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

On the way to Takapau

We hit the road reasonably early in the morning to travel to Takapau.  There was a big weekend planned, our caravan club would be celebrating our 600th Rally.Driving up SH1 we then took the Saddle Road over the Ruahine Ranges to Woodville.  With the closure of the Manawatu Gorge Road, the Saddle Road and the Pahiatua Track are the only routes available from this area to Hawkes Bay.

The pylons on Te Apiti wind farm  on Saddle Road were turning slowly, rather a hypnotic sight to see, including one seemingly in front of the road. Te Apiti is situated within 1,150 hectares of farmland owned by several landowners, including Meridian Energy.

Te Apiti wind farm

We followed a truck up and over the hill with interesting sign writing on the back, declaring “Moo Mover, Big Dumpers Inside”. And above the number plate “Beware of fa!ling Cow Poop”, must admit we had never seen anything quite like this before on the road!

The Moo Mover

We made it safely to Takapau Caravan Park and were soon parked up, ready for a late lunch. 

With four vans who arrived a day early, we all enjoyed a relaxed afternoon.  The hot Hawkes Bay weather was beating down, with the temperatures hovering at 25deg C, so we enjoyed 4zees under the large shady trees.

In the evening  we sat down under Pat and Thelma’s awning enjoying the warm evening and convivial company.  Bill and Val introduced us to a new game called Mexican Trains, played with something similar to Domino tiles.  Don was the overall winner of the evening, not a bad effort us none of us had seen tis game before.

The rest of the club members would be arriving on Thursday, with outings planned for Friday and Saturday for our 600th Rally celebrations.  It should be a great rally.

Cape Palliser

I must admit that I found a portion of the drive around to Cape Palliser a little challenging.  Wouldn’t you if you came across these road signs?  So we slowed right down, taking our time as we drove along this part of the road, well aware that the seaward side of the road had been falling into the sea, taking some of the coastal homes with it.

Once past the active slip, the cliffs were bare and crumbly, starkly beautiful in their own way.  Then it was around the coastal road to our POP for the night, we were staying on a rather windswept farm. Cape Palliser is the southernmost point of the North Island, and believe it or not, is in fact considerably farther south than either Nelson or Blenheim in the South Island.

Driving around to Cape Palliser

We all slotted into the paddock, trying to keep our van doors on the leeward side of the fierce wind.  Not that it really mattered, as the wind blew from the other side the next day.  Some hardy sheep wandered by, not at all bothered by these strange white vehicles in their paddock, and beef cattle grazed over the fence.

All hunkered down in the wind

A bit of clever parking with motor homes in a circle created an area sheltered from the wind.  During Happy Hour Bill and Val had us all play the “Money Game” for the grand outlay of 3 X 20 cent pieces.  Depending on the roll of three wooden marked dice, our 20 cent pieces were either passed left or right, kept, or put into the kitty.  It was a lot of fun, with Cathy being the eventual winner.

Cathie with her winnings

“Fish and Chips with a difference” was on the menu for dinner, ably cooked by Becky of Coastal Cove Cuisine, who brought her mobile kitchen with her to our campsite.  How’s that for great service!  Lovely battered fish, crunchy chips, coleslaw and tartare sauce were served, together with bread and butter produced by Bill, all enjoyed outside in the fresh sea air.  What could be nicer!

Al Fresco dining

The hills behind us took on a golden glow as the sun started to go down.  We had high hopes for a spectacular sunset, but that wasn’t to be, despite several of us looking out to sea with cameras in our hands, waiting…..  Perhaps we will have more luck the following evening.

Further Fun at Pohangina

Our long Waitangi Weekend has come to a close, and what a great weekend we had.   We were kept amused as Don used his “ever so clever” caravan mover to direct his caravan into the correct spot, no trouble at all, this device works effortlessly.

“Come this way, little caravan”

Two rather special awards were presented at 4zees, while we sheltered under the large shady trees.  First was for Geoff and Eileen, who were presented with their 300 rally badges by President Barry.  Then Barry presented Dot with her 200 rally badge.   Many congratulations to you all, that’s an awful lot of rally weekends away with the club.

