Three nights in Blenheim

Where to from Koromiko?  We spent the next three nights at Blenheim, at Waterlea Racecourse CAP (charges apply parking).  Although not an NZMCA camp, it is only available to NZMCA members, at $12.00 per night, with a maximum stay of four nights, but is not available during race meetings.  We have stayed here before in the past, and remembered that parts of the grounds were flooded and Robin had to use our 4WD to pull out a motorhome which was stuck in the mud.   As it was raining heavily the day we arrived, we took care to keep away from the suspect areas. 

After choosing a site, settling in, and paying our camp fees, we had a quick lunch then set out to find a laundromat.  May as well spend a couple of hours doing the laundry on such a wet day, we reasoned.  The laundromat was busy, and one customer came in and commandeered five large washing machines!  She did mention that her machine at home had broken down and a  new one was not available till well after Christmas.  Seems she will be looking forward to many more visits while waiting for her new machine to arrive.

Then we remembered there was a Coupland's bakery close by – always exciting as the nearest Coupland's to us at home is many miles away up in Hamilton.  Purchasing  a Kiwi Cash Key from the information Centre was next.  We don’t need it at the moment but well may do so as we travel around.

The rain had departed the following day and I climbed up the grandstand to take a photo or two.  We are there in the crowd somewhere.

View from the grandstand

Our next door neighbours were keen e-bikers and had a little kiddie cart to take their Jack Russell terrier Tammy with them on trips.  Tammy was securely buckled in, and away they went for a morning ride.On their return they mentioned they had ridden 60km, that’s a long ride indeed.

Ready for a ride

A flick through the local visitor guide gave us a few places to check out.  “A Marlborough institution, the Burleigh Gourmet Pie is an absolute must-taste”.  Robin is always a fan of a great pie, so we drove out to Renwick to check it out.  The place was so busy, customers arriving, then departing with armfuls of pies.  One lady had gathered up about two dozen frozen pies, and told me she was a regular customer and liked to have a good supply in the freezer.  We decided on frozen pies as well, two for tea that night, and the other two for the freezer for a meal later on.  We chose chicken, leek and mushroom, and belly pork pies.  When we called in, the list of pies already had “sold out” stickers on several varieties, it is such a popular place.

Burleigh Gourmet Pies

Lunch in a classic English Pub “where you can be sure of a warm welcome” sounded like fun, so we stopped at the quaintly named Cork and Keg.

Stepping inside, we were warmly welcomed indeed.  With thick ceiling beams, a large brick fireplace, and plenty of brass and jugs everywhere, the Cork and Keg certainly had an English country pub ambiance.  We placed our lunch orders, and sat out in the beer garden, sheltered with plenty of sun umbrellas and a large sun shade.

Our lunches arrived, popcorn shrimp for me, and buffalo wings for him, and Robin indulged in a large glass of Guinness.  I’m not really a beer drinker but I can remember having the occasional small Guinness myself when we traveled around Ireland some years ago – it seemed the thing to do at the time!

Lunch at the Cork and Keg

What’s that sign we spotted?  Fresh strawberries were for sale – just what we needed.  Not only that, but strawberry snow freeze ice-creams too.  The car park was packed, and happy customers sat outside licking their ice-creams.  And if they were anything like me, trying to finish the ice-cream before it all melted and ran down my hand.

That’s a very big strawberry!

Hedgerows Strawberries is a very large hydroponic operation with a huge glass house that seemed to go on and on. With thousands of strawberry plants growing happily inside.

Hedgerows Strawberries

Driving around this area we passed vineyard after vineyard.  The Marlborough region is very well known for producing fine wines, and there are many well known labels produced here.  For wine lovers, there are plenty of wine tasting tours available. 

 

Vineyards galore

While driving along we spotted a couple of these interesting signs on an undulating roads.  Be careful in bad weather!

Drivers beware

Straight to Koromiko

Departing the Inter Island Ferry we drove 8km to Koromiko CAP (charges apply parking)  opened the gate, chose a site, kept the car and van hooked up, pulled the blinds and curtains and climbed into bed.  We were so tired, but Gemma took a while to settle down, no doubt still a little anxious after her time alone in the caravan crossing Cook Strait.

