Heading to Ohaupo

 We farewelled our caravan buddies and got on our way, taking a few days to reach Ohaupo to get our Leisureline caravan serviced.  First stop was not too far away at Sanson, to go to the dump station and fuel up.  It was lunch on the go from the Z Service station, coffee and a pie while we started on our trip - means we wouldn't have to stop on the way.

Lunch on the go

Our stop for the night was at a private property in Ohakune, newly available for fellow Leisureline caravan owners.  It was a lovely rural property, and we certainly appreciated the opportunity to stay overnight.

Leaving the caravan on site,  we just had to call into the "world famous in New Zealand" chocolate eclair shop.  We were served by the former owner Steve, who told us he is "living the dream", making the tasty goodies, chatting with customers and getting paid for it, without the worry of running the business any more.  The new owners have set up a coffee lounge in one corner of the shop, a welcome addition I'm sure.  

The Chocolate Eclair Shop

 Ohakune is also famous for the Big Carrot, proudly standing on the edge of town!  Plenty of carrots are grown here, as well as potatoes and swedes.   In case you are wondering, the name Ohakune means "an opening to a new world" and refers to the descent from nearby Mount Ruapehu into the valley and swamps of the area.

The Big Carrot at Ohakune

A site worthy of stopping for a photo stop is the Makatote Viaduct.  Building was completed in 1908 and the viaduct  is recognised as an important part of New Zealand's engineering heritage.

We drove past Mt Ruapehu as we continued on our journey, it's always such a lovely sight to see.  This is a view from the Western side of the mountain.

Mt Ruapehu

We stayed the next two nights at the NZMCA Otorohanga Park, fairly quiet at this time of year with about 10 vans here each night.  The name means "food for a journey".  There is a legend which tells of a Maori chief passing by, who chanted incantations that stretched out his meagre supply of food to last the full journey.  

Staying at Otorohanga NZMCA Park

We enjoyed  a celebratory birthday dinner for me at the Otorohanga Club while we were here.  The meal was delicious, roast pork and veggies,  bubbly for me, and a beer for him.

Enjoying my Birthday dinner

It was just a short 43km trip to Ohaupo the next day for our caravan service.  The Leisureline service team allow customers to stay overnight and we were joined by Geoff and Eileen - it was great to catch up with them again.  While we were getting a caravan service done, they were collecting their van after repairs had been completed.  The four of us visited the local fish and chip shop for dinner that night, so no cooking for us again.   

One waiting for a service, the other waiting to go home

Off we go again

Home from our Aussie adventure on Thursday and here we are taking off in the caravan on Sunday.  Goodness me, it’s a hard life!  We are heading up to Hamilton to get the back window of our caravan repaired, then we will be attending the annual Motorhome, Caravan and Leisure Show.  We had to contend with rather strong winds  to begin with, we were not clear of them till we had passed Hunterville.  I hate driving in such conditions.  The car radio took my mind off the horrible wind, playing all those songs we remembered from our younger days.  We like to listen to the Oldies Music on Magic.

Driving up SH1 we drove past the impressive Makohine Viaduct,  one of many viaducts designed by engineer Peter Seton Hay (1852–1907) in the central part of the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) railway.  We passed slowly (clickedy clack) over these viaducts on Thursday coming back from Auckland on our trip aboard the Northern Explorer train. 

Makohine Viaduct

Lunch stop was at Taihape, a good place to pull in, with plenty of room, ablutions nearby, and a coffee cart.  How about a nice hot coffee with our lunch?

 

Coffee at Taihape

Not much to see of Mt Ruapehu as we approached Waiouru.  I know it’s there somewhere, hiding under the clouds.

Mt Ruapehu playing hide and seek

Turning onto SH49 we were soon in Ohakune, where we were stopping for the night.  Oh look, there’s the Big Carrot.   This roadside tribute to Ohakune's biggest crop was erected in 1984 and quickly became one of NZ’s most hugged ‘Big Things’. Carrots were first grown in the area during the 1920s by Chinese settlers, who cleared the land by hand and explosives. Ohakune now grows two-thirds of the North Island's total crop. At 7.5 metres tall, the carrot was built for a TV commercial for ANZ Bank, and then donated to the town. The area is famed for its farms and carrot production.

Ohakune, home to the Big Carrot

Our overnight stop at the Ohakune Club was peaceful, as usual, although we were surprised by the number of vans parked up.  Perhaps they were all coming to the show at Hamilton as well?  No, they were all keen skiers, and are semi-permanents, leaving their vans here at the club, generally traveling down at weekends to indulge in their passion.  We were the only casual camper that night.  Ohakune is a small town located at the southern end of the Tongariro National Park, close to the southwestern slopes of the active  Mount Ruapehu, and has quite an alpine look and feel to it.  It  provides easy access to the nearby ski fields and ski resorts. 

