

A few more vans arrived during the afternoon, with the remainder arriving on Friday.  Soon we were all packed in, about 34 vans in total we were told.

A fine collection of Leisurelines

Everyone gathered in the club house from 4.30pm for Meet 'n' greet.  Drinks and nibbles and then plates of piping hot savouries were passed around.  It was great to meet up with Leisureline friends who we only seem to catch up with at the annual get together.  There was another welcome sign on the bar, and the Bowling Club were running raffles.  No, of course we didn't win anything.

Welcome sign on the bar

Saturday was rather busy, and started off with Open Home Caravan visits, a chance to look through vans and pick up some extra ideas.  We had a couple quite keen to talk about our three step aluminium step, and we explained that a friend had built it especially for us to make it easier getting in and out of the van,  by lessening the depth between each step.  They were keen to take photos and get one made for themselves.

The six of us took ourselves off to have lunch at Viv's Kitchen in Sanson.  Why not, it was not too far to drive to sample some of Viv's delicious baking, and our club members always love going there.  Cream Horns were on the menu, but I chose a chocolate eclair, together with a Southern Cheese Roll, and coffee.  All very tasty indeed.

 

Lunch at Viv's Kitchen

When we returned to camp the Bowling Competition was in full swing.  Teams were very serious as they bowled on the greens, with some decked out in fairy wings and tutus - don't ask me why!

Dave and his fairy partner

In the late afternoon we met for pre dinner drinks in the club house.  The tables were all nicely decorated and each person had a small caravan related gift at their place setting, that was a nice surprise. Mmm, the catered meal was delicious, roast beef, hot ham, roast veggies, green peas and gravy. Bubbly for me and wine for Robin made the meal even nicer, and dessert was apple shortcake, cheesecake and fruit salad.  Very nice indeed, and the bowling club ladies did a wonderful job of serving and clearing up.

Geoff, Owen and Robin

Jenny, Helen and Eileen

There was some excitement when the raffles were called.  Both Eileen and Rae won the Easter Egg raffle and had the job of splitting all the goodies up between them.  How lucky were they!

Rae and Eileen won the Easter Egg raffle

Sunday morning saw the Leisureline Team from Hamilton up bright and early and cooking bacon and eggs for us all.  We could smell the aroma of bacon cooking right over  by our van.

Grant on cooking duties

It was a very tasty breakfast indeed.  Bacon, eggs, hash browns and Kranksy sausages.  Toast was "cook it yourself" with plenty of toast bread and butter available.  The hearty breakfast kept us all quiet for a while.  Then it was usual Question and Answer session with Colin, Leisureline company owner.

We were intending to pack up and head on our way when the word came around that anyone who wanted could stay another night.  Why not, we thought.  Geoff and Eileen hooked up and went home, while we decided, together with Helen and Owen, to stay a further night.  It was a  very relaxed day, sitting outside in the nice warm weather, eating lunch and chatting away.  That was followed  by 4zees outside.  Gemma was on her lead, trotting in and out of the caravan at will, then relaxing just inside the doorway.  There were plenty of birds about to pique her interest, but she could only look at them with longing, no bird catching in her life, we hope.

It was a great weekend, the weather was marvelous, and we met up with old friends and new acquaintances.  Many thanks to Tracy and Ken from Foxton for all the planning, and Colin Bates and his family from the Leisureline factory for coming down to join us.

De Molen, Foxton’s Windmill

De Molen is a hidden gem in Foxton.  The  working windmill is used for grinding flour, and welcomes visitors.   De Molen was completed and officially opened on 13th April 2003. Built to plans and specifications obtained from the Netherlands, it is a replica of a traditional 17th Century Dutch flour mill.  The running gear, millstones and sail stocks were made and installed by Vaags Molenwerkn in the Netherlands, and the mill has been built using NZ-grown timber, by mainly voluntary labour.  De Molen is equipped with the latest design in composite millstones as well as two new experimental wind blades. 

De Molen, windmill at Foxton

We had a family get-together over the weekend, on Robin’s side of the family.  We were camping in our caravan not too far away at  Foxton Race Course.  His sister Kaye and her hubby, who live in the South Island, had been on holiday further north and were starting on their journey home.  A couple of phone calls later we had arranged a lunch date with them, plus Robin’s brother Gary and his wife, who drove up from Levin.  We met for lunch at the Dutch Oven café, and had a nice meal and catch-up.