WE certainly felt better after a couple of hours shut-eye.  This is a pretty camp, surrounded by beautiful mature native totara trees, and very reasonably priced at $5 a night.  For book lovers like me, this camo has a rather quirky book swap set up.  The books are inside an old fridge, with a power cord seemingly plugged into the totara tree.  I had a book to swap, and came away with a couple more.  There is nothing worse that not having book to read at bedtime.

The book fridge

Plenty of room here

The birds were singing in the trees all day long, and across the road came the occasional bleat of sheep in the paddocks.  I loved the look of this old barn, it may be old and in need of repair, but it has it’s own type of beauty, I think.

Old barn over the road

When we think of Koromiko, we remember Koromiko Cheese, world famous in New Zealand.  The factory has long been closed down, but the memory lingers.  The name Koromiko means a native white flowering shrub, of the hebe family.  This may be a tiny place but Picton Aerodrome is close by, with daily flights operated by Sounds Air.

It was one night only staying here, and we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset – just the thing to welcome us to the South Island for our holiday.  By the time I fiddled about with the camera the colour was fading sadly, next time I must be more speedy.

Sunset at Koromiko

Traveling on the Inter-Islander

Our South Island adventure was just one sleep away.  And to celebrate, it seemed that Mother Nature put on a lovely sun set for us on our last night at Plimmerton.

Sun set at Plimmerton

Tuesday was a lovely day, nice and sunny, just right for a trip across Cook Strait.  But it wasn’t to be.  We left Plimmerton in good time for check in, and arrived at the terminal.  There the staff told us that the 1.00pm sailing was cancelled, due to Covid wrecking havoc on staff numbers, and it was unable to sail!  Damn and blast, what now?  Turn around and go home we were told, keep your phone turned on, and wait for an update.  Because we were there reasonably early, I felt a bit sorry for the young girl who would have to repeat this message time and time again as the vehicles started arriving, offering apologies, and placating any who were put out with the change of plans.

There was nothing for it but to turn our rig around, and head back to Plimmerton NZMCA Park.  “We thought you had gone”, our neighbors told us, as we returned.  Seems we weren't the only ones in the camp who were affected either.  As the day wore on, we were advised that we had been booked on the 2.00am sailing on Wednesday morning.  It was a long day waiting, and we sensibly indulged in a Nana nap in the afternoon.

Back to Wellington we drove at 11.30pm, lined up in the queue at the booking office.  Here we were given our boarding pass and various large coloured tags to display on the dashboard.  I thought the “old folks label” was very apt!  We also had to fill in a declaration for Muffy – she was taking her journey inside the caravan, with all the comforts of home, food, water and toilet facilities available or her.

Our assorted tags.

There was even more waiting in line, so it was a good opportunity to wander up and take a photo of the Kaiarahi, lights blazing brightly in the darkness.

The Kaiarahi

Eventually our line of vehicles was waved forward and we were parked up for the voyage.  My goodness, it seemed a bit of a squeeze to me, here we were surrounded by very large trucks and trailers.  It seems our Easy Access tags were not noticed by the parking staff.  As we made our way to the stairs, me with a walking stick and Robin with a crutch (just in case we tripped, there were hooks and chains all over the floor) another  worker advised us to ask for easy access parking next time!  Of course we had, and next trip we will make sure to wave it about so it will be seen when we drive aboard the ferry.

Close parking indeed.

For a treat, we had decided to book into the Premium Lounge, a first for us.  A little pricey, but very comfy indeed, and no children allowed. As it turned out there were only about ten of us in the lounge, but we were told that sometimes it is at full capacity.

Premium Lounge

As we arrived we were presented with a glass of orange juice.  It was  breakfast service  on this trip, so we enjoyed bacon, eggs, and other delights from the self service counter.  Pastries were available, hot tea and coffee, and a trolley of sushi was on offer later in the evening, or should I say, very early morning.  It certainly was a nice experience, and I would like to sample it again during a day time sailing.

Our early morning breakfast

The ferry arrived in Picton at 5.30am, the break of dawn, and we were soon off and away to Koromiko.  Hopefully we can get into the POP at this early hour, and get our heads down for a while.

Hello Picton

Let the Journey Begin

Packing up from the caravan club Christmas Rally was the start of of our South Island adventure.  We called into home to drop off a few extra items we took away for the rally, and collected the Christmas ham, and a bag of gifts from the family – not to be opened till Christmas Day, were the strict instructions.  And I better not forget the big bag of books to swap as we travel around.  Travelling south we drove up the hill at Pukerua Bay to come to a stand still.  This is the site of a huge slip which had this road closed earlier for quite some time, and it looks like the work is still ongoing.

