Ocean Views

 Moving slowly northwards, we stopped at two "new to us" Pops (Park over Properties) with ocean views.  There are so many places available to park up here in New Zealand, so it's always good to try somewhere new and exciting when we travel.

Leaving Wairau Tavern it was a short 52km  to our next stop, Conway Flat Ocean Edge.  The photos looked delightful, vans parked on the cliff overlooking the sea, room for large vehicles and pet friendly. We turned off SH1 at Hundalee and drove down to the coast, finally spotting several vans and motorhomes parked up in a large paddock.  This is the place.

We parked longways against the cliff edge, not too close, I worriedly told Robin,  not realising till later that the instructions were to park at 90 degrees.  Luckily there were not too many vans there, but I'm sure we would have been asked to move in the heart of summer.  Never mind. we will know for next time.  

Our stop for the night

Peeping over the cliff we could see the wavelets roll in.  This is a good area for fishing, we were told.    It was a lovely restful day indeed, and we were lulled to sleep with the soothing sounds at bedtime.  There was no show of catching the sun rise over the ocean the next morning, we slept so well that the sun was well up by the time we surfaced.  This is a wonderful place to stay and we certainly plan to return in a future South Island trip.

A great view of the coastline 

It was time to move on the following morning, to our second ocean view stay. The 140km drive up SH1 took us through the busy town of Kaikoura and along the previously earthquake damaged parts of the coastal road.  This netting structure hangs out like a verandah to protect the vehicles below from rockfall - we don't remember seeing this in place when we were down this way a couple of years ago.

And here are the tunnels again

Continuing on our way we saw glimpses of the snow capped Southern Alps again.

Snow on the mountains

We turned off SH1 at the tiny village of Ward, and the first thing we saw was this happy Mama pig.  She wandered over to the fence to show me her very best side.

Hello piggy

The instructions said to place our fees in the letter box next to the large white rock.  

There were a few other campers on site, and we found ourselves a spot overlooking the beach and settled down for the afternoon.    There is nothing nicer than being by the sea.

Overnighting at Chancet Pop

Gemma had a fine time exploring the grassy bank, safely secured with her lead of course.  Goodness knows what she was tracking in the grass, probably little bugs and insects I expect.  This kept her so occupied for such a long time that she didn't have her usual afternoon nap.  You know what cats are like, they generally sleep the day away.

Gemma is hunting tiny things hiding in the grass

Someone started a painted rock collection here and it has obviously grown and grown over time.  

The painted rock collection

The following morning we woke to a pink tinged shot of the sea and clouds.  The weather report promised  fine weather, but very windy conditions, not so good for towing at all. 

Pink tinged clouds in the morning

A Rural Rendezvous

It was certainly something to look forward to, a rally at Wishnosky’s Farm in rural Feilding.  We knew where to go, having been here before, but for those club members who didn't, the club flag was dancing in the breeze on the road side to show us the way up the driveway.  Running ahead of us up the driveway were several pea-hen mothers and their gangly legged  chicks.  The mums flew over the farm gate, while the chicks scrambled through the the metal bars.

This is the way

With the flag already up, obviously we weren't the first to arrive, and soon joined the other early birds to line up in the paddock.  It was time for a late lunch, then we spent the afternoon catching up with our caravan club buddies and waiting for the other two vans to arrive for the weekend.

First vans to arrive at the farm

In the evening we met in the cozy clubrooms and our hosts Selwyn and Jan gave us a talk about their life on the farm and his collection of vintage items in the museum.  We went to bed listening to the stags roaring in the neighbouring farm and were woken bright and early to the crowing of the resident roosters. 

Saturday was a busy day, starting with the obligatory morning tea.  After lunch the club went out for Afternoon Tea at a local café, while we traveled on to Kiwitea to meet up with the family, and had a cuppa and a good catch up on their newly built deck.  The granddaughters are very keen horsewomen and Emma took me to the paddock to meet her Dad’s new acquisition, a pretty roan pony.  And to say hello to Emma’s two horses, mother and daughter duo Sonata and Fire Dancer.

Family horses

Arriving back at camp we joined the others in a spirited game of Battle Blocks.  Not too hard for us oldies, fling a piece of wood at the numbered blocks and the first to reach 50 points wins.  The blocks knocked over are reset where they fall, so the target gets ever wider.  Helen was the eventual winner.  We met up again in the evening, were split into three teams and did our best answering a quiz.  Some answers we got right, such as the name of a group of crows, known as a murder of crows, and some we got completely wrong.  But my team, the Spring Chickens were the winners!

