Weekend in Wanganui

Let’s go a day early to Wanganui for our caravan club rally, we decided, so off we went on Thursday morning. We stopped briefly on the roadside at Turakina for Robin to check on something in the van, and look, that’s us in the mirror o the road, fancy that! 

Stopped at Turakina

The trip up was rather windy, and we made our way to the Wanganui East Club, our venue for the evening, and we settled down for a late lunch.  Then  we discovered that we had forgotten to pack a very essential item, our WIFI router – that was a first for us.  Bill and Val arrived later in the afternoon, and we spent a good time having a great chin wag.  No other vans arrived during the afternoon, so we were the only people staying here overnight.

Staying at Wanganui East Club for the night

We had booked in to the club’s restaurant for dinner, and the eternal question was, what to choose?  A dozen battered oysters certainly got my attention, but at $75.00 or so they remained wishful thinking.  Our second choice of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, was much better value and very tasty indeed. 

Dining at the club

The wind gusts  rocked us to sleep and the sound of shunting engines woke us in the morning.  What shocking news we found out on Friday morning.  A tornado had wrought a trail of damage through our hometown of Levin at 6.30am ripping off roofs, uprooting trees, blowing over fences and sheds and throwing  trampolines around.  Some streets were closed, and several schools were also closed while they were assessed for damage.  A quick call to friends in our village reassured us that our home and archgola had not sustained any damage, but scarily the tornado had come within a few streets of us. 

Arriving at Whanganui Seaside Holiday Park it was easy to see that the heavy rain had left the ground sodden and full of puddles as we squelched around.  After a bit of tooing and froing we tried to dodge the rain as caravans were maneuvered onto sites, legs wound down, power plugged in we settled down for the weekend rally.  Our group was accommodated in two close areas, separated by a hedge.

At the motor camp

The camp has a large dining room available for us to use for our 4zees and morning teas.  In the warmer months there is patio seating outdoors, and a small pool for those brave enough to want to squeeze into their swimming costumes and take the plunge.  We sung Happy Birthday to Owen on Saturday morning, many thanks for the birthday goodies for morning tea, it was much appreciated.

Owen had arranged for us to have dinner that night at the Castlecliff Club, and the club shuttle bus came and collected us for a very reasonable cost indeed, that certainly saved us from driving down.  We decided on bacon, eggs, and sausage for Robin, and battered fish for me. 

Dining out again

There was a lot happening at our final morning tea on Sunday.  Owen had recently purchased a compressor for his tires and was keen to show us all.  Nice and neat and packs away in a sturdy case, ready to be brought into action if needed.  As it turns out, a couple of members also have one of these, so our group should be fine in case all our tires get let down.

Owen’s new toy

Also on show at morning tea was a wonderful painting.  Owen had commissioned Sue to do a painting of his shiny black Zodiac classic car, and she had done a marvelous job.  Helen and Owen have just the place to hang the painting at home, they assured us.

Well done, Sue

We said our goodbyes and headed for home.  It was still rather windy and we were caught by several sharp gusts of wind as we travelled, but made it home safely, thank goodness.  What a weekend it had been as far as the weather was concerned, wind gusts, rain, and that nasty little tornado here in Levin which damaged quite a few homes.  It was a relief to arrive home and double check that our property didn't sustain any damage.

On another note last week a small group of Committee members and spouses called in to see Selwyn and Cath at their home for afternoon tea, and a very special presentation.   Our President Owen presented Selwyn and Cath with a  Life Membership certificate to the Heretaunga Caravan Club, in recognition for their long, loyal service to our club.   This was a complete surprise to Selwyn, who had no idea this was coming, Cath knew but managed to keep it a secret.

 

Congratulations, Selwyn and Cath

Life’s a Beach

There certainly was quite a variety in the Wanganui weather during our four days away.  Strong winds, rain, sunshine, it certainly made for an interesting weekend.  By Friday, everyone had rolled into camp, joining us early bird campers who arrived the day before. 

