Turn the clocks back and the weather changes

Daylight Saving ended in the weekend – but is that really an excuse for the weather man to start sending us wintry weather?  Just because we turned the clocks back, the weather has changed.  It is wet, windy and decidedly chilly today.  So much so that I felt compelled to make a big pot of ham, split pea and vegetable soup for lunch.  It does smell nice simmering away on the top of the stove.  However, early April seems just a little early for this wintry weather, especially as we had such wonderful sunshine in the weekend.  Robin has put his shorts away and is wearing his long cosy sweatpants, so that shows how much he is feeling the cold today.  Guess it must be getting on to Winter, as we both visited the doctor to get our flu jabs yesterday.  Mine was free as I am now a “Golden Oldie”.  Robin does not qualify for a free jab on either age (just yet) or health issues, so he had to pay for his.  But we think that $25 is not too high a price to pay – after all he received free flu vaccinations provided by his workplace for the last several years.  Another year or so and he will be on the free list too.  With soup warming our tummies and flu vacs in our blood ready to do battle, a little bit of wintry weather won’t bother us.

NZMCA Rally at Kaitoke

When we can, we like to attend rallies with the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association, (NZMCA) which are much larger gatherings than our usual caravan club rallies.  Another caravan arrived at the camp site the same time as us.  But where was everyone?  Were we in the correct area?  This must be right, we decided, it’s where the NZMCA group always comes.  So we unhooked the tow vehicles, wound down the caravan legs, put the kettle on, and invited our new neighbours in for a cuppa and a chat while we waited.  As we looked out over the deserted camping area, the birdlife kept us entertained.  Several groups of ducks waddled past, quacking quietly to themselves as they looked for titbits to eat before heading off to the river.  And a pair of pukekos kept us amused as they leapt up in the air and fluttered around each other, then ran wildly away; making us wonder if a mating ritual was taking place.  One by one, the campervans and caravans started rolling in, big ones and small ones, older campers and bright shiny new rigs.  A total of 48 vans arrived for the weekend fun.  We watched as one small bus changed position several times.  First he went here, then over there, then changed his mind once again, before finally settling on a space.  It turned out that he was waiting for his daughter Suzanne to arrive, and wanted to make sure there was room for both of them to park together.   Suzanne was towing the cutest little caravan I had ever seen, called a “Little Gem”.

Suzanne and her Little Gem

Her Dad made the awning for her, and the caravan has a cosy sleeping compartment.  The back lifts up to reveal the kitchen facilities.  It is a real little home away from home and her new acquisition from Trade Me suits Suzanne’s camping needs  perfectly.

Cooker at the rear

Although quite noticeably chilly overnight, the days were lovely once the air warmed up.  I joined a group for a walk on Saturday morning and was doing fine until the leader started striding purposely up the hill track.  As I stopped to get my breath back I met up with a group of walkers from a cruise ship, who were getting a taste of the Regional Park.  Some scenes of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy were filmed in this area, and I heard the leader telling his group all about it.

Lovely hill scene from my walk

There was plenty going on to keep us entertained.  We chatted to friends outside in the sunshine as we watched teams competing in games of pentanque, horseshoe tossing, gumboot throwing and quoits.  There were the usual morning teas, raffles and Happy Hours.  Peter and Lexie cooked up the lunch time Sausage Sizzle which was calling Robin’s name, so that was his lunch sorted.

Robin with his Sausage Sizzle lunch

On Saturday night we were wrapped up warmly as we watched the movie “Keeping Mum” under the open sided pavilion.  Gary kept us entertained when he brought out his UFO in the early evening and put it through it’s paces.  It buzzed about in the darkening sky flying this way and that, and hovering quite effortlessly.

What is this UFO?

