Lunch at the Prawn Park

That’s another thing ticked off our Bucket List, lunch at the Huka Prawn Park, in Taupo.    Huka Prawn Park was founded in 1987 by Aquatech Farms Ltd and is New Zealand’s only Prawn Park.  Giant Malaysian River Prawns  were chosen as being best for commercial production, and are bred and grown in captivity using waste geothermal heat from the geothermal power station next door.  The  females spawn up to five times per year; and a 50-gram female can produce up to 50.000 eggs. They grow very fast and are ready to harvest at 8 months of age.

This way for lunch

We were shown to a table by the windows, and sat down to check out the menu.  I was having prawns, no doubt about that!  Choices made, we sat back to wait while the busy kitchen produced our orders.

 

Ready and waiting

Robin and Geoff had herb and beer battered fish with salad and fries, and it looked delicious.  I enjoyed my crispy battered prawns and salad, and Eileen had prawn chowder, with a whole prawn on the side.

Off with his head!

The restaurant was quite full and large platters of steamed whole prawns were delivered to those diners with very deep pockets.  I was very interested too, except for the price.  Never mind, I really enjoyed my smaller battered prawns.  Out the window we watched as the Huka Falls Jet was put through it’s paces, doing a tight “Hamilton Turn” as it went on it’s way with a boatful of customers.

Huka Falls Jet Boat

Lunch over, it was back to our campsite.  The men were firmly told that after such a big meal for lunch, they would only be getting a snack meal in the evening.

Out and Around Taupo

Fog enveloped us at the Equestrian Centre in Taupo this morning – everything had that slightly smudged look.  It was hard to see several feet in front of us.   In fact, fog covered quite a bit of the country this morning, with Auckland Airport being particularly affected.  About 70 regional flights were unable to land or take off after fog blanketed the airport from early in the morning.

A foggy Taupo morning

The fog cleared and we drove into bustling Taupo.  My morning was spent at the Great Lakes Centre checking out the large number of beautiful quilts on display, while Robin decided to tour the car yards, admiring this one, that one, and maybe that other one over there.  A brand new car would be great – but what about the funds?  We’ll just keep buying the Lotto tickets, I think.  Driving back to camp we stopped at Aratiatia Rapids.  Water is released down the rapids several times a day, but we were too late to see the afternoon surge.  It looked lovely and peaceful, but we could see from the wet rocks just how high the water had been.

Aratiatia Rapids in a reflective mood

Taupo is a geothermal area and we could see quite a head of steam away in the distance.  Let’s find out if we can get closer, we thought.  Down a country road we drove, stopping at a barred gate.  No unauthorised access, the sign stated, and the area is under 24 hour surveillance.  We were at the site of the Rotokawa Power Station.  Luckily, no guards in full riot gear charged out of the gates to chase us away. 

 

Rotokawa Steam Field

It was just a short drive back to our camp site at the Equestrian Centre.  This is situated 8kms northeast of Taupo on 73 hectares of land, and has three all-weather arenas, four polo-cross fields and a cross country course with 250 obstacles.  Each year the Centre hosts 120 days of local, national and international equestrian events involving an estimated 5000 horses and 20,000 competitors and spectators. A further 100 days per year are used to host other activities such as squad development and training.    There were no events happening during our stay, but luckily there were a few horses close by.

Horses close by our caravans

This is a lovely peaceful place to stay in the countryside and other than us two, there are only a couple of other caravans down by the stables.  Power is available, with an ablution block close by.  And just a short drive to town, so we have the best of both worlds. 

The long way to Taupo

Caravan rally over, it’s off to Taupo we go.  We continued up SH1 and under the impressive Makohine railway viaduct.  We’ve travelled over this several times on the Wellington to Auckland express.

Makohine railway viaduct

We were running a little late as we had a lunch date at the Waiouru Army Museum cafe.  Robin’s sister Kaye and was home from Vietnam for a fleeting visit, and was travelling down from Taupo while we were travelling north.  Meeting at Waiouru seemed the most sensible option if we didn’t want to merely wave as we passed each other driving in different directions.   It was the middle week of the school holidays, the cafe in the Army Museum was very full, the queue at the counter was long, and the orders would take quite some time to arrive, we were told.  Never mind, that gave us plenty of time for a catch-up.

That’s my baby sister

Kaye had brought Robin was some Vietnamese  “Weasel Coffee”, plus a special little coffee filter in which to make it.  Vietnam’s weasel coffee is made from coffee berries fed to the animals but the beans pass through their system undigested.. It seems the “weasel” is just the local version of the Asian Palm Civet.  We will let you know how Robin rates his weasel coffee.

