New Tangiwai Disaster Memorials

Several weeks ago while on safari we arranged to stop for lunch at the Tangiwai Memorial.  Most if not all of us had been here before, but it is always good to stop and reflect on the terrible train tragedy which happened on Christmas Eve, 1953.  As we pulled up, the site was a hive of activity.  Someone was working on the grounds, pulling a contraption behind his ute to smooth to smooth out the lumps and bumps.  A big truck was parked in the track, and several blokes were busily working away.  Something important was happening here, and we soon found out what was going on.

Preparations were being made to unveil two memorials on the 7th May to honour two railway men who died trying to reduce the scale of New Zealand's worst ever railway disaster.  We spoke to one of the men involved in making the memorials, but sadly didn’t catch his name.  He told us that he has a connection to the tragedy, and through his company, Stone Creations,  has been happy to donate many hours to the memorial site.

The two new memorials were being covered over until the 7th May and we decided not to blog about them until after the unveiling took place.

The accident happened when the crater lake on Mt Ruapehu collapsed, and around 2 million cubic metres of water surged downstream, collecting rocks, silt, trees, ice and other debris along the way.  It then shattered the Tangiwai Bridge across the Whangaehu River.  Minutes after the lahar hit, the Wellington to Auckland express thundered towards the damaged bridge.  The crew were alerted to the disaster by a man beside the track desperately swinging a torch.

Locomotive Engineer First Class Charles Parker and Locomotive Fireman Lance Redman tried desperately to stop the train.  They applied the brakes and at the same time the fireman was applying sand to the rails to create  friction to try and slow the train.  Their actions meant the train was not going as fast as it otherwise would and three carriages and the guards van survived.

The memorial to the railway men who lost their lives at Tangiwai Photo: RNZ / Eric Frykberg

The original memorial has recently added all the names of the disaster victims

A Welcome Home with Venison

We’ve been home several days now,  and spent our last night of the two week trip with Bill and Val at the NZMCA park at Marton.  This is always a nice place to stay, and we always like to chat to the friendly custodians who quietly go about the business of keeping the camp spic and span.  Quite often there is excess garden produce to share, and I came away with grapes on our previous visit, and feijoas this time around.  It’s only a short trip home, we left Marton mid morning and were home by lunch time.

Parked up at Marton

Then came the business of unpacking, and multiple trips from the caravan into our home.  Our friendly neighbour Bruce came to welcome us home with some frozen venison sausages and meat patties.  Bruce loves hunting and likes nothing better than to stalk and dispatch a deer while crawling around the hills.  Put it in the freezer, we were instructed, until you fire the BBQ up.  Thanks so much Bruce – much appreciated.

Venison from Bruce

Earlier in the week the caravan was taken down for a WOF, so we are all set now for more adventures.  And there is not long to wait, we are heading over to Carterton on Friday for a caravan club rally. Just for the weekend, and then we'll be home bodies again for a while.

Taupo to Marton

There is always a lot happening at the Taupo NZMCA site at the airport.  Planes come and go from the nearby airport, for a small airport it gets quite a bit of traffic.

Air NZ plane readying for takeoff at Taupo Airport

And across the road, the noisy helicopters rev up their engines before flying merrily away.  What are they doing, I often wonder.  They could well be ferrying a load of tourists around, and maybe businessmen.  What ever they are up to, you would certainly make a “grand entrance” arriving somewhere special in one of these.

There goes another helicopter

It’s always good to top up the water before hitting the road, and the Taupo site has a handy water point at the exit.

We travel with fresh water tanks full, grey/black water tanks empty

Friday morning could only be called one of those “Blue dome days”.  We stopped briefly on the hill top as we exited the NZMCA park, and I snapped  photo of Mt Ruhapehu and Mt Ngauruhoe glistening away in the distance.

View across Lake Taupo

We experienced a heart-in-mouth moment when we met a huge truck taking up more that his fair share on the road charging around a blind corner at Bulli Point Bluff.  Luckily, we managed to pass each other without coming to a sticky end, but these situations are always rather scary, especially from my point of view.

Although I had assured Robin that I probably wouldn’t bother taking any more photos of Mt Ruhapehu on our trip down the Desert Road, I just couldn’t help myself.  “How many more photos do you need of the mountain?”, he asked.  Who knows?  As many as I want to take, I guess.

View from the Desert Road

After a short stop at the Waiouru Army Museum, we decided to carry on and stop for lunch at Mangaweka.  We parked the caravans alongside the now defunct café in the DC3 airplane.  An icon since 1986, the plane still sits proudly on SH1, watching all the traffic whizz by.