Staying at the Ohakune Club

And no stop at Ohakune is complete without a visit to the much loved Chocolate Éclair Shop.  This establishment only opens during the ski season, and is the place to stop when you are in town over the winter.  The huge chocolate éclairs are legendary!

World famous in Ohakune, the Chocolate Éclair Shop

It was a lazy start the next  morning and sadly the elusive mountain was still in hiding - but I know it's there somewhere!  We didn’t get away till later than we had planned, traveling up SH4 around National Park.  Gemma settled down to snooze on my lap, she is back to her usual self putting the ordeal of her time in the cattery behind her.  It was a relatively slow trip, as we had forgotten just how windy and hilly  this road was.  But never mind, the scenery was spectacular.

Heading towards Otorohanga

Passing through the little village of Owhango we spotted a sign we hadn’t seen before. We were now at Latitude 39 degrees South.

Seen at Owhango

We eventually pulled in to NZMCA Otorohanga Park, our stop for the night.  There has been a lot of work done by the volunteers here since our last visit – the parking area has been expanded, and there is now water and rubbish facilities on site.

Otorohanga Park

National Park to Taupo

The strong winds blew all night, rocking the caravans and the rain hammered down, almost without let-up.   Luckily the wind blew itself out overnight so we didn’t have worry about towing in dangerous wind gusts.  And what was the mountain doing this morning, I wondered?  There it was, looking as beautiful as ever, clouds swirling around the peaks, and the snow cover a little lower than yesterday.  With a handy dump station on site at the Ohakune Club grounds, we soon emptied out, and filled up with fresh water, all set for the next part of our trip.

Mt Ruapehu from Ohakune

We really needed a quick trip to town for another chocolate éclair fix – after all, we were moving on and wouldn’t be back again this way for a while.  And what was the Chocolate Éclair Shop’s response for the All Black 2nd Test loss to the Lions touring rugby team?  The tissues were for Sonny Bill’s fans who was red carded from the game in disgrace.

Turning onto SH4, we drove past Horopito Motors, the largest car dismantler in Australasia.  And close by was the site of the historic Final Spike on the Main Trunk Line, put in place in November 1908 – no time to stop here today either.  Under the 100 years plus Makatoke Viaduct, which has recently been repaired and repainted and on to National Park.

Makatoke Viaduct

Turning off onto SH47 we drove through sub alpine native bush, with the misty clouds obscuring the mountains ahead of us.   The road was rough in parts and we bounced along, wondering what was happening inside the caravan, and hoping that all the cupboard latches had been shut tight.

 

We stopped for lunch at Waipapa Reserve, Turangi, a nice roomy area with plenty of parking.  We watched a man and his dog having fun in the park, playing with a frisbee – the dog was almost beside himself as he waited for his toy to be thrown.  Jumping high, twisting his body every which way, the dog wasn’t going to let that frisbee get away from him.  And with a handy coffee cart close by, we all ordered a nice hot coffee to go with our leisurely  lunch.  Yes, we confess, we did eat our final chocolate éclair each, and they were delicious!

Lunch at Turangi

Another 40kms and we arrived at our destination at Taupo, DeBretts.  It is quite some time since we have stayed here, and thought that now it was winter, it might be nice to have a power site for the next three nights.  With a "winter special" for those staying three nights or more, it was a good choice for a winter stop over. Instead of staying, as we usually do, at the NZCA site at Taupo Airport. 

On site at DeBretts, Taupo

A couple in a Britz van are parked close by, and as we suspected, are here in New Zealand to follow the Lions Rugby team around from game to game and are understandably delighted with the Lions win against the All Blacks last night.  We had a nice chat about places they had traveled to on their trip, and highlights of our own trips to UK.

Off to Flat Hills

Off we go on another road trip – it’s a hard life but someone’s got to do it!  We left home little later than anticipated, why oh why does it always take us so long to get ready?  We should be experts at this by now!  It didn’t take us too long to travel up SH1 to Sanson – and what’s that away in the distance?  It’s my favourite mountain, Mt Ruapehu.  Not always visible this far south, but obviously the conditions were right to view it today.  Still a little hazy, but clear enough to see in the distance.

Mt Ruapehu from Sanson

After a quick stop for fuel we were soon on our way again.  The number of rental motorhomes all travelling south was tremendous – presumably all those rugby mad Lions supporters travelling to Wellington for the 2nd All Black Test.  We decided to stop for lunch at the Sugar Plum Café, just north of Marton.  And what a popular place it was, buzzing with customers and the food was great too.  With a warm fire burning, a great menu and a cabinet full of tasty items, it was a lovely welcoming place indeed. 

Lunch at Sugar Plum Café

Oh look – here’s another well photographed sight from our travels up and down this road.  Non other than the 72 metre high  Makohine Railway Viaduct.  We weren’t lucky enough to see a train crossing over as we drove underneath, but it is still an impressive sight.

