Solway Showgrounds, Masterton

It was just a short drive to our next stop on our ICA Rally “Art Deco to the Capital”, staying at Solway Showgrounds for the next two nights.

Solway Showgrounds is a Category 2 historic precinct of 29 buildings, some dating back as far as 1878. The showpiece of the group of buildings is the restored grandstand, built in 1910, and the grounds themselves embrace about 2ha of the last remnants of lowland forest in the Wairarapa region.

Grandstand at Solway Showgrounds

Our group made the most of sheltering under the large shady trees for Happy Hour.  The clock has just ticked over to Autumn and already the ground is carpeted with fallen leaves.  These crunchy leaves almost want to make you to get out there and kick them around, and one afternoon a trio of ponies did this as they were ridden along the fence line, making quite a din as they trotted through the dry leaves.

There was no day time activities planned while we were in Masterton, so people had free time to shop to replenish their supplies, catch up with the laundry, or explore the area.  We took a trip to the Wee Red Barn and came away with punnets of delicious strawberries and blueberries, as well as some blackberry ice-cream.  That should see us right for a while.

Wee Red Barn

We finally have our new wheel, sent down to Masterton for us to collect from Bridgestone.  Robin got to work taking the spare wheel off and replacing it with the nice shiny new one.

Off with the spare

All this seemed to be done in a flash, not like the trying time when the wheel with the puncture and damaged rim had to come off on the side of road.

On with the new

With the spare wheel put back in place, we are ready for more adventures.

On our final night we gathered in the President’s Hall for a musical quiz, organised by Bill and Margaret.  Couples were mixed up and we were put in teams of four, two men and two ladies.  A little of each song was played, and we had to guess the song title and the singer.  Seemed easy to start with, but then it got harder.  My team won, comprised of Roger, Scotty, Val and myself, and we were awarded with a souvenir mug of our trip.  Just what I wanted to win!

Next morning everyone took off with a hiss and a roar, I looked up to find we were the last ones there.  Never mind, there were a few household chores to do, and we had an early lunch in these lovely surroundings before getting on our way.  Next stop is a POP at Cape Palliser, a new place to stay for us.

All alone at Solway Showgrounds

Pukaha Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre

Our ICA Rally Group was welcomed to Pukaha Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre by one of their dedicated staff members, and she also told us about the sanctuary and the work they do.

Visitor Centre

Mount Bruce reserve is a restored forest and captive breeding site, home to Manukura, the only white kiwi in captivity, and other endangered wildlife.   In 1962, the centre was established to breed and release endangered native birds on these 55 hectares. Takahe (thought extinct, but rediscovered in Fiordland) were the first species introduced.   We were thrilled to spot a takahe having a nibble from the feeding station.

Takahe feeding

In 2001 the entire forest became part of the wildlife reserve, extending the area from 55 to 942 hectares, increasing capacity to breed birds and diversified species. About 100 km of tracks were cut and thousands of traps and bait stations were scattered, setting up an area for wildlife with low predator pressure.  Local iwi Rangitāne o Wairarapa gift their great forest, Whataonga (grandfather of the iwi) back to New Zealand in 2014 to continue the conservation work of Pukaha National Wildlife Centre.  It was so pleasant walking along the tracks, with the forest alive with bird song and wonderful stately trees.

 

The beautiful Kokako named Kahurangi was rescued as a young chick, hand reared, and became imprinted with humans so could not be released back into the wild.  The North Island kokako is a large songbird with a blue-grey body, a striking black mask and small, rich blue wattles that arise from the base of the bill and sit under the throat, sadly endangered with a small population. 

Difficult to snap in the aviary, so I borrowed this from the internet

An aviary full of noisy kaka, large, forest-dwelling parrots,  were clowning around and making quite a din.  They seemed to be saying, “look at me, here I am”.  Again, difficult to photograph.

A very noisy kaka

Other native birds were hard to see, as they were keeping well hidden amongst the trees inside the enclosures.  Sad really, as I would have loved to see the beautiful stitchbird and the saddleback.  Never mind, I got to see a huge giant weta instead, luckily not a real one at that size.  This creation was made of perforated stainless steel, and was donated in 2019 by the “Auckland Burners”.  The weta was designed and built in 2014 to take to the Burning Man Festival in Nevada.  Take my word for it, this weta is a monster!

Giant weta sculpture

Eels – love them or hate them, we were there at feeding time.  They were writhing around in a large mass waiting for their treat.  We were told of the amazing sea voyages they take, and also the fact that they breed only once, we didn’t know that.

I’m not a fan of these slippery writhing creatures myself, (except to eat them smoked, but don’t tell the eels that) but a member of the public happily donned wet weather gear and climbed into the stream to help the staff member feed them with spoonfuls of tasty eel lunch.  Rather him than me, they curled all around his legs and feet.