Some of our vans in camp

We provided Morning Tea on Saturday morning to celebrate my birthday, pikelets topped with raspberry jam and cream.  No, I cant take the credit for whipping these up, they were purchased, Robin whipped the cream and I did the honours with topping them. 

Morning Tea Hostess

One afternoon we took a visit to Windemere Berry Farm and Café, and our group took over multiple tables.  Most of us purchased some yummy strawberries to take back to the vans, then we decided what to have for afternoon tea.  Instead of the usual offerings of tea/coffee and cabinet food, the two of us decided on a delicious berry fruit ice-cream each.  And look at these little cuties we found outside – alpacas have the most gorgeous faces.

Windemere Café and a couple of alpacas

Saturday night was Rugby night, and the men folk were glued to the camp TV, willing the All Blacks to victory.  But it wasn’t to be – so the ABs won’t be winning the title three years in a row as everyone had hoped. Our caravan friends from the Wairarapa Caravan Club were also at the motor camp, so it was great to catch up with them over the weekend. 

Of course we had to have a trip to the nearby beach. With Life Guards on duty looking over swimmers during the summer, it is also a great fishing area, and there is a huge  adventure playground and BBQ facilities close by.

Kai Iwi Beach

Gemma has settled down to life in the new van without any trouble.  As long as there is a sunny spot, she is happy.  Whether it is the sofa, the bed, or how about the bathroom vanity top for a change.  That way, she can keep an eye out the window for those birds which flutter by.

I’ll just curl up here for a while

Several new members were inducted into our club on Sunday morning.  A very warm welcome to Annette, Pat and Thelma, and Murray and Sue.  May you all enjoy many happy caravan club weekends with our group.

Several of us departed for home on Monday morning, Labour Day, while the others stayed an extra day.  After a visit to the dump station, we drove over the interesting Dublin Street Bridge which spans the Wanganui River.  Starting off driving in showers, by the time we got home the weather had cleared.  Unpack, a quick clean, put the washing on, and we’ll be all set for another trip soon.  Although I must admit there are a few jobs which need doing.  Some drawers and cupboards will need rearranging, and I want to line the shelves with some of that non stick matting.  Then Robin will have to put some hooks up for me, we will get there bit by bit.

Dublin Street Bridge

Taupo to Wanganui

On our last night in Taupo we went out for our evening meal at the Cossie Club, to celebrate my birthday.  Certainly enjoyed a lovely meal – but then, the food is always great here.  We started with a huge whitebait fritter for our entre, big enough to share.  Can’t remember when we last had a meal of whitebait, but it was sure to be ages ago.  This was followed by Pork Belly, always a favourite of ours, and this tasted divine.

Whoppa Whitebait fritter and Pork Belly

The next day, Thursday,  we started our trip to Wanganui.  Not a very pleasant trip at all with the strong gusty winds rocking the van around.  Traveling along the Desert Road the temperature kept dropping lower and lower, finally settling at 3 degrees!  The mountain was invisible, covered in mist and clouds, but I knew it was there, somewhere.

Low of 3 degrees

We arrived at Kai Iwi Beach Holiday Park by mid afternoon.  Five other vans decided to arrive on Thursday as well, to make the long 3 day holiday weekend even longer.

Kai Iwi Beach

Other members rolled into camp on Friday, and there was much catching up to do.  We were playing hosts as a steady stream  of  caravan club members called in to check out our new van.

Last days at Wanganui

We had mixed weather at Wanganui, some rain, some sunshine, but luckily not too much wind.  Members came and went, some stayed for four nights, while others stayed two or three nights, to suit their circumstances.  It was great to welcome prospective members Owen and Helen who came to join us, and ended up winning the quiz, good on them!

Some of our vans at Wanganui

Our last evening was spent gathered in a circle and playing a game with three dice.  Twenty cent coins changed hands regularly and the finally the person who had the last coin was declared winner and took the pool.  Not a huge fortune – probably about $3 or so, but it was all a bit of a laugh.