The game of Battle Blocks

Sunday morning started with Robin cooking up a big breakfast in the van, bacon, eggs, tomatoes and black pudding, always a great start to the day. We enjoyed morning tea in the sunshine again, and doesn't Russell look smart in his new sun hat.

Gidday Russell

And then Selwyn took those of us interested to see his pigs.  One of the sows had a brand new litter, they arrived in the early hours of Saturday morning.  He picked one of the babies up so we could get a close look, my goodness, what a racket that little piglet made!

Brand new piglets

After morning tea we all packed up and went on our way, with two vans traveling north for a few extra days, and the rest of us were homeward bound.   We had a wonderful few days away in the country, many thanks to the rally families for organizing our weekend, and to our friendly hosts for sharing their rural property with us all.

Last Dunny for 240kms, that’s good to know

Six vans for the weekend

Homeward Bound

Leaving New Plymouth behind, we drove southwards.  Our ongoing battery problems meant that we really needed to stay somewhere on power, so our first stop was Ashley Park, north of Wanganui.  It is many years since we have been to this camp, and there are new owners since our last visit.  The ground was a little boggy after heavy rainfall, and we were the only ones staying in camp.

Staying at Ashley Park

There are lots of birds and animals on display here and we went for a walk around.    The Sulphur Crested Cockatoo Goldie had a lot to say and we were amused by his repertoire.  Had to watch our fingers though, there was a sign warning about him biting.

Val having a chat with Goldie

Its a well known fact that I love pigs but this kune kune pig was much to busy snuffling in the mud to pay much attention to me.  I tried talking to him but he wasn’t answering.

Hello piggy

After a night’s stay, we drove onto Wanganui, stopping for lunch at the Wanganui Racecourse.

Then on to  last stop of the trip, Whanganui Seaside Holiday Park.  We had never stayed here before, and it is a nice little camp with young enthusiastic owners.  There is a small swimming pool for warmer times, and the ablution block has recently been renovated.

There was all sorts going on the following morning as we were packing up to leave.  Three old wooden cabins had been sold and were being removed.  We watched as the first cabin was lifted up a little, and the sling was slid underneath, then up, up and away the cabin was lifted up onto a truck.  All done, luckily, without mishap.  I walked around to the back of the cabins to see what was happening, then had a birds eye view through the caravan window.

Going to a new home

We had a great 10 day trip away, starting with our weekend caravan rally at Betts Farm, then heading north with Bill and Val.  Bill managed to complete his ICA arrangements, and we caught up with our friend Glenys, had a nice meal out with Bill and Val, and visited a new place or two.  The weather could have been better but it is always a bit marginal in Spring, can’t seem to make up it’s mind, sometimes it’s nice and other times it’s horrible.  And for those wondering about our battery woes, Robin has been in touch with the professionals, and we are waiting on a date to do the job.  Should be soon, we hope.

Owlcatraz

During our weekend in Shannon, the caravan club members took a trip to Owlcatraz, native bird and wildlife park.  Entering the café building, we paid our fees and got reacquainted with Big Red, or rather, what was left of him.  Sadly, Big Red is now confined to the wall, but in his day he was a real draw card.  Reputably  the world's biggest cattle beast, Big Red weighed in at 2.8 tonnes and stood 2m high at the shoulder.  All that weight had given him trouble with his hips and legs, and he died during an operation on his feet.  We remember getting our photos taken standing beside him some years ago on an earlier visit.  

The remains of Big Red

Derek made friends with Joey the Cockatoo outside.  Who’s a cheeky boy then?

Derek with Joey

The peacock was busy displaying his gorgeous tail feathers while the two peahens showed not the slightest bit of interest.  No doubt they had seen it all this posturing and tail feather shaking before.  We were quite impressed though.

The resident peacock

The guide led us to the main aim of our visit to see the native owls (ruru) in their owl house.  Photography was not allowed inside the darkened house, and we were told the exciting news that two new owlets had recently hatched.

Then we were taken on a farm walk, and helped feed the Kune Kune pig her dog biscuits.  She is so well mannered that she sits down waiting for visitors to toss the biscuits in her mouth.

Oha Kune waiting for her treats

What else?  Donkeys and alpacas, all coming up to the fence when the visitors arrived, waiting for some treats from the public.  Children in particular (and the young at heart) love to feed the animals. 