That’s a big clean-up job

It wasn’t too long till we arrived at the NZMCA Park at Plimmerton, our stop for the next two nights.  This is nice and handy for the Inter Island Ferry.  There were plenty of spaces available when we arrived in the early afternoon, and sure enough, a steady stream of rigs arrived during the afternoon.

Staying at Plimmerton

This is a great park, plenty of room here with water available, a dump station, and rubbish bins, all very necessary when travelling around.  Inside the members room is a nice big bookcase, for those who like to swap books.  That’s where my big bag of books ended up, and I found several more to take on my travels.  I really can’t cope with not having a handy book or two to get immersed in during the evenings.

Swap-a Book fun

Today was a spare day so we had time for a little drive around Plimmerton.  Plimmerton has its modern origins as a late 19th century seaside resort. It is named after John Plimmer, an English settler and entrepreneur who, through the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, helped to fund and direct construction of the railway line. Regular services began from 10 October 1885. With the railway's arrival, Plimmerton became accessible to holidaymakers, and evolved into a seaside resort.  Sections began to be sold in 1888 and by the late 1890s Plimmerton had become a popular holiday destination with 30 summer cottages, two private hotels and one general store.  The estimated population today is 2,180.

Plimmerton featured in my past too and I was delighted to take a photo of this large building in Steyne Street.  Way back in 1964 in a former life I lived here as a young bride with my new husband for several months, in one of the upstairs flats.  After all this time I wasn’t sure if the building would still be standing, and wondered if it may well have been demolished and something new built on the site.

A blast from the past

Plimmerton boasts a small beach,and a rocky fore shore.  Many of the sea front houses have been replaced by those of a much more modern design, although some of the older homes are still dotted about.

Plimmerton Coast

Just off the coast is Mana Island.  We have visited this island a couple of times in the past, and can remember being part of the Forest and Bird group planting young trees under instruction.  The steep-sided and flat-topped Mana Island Scientific Reserve is a distinctive feature of Wellington’s west coast. The 217 ha island lies only 2.5 km from the mainland at its closest point. Mana Island’s name is an abbreviation of Te Mana o Kupe ki Aotearoa. This acknowledges the achievements of Kupe, the legendary 12th century Polynesian navigator.  Mana Island’s potential for threatened species conservation was greatly enhanced in 1990 when mice were eradicated – they had been present in plague numbers. Fortunately, rats and other mammalian predators never established themselves here.

Mana Island

There will be no sleeping in for us  tomorrow morning, we will have to be up and away to drive into Wellington to the Ferry Terminal.  South Island, here we come!

Christmas Rally, Ho, Ho, Ho!

There was a lot of packing to do before we headed away. Not only were we off to Rangiotu School for our Christmas Rally, but them immediately after that we were heading away on our South Island Trip.  On Thursday when we packed up, the weather was fine and sunny.

Packing up in the sunshine

Wouldn't you know it, the rain returned on Friday morning as we were finishing up, and continued to follow us north.  Luckily, it seemed to be localized, and we arrived at Rangiotu School where it was fine and sunny.  That’s not to say that the rain kept away during our rally, we certainly got our share of precipitation over the weekend.  Four vans had arrived a day early on Thursday, and were well set up.  After lunch we had to make a mercy dash into Palmy as one of the arms had snapped off my reading glasses – a bit of a disaster as we were travelling down south in a matter of days.  Luckily Spec Savers saved the day, they had a spare piece needed,  so I was very appreciative of that. 

You know the silly season is approaching fast when the sound of bagpipes playing Christmas carols fills the air.  The musicians were playing their hearts out in the square, just a little too far away for us to see clearly.  But what we did see was a statue of a fine looking fellow.  Is he a Christmas Elf, or maybe he is a gnome?.  Never seen him before, but it seems he has been standing on this corner for a couple of years now.

He is looking happy

Back at the school

President Owen had arranged for the school caretaker to come and give us a talk in the evening.  He related the story of how his father had built his own caravan in the 40s.   Alan's  father built a wooden frame, and then a local engineer strengthened it by adding a steel  strapping around the frame.  Parts were hard to come by after the war years, so creative thinking came into play.  What a big job that must have been, and the family went on to have many happy holidays together.  Alan then touched on the cars his father used to tow the van, and the long, long treks the family made on their holidays, often over unsealed roads, back in the day.  It was a very interesting evening indeed.

