Howdy Partners

It was a Country and Western themed  Easter Weekend for us, at the 27th CCNZ National Rally at Masterton.  With no animals allowed at Solway College, we first dropped Gemma off at the local cattery for her second only visit to such a place.  Then it was up and over the Pahiatua Track, on our way to Masterton.

As entry to the college was not till 4.00pm, a group of four vans from our caravan club met at Henley Lake for lunch and to fill in an hour or two of waiting time.  If you love water birds, this is the place for you.  Ducks, geese and swans call Henley Lake home, paddling in the lake, grazing on the grass, and snoozing on the lake side.  Then we drove on to Solway College for our Easter Weekend Rally.

Henley Lake for lunch

With helpers guiding the vans into rows we were soon settled in.  Our row was Boothill, named for the place where gunslingers and outlaws were buried in Tombstone, Arizona who "died with their boots on."  The hall was decorated in a country and western theme, and the committee had done a great job. 

The Official Opening took place on Friday afternoon, and in came the banners holders marching to the swirl of pipes.  Although not staying on site, Bill and Val had paid their fees and  joined us for most of the weekend functions.

What a great bunch

On Friday evening a local historian came and regaled us about the history and settlement of the Wairarapa, and told some stories about the more colourful characters and their wheeling and dealings.  One such story was about a life insurance claim, and a spare  hand to add credence to the claim, with the supposed wedding ring – only the hand was female and the missing person was a male!  Whose body had the missing hand been removed from?

We had use of a new ablution block for the weekend, nice and close by, and a few power points were available to vans for medical reasons.  I carefully clambered up onto a balcony to get a good view of all the vans spread out on the school grounds.  It was nice to catch up with members of other clubs who we only tend to see every couple of years at these functions.

Bird’s eye view

Saturday was a busy day and 55 happy campers lined up tp board the big blue double decker bus for a mystery trip at 9.00am.  We had to take a packed lunch with us, and our folded camp chairs were whisked away to our lunch spot, wherever that would be, it was a mystery, after all.  First stop was to the local Farmers Market, where the only purchase I made was a nice hot coffee.  Back on the bus again, our next stop was a sculpture garden, developed by James Tyne.  This features a lot of Corten steel, which contains alloys which forms a protective rust coating which reduces the corrosion rate with time.  A rather expensive material, I was told.

Corten steel garden features and statues dotted about

The massive gate was interesting.  The owner was told that the designer had his own idea of what he wanted to  to make, and if the owner wasn't happy with the finished product he didn't have to buy it.  It opens by turning the very heavy wheel, so a couple of us took turns trying the mechanism for a photo op. 

Locked inside the garden

Lunch was at the farm belonging to Maureen and Mike Ashbee, who kindly offered their property. Our chairs were ready and waiting and we made use of their outdoor area,  not a sound was heard as we munched away at our picnic lunches. “Walk around and explore the gardens”, we were told.  This is a three generation family farm, now managed by Maureen and Mike’s daughter, and they are hoping to get away for trips in their motor home, now they are stepping back a bit from farm duties.

Lunch at the farm

Then for something completely different, we stopped at Ponataki Greek Church. This private church was the dream of George Pantelous who achieved his heart’s desire with the construction of this beautiful church.

The interior was beautifully painted by an 18 year old artist, Stephen Allwood, who took a year to finish his work, including the dome ceiling.  Such beautiful details, and many thanks to our guide who related the history of this building.  No church pews are inside, the faithful must remain standing for the 2 1/2 hour service.  

Greek Church

Our last stop was The Wee Red Barn, famous for their berries.  I was amused to see some goats clambering up high in their enclosure, looking down on our busload of happy campers.   We purchased fruit ice-cream, a large punnet of strawberries, and a jar of raspberry jam, all nice and tasty.  It was a long day out and about on the bus, especially climbing up and down those stairs to the top level.

Wee Red Barn

Our day wasn't over – after dinner we all met back in the hall for a Line Dancing demonstration.  The dancers all looked very smart indeed in their country style outfits as they “strutted their stuff” to the music.  I was pleasantly surprised that it was not all country music used, they danced to a little rock and roll, and other types of music  too.  After the demo, many of our group joined the dancers for some easy tuition and danced away too.

Line dancing demonstration

Sunday morning started bright and early with a cooked breakfast of French Toast, Bacon and Banana, with the BBQs going flat out.

Cooking our breakfasts

The food was served from the Baine Marie, there was Maple Syrup to add, and we settled down to enjoy our Sunday breakfast.  Oh my, it was delicious indeed.

Sunday breakfast

Included in our Goody Bag were two complimentary tickets for the Miniature Railway in nearby Queen Elizabeth Park.  It was a beautiful day, and the park was buzzing with family groups.  Toot, toot, here comes the train!  The passengers disgorged, and then we clambered in.  The track took us several times around the lake, through the tunnel, tooting as it went, such fun.