Makohine Railway Viaduct

A little further up the road at Ohingaiti we pulled off the road onto an area of parking for trucks, to wait for our travelling companions to arrive.  Before too long Geoff and Eileen pulled up behind us, and then we were on our way towards our stop for the evening, Flat Hills.

Waiting for our travel companions

Flat Hills Café is a popular stop on SHI and is on the tourist bus route, which must do wonders for their turnover.  They have recently developed a small motor camp so we decided to give it a try.  And with the advantage of a winter discount, the camp fees were very reasonable indeed.

On site at Flat Hills

The Pod Cabins dotted around look like little Hobbit Houses.  I peeped through the windows and they look nice and comfy, but without bathrooms.  Guests have to use the nearby campers ablution block.  And with a campers lounge and kitchen facilities available, campers are well served.

Cozy little cabins

There is plenty of wildlife around.  Behind the cabins we saw a large group of pukeko feeding on the banks of the small lake. Pukeko often live in permanent social groups and defend a shared territory that is used for both feeding and breeding. Social groups can have multiple breeding males and females, but all eggs are laid in a single nest and the group offspring are raised by all group members.  That’s certainly communal living at it’s best.

Pukeko by the lake

I had to go and say hello to the herd of pretty alpacas – all too busy munching away on their hay to bother with me. 

Alpacas at Flat Hills

There was one other campervan in camp when we arrived, and several others came in during the evening.  The hosts are very obliging, and will provide an evening meal, delivered to your van, if required.  That is good to know for future occasions – although we had “something I prepared earlier” for our dinner.  Perhaps we will take advantage of their “Big Breakfast” in the café tomorrow morning before we move on. 

Ohakune to Piriaka

Peeping outside the caravan at 7.00am rewarded me with a wonderful view of Mt Ruhapehu in the early morning light.

Mt Ruhapehu in the early morning

And then the mist came down, which was just as pretty, with the sun trying to peep through.

Then the mist came down

With the morning chores done of emptying the waste water and topping up the fresh water, we were on our way.  Some decided to stop of at Horopito Motor Wreckers to see the thousands of cars in various stages of being wrecked.   The NZ films Goodbye Pork Pie, Smash Palace, and more recently Hunt for the Wilderpeople  have had scenes filmed there.

Our first stop of the morning was to view the place where the final railway spike was driven into the Main Truck Line at Pokaka.  We had seen this fleetingly out the window on various train trips, but never actually visited the memorial by road.

Then a little further up the road was the lookout for the magnificent Makatote Viaduct.  Last time we passed this way the viaduct was covered in plastic sheeting as it was undergoing repairs and painting.  The new paint looked great in the sunshine.  The viaduct was completed in 1908 and is 77m high and 262m in length.

The lookout at the Makatote Viaduct

The sleepy little village of Raurimu was next on our list of places to stop and visit. We remember posing in front of the tiny station on our last steam train trip up to the spiral.

Raurimu at the foot of the spiral

We had heard tell of a horse sculpture made entirely of horse shoes tucked away in a tiny place in the middle of nowhere – certainly well worth a visit.   Off we went, along a steep, windy, narrow country road for 18km to finally arrive at Kaitieke.  Sponsored by the Wheeler Family and the local community, the sculpture was erected in 2015, the Year of the Horse.  It commemorates the horse history in Kaitieke and the ANZAC Centenary, acknowledging the contribution by horses to mankind in earlier times of war and agriculture.

Wonderful horse sculpture made of horse shoes

Bill and Val had arrived shortly before us, and we decided to have a picnic lunch in the sunshine.  But the wasps were so pleased to see us and share in our lunch, that we quickly moved back inside our caravan.

Lunch at Kaitieke

Our stop for the night was the NZMCA site, Piriaka Park.  The entrance was a bit tricky, and necessitated a sharp turn off SH4 and along a dusty track.  Our other travelling companions had arrived before us.  But there was no time to spare, once we were settled on site, the gas and the fridge turned on, we jumped into Bill’s car and drove back to Owhango Park.  There was no way we could have visited earlier with both caravans in tow. 

Pillars of bridge at Owhango Park built into huge rocks

Two happy campers on the bridge

The four of us had intended walking along the lagoon boardwalk, but we weren’t quite sure where that particular  track started.  So we had a pleasant walk in the bush instead, admiring the tall native trees, and the abundant ferns everywhere.  On the way back to camp we stopped at the Piriaka Lookout – great views down the river valley.

View from the lookout

Arriving back in camp just in time for 4zees, we settled down with the others and related our day’s travelling and different adventures.  Piriaka Park covers quite a large area and the several chickens came to visit us from the adjacent house.

Piriaka Park