Rally Awards to Geoff and Eileen, and Dot

Later in the evening we played the Hat Game, rather like Musical Chairs for oldies, but instead of racing around we stayed seated in a circle.  Everyone except one person was given a hat to wear, and as the music played the idea was to remove the hat from the head in front and place it on your head, over and over again.  Once the music stopped the person without a hat left the circle, until it was a fight to the death with the last two players, who were now facing each other.  The ladies went first, with Cath being the eventual winner.

Reaching for those hats

The final, between myself and Cath

Then it was the men’s turn.  Helen had collected all these hats but there were not enough manly hats to go around.  Never mind, the blokes looked rather fetching wearing ladies hats.  Pat was the winner of the men’s section.

Waiting for the music to start

The next morning kicked off with a Champagne Breakfast.  Everyone was up bright and early to fire up the BBQs for bacon, eggs, sausages, whatever took their fancy.  Barry and Dianne arrived with pancakes, blueberries, and cream, which looked  rather tasty alternative.

Barry and Dianne with pancakes

Most of us had bacon and eggs

Then we jumped in the cars and drove to check out Totara Reserve – two motor camps here to see.  One is rather rustic in the style of earlier years with campers parked up wherever – no sites marked out here.  We stopped here for a cuppa and I had a quick look at the Pohangina River, a tributary of the Manawatu River.   Quite a dangerous place with the cliff face being unstable.  Several years ago a large chunk of the cliff fell down onto a group of children resulting in a couple of fatalities.  The river was blocked and the motor camp flooded and closed for quite some time.

Pohangina River

Driving to the adjacent camp we stopped for a photo opportunity, with the cars all lined up in a row.  It was nice to see a large group of picnickers out for the day enjoying themselves, a family or church group perhaps, all having fun in the sunshine.

Here we all are

We weren’t back at camp very long before we had to lave for another social occasion, Devonshire Tea at the local café, Country Fayre,  just a short walk from where we were camped.  The building was the former Pohangina County Council, and we were seated at the rather impressive boardroom table.

Devonshire Tea at Country Fayre Café

There was a quiz and games on our final night of the rally.  Many thanks to Owen and Helen for organising a great weekend.

Rally at Carterton

You can’t say we weren’t warned!  The local campers told us that the overnight temperatures for Friday night would drop to minus 1 degrees – and it did!  Brr, it was certainly cold!  But a cold chilly night is generally followed by a nice sunny day.

There were 16 caravans in residence over the weekend for the Combined Rally at Carterton School, with Wairarapa being the host club.  Our orange club flag soon joined their green one, and they fluttered together in the breeze.

Camping at Carterton School

There was a strange cloud in the sky on Saturday night, so we just had to get a photo.  Long and thin, with a seemingly red line running  through the middle.  Wonder what that is all about?

Strange looking cloud in the sky

We all ate together in the hall on Saturday night, cooking and eating our own main courses.  This was followed by a shared dessert, with everyone bringing their contributions.  As always, there was a great selection on the table.

Plenty of choices here

After the tables were cleared and the dishes done, we played several games of “Card Bingo”,  with Harry doing a great  job as Caller.  Sadly, neither Robin or I had a win, so didn’t get rich with our gambling.  But never mind, it was quite a fun game with our “Eyes down and Looking”.

My cards for Card Bingo

Visitors called in on Sunday morning, well known to most of us.  It was Diane and Pete, who previously  ran the Carterton Holiday Park for 8 years or so.  They keep up with our adventures through our blog, they told us.

Pete, Robin with Gemma, and Diane

We packed up and headed for home about 11.30am on Sunday.  With two hours drive ahead of us, we wanted to get on our way.  On our return trip we traveled north, up and over the Pahiatua Track, passing by the Big Kiwi at Eketahuna.

Big Kiwi at Eketahuna

You know what it’s like when you get home from a weekend rally.  The caravan gets unpacked, the fridge cleaned and emptied, the bag of laundry taken inside, and the floors vacuumed.  Once all that was done, we sat down for a late lunch.  It had been a great weekend away, crisp sunny Autumn weather, and great company.

BBQs and Devonshire Tea at Pohangia

After our tiki-tour around the Pohangia Valley all the men got their BBQs out and started cooking.  The plan was to cook and all eat together in the lovely fresh air.  We were having Scotch Fillet steak with zucchinis and salad and I noticed pork steak, kebabs and sausages were also cooking away.  And then, Robin cooked our Sunday breakfast on the BBQ the following morning – bacon, eggs and tomatoes.  This is the life!

