Camping at Paekakariki

The first thing we noticed when we arrived at the Camp was a brand new barrier arm system.  Robin went to the office to book in (and pay for) our Christmas holiday and he had to choose his own 4 didget number to access the barrier arm. We have no problem with this, and think the barrier arm is a good idea.  It will keep the camp safer for the paying customers, and visitors will need to register at the office, ensuring that management know just who is in camp.

What’s this we see through the windscreen?

Being summer, the pohutakawa trees are a riot of crimson blossoms, the stamens tipped with yellow.  The pohutukawa tree (Metrosideros excelsa) with its crimson flower has become an established part of the New Zealand Christmas tradition. This iconic Kiwi Christmas tree, which often features on greeting cards and in poems and songs, has become an important symbol for New Zealanders at home and abroad. Also in camp is one of the rarer yellow flowered pohutakawa trees – not often seen.  The  yellow-flowered cultivar "Aurea" descends from a pair discovered in 1940 on Mōtiti Island in the Bay of Plenty.

The motor camp has many crimson pohutakawa trees and one of the yellow flowing variety

The camp was very quiet when we first arrived on Christmas Eve, but is slowly filling up now.  Tents are springing up everywhere, and the Dog Bay has campers with all breeds of dogs.  Two large Newfoundlands keep a quiet eye on the comings and goings as people walk past on their way through the camp, and Holly, the fluffy white Bichon at the end of our row keeps a wary eye out on these two huge black monsters.  All the dogs are tethered at their camp sites and usually they are very quiet and well behaved.  Muffy, our beautiful Birman cat, is spending her Christmas in camp with us and is quite interested in all the comings and goings of camp life.  She is not too keen on dogs or noisy children, and likes to walk around outside to see what there is to see, safe with her harness and light lead.  Then she is quite happy to lie down under our deck chairs and have a nice little snooze.  Or even better, come back inside and sleep on our bed.  Cats certainly have the best of lives, don’t they!

 

Happy campers

A little adjustment

Robin spent a bit of time climbing under the caravan, to make an adjustment to the waste hose.  When we visited the Leisureline factory last Easter, the factory manager had given him another length of ribbed waste pipe.  This was to replace the existing pipe and bring our system up to date with what is now implemented in the brand new caravans.   So it was a matter of measuring, cutting, clamping, adjusting, and finally screwing everything in place.

 

The adjustment now makes it easier to empty the grey water waste. Using the old method we had to move the waste hose around to chassis which meant getting down on hands and knees and also put a kink in the hose we were using, this did not allow for efficient drainage.  As we are getting older getting on ones hands and knees seems further go than previously.  Now the waste can be released and come outside the line of the van so fitting hoses and turning on taps is much easier.  That’s the plan anyhow, proof will be when fully trialled.

 

Willie Woodpecker

Robin received a very special (an unexpected) gift on Christmas Day from Kathryn and Graeme – his very own Willie Woodpecker.  Graeme had owned one for some time and Robin had long admired this cheeky little bird.

Willie Woodpecker

So what exactly does Willie do?  Simple, you push Willie Woodpecker’s head and he bends down to pick up a toothpick for you.  Just what you sometimes need after a hearty meal.

This handsome black and white woodpecker performed his task perfectly.  Robin was thrilled with his gift.  We think every home and caravan should have one.  We will have to bring him out when we are trying to impress the dinner guests, won’t we.

Christmas Day on the Coast

This Christmas for a change we decided to dine out on Christmas Day.  The four of us joined the other 120 or so diners at Cobb and Co Restaurant at Paraparaumu.  There was a big sign up at the entrance stating, “No casual diners, bookings only for Christmas Day”.  Just as well as the waitress found our names on the list.