Weasel coffee and filter cup

Saying goodbye to Kaye we left Waiouru and took the long way around the mountains to Taupo.  First stop was Ohakune, to the famous Chocolate Éclair shop.  Our travelling companion Geoff has raved about the chocolate éclairs produced by this shop.  Sadly, by the time we arrived mid afternoon, they were all gone.  But there were plenty of other baked goodies to buy, so we all left the shop happy after parting with some cash.

They had run out of chocolate éclairs

The clouds had disappeared as we turning off at National Park to travel along SH47.  The mountain trio ahead of us looked glorious as the sunshine glistened on their snow covered peaks.  This sight was certainly worthy of a camera stop.  No doubt the ski fields are busy with keen skiers enjoying this good covering of snow.

Mt Tongariro and cone shaped Mt Nhauruhoe

Mt Ruapehu

Turning onto SH46 to Rangipo was a road we had not travelled before, and completed our drive around the far side of the mountains.  We re-joined SH1 at Turangi and continued on to Taupo.   The new by-pass road kept us away from the township and our trusty Garmin GPS guided us down past the Aritiatia Rapids to our stop for the night, the National Equestrian Centre.  It didn’t take us too long to pick a site, hook up to power, wind the legs down,  organise the TV satellite dish.  That done, let’s get the meal on and watch the news.  To tell you the truth, we’re a bit worried about all those earthquakes, seems there has been a bit of damage in Wellington city.

Changing of the Guard

It was time for a change.  After several years on the caravan club committee, we were both standing down from office.  This weekend was our AGM rally, and there was a changing of the guard when the new committee was elected.  New blood on the committee brings enthusiasm and fresh ideas, and that is always a good thing.  With the AGM done and dusted, we could get on with the usual caravan club business of catching up, telling jokes, and enjoying each other’s company. 

We were staying at Levin Holiday Park, only a short five minute drive from our home.  Repi and Debbie run the motor camp, and we became concerned when Debbie announced her baby bump was overdue for delivery.  That didn’t stop her going about her chores around the camp.  Who would appear first, we wondered, Debbie’s babe or the royal arrival?  At least the paparazzi weren't camping outside on the street awaiting for her to produce, Debbie commented.

Thumper the white rabbit had made the camp ground his home, and hopped around the place nibbling on whatever took his fancy.  He hopped underneath a handy caravan whenever anyone got too close.  Such a cute little thing with that pink twitching nose and those dainty ears, maybe Thumper is a girl? 

Thumper the white rabbit

Thumper wasn’t the only wildlife in camp.  The dove cote in the middle of the grounds in home to several white doves.  These birds flutter around, pop in and out of their dove sized little hidey–holes, and generally keep and eye on all the comings and goings in camp.

Dove-cote in the grounds

There’s nothing like a spot of healthy exercise to get the heart pumping, is there?  No, not us, we’re sorry to say.  Our prospective members Barry and Diane are keen cyclists and donned their lycra and helmets.  Off they pedalled, into the wild blue yonder, returning just in time for 4zees.

  Barry and Diane ready to go

There was a special presentation made to Kath, when she won a competition at a previous rally.  She put the rest of us to shame with her long list of answers, rattling them out in a never ending stream when most of us could only manage a few.  So she gets to take this very large beer stein home and keep it for a while.  Good – it’s found a home for a while, nobody else wants such a monstrosity. 

Kath and her prize

We had a mixed bag of weather for the weekend.  Some sunshine, some rain, and most worrying of all, several earthquakes were felt.  Aftershocks are continuing to shake Wellington and the top of the South Island after a 6.5 magnitude quake. The big tremor has been followed by a number of smaller quakes ranging from light to strong.  Reports of damage around the Wellington region varied from falling masonry and broken windows to water leaks and stock falling from shop shelves.  Glass from broken windows fell onto Lambton Quay and street workers were keeping people away from those buildings in case another quake struck and loosened the glass that was left.  Scary stuff indeed.  As people in the know keep telling us, Wellington region is overdue for “the big one”. 

Our rally weekend at Levin Holiday Park

Down by the Station

There has been an awful lot of changes since our last visit to Paekakariki Station Museum.  We stopped off for a visit yesterday  afternoon with our SLG friends after visiting the tie factory in the morning and lunching in a local cafe.  Jan was in charge of organising our day, and the lunch service was so slow that she was getting rather concerned that we would be be running late for our visit to the museum. 

New signage at the station

We had never been up in a signal box before, so followed the guide up the steps to see what there was to see inside.  The signal box has recently been restored and looks very smart with it’s new paint job.

The signal box

The man in front of all the levers wasn’t really saying much to us as we all crowded into the small box.  The signal box would have been a very busy place in it’s hey-day, as this is the Main Trunk Line, running from Wellington to Auckland. 