The Dutch Oven

There was plenty to talk about, as usual.  Both Robin and I were adventurous and chose Dutch items from the menu, very tasty indeed.  Robin chose Broodje Frikandel, a Dutch style hotdog,  and I had Klein Ontbijt, ham, eggs & and imported Dutch cheese on toast.  It’s always good to try something new.  De Molen, The Dutch Oven and Millside Café are run by the same entity, The Foxton Windmill Trust Inc. which is a non-profit organisation. All proceeds go into the upkeep and running of de Molen.

Ready for lunch

The weather was lovely so we had an outside photo as well, with the three siblings and Kaye’s hubby – who incidentally has Dutch blood in his veins but had never been to Foxton to see the windmill.

Robin, Kaye, Jan, and Gary

We said our goodbyes and we all went our separate ways.  Kaye and Jan were staying the night in Wellington and booked on the Inter Islander Ferry the following day.  They were a little apprehensive as bad weather and high winds had been promised – could well have been a very rough trip.

Homeward Bound

Sunday at Foxton was another freezing cold day, the wind was vicious!  Thank goodness we had the use of the hall to meet in for Morning Tea and 4zees.  I don’t think we would have survived sitting outside with our cuppas!  Because of the wind, most of us made sure to take our awnings down overnight.  Lorraine didn’t, and came back to camp to find her awning had ripped the ropes out of the pegs and blown over the top of the caravan!  We could hear the sounds of roaring coming from the nearby beach – the sea must have been rough with the waves running high.

 

Our new white board

Sunday was quite a lazy day spent socializing, shopping, reading, just doing what took your fancy.  I did some sewing and Robin took a nap!  In the evening we went to the restaurant in the Bowling Club just a short walk away over the fence.  Not one of our better meals out – enough said.  

Monday dawned sunny and calm, such a change in the weather.  No wonder the temperatures had been so cold, the Tararua Ranges were covered in snow.  Such a lovely sight with the snow glistening in the sunshine.

Snow on the Tararua Ranges

Later in the morning we finally got the chance to sit outside in the sunshine.  It was so lovely and calm – thank goodness that nasty wind had gone.  Gemma came too, the first time she had been outside all weekend.  Rolling on the road is always the first order of business, she always enjoys a big roll when she goes outside, and then she happily trotted around for a while with Robin, then joined us by our folding chairs.  Birds were chirping and flying around over the fence, so much for her to see, and so exciting.  She would dearly love to catch one, so it is just as well she is on her harness and lead.

Time for some fresh air

Being so close to the beach, it is not surprising that the camp has been decorated with driftwood sculptures.  The Christmas Tree has been around for a couple of years now, but still looks fine, with the baubles still in place.  And we noticed several “art works” by the fence where we were parked.  Someone has been busy.

Driftwood decorations

We ate lunch inside, tidied up, and hooked up the van ready to go.  Then it was time to say our goodbyes and head on the 20km trip home.  Another good weekend  caravan rally with friends, and having four days away was a bonus.

Saturday at Foxton Beach

It was shades of “A Dark and Stormy Night” overnight as the caravan shook around, the rain came down relentlessly and things rattled and shook outside  in the dark.  We were promised rough weather for the weekend and it was certainly delivered to us with a vengeance.  Only to be expected, now that winter arrived on 1st June.  The showers cleared for a while and we met in the hall for morning tea, followed by the annual AGM.  This went off quite well, with all committee places filled, a couple of rule changes, together with a little spirited discussion to liven things up.  Welcome to the new committee members, and many thanks to the outgoing members.

Our outgoing President Selwyn had the pleasant task of making two presentations.  One to Dennis who constructed a new notice board for us, (white board) and insisted he didn’t want any payment for his efforts.  Many thanks, Dennis.  Our old blackboard had seen many years of service, often got left out in the rain, and was generally looking rather dilapidated, so it was great to get an updated model.

Dennis – many thanks for the noticeboard

It was a double celebration for Lorraine.  Not only was it her birthday, but she was awarded her 300 rally badge. That’s an awful lot of caravan club weekends away!

Lorraine and Selwyn

The day was spent catching up with fellow members, followed by 4zees in the hall.  The puddles dried up, then the rain came down again, just to keep us on our toes, while that cold, nasty wind kept blowing.  In the evening we had booked a table at the local RSA restaurant (Returned Servicemen’s Association).  A very busy restaurant indeed, all the tables in the restaurant was full, and the meals kept coming out of the kitchen in a seemingly never ending stream.  The pair of us had scallops and steak, while others at our table enjoyed fish, burgers, or big  bowls of Irish Stew.