Trip on the miniature railway

The evening concluded with a catered dinner.  The caterers, Kiwi Kai Catering,  arrived towing their kitchen caravan all painted up advertising the Pink Floyd Experience.  The owner told me that they will be also going on the tour in June and will be feeding the band and crew.  Our meals were very tasty, chicken, pork, with a selection of salads and veggies, followed by individual  berry cheese cake.  We had taken along some bubbly for me and red wine for Robin to complete our meal, and were obviously having such a great evening that I forgot to take any photos!

The catering caravan

The official closing of the rally took place on  Monday morning, the final raffles prizes were drawn, and  thanks were made to the Wairarapa Caravan Club for putting on such a great National Rally.  Goodbyes were said and it was time to hook up the caravans, and we all went on our respective ways.  Such a fun weekend, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely, meeting up with old friends and chatting with new folks from other caravan clubs too. 

Another Rally Weekend

These caravan club rally weekends seem to be coming thick and fast.  We are making the most of the warmish Autumn weather before daylight saving ends and the clocks go back an hour.  Our venue for the weekend was Mount Lees Reserve, a short 60kms trip heading north.

The weather was mostly fine, with just a few showers here and there.  We can definitely tell that Autumn has arrived, and the temperatures are getting cooler.  On Friday evening we gathered in the Summer House, with no front door we made sure we were well wrapped up.

Parked on the grass

Gemma enjoyed a little time outside safely under control with her harness and lead.  Then she decided she would like to sit in the doorway and keep an eye on what was going on in the great outdoors.

Gemma is happy in the door way

Visitors arrived on Saturday morning, Val and Bill had recently sold their caravan, and decided to come up and join us for the day.  It was so nice to see them again.

Bill and Val came for the day

After lunch we all drove up to Val’s Kitchen for Afternoon Tea.  Just as well the rally family had made a booking, as this place is always so busy.  Our tables were waiting for us out in the conservatory.

Here we are at Viv’s Kitchen

Most ordered one of those famous cream horns, but Robin and I  rather fancied a big squishy chocolate éclair.  They were delicious!

Just look at that!

In the evening we were divided into teams and sent to three host vans to tackle a quiz.  I was one of the hosts and had Owen, Stuart, and Kerry to help me.  I must admit I had though that with three men we would have done better with the sports questions, but sadly that was not the case.  I had no trouble with the question who was Henry VIII’s first wife.  In fact, I told my teammates, I can name the whole six of them!  I don't think they were terribly impressed with my knowledge of the Tudor dynasty. 

Sunday morning was drizzly and we gathered in the Summer House for morning tea and to get the correct answers for the quiz.  Our team came third, that sounds much better than coming last, don't you think.  But never mind, we all got an Easter Egg or two for taking part in the weekend activities.

Here come Russel with the Easter Eggs!

Quite often we stay for lunch on the Sunday of a caravan rally, but the drizzly weather put paid to that idea.  Much better to head for home and luckily we escaped the rain and could unpack in fine weather.  So that's another rally done and dusted, the next one will be held over Easter.

Wedding and Crayfish

We attended the wedding of Robin’s niece, and what a lovely day it was.  It was a garden wedding, with guests from as far away as Ireland  from the groom’s side of the family.  When the ceremony was concluded, and the photos taken, we sat outside in the sunshine with drinks and nibbles, till it was time to go into the function centre for dinner.  Speeches were made, and the cake was cut.

Hanah and David

Dinner was delicious – we had to select our main from a choice of three when we received the invitation way back prior to Christmas.  And we were wondering what we had ordered all these months later.  Luckily the catering staff had a list and brought out the correct meal to each guest – we had both ordered beef, by the way.  More speeches and then the dancing began.  We left a little early as Robin’s knee didn't feel strong enough to be up and dancing, not like the old days when we could dance til midnight!

The following day all the guests were invited back to the venue for a BBQ lunch.  Must say that the stars of the show were a whole lot of crayfish which Jan, the brides father, had caught, cooked and frozen over the last few months especially for the big day.

Breaking up the crayfish bodies

The BBQ was cranked up and steak, chicken kebabs, sausages and meat patties were sizzling away.  With salads and bread rolls, and a helping or two of that crayfish, it was a lunch fit for royalty. 

Many thanks to Kaye and Jan for their hospitality, and very best wishes to the young couple Hanah and David.  It was a very pleasant afternoon and we got to chat with visitors from far and wide. 

A Rural Rendezvous

It was certainly something to look forward to, a rally at Wishnosky’s Farm in rural Feilding.  We knew where to go, having been here before, but for those club members who didn't, the club flag was dancing in the breeze on the road side to show us the way up the driveway.  Running ahead of us up the driveway were several pea-hen mothers and their gangly legged  chicks.  The mums flew over the farm gate, while the chicks scrambled through the the metal bars.

This is the way

With the flag already up, obviously we weren't the first to arrive, and soon joined the other early birds to line up in the paddock.  It was time for a late lunch, then we spent the afternoon catching up with our caravan club buddies and waiting for the other two vans to arrive for the weekend.

First vans to arrive at the farm

In the evening we met in the cozy clubrooms and our hosts Selwyn and Jan gave us a talk about their life on the farm and his collection of vintage items in the museum.  We went to bed listening to the stags roaring in the neighbouring farm and were woken bright and early to the crowing of the resident roosters. 