Donkeys and alpacas

The path meanders through native trees and took us on to the man made Lake Owlsmere, home to many varieties of ducks and birdlife.   Our guide stopped and we looked for eels in the streams, yes, they were there all right.  This is a lovely property, with much to see and do.

Tranquil Lake Owlsmere

Returning to the gift shop we sat and enjoyed a complimentary cuppa, while Joey the Cockatoo kept us amused at his antics.  His favourite thing to do is to tear up cardboard boxes, and have fun with the visitors.  It was a great afternoon out.

Easter at Feilding

In no particular hurry to rush home from our road trip, we stopped at at a POP in rural  Feilding on Friday for the Easter weekend.  As we drove along the road to our destination we passed this old Co-op Dairy Co building, established in 1893.  It was interesting to note the embossed lettering “Pakeha Brand Butter” on the building.  "Pakeha" was one of the brands used by the Cheltenham Co-operative Dairy Company, used exclusively for their premium and export butter.

Old dairy company building along Makino Road

We pulled into our POP and found ourselves a possie on the shingle road behind the house.  Across from us was a paddock with several young frisky heifers.   Other vans came a little later and parked on the grass.  It was a lovely sunny afternoon and we needed our sun awning out for some much needed shade.

This is a lovely property and we were encouraged to have a look around.  Climbing over a stile we found a beautifully manicured area, complete with an island surrounded by a moat.  This was the scene of a family wedding not so long ago, we were told.  Hidden on the island were the remains of an old truck, and farming memorabilia such as old plows were dotted around the lawns.

Our host has a real passion for collecting and the campers were invited to check out his “shed”.  Chock full of all sorts of items from the past, it was full to overflowing with all manner of interesting items, including several vintage cars.

An eclectic collection

Our hosts have quite an aviary containing doves, pheasants and a pair of sulphur crested cockatoos, which were particularly noisy when anyone approached their cage.

Hello, cocky

The farm inhabitants were interesting to see as well.  Wonderfully handsome Highland cattle grazed contentedly nearby – just check out those horns.  This boy is a family pet, I was told, a real softie who gets a daily grooming.

The pet bull

And then there were the pigs, which certainly needed investigating.  The pig man was there feeding out collected left over scraps to his pigs and I wandered over to try and take a few photos.  “Come in and see my pigs”, he invited me, opening up the gate and shielding me from the pet bull.  The pigs were making short work of their breakfast, and were joined by several sheep who keep trying to take a few bites for themselves.  As well as the food scraps there was a pile of fish heads, left over from a fishing competition – the pigs were certainly enjoying chomping through those.

Pigs on the property

The other vans departed and Geoff and Eileen arrived on Saturday to spend the next couple of days with us.

We walked back over to the piggery to check out the younger pigs.  The mid sized pigs came running up to the fence, no doubt expecting us to have food for them.  And then we saw some even smaller ones, cute little babies peeping through a doorway.

More pigs at the farm

With Easter Sunday being such a beautiful day, we decided to take a trip up to Apiti, (settled in 1886). This was a very quiet little place indeed, with scarcely a soul around.  So quiet that you could fire a rifle down the main road and no one would notice.  But we did spot some statues of moa behind the pub, along with  camping area complete with power points.  And there was a nice range of tractors all neatly arranged in the middle of town – someone has a passion for these, it seems.  We had intended to stop for a coffee at the local pub, but being Easter Sunday, it was shut up tight.

Apiti

There were two reasons to stop at Kimbolton on the way back.  First was to stop at the Look-Out and admire the glorious view looking out over the rural hills and gullies.

From Kimbolton Look-out

And secondly, I wanted to stop at the fence decorated with bras which I had glimpsed as we drove by on our way to Apiti.  It was only a small collection so far, but very colourful – and named “Kimbraton”.  With no coffee available we stopped a little further down the road at Cheltenham (named after Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, England, the home of one of the pioneer settlers) for an ice-cream.

The Kimbraton Collection

After morning tea on Easter Monday we were packing up for our drive home when we had a scare.  One of the young heifers had escaped from the paddock, and even worse - the pig man had left the driveway gate wide open, we didn’t want any of the stock getting onto the road.  Robin switched into “cattle wrangler mode” and rushed to shut the gate.  And then – how to get that frisky heifer back in the paddock with her friends.  With a bit of arm waving and chasing, the heifer was eventually persuaded back to the paddock.  Although the electric tape fence was not live, it was a visual barrier to the stock, but was loose down one end where she escaped.  With a bit of judicial tightening up the fence was stock proof once again.  Thank goodness it all ended well.

Back where they belong