We were intrigued to see a machine in camp that promised hot chips in 70 seconds.  Although I didn’t see it in action, a couple of our members put their coins in the slot and had freshly cooked chips with their evening meal.

Hot chips, anyone?

The young couple running the camp have done all sorts of improvements since our last visit.  The two and four wheeled hire bikes were very popular with youngsters and they pedaled round and round the camp.  And the birds kept us entertained in the aviary.

We packed up and left on Monday morning, hoping to get home before the expected rain, and passing plenty of dairy cows on the way.

Our four nights at Wanganui was the conclusion of our two weeks away.  Our trip started in Taupo, then we moved on to the Motor Home Show at Hamilton.  Several people have asked us if we put an order in for a new caravan at the show – no, not this time.  During our homeward journey we stayed at Piopio, New Plymouth and Hawera, before meeting up at Wanganui for a caravan club rally. So all in all it was a great little trip away, catching up with old friends, seeing new things, and finding somewhere “new to us” to stay.  Now – when are we going away next?  I’ve just checked, and it’s in five weeks time.

Wanganui Holiday Park

The rain stopped at last and we are finally experiencing some nice warm weather.  Since we were last here, the camp has new managers and is looking good.  There is an interesting sign pole pointing every which way – both in New Zealand and lands far away.  I’m sure overseas travelers would be looking for their home town amongst the signs.

The aviary is full of cheeping, chirping, fluttering birds of all sizes and colours.  They look so pretty as they sit on branches in the sunshine or scrabble around looking for goodies to eat on the ground.

The Wanganui River runs along one side of the camp grounds.  At 290kms in length it is the country's third-longest river, and has special status owing to its importance to the region's Maori people.

Wanganui River beside the camp ground

It was nice to welcome Don and Pamela back to the rally after quite some time away and they proudly showed off their “new to them” Sovereign RV caravan.  The new van is lovely, and it was so nice to catch up with the pair of them again.

 

Pamela and Don with their new van

In the afternoon we went for a drive to visit the very pretty Virginia Lake.  We have been here many times, and it is a lovely peaceful place to return to, whether to walk along the paths, or merely sit and enjoy the antics of the water birds. 

At Virginia Lake

We were intrigued with the long fronds growing down from the giant pohutukawa trees.Pohutukawa has the ability to sprout root systems  - these adventitious roots form out of trunks and branches, and are able to grow through the air as they search for crevices, pockets of soil and moisture.  Can you see Robin reaching up to one of these dense root systems hanging down on this huge tree?

Robin and the pohutukawa tree

View of Virginia Lake

We had afternoon tea at the nearby Funky Duck Café

We met in the camp dining room/lounge in the evening for a film evening.  With several DVDs to choose from, the popular choice was Mama Mia.  Most of us had seen it before, but still enjoyed a second viewing and loved listening again to all those well known songs.  And the dancing, the costumes, and for me especially, seeing Colin Firth again - sigh.  Being an incurable romantic, I’m pleased that love overcome all obstacles in the end!

Hawera to Wanganui

A trip to Hawera without  visiting the Yarrow’s shop in Manaia is rather like going to Ohakune and not calling in at the Chocolate Éclair Shop!  Always a “must do”, and we took the short 14km drive to Manaia in the morning.  This shop is full of delightful goodies, and we stocked up with a few nice things, leaving the caravans back at camp.  Including some interesting frozen cookie dough – we’ll let you know how that cooks up.

Yarrows Bakery, Manaia

After morning tea back in camp, we finally got on our way.  No chance of a last minute view of the mountain – the incessant rain and low cloud put paid to that.  Driving down SH3 we passed herds of black and white Friesian dairy cows, which are the backbone of the economy in these parts.  And a never ending stream of milk tankers on the road busy carrying all this milk from the farms to the Fonterra factory.