 

Scallops for her and steak for him

Gemma came away with us too, of course, and was fascinated with the rain drops trailing down the front window.  Try as she might, she couldn’t catch them.  Never mind, perhaps a little snooze instead, so she tucked herself up in her favourite corner.

Gemma curled up inside away from the bad weather

The strong winds, heavy rain and cold temperatures are still around, but we haven't fared as badly as some areas.  There has been snow around the country from the Southern Alps to Nelson Lakes, to the Desert Road, Met Service said.

Photo from TVNZ

Foxton Beach

Why have a three day weekend away when we can go a day early and have four days?  So that s what we did, arriving at the Manawatu Caravan Club grounds at Foxton Beach on Thursday.  This camp has a large number of static caravans on site, with an area set aside for visitors, like us.  Just three vans took the opportunity, as we did, to arrive a day early.  The others ambled in on Friday.  The weather was marginal, with strong winds and rain forecast over the weekend, so we were pleased we arrived when we did.

Manawatu Caravan Club grounds.

Robin was facing a “dry weekend” without a bottle of beer in the van, so we had to take a trip to the supermarket to remedy this oversight.  On the way back to camp we stopped off to have a look at the beach.  There were a few hardy souls out for a brisk beach walk, with the wind surely blowing any cobwebs away.

Foxton Beach

Most club members were on site in time for 4zees on Friday.  Luckily we had use of the hall over the weekend.

Heretaunga Caravan Club vans on site

Our entertainment on Friday night was the film “Catch me if you Can”,  the true story of Frank Abagnale Jnr.  Between the ages of 15 and 21 he forged cheques and assumed the eight new identities including those of an airline pilot, a lawyer, a doctor and a prison agent.  He was finally caught by an FBI Agent who was obsessed with his capture.  After serving five years in prison, the FBI offers Frank a deal by which he can live out the remainder of his sentence working for the bank fraud department of the FBI, which Frank accepts.  He is currently a consultant and lecturer for the FBI academy and field offices. He also runs Abagnale & Associates, a financial fraud consultancy company.  Starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Tom Hanks, this intriguing true story was one which most of us had never heard of before.

Friday was Movie Night

This promises to be a busy weekend, with the AGM taking place, and a meal out on Saturday evening.

Rembrandt Remastered Art Exhibition

We enjoyed several hours of culture looking through this exhibition at the Te Awahou Niewe Stroon Museum at Foxton recently.  This museum sits close by de Molen, a full size operational 17th century replica Dutch windmill is open to the public, not visiting this time, just a quick snap as we walked into the museum.

Windmill and Museum

As we were local library card holders, the entry fee was only $2 each.  The full price of $5 seemed very reasonable too, we thought.  No photos were allowed to be taken inside.

The Rembrandt Remastered exhibition brought 57 digitally remastered life sized paintings, looking as they would have when they left Rembrandt's studio 400 years ago.  We particularly enjoyed seeing The Night watch as we had viewed this painting some years ago at  Rijks Museum  during our whizz-bang European bus tour.  It is a group portrait of the Militia Company under the command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq.  The primary purpose of these guardsmen was to serve as defenders of their cities, guarding gates, policing streets, putting out fires, and generally maintaining order throughout the city.

The exhibition consisted mainly of portraits, but sprinkled here and there were several charming landscapes.  Groups of people were there at the same time of us to enjoy the art, including a couple with a seemingly never ending stream of children.  The young boys didn’t know quite what to do when they came face to face with the huge painting of a reclining nude woman!  It was a life-sized depiction of the character Danaë from Greek mythology, the mother of Perseus. She is presumably depicted as welcoming Zeus, who impregnated her in the form of a shower of gold.  Although the artist's wife Saskia was the original model for Danaë, Rembrandt later changed the figure's face to that of his mistress Geertje Dircx.

We didn’t realize that Rembrandt was declared bankrupt in 1656 and had to endure the forced sale of his paintings, prints, drawings and the contents of his house.  And sadly, when he died in 1669 he was buried in an unknown rented grave.  While the location of his grave is still unknown, historians believe it is located along the northern wall of Westerkerk, one of the city’s most notable churches.  A memorial plaque inside of the church honours the great painter. Rembrandt’s son Titus van Rijn and his lover Hendrickje Stoffels are also buried here.