Alan kept us entertained

Saturday was a very full day indeed.  We were treated to a piece of delicious cream sponge in celebration of Dot’s recent birthday.

Happy Birthday, Dot

Selwyn and Kath drove up at lunch time, and  we joined them for lunch, all munching our mid day meals together.  There was plenty of catching up to do, and it was so nice to see them both again.

Selwyn and Kath

A trip to the Christmas Barn after lunch was a real treat for the ladies, plus a few hubbies,  in the afternoon.  The car park was packed, and the barn was full of happy Christmas shoppers.  This was wonderfully set out, and there was such a lot to see and admire.  Yes, I’ll admit I did pass my credit card across the counter, I took home something for me, and Christmas ornaments for the grand-daughters.  I found Robin and Owen sitting outside at a picnic table, and a chicken got tangled up under Robin’s feet.  What a racket, the chicken let out an almighty squawk, and rushed away, flapping her wings and loudly voicing her displeasure, giving us all such a fright!

The Christmas Barn

The tables were set up in one of the classrooms for our shared Christmas Dinner.  Sue put up a small Christmas Tree to add a festive feel, and members came in with their cutlery, plates and table decorations.  Sue had also made place setting names, and very elegant they were too.  We pulled our crackers, donned our paper hats, read out the silly jokes,  and had a great time.

We were so pleased to welcome special guests Barrie and Diane, who are now Associate Members of the club.  Lorraine and Larry arrived from USA for a three month holiday, so it was great to welcome then back to New Zealand again.  It was so nice to catch up with these special members again.

Diane and Barrie, Lorraine and Larry

Everyone brought their own mains, and the club provided strawberries and ice-cream for dessert.  Flo very kindly made us a couple of pavlovas as well, thanks so much.  Some of us had bubbly, wine, or soft drink to sip, whatever took our fancy – what did we care when the rain came down once again in the evening.  We were well fed and happy, and those dratted musical Santas kept right on singing Christmas songs until they were finally silenced!

It’s a big family, two long tables full

Val provided our after dinner entertainment with a couple of Christmas poems, delivered in her entertaining style.  Thanks Val, very nicely done indeed.

Val reading poems

Owen made quite a habit of climbing under our van during the weekend.  This was the second time on Sunday morning, but we can’t really complain as he was being very helpful in checking our tyre pressures with his new red pump.  Pat drove his orange Ute around to provide the power, and of course this operation needed an audience of interested bystanders.  And yes, the tyres did need a little extra air.

Thanks, boys

The club provided Christmas fruit mince pie for Sunday morning tea, we seem to have been eating all weekend!  Also on offer were the remaining strawberries and ice-cream, from the night before.  Everything got eaten, except for a little ice-cream which no doubt got taken home by someone.  It was a great weekend, many thanks to the Committee for all their hard work in organizing his rally.  A great rally to finish off our year.

Final SLG Outing of the Year

With December rolling around, our social calendar is busy with Christmas get-togethers.  It was my turn to organize our Super Leisure Group outing this month, and I decided that we would enjoy lunch together at the George Restaurant.

The George for lunch

Our table was ready and waiting for us, and Trish and Ashley were seated inside.  Ashley had taken the opportunity to visit R J’s Licorice to get his Christmas supplies, some for gifts and some for him, he said.

It always pays to book a table for lunch

Sadly our numbers were down for our outing.  One member was feeling a little unwell, and two were Covid cases, so of course could not come.  There were just four of us, but still plenty of lively chatter going on.  What to order for lunch, that was the question.  Ashley had a variation of a Big Breakfast, and Robin and Trish chose fish, which certainly looked so tasty with nice crispy batter.  As for me, I couldn't go past my favourite item on the menu, Seafood Pasta.

Simply delicious, seafood pasta

Shall we have dessert, or not?  In the end we decided to have coffee an d cake back at our home, so that problem was solved.  The friendly waitress kindly took our photo for me, being mature she had no problem working a camera, unlike the younger girls who often have trouble with older technology.

Robin, Ashley, Jenny and Trish

Then we drove back to Villa 50 for coffee and Christmas cake.  I had also made a deliciously wicked chocolate cherry slice to share, that went down well too.  It was a lovely lunch, and we send Get Well wishes to our members who were unable to join us for the day.