Yet another Fonterra milk tanker

Driving through Patea, we passed the large sculpture of a whale skeleton.  This work was created by artist Kim Jarrett and was commissioned by the Taranaki Arts Festival Trust for its annual celebrations in 2006, the sculpture was later gifted to the South Taranaki District Council.

Whale bone statue at Patea

The Sat Nav took us into Wanganui by way of a windy rural road we had never traveled before, past farms and lifestyle blocks dotted with rather large country houses.  Out in the country we may have been but we were held up by several road gangs working on various stretches on the road.

Men at work

Then at the end of this little country road, we drove past a skeleton of a building – obviously a factory of some kind in a former life.  Certainly not much left of the building now – and we wondered what it used to be.  (Have since found out that this used to be a Fertilizer Plant.)

Derelict old building

Turning onto Somme Parade, we soon arrived at our destination, the Wanganui Top 10 Holiday Park, where we will be spending the next four nights with our caravan club friends.  The rain set in and the ground was sodden – we do hope this wet weather doesn’t stay all weekend. 

At Wanganui Holiday Park

It’s been quite some time since we stayed at this camp, and the young couple in charge have made many improvements, including updating the ablution blocks.  Hopefully when the weather clears we can have a good look around the camp.

M V Wairua – Wanganui Riverboat Cruise

A fitting conclusion to our visit to Wanganui was a ride on MV Wairua.  Purchased as a kitset from boat builders in the Isle of Dogs, London, the boat was assembled on the river bank, and Wairua (Spirit) joined the famous Hatrick & Co Wanganui River Steamer fleet in November 1904.  She was a pioneer of river travel above Pipiriki - in those days the Wanganui River was the local highway.

Wairua has a unique form of propulsion that is known as tunnel drive or raised propeller boat. The propeller is located in a tunnel above the bottom of the vessel and the water is drawn up into this and then thrust out of the stern past the vessels rudders, an early version of today’s jet boats. This enabled Wairua to work in very shallow water, and she was kept busy carrying settlers and supplies to the Mangapurua Landing, gate way to the famed Bridge to Nowhere settlement.

MV Wairua

The river trade declined with the opening of the railway and the Wanganui River Road and the Wairua was one of the many riverboats were laid up.  Uncared for and forgotten, she eventually sank slowly into the mud until only a portion of the bow remained in view. The boat was salvaged in 1987 by a dedicated group of enthusiasts, and after 19 years of hard slog, was returned to the boat we see today, thankfully saving this piece of local history.

The bow of the Wairua can just be seen at low tide in this photo from the 1980s.

 PICTURE: MARK CAMPBELL

Our trip up river took us under the Dublin Street Bridge.  On the bank we saw the Waimarie Paddle Steamer, another Wanganui icon which was salvaged and restored.  Originally it was planned that our excursion would be on this boat, but it was still in the throes of maintenance work. 

Waimarie Paddle Steamer

The Waimarie had been pulled out of the river for her maintenance work using two vintage engines, which were on display in the railway yards when we departed the River City Express train.

Vintage engines used to haul the Waimarie onto the hard for maintenance work

We did wonder why the boat slowed right down as we passed under the bridge.  The reason – our train was taking another group on a little trip and was due to pass right over us.  And there she goes!  We had to be quick to get a photo as the train rushed by.

River City Express crossing the Dublin Street Bridge

Coffee and biscuits were included so we helped ourselves to a cuppa and sat back to enjoy the journey.  We had claimed good seats in the open sided boat so we were able to take photos without the bother of windows or frames in the way. 

Enjoying our trip

Our trip continued up river, a  nice calm trip.  There was expensive real estate to admire, and on the way back, we noticed the many rowing clubs who have their buildings on the riverside closer to town.  Rowing of course is a very popular sport on the river.

Wanganui River

It was a fun trip, and we really enjoyed it.  At least there were no crocodiles in the river, coming up to whack the boat with their tails, unlike our last boat trip in Oz.  A bus was waiting to take us back to the train, to complete the homewards part of our trip.  What a great day!

There’s our transport back to the train

Last view of MV Wairua