There was an added bonus to our day out – by showing our exhibition entrance wristbands at the museum café we got 10% off the cost of our purchase.  A good reason to stay for lunch, and my smoked fish pie was delicious!

 

Drop-In Rally at Foxton Beach

Catching up with Bill and Val on Friday, we made our way to the Drop-In Rally at Foxton Beach School.  Club members Don and Pamela were already on site and Dereck and Dot arrived soon after.  So we are all parked very close together and have made a nice little area to it in.  The wind is rather blustery so it is good to have some protection from the wind.  We made good use of our seating area, seemed to spend most of our time there, and in the evenings too.

Being a drop-in rally, it is all very laid back.  Vans keep arriving and slot into spots, while others leave to travel on elsewhere.  People make their own fun, meeting up with friends, and  New Year's Eve is the big night here at this rally.

Some of the vans in the school grounds

School art

Robin met up with former workmate Bruce who as more than happy to show off what he had under the bonnet of his car.  It’s always interesting how the blokes will congregate and have a little look-see at anything mechanical.  Bruce and his wife Rae, also have a Birman, a big Blue boy called Misty.

What’s under here then?

Dave and Rae from the Wairarapa Caravan Club are staying nearby and came visiting on their electric bikes.  They certainly looked the part in their helmets and high-viz jackets.  It was so nice to catch up with them again.

One afternoon we heard music playing which sounded suspiciously like a Mr Whippy ice-cream truck.  It wasn’t Mr Whippy at all, instead it was a close relative, Mrs Cool.  We joined the crowds and lined up for a chocolate dipped ice-cream.  What a mess I got myself in, the ice-cream was melting faster than I could eat it.

Ice-cream time

New Years Eve rolled around, and we decided to have our own little party under the awnings.  Some of the campers had gone up to the hall early and set up their tables and chars to reserve their places, so there didn’t seem to be any spare room.  We would put in an appearance at the hall just before midnight we decided.  THere was plenty to talk about as we sipped on bubbly, and shared some supper together.

Our very own New Year's Eve party

Then at 11.45pm we walked up to the hall to join in with the other revelers to welcome the New Year in.  The DJ played my favourite song, “Ten Guitars” so I sang along with that as we watched the hall full of dancers.  The count-down started, and there were calls of Happy New Year resounding around the hall.  The evening concluded with a spirited version of Auld Lang Sine, and Now is the Hour.

A hall full of dancing campers

We  wish all our readers, bloggers and friends  a Happy New Year and may 2019 be a good year for your all.  Full of good health, fun and friendship, and happy travels.

Long Weekend at Manawatu Caravan Club Grounds

It’s Queen’s Birthday Weekend here in New Zealand which means we have a three day weekend  to look forward too.  Why not make it even longer we thought, and leave on Thursday instead of Friday and have four nights away?  Seemed a good plan to us, so we did.

Manawatu Caravan Club grounds, Foxton

There were road works happening right outside the camp, so that made us stop and think.  The workmen advised us against driving over the wet tar as there was no chip laid on top at this stage, and the car and wheels would have been covered in hot tar.  Instead they advised us to drive along the grass verge and then turn into the camp gates.  It was a matter of “follow that car” ahead of us which was doing the same thing as we had been instructed to do. A bright yellow road compactor drove up and down making short work of pressing the shingle into the hot tar.

Road works outside the camp

By mid afternoon four vans had arrived a day early and we gathered for 4zees sitting outside in the late afternoon sunshine.  The temps were dropping so we all experienced a rather chilly night.

\

Early birds at the rally

We awoke to a frost on Friday morning – no wonder it was so chilly the previous night.  Our club members continued to arrive during the day – all arrived in time for Friday afternoon 4zees except one van who was due the following day.  It is a bit of a tradition when staying at this camp to go to the Bowling Club just through the fence for a meal on Friday night.  Just a two minute walk and we were there.

Warning – what danger lies behind this gate?

This is a very popular venue with the locals and campers alike, and our group of 18 certainly swelled the numbers.  After perusing the menu we went to place our order.  Fish, scallops, roast pork and mixed grill all seemed popular choices at our table.

At the restaurant counter

The meals were certainly very generous portions indeed, and several of us couldn’t quite manage to eat all of what was on our plates.  That didn’t stop one or two from ordering dessert though, I noticed.  On our return to camp some of us gathered in the club hall for our usual Friday night get-together and joke telling.  It was a good start to the holiday weekend.