Feeding time for the eels

Visiting the Kiwi House was much nicer, and we got to see Manukura, the only white kiwi in captivity.  This beautiful girl is not albino, both parents were brown kiwi and carried the gene to produce a white chick.  The kiwi is a nocturnal bird so the Kiwi House is kept in semi darkness to mimic night time, so no photos possible.  But Manukura is a postcard girl, and I got her photo from that.

Manukura, the white kiwi

Another famous New Zealand resident on display is the tuatara, who have been around since the time of the Dinosaur.  Although resembling most lizards, they are part of a distinct lineage, the order Rhynchocephalia. Their name derives from the Māori language, and means "peaks on the back". The single species of tuatara is the only surviving member of its order, which flourished around 240 million years ago.

Tuatara

After this visit we spent the night at “River’s Edge” a rural property in Mt Bruce, somewhere completely different, and no one in the group had stayed here before.  It was a lovely tranquil place, but goodness me, the temperature certainly dropped low overnight.

Spent the night at River’s Edge

Mangatainoka Reserve and Tui Brewery

The next stop on our ICA Rally was at Mangatainoka Reserve, over the road from the famous Tui Brewery.  The sun was beating down, and the temperatures were sky high, so Happy Hour was outside in any shade we could find.  Not enough shade for all of us together, so we split into small groups and settled down on the shady side of the vans, that worked quite well.  Splashes were coming from the adjacent river, as a group of local boys were clambering up the bank, and jumping off to cool down.

Most of the group walked across the road to Tui Brewery to dine on the Friday Special of Pizza and Chips.  Must admit that we looked like a group of geriatrics escaping from the Rest Home as our large group crossed over the busy road, laughing and chatting away. 

We soon settled into our allocated tables outside,  orders were placed and the pizzas started to arrive.  Not ones to pass a bargain by, we purchased two pizzas with the second one being half price, so had plenty left to take back to the caravan with us.

Al Fresco dining in the Beer Garden

As the sun started dropping below the hills and the temperatures cooled, we made our way back, and Val and I walked onto the bridge footpath to get an overview of the Reserve.  And here we all are, luckily there was plenty of room for our large group.  Several others were already camping there when we arrived, and they must have wondered what was happening when we all rolled in one after the other.

 

Camping overnight at Mangatainoka Reserve

Takapau and the Oruawharo Homestead

It was a 67km drive from Kairakau to Takapau stopping at Waipawa to check the tire pressure in the spare tire, now on the caravan after the blowout a couple of days ago.  Luckily the trip went well, with no further mishaps.  On the way we passed two bridge signs, quite intriguing, we thought.  Only in the the country, we thought,  and we had an animated discussion of the merits of the first bull versus the second bull!  There were no bulls in sight, we noticed,  as we drove over these two small bridges.

We arrived at Takapau (meaning sleeping mat) Motorhome Caravan Park, where we are staying for the next two nights.  This site has the distinction of being  the very first NZMCA Park in the country.  The large building on site was originally a dairy factory, and later  part of the Norsewear knitting factory producing socks and gloves. The NZMCA purchased the property in 2005 and later sold it in 2013.  It is now in private hands, and still operating as a Motorhome Park.

Staying at Takapau

Scott the caretaker also works in the honey business and had honey for sale for those who had pre-ordered.  Never one to pass some delicious Manuka honey by, Robin had ordered a 2kg pot at a very competitive price, so he was a very happy camper indeed.  The grounds are surrounded by large trees, giving us welcome shade for Happy Hour.

The highlight of our stay here would have to be the visit to Oruawharo Homestead for High Tea, served in the pretty little church, Vincent’s Chapel,  which had been moved onto the property several years ago, and is now used for weddings and other functions.After a very interesting talk given by owner Peter Harris about the history of the property, his wife Dianne served our lunch.   Savouries, fancy little sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, and a selection of cakes arrived at our tables, with a choice of fancy teas or coffee. 

High Tea in Vincent’s Chapel

Fully fed, we were invited to have a look through the homestead.  What a wonderful building it was – lovingly restored after years of  neglect, and only weeks away from being demolished.  The Harris’s couldn't bear for this to happen, so stepped in to buy it.  This grand house is one of the largest private homes ever to be built in New Zealand.  The house was built by Charles Tringham, a Wellington architect, in the Italianate Style.  We had been here some years previously, so were very keen to return.

Oruawharo Homestead

The house was in an awful state when purchased in the year 2000.  When you realise that the roof leaked, all the glass was missing from the windows, the house was infested with possums, rats, birds, and no doubt insects, and vines were growing through the walls, you can imagine the dedication and passion needed to bring it to a livable condition.  The house was empty, so suitable period furniture had to be sourced, along with everything else required. 