Saturday was a busy day, starting with the obligatory morning tea.  After lunch the club went out for Afternoon Tea at a local café, while we traveled on to Kiwitea to meet up with the family, and had a cuppa and a good catch up on their newly built deck.  The granddaughters are very keen horsewomen and Emma took me to the paddock to meet her Dad’s new acquisition, a pretty roan pony.  And to say hello to Emma’s two horses, mother and daughter duo Sonata and Fire Dancer.

Family horses

Arriving back at camp we joined the others in a spirited game of Battle Blocks.  Not too hard for us oldies, fling a piece of wood at the numbered blocks and the first to reach 50 points wins.  The blocks knocked over are reset where they fall, so the target gets ever wider.  Helen was the eventual winner.  We met up again in the evening, were split into three teams and did our best answering a quiz.  Some answers we got right, such as the name of a group of crows, known as a murder of crows, and some we got completely wrong.  But my team, the Spring Chickens were the winners!

The game of Battle Blocks

Sunday morning started with Robin cooking up a big breakfast in the van, bacon, eggs, tomatoes and black pudding, always a great start to the day. We enjoyed morning tea in the sunshine again, and doesn't Russell look smart in his new sun hat.

Gidday Russell

And then Selwyn took those of us interested to see his pigs.  One of the sows had a brand new litter, they arrived in the early hours of Saturday morning.  He picked one of the babies up so we could get a close look, my goodness, what a racket that little piglet made!

Brand new piglets

After morning tea we all packed up and went on our way, with two vans traveling north for a few extra days, and the rest of us were homeward bound.   We had a wonderful few days away in the country, many thanks to the rally families for organizing our weekend, and to our friendly hosts for sharing their rural property with us all.

Last Dunny for 240kms, that’s good to know

Six vans for the weekend

Looking Back

Now we have been back for a couple of weeks from our South Island Odyssey, it’s time to look back at some facts and figures.  We were away for 10 weeks and traveled 5220km, 3019km was towing the caravan.  All this travel cost us $1582 for diesel.  As well, we spent $226 on LPG (6 fills) to run the fridge, stove and hot water cylinder when we were parked on non power sites.  In fact, we were only on power at three of our stops.

First stop – Koromiko

We were away for 77 nights and the average cost was $9.50 per night.  It was interesting to look back at the variety of places we stayed at, 36 in all for the 77 nights.  Of the 36 sites we stayed at, 21 were “new to us”.

NZMCA Sites                17

POPs                             11

Hotel car parks               4

Clubs                              2

Motor Camp                   1

Private Home                 1

Overlooking the West Coast at Barrytown

Spending Christmas with Robin’s sister Kay and hubby Jan was a real highlight, and we spent 6 days on their life style property, enjoying the wonderful Nelson sunshine. 

Christmas at Nelson

New Year was spent at the Star Tavern, Cape Foulwind, where we met up with fellow bloggers Irene and Ian,  all the way from UK, who were spending several months traveling  around New Zealand.  

Happy New Year!

While in Christchurch we met up with more bloggers, Dave and Nancy, who came for a visit.  Always nice to catch up with them and have such interesting conversations.

Dave and Nancy in Christchurch

Son Michael lives in Christchurch and we managed several visits with him, including two café lunches at the very interesting former “Rest Houses”, now cafes, on the Christchurch Hills. 

Michael and his Mum

And we couldn't tour the South Island and not go to Dunedin to visit my old school friend Merilyn, we go back such a long way. 

 

Old friends, Merilyn and Colin

There’s no doubt that we had a marvelous time, saw wonderful scenery, especially on the West Coast, Southern Alps and Central Otago.  Highlights would be the Milford Sounds and Underwater Observatory Trip, the Tree Top Walkway and Hokitika Gorge.  We met so many interesting people in camps, including a gold fossicker who came and showed us his box of special treasures.

Just love those mountains

You may remember that while we stayed at the brand new NZMCA camp at Kaiapoi we were interviewed by a journalist for the local weekly newspaper.  And look, we are famous!  Our photo appeared and we are quoted in the newspaper as travelers from Levin, giving our good opinion of this lovely new camp.

We made the news

The only downsides were Robin having an issue with his leg, so we came home a couple of weeks early.  And the never ending ferry problems which affected so many people.  On our trip down our afternoon  ferry was cancelled and we were rebooked on one leaving at 2.00am, take it or leave it, we were told.  Weeks and weeks of ferry problems followed, break downs, trouble with getting bookings, and by the time we were due to return home again, once again, the ferry was cancelled.  But, we were offered a life line when we were placed on standby with no guarantees, a little scary, not knowing if we would manage to get aboard.  Thank goodness we did, although now we are home the news items continue with stories of customers stranded for weeks, or boarding as foot passengers and having to leave their cars behind.  We certainly were lucky indeed.

Inter Island Ferry

Settling down at home we are catching up with friends again, and looking forward to caravan club rallies, after all, you cant have too much of a good thing, can you.  We had a mountain of mail waiting for us, including the very important Census Forms to complete.  Many thanks to Dot and Derek for keeping an eye on our home for us, all those weeks we were away, we certainly appreciated that.