Lunch outside Mangaweka International Airport

Before too long, we arrive at the Marton NZMCA site, our stop for the night.  After a quick trip to the local shops, we sat outside enjoying the sunshine while having our last 4zees of the holiday.  It seems hard to believe that we  started our safari trip from Marton two weeks previously – we have certainly covered a lot a miles since then.  .  Then in the evening we gathered in our van with Bill and Val for coffee and a liquor or two, a fitting finale to our safari trip.

Rotorua to Taupo

With just trip of about 100km, we were in no hurry to get away from Ngongotaha Park on Thursday morning.  Just as well really, as one rig after another trundled over to the dump station at the park before slowly moving on.  So we had morning tea instead and then it was our turn to dump, and continue on our journey.

Goodbye to Ngongotaha

We drove past several of the well known tourist places which we had visited in the past, Whakarewarewa, Waimungu Valley, and Waiotapu.  Well worth a repeat visit, I reminded Robin,  next time we are up this way and have time to stay a little longer.  Arrangements had been made to stop for lunch at a rest area just off SH1.  And who should we see parked up enjoying their lunch but our former safari travelers Noel and Lynne.  Bill and Val arrived soon after us, and we had a good catch-up before Noel and Lynne continued on their journey to Napier.

Three vans at lunch time

Continuing on our travels, we noticed that the wind had picked up quite a bit and gave the van several hard shakes as we drove along.  But not as bad as as a TV  news item we saw a day or two ago when a hire van was blown off the road and down the bank in the South Island.  That must have been a real blow – how scary for the tourists.

Police have issued a warning to avoid the Burkes Pass area after strong winds blew a campervan off the road.

Once we pass over this bridge on the East Taupo Arterial Road, we know we are almost at our destination. 

Almost there now

Our two vans arrived at the Taupo Airport NZMCA site and soon found a spot.  Hopefully we would be out of the wind – but who knows, Taupo can be quite a cold and windy place.

Taupo Airport NZMCA site

We decided to have a night off from cooking and drove down to the Taupo Cossie Club for dinner.  The meals were nice, and I tried something new with my delicious salmon fillet – couscous salad.  Sadly, one of the patrons choked on his food, and there was a lot of drama happening while the staff leapt into action and tried valiantly to dislodge the chunk of lamb (as we found out later) which was lodged in the elderly man’s throat.  A pair of ambulance officers soon arrived and took over, removing the patient to an adjacent room away from the dining room for privacy.  We were so pleased to see him and his dining guests walk out unaided a while later.  It just goes to show how these emergencies can happen in seconds, and it was comforting to know that the staff have undergone training to deal with such an issue.

Oh dear – it was quite frightening to see, and to realise that the outcome could well have been much worse.  There was nothing for it – we ordered dessert to calm our frazzled nerves.  Crème Brule with berries for her, and his all time favourite, chocolate ice-cream sundae for him.

Two yummy desserts

So, a little somberly, we drove back to camp.  Thanks to Bill and Val for the invitation to join them for dinner, and for providing the transport there and back.

Beautiful Lakes of Rotorua

There are 18 lakes in the Rotorua region, and we went exploring some of them today.  The lakes were all formed by cataclysmic volcanic activity in times past, craters, calderas or valleys blocked by lava flow.  Mokoia Island is located in Lake Rotorua, and is associated with a tale of true love.  According to legend, Hinemoa and Tutanekai were from different tribes and fell in love.  But the two lovers were forbidden to marry, and Hinemoa's father forbade her to travel by canoe to Tutanekai's tribal village on the island. Hinemoa decided to swim 3.2km across the lake to the island, guided by the sound of her lover’s flute-playing.

Lake Rotorua and Mokoai Island

We stopped briefly at the next lake on our list, Lake Rotoiti.  A flock of swans quickly made their way into the water as we drove up.

Lake Rotoiti

Our main destination was to travel to Lake Okataina, somewhere I hadn’t been before.  We turned down a narrow windy road, which had tall native trees hugging both sides of the road.  Almost at our destination, we came to an abrupt stop – there were workmen on a truck dead ahead, and another truck slowly inching past.  Not much room at all.  With one of the trucks out of the way, we slowly made our way past and down to the lake front.  Just as well we weren’t towing the caravan.

Traffic jam on the road

Lake Okataina was raised 12m by the Tarawera Eruption in 1886.  It was also known as The Lake of Laughter when a Maori warrior referred to the lake as an ocean, and this was seen as a great joke by the rest of the men, and their laughter echoed around the lake.

Lake Okataina

Next stop was the beautiful Blue Lake, often seen as turquoise blue due to reflection from the white rhyolite and pumice bottom.  Also known as Tikitapau, the place where the daughter of a high born chief lost her sacred greenstone neck ornament.