BBQ for dinner and Sunday breakfast

Rally Captains Bill and Val had us all taking part in a spirited game of Lawn Darts in the early afternoon.  This was a gift a year or two ago, and Val decided it was time to get the game out and give it a go.  Nobody had ever come across this game before, so it was new to all of us.  Owen eventually won the competition.

Val and Owen

As a reward for all taking part so good naturedly, we then walked down the road to a lovely little café called Country Farye, originally the Pohangia Council buildings.  Our group was seated around the large horse-shoe shaped Council table, where no doubt many important decisions were made in earlier times.  The café is run by volunteers and opens in the weekends, with all profits going back to the community.  Many old photos were displayed on the walls, telling the history of this once thriving little town.

Scones with jam and cream and early photos

Monday (Wellington Anniversary Day) was terribly windy.  So windy that the sun awnings were taken down for safety’s sake, wouldn’t want any of them ripped and torn, would we.  For Morning Tea and 4zees we had to tuck ourselves behind some trees to get out of the wind.  A suggestion was made that those who wished could stay an extra night and depart Tuesday, meaning we wouldn’t have to get caught up in the long weekend traffic.  We thought a few might take advantage of this offer, and surprisingly, everyone stayed over. You can tell we are all retired!

Thank goodness the awful wind had dropped overnight, and we hooked up and left reasonably early on Tuesday morning.  Farmers in the valley had been cutting hay, and the paddocks were dotted with rolls of hay all bagged up.  Our first stop was the Dump Station, then we headed for home.  It was a great weekend, in beautiful surroundings – so nice to catch up with everyone again.

AGM Rally at Manawatu Caravan Club Grounds

There was a good turn out for the AGM rally, with most of us happily  in place on Friday, with the lucky last  motor-home arriving on Saturday morning.

All in a  line for the weekend rally

The all important caravan club AGM took place on Saturday morning, and we were fortunate to have use of the hall to hold our meeting.  Luckily it was fairly cut and dried, with applicants received for all positions prior to the AGM.  The annual subs were set, (no change from the current year) and rally venues for the forthcoming year were discussed.  So that’s it all over for another year.

In the afternoon there was a bit of a working bee to find out why the electrical power was not working on one of our member’s vans.  A couple of blokes got busy checking the electrical fittings, plugs and cords to try and find the answer.  Seems that the fittings on the power cord was faulty and needed an adjustment to get it in top working order so it was taken away to be worked on. 

Robin and Selwyn checking out the problem

We had visitors on Sunday afternoon when daughter Nicky and son-in-law called in on their way home after helping a friend celebrate her 50th birthday in Wellington city.

Robert and Nicky – oh no, Mum’s got the camera out again.

Housie was our evening entertainment on Sunday evening, and several families from the camp came to join our caravan club members to try and make their fortunes.  So the evening was spent “eyes down and looking” while Derek called the numbers, and Selwyn took care of the money received and calculated the pay outs.

Selwyn and Derek checking one of the winning cards

The Manawatu Caravan Club is a little different it is a non touring club.  It is a large campsite that is mostly set up for permanent residents, who have a static caravan and attached awning on their site and come and go in the weekends.  There is  row of powered sites for casual vans, and we booked most of these for our weekend rally.  We had the use of the spacious hall, there is a small kitchen and laundry available, and large ablution blocks with lovely hot free showers. 

Permanent vans and awnings at the club grounds

All the footpaths lead to the large ablution blocks on the top of the rise, and tucked away behind the buildings was this rather quirky toilet cassette dump point.  And by the entry gate I spotted a large Christmas Tree constructed from driftwood, and hung with sea shells.  With a star on top and treaded with lights, it looks like the tree has been in use for the last Christmas or so.

Seen around the camp

Several vans, like us, had arrived a day early, which makes for a nice, relaxed weekend.  And two were staying on after most of us left on Monday, a good idea to avoid the traffic build up on a long weekend.    Luckily our trip home was fairy short and uneventful, the van was unpacked and put back in it’s parking area, all ready for next time.