Luckily our names were on the Christmas Dinner list

A nice young waiter showed us to our window table and ran through the options with us.   No, he didn’t mind working on Christmas Day, he told us, he would rather be working than spending Christmas Day with rellies he hardly sees and doesn’t really know.  And, the higher hourly rate for working on Christmas Day certainly helped make up his mind. We had a choice of pumpkin soup or shrimp cocktails – an easy choice for us all as the weather was much too warm for a bowl of soup.  The very generous main course consisted of ham, turkey and roast pork, with roast pumpkin, kumara and potatoes, broccoli and cheese sauce, peas and carrots.  Kathryn and I tried our hardest but couldn’t manage to get through it all.  Dessert was a plate containing Christmas pudding and custard, a slice of pavlova, a brandy snap with cream, and ice-cream.  By this stage we were all struggling to get through it.  The price for our meal included a free drink, chocolates and sweets, Christmas mince pies, coffee and a slice of Christmas cake, and Christmas Crackers.  We were certainly getting good value for money, we thought.

 

Graeme and Kathryn, Jenny and Robin, enjoying Christmas lunch

The steady hum of conversations filled the restaurant as various groups of people were enjoying their Christmas meals.  There were several very  large family groups  with the grandparents right down to babies, many groups of 4 like us, and lots of twosomes.  The young waiting staff did an excellent job delivering meals and drinks, and we can only imagine what was happening behind the scenes in the kitchen.    There was no way we could do justice to the mince pies and remaining sweets so we wrapped them up to enjoy back at camp.  It was so nice to spend Christmas Day with friends and not worry about the preparation, cooking, and cleaning up, for a change.

Some of the Christmas decorations at Cobb and Co

Merry Christmas everyone

Christmas greetings to you all from us in sunny New Zealand.  Special warm wishes to our friends in the Northern Hemisphere who are caught up in all the ice and snow.  Guess your white Christmas has arrived.

We would like to share this Christmas poem with you.  It was written by our grand-daughter Megan a few years ago when she was just eleven and we think she did a wonderful job.

 

Christmas is coming  

Happy children all over the world

Reindeer and Father Christmas land on the roof

In the house Father Christmas

Stumbles while putting presents under the tree

Trees covered in tinsel with an angel on top

Merry Christmas to all those in the world

Angels singing Christmas carols

Stars show the way to baby Jesus

Demented Turkey at large

There we all were, quietly sitting at our desks this morning at work.  Our fingers were flying as we concentrated on the documents on our copy holders, keying the figures into the computer.  We were doing data entry keying, trying to get everything up to date before the Christmas break.  What’s that strange noise?  “Gobble, gobble, gobble”, we heard, loud and clear.  There on the carpet just by my desk was a demented white turkey. “Jingle bells, jingle bells”, he sang with gusto, with the occasional gobble, gobble thrown in the song for good measure.  As he sang his Christmas carol he did his own little turkey dance, leaning dangerously to one side as he turned around.  We all laughed as we watched the demented turkey strut his stuff!   Don’t think the team leader was very impressed though – perhaps she just doesn’t like turkeys.  Especially ones that can sing and dance!.

 

Jingle Bells, gobble, gobble

86 not out

86 not out is a good achievement -  Robin’s Mum Bonnie turned 86 today.  We collected her from her home in Waikanae and took her out for afternoon tea at one of our favourite cafes, the Red House Cafe, at Te Horo.  With Christmas just a few days away, it was no surprise to find the cafe decked out in Christmas finery.

Christmas Tree at the Red House Cafe

After checking out all the goodies, and making our choices, we settled down in this historic building which previously was the old General Store.  The owner of the cafe has maintained the ambience of the old building, retaining the original counter, wooden floors and memorabilia.

 

Robin and Bonnie

It was a big surprise to Bonnie when Number 2 son Gary and his family arrived shortly after.  We had kept it a surprise as we weren’t quite sure what time they would arrive. So it was hugs and gifts for the birthday girl, and greetings all around.  By this time my coffee was long gone, so another cup was in order.  There was plenty of chat and catching up with everyone’s news, and news of other rellies.  Then we had to discuss the government, the state of the economy, and generally putting the world to rights. 

Gary and Bonnie

It was a very enjoyable afternoon spent is pleasant surroundings.  Happy 86th birthday, Bonnie.