Blue Lake

It was lunch time and as luck would have it there was a  sleek and shiny Airstream Café van close by.  The friendly owner quickly made us a toasted sandwich and a hot coffee each, while happily chatting away about his custom fitted Airstream.  We sat and ate our lunch with the beautiful view of the lake in front of us.  

Lunch time at the Blue Lake

The nearby Green Lake is sacred and both lakes can be viewed from a lookout on the narrow isthmus separating the two lakes.  We were last at this lookout on our honeymoon, all those years ago, when we did an all day trip taking in some of Rotorua’s scenic delights.

At the lookout

View of the Blue Lake from the lookout

And we looked the other way to the sacred Green Lake, Rotokakahi

The Green Lake is named after the shellfish, kakahi, and often appears emerald green due to the shallow sandy bottom.  It sacred lake is privately owned by the local iwi (Maori) and boating, swimming or fishing is not permitted.

All the lakes we viewed had wonderfully clear water close to shore.  Rotorua is often called a land of lakes and rivers, and they are all so beautiful.

Bowentown to Ngongotaha

Lynne was left holding the baby, but no, she can’t take the little one home with her, she was told.  The four of us parted company at the camp, with Noel and Lynne heading north to visit family and friends, and we were travelling down to Rotorua.

Where did that baby come from, Lynne?

We retraced our steps through the Karangahake Gorge, passing by the historic Victoria Battery.  And by several interesting old railway bridges which are now part of the Rail Trail bike-way.

Karangahake Gorge

South of Te Aroha by Gordon we stopped at the Memorial of the 1963 crash of a National Airways Corporation DC3, with the loss of all 23 people on board.  The flight departed from Auckland, bound for Wellington via Tauranga, Gisborne and Napier. The weather was stormy, but forecasts underestimated the force of the wind. During its descent into Tauranga, the plane was caught in a turbulent downdraught, slamming into a ridge on the Kaimai Range. Insufficient altitude and navigational problems contributed to the crash, but the ferocious winds were the deciding factor. It took rescuers two days to locate and reach the crash site.

Memorial to Kaimai Ranges crash

Fitzgerald Glade is always a favourite place and we decided to stop here and have lunch in the Road House Café.

Lunch at Fitzgerald  Glade Road House

I’m sure we have seen this pig on a previous visit -  there he was snoozing in the sunshine surrounded by the mysterious Fitzgerald Glade Stone Circle.

Then it was a 30km trip to our destination for the next couple of nights, Ngongotaha NZMCA site just north of Rotorua.  This is a large park with plenty of room, with water available, rubbish bins, a dump site plus a meeting room.

Parked up at Ngongotaha NZMCA site

And just in time for 4zees, Bill and Val arrived.  We weren’t really expecting them till tomorrow, but they got away early.

Last Days at Bowentown

Sunday started with a “Thank You Breakfast” at 9.00am, compliments of the Leisureline team.  Originally planned at 8.00am, this was deemed much too early a start on Sunday morning, so the time was changed to allow for the late risers.  We wandered down to the kitchen area to find the blokes busy on the BBQ, cooking up masses of bacon.

BBQing the bacon

The rest of the team was busy in the camp kitchen, with quite a production line going.  Fried eggs were cooking, a large pot of baked beans and another of spaghetti were heating and Colin was in charge of making the toast.  Not a bad Sunday morning breakfast at all. 

The Leisureline team cooking and serving breakfast

We certainly enjoyed our breakfast, as did the hungry crowds of campers who were also in the queue. The Lucky Van prize was drawn, and the winners were our Heretaunga Caravan Club mates and safari travelers, Don and Sandra.

Sunday morning bacon and eggs

After breakfast, some of the campers packed up and left to travel on or head homewards.  We waved goodbye to six of our safari friends, Geoff and Eileen, Barry and Dianne, and Don and Sandra.  Most of the remaining campers, like us,  were staying an extra night or two.  The remainder of Sunday was quiet, chatting away, and spending 5zees outside with the remaining people in camp.  That is -  until the mozzies and a squally shower of rain sent us scuttling back to our own vans.

After a last morning tea together, we waved farewelled  Val and Bill on Monday morning – and we plan to meet up with them again in a day or two further down the country.  Other vans hooked up and went on their way, leaving the campground practically deserted.

Practically the last ones here

Loved these cute little VW sleepover vans

A drive up the hill gave us a different perspective of the camp.  Instead of 35 Leisureline caravans all parked up together, now there are a whole lot more spare sites. 

Looking down at the camp from the hill top

We are moving on tomorrow, and the camp managers told us that next week a whole bunch of Lilliput vans will be visiting.  These tiny little vans won’t take up nearly as much room as all the Leisureline vans did.

Sea views of Bowentown