Inside the homestead

Timber furniture and fittings glow with a wonderful golden hue, and we admired the glamourous German flocked wallpaper used in some of the rooms downstairs. There were lovely old photos on the walls, gorgeous paintings, tapestries, several collections of old dolls, wonderful colonial furniture -  such a lot to look at and admire.   And look at this wonderful ceiling in the music room.  The retired builders in our group were in awe of the workmanship in this project.

Colonial furniture and the intricate timber ceiling

Our host kindly took group photos for us as we stood on the steps outside, a wonderful memento of our visit.   They appreciate all their visitors, we were told, as it all helps to fund the never ending maintenance bills.   A visit to remember, indeed.

ICA Rally members on the steps

We returned back to Takapau via Waipawa, taking a round-about route to visit the famous Waipawa Butchery for some of their award winning meat and tasty sausages.  The owners are local farmers and so proud of their product that they opened up their own butcher shop.  Others from our group had the same idea and the shop was packed with happy campers all set to buy some tasty farm fresh meat for the BBQ.

As the day drew to a close and the sun started to sink into the west, a glorious sunset filled the sky.  A lovely finish to a great day.

Sunset over Takapau

Kairakau Marine Club

The next stop on our ICA Rally was three nights at Kairakau.  It was a bit of a squeeze but all the vans fitted in, with the excellent parking skills of Bill and Martin.  Toilets, showers, a hall to gather in, and most welcome to the ladies, a washing machine was available to do the never ending laundry chores.

The keen fishermen in the group were very happy.  Down to the adjacent beach they went each day, carrying their rods and drones to take the lines out.  The competition was fierce, they were all hoping to win the prize for biggest fish caught.

ICA club fishermen and the handy drone

For the rest of us, it was lovely to take a walk along the sandy beach in the warm sunshine.  Locals and family groups frolicked on the beach, with a few hardy souls taking a swim.    We watched the occasional  surfer as they waited for the right size wave to carry them ashore on their surf boards.  One of the locals is an expert in the art of mosaics, and her work is dotted around the place, including this rather fabulous settee overlooking the beach.

Down at the beach

Kairakau is tucked in under big looming cliffs, stark and dramatic indeed.  The weathered peaks on the cliff tops encircle the small beach settlement like a lover’s embrace.

Jagged cliffs

The usual Morning Teas and Happy Hours took place in the handy hall, with our final Happy Hour outside in the sunshine, with a million dollar view looking out at the beach.

Bill announced the winner of the Fishing Contest – ably won by Helen, who landed the largest fish.  Sadly for the men, most of the other catches were tiddlers!

Helen was the winner!

Happy Hour was followed by a group BBQ with everyone eating outside together.  This was a lovely way to finish off our final night at Kairakau Beach.

On the Way to Kairakau

We departed Napier on Sunday, after stopping to dump and fill up with fresh water so we would be all ready for the next stop.  Napier was named after the British General Sir Charles Napier and developed from a whaling and trading station in the 1840s.  It was rebuilt after the 1931 earthquake which devastated most of the buildings, causing 256 deaths, and raised the shoreline considerably.  Driving down Marine Parade at Napier is always a pleasant sight, as the street is lined with Norfolk Pines.

 

Marine Parade, Napier

It was a slow and reasonably winding drive to Kairakau.  We were just coming down the last hill, only a few kms from our destination when there was a load bang, followed by a drawn out tinkling and scraping sound.  What on earth had happened?  We pulled off the narrow road and Robin went to see what was  what.  There’s been a blowout on the caravan, he reported.  We needed to be in a safer position so slowly drove up to a farmer’s driveway off the road, with scraping and clanking noises following us all the way.

Blow out on the caravan tire

We were lucky indeed that several ICA members soon arrived and stopped to help.  The back wheel was backed up onto a makeshift timber platform, with the jack under the front wheel, and Buddy and Reg soon had the damaged wheel off.  We really appreciated their help as they went to work so willingly.

Help has arrived

This is what they found, rather unusual it seems.  The tire blew, and ripped apart the inside rim.  Nobody had ever heard of this happening before.  It seems that Robin drove off the edge of the road, which must have caused the damage. 

The damaged wheel

We went back the next day to check out where this happened.  Sure enough, there was a six inch drop from the edge of the road, and scrape marks as we slowly came to a stop.  Guess we were lucky only one wheel was damaged, and not the two on that side of the van.  The spare is on the van, and now we are arranging to get a new wheel sent down. 

Scrape marks, and cell phone showing depth of drop from road.