Up in the signal box

Back in the museum, I commented to the guide on the changes since our last visit.  There is obviously a keen group of volunteers working hard to keep things fresh and interesting.  The museum is focused on three areas, the local Maori people, the Marines stationed in the area during WW11, and local railway history.

Warrior Chief Te Rauparaha was a brooding presence in the area in the 1800s.  He travelled down from Kawhia with his people, taking large territories and founding a new home for the Ngati Toa in the Porirua and Kapiti region.  From his base on Kapiti Island, Te Rauparaha also controlled his invasion of the top of the South Island and launched devastating attacks against Ngāi Tahu as far south as Kaiapoi.  He composed “Ka Mate”, the well known haka used by New Zealand sporting teams such as the All Blacks. 

The museum has a fine collection of traditional carved wooden pieces, a door lintel, and the prow of a canoe, amongst others.  Also this modern carved kumete (wooden box) made especially to house (replica) teeth of sperm whales which stranded on Paekakariki Beach in 1996.

Kumete with sperm whale teeth

Paekakariki was home to 20,000 American Marines from 1942, staying at three specially built bases, Camp Russell, Camp Paekakariki  and Camp Mackay.   The Marines were put through their paces with intensive artillery training, marches and exercises in the surrounding countryside, and taking part in amphibian exercises on the beach   Some of them were at the camps for barely a month before heading off to battle again.

Marine uniform

What does Semper Fidelis mean, one of our ladies wanted to know.  I know that, I told her, remembering my Latin lessons from long ago school days.  Semper Fidelis is Latin for "Always Faithful" or "Always Loyal", and is the motto of the United States Marine Corps and is often shortened to Semper Fi.

The Marines were here

A new interactive display about the Marines and their time here has been installed at the museum since our last visit.  This is the sort of thing that you could spend a lot of time watching, as locals tell of their memories of when the boys were in town.

New display about the American Marines

The railway part of the museum was also full of interesting artefacts.  Some of the posters and photos made us smile.  Passengers used to jump off the train at Paekakariki and rush into the Refreshment room to purchase a cup of railway tea and a pie, then clamber back on board with their goodies before the train took off again.

Through another door was an interesting second hand book shop, which had many books on history, religion, and old New Zealand books.  There were several books that appealed to me, and I finally made my choice.  For a “Tudorphile” like me, what could be better than “The Six Wives of Henry VIII”, by Alison Weir.  I well may know the stories of these unfortunate women  inside out, but that won’t stop me reading another version all over again.  At only $15 for a hard back copy in excellent condition, I think I’ve got a bargain!

My new Tudor book

Guys and their Ties

Ever wanted to know all about ties?  Just ask us – we now know it all.  We had a get-together with our SLG friends yesterday and Jan had arranged a tour through the Sander Tie Company factory at Otaki.  The company was established in 1921 and although it does not have the staff numbers of earlier years, is still going strong.  Rugby fanatics will be interested to know that Sander’s holds the licence to produce the All Black ties both at retail and team level, and for the Black Caps teams.  They also won the licence  to produce ties for the 2005 Lions Tour of New Zealand. Our guys were delighted when they were presented with three of these 2005 Lions Tour ties each to take home.

Guys and their ties –  made for the 2005 Lions Tour of New Zealand

The machines in the factory are from Germany, and the staff are all multi skilled.  Our tour guide took us through the factory, showing us stage by stage how the process evolves.  Someone asked how dangerous it was to fingers and hands, working with these various machines.  The guide answered, “they only have one accident, then they take even more care”.  The ties are made up of several parts, with each machine doing a specific part of the process, from sewing on the “tip”, adding the lining, stitching bar tacks, steam pressing, and adding the label.  I loved watching one particular machine as the ties were threaded onto rods, then whoosh, away they went inside the machine where they were turned right side out, just like magic.

 

The very first stage

The ties are threaded on to rods, then the machine turns them right side out

Extra long ties are made for very tall men, so their tie does not end up halfway down their shirt front.  Bow ties and cravats for the discerning man are available, and there is a lovely range of New Zealand inspired souvenir ties.  The company can also make a “one off” tie to match a ball gown or wedding dress, at a most reasonable price, I thought.  Although our guys are all retired now, and don’t wear ties like they used to, it was certainly an interesting visit to see how they are made. 

Ties of many colours

Snow on the Ranges

No wonder it has been cold.  The Tararua Ranges behind us have a fair old covering of snow at the moment.  What a sight, it looks so pretty with the sun shining on the snow, and the clouds covering the top of the ranges like a soft, warm blanket.  Very much like the wonderful scenery we saw last year on our South Island Odyssey trip.   We want to go back down there again – still so much country yet to see and explore.  Perhaps next year?