Called a Parrot A R Drone, this European electronic device is controlled by an I-Pad.  It has two cameras and a video and works by way of a Wi-Fi connection.  “Wave at it”, I was instructed, and sure enough, there was me on the screen.  The battery only lasts for 10 minutes of flying, and an icon appears on the screen when the battery is getting low.  A group of youngsters came rushing over to have a look, and were thrilled by what they saw.  “Wow, imagine getting one of those for Christmas”, one of the boys exclaimed.

Gary and his Parrot Drone

Our Birman Muffy wasn’t the only cat away for the weekend at Kaitoke.  We met up with Muffin, a beautiful Himalayan Colour point, who was on her first weekend away.  Although well used to popping in and out of the motor home while it is parked at home, it is quite a different story to actually travel in it, her  Mum Amanda told us, and Muffin was feeling just a little bit stressed.

  Muffin – Himalayan Colour point

Muffin’s parents Paul and Amanda own a marvellous 5th Wheeler “Changing Places”, and plan to live in it full time very shortly.  So of course they want their Muffin to settle down and travel happily with them.  With slide outs giving them plenty of living space, and room for their bikes in the locker on the back of the tow truck, they are well on the way to enjoy their travels.  

5th Wheeler “Changing Places”

We were not in any hurry to head back early on Sunday, after all we were only 14km up the road from home.  As a group of us ate our lunch in the sunny conditions we heard an almighty “bang”.  What on earth had happened?  A gust of wind had torn an awning out of Gary’s hands as he was in the process of stowing it away and flung it off the fittings and onto the roof.  Several of the men rushed to help, and Robin hurried over with his ladder as the owner and his friends tried to untangle the mess. The awning was a write off.  What a shame for such a thing to spoil a weekend away.  Guess that is why we all have insurance.

Awning damaged with a wind gust

Caps on the clothesline

I am usually the “Laundry Diva” in this household, but very occasionally Robin decides to put his hands in the wash tub to do a little laundry of his own.  Such was the case when he was looking through his caps recently and noticed that several of them were looking rather grubby and sweat stained from our hot summer weather.  No problem, he filled up the tub with hot soapy water and gave those grubby marked caps a jolly good scrub.  After a rinse in cold water, he then put them through another rinse cycle in the washing machine, then hung them up to dry.  He  did such a good job, and all those nasty stains has disappeared.

Caps on the clothesline in the garage

Robin loves his caps, and has got quite a varied selection which bring back all sorts of memories.  Hanging up is his red and black “Jurrasic Park Ride” cap purchased from Universal Studios in California.  Next is his Cook Island cap bought when we had a holiday in Rarotonga, and the blue “Cromer Lifeboat” cap from Cromer, UK.  Last is his New Zealand cap, hanging on the clothesline.  This is just really just a small selection – he has a cap from Niagara Falls, Singapore, and from the Globe Theatre in London.  A few others that he has picked up along the way, including his “Toops” caps from his  not so long ago working days, plus a 50th birthday cap.  That’s going back a bit now.  There is probably lots more tucked away in the caravan too.  Wherever we go, he likes to buy a cap as a memento.  There is nothing wrong with that, it’s a good way to protect his head and relive some of those memories.  Wonder where his next cap will come from?

Muldoon’s Corner

We often travel over the winding Rimutaka Hill Road, on State Highway 2, usually towing the caravan behind us.  It is the only road route over the Rimutaka Ranges, travelling from the Hutt Valley side of the ranges on the western side, to the Wairarapa Plains in the east. At the summit the road is 555m above sea level. Why it is called a “hill” when it is part of a mountain range is beyond me, and I can vividly remember the first time I drove over this road in my young days.  The red “L”for learner driver was affixed to the windows of my old bomb of a car, telling the world I had not long been granted my driving license.  With my two young children in the back seat, I stalled my car driving up the hill in slow traffic.  Try as I  might I just couldn’t get the car started, and with each try the car kept sliding back down the road getting perilously closer and closer to the car behind me.  As you can imagine, the traffic was backing up and I was starting to panic.  Obviously, hill starts were not yet part of my driving skills.  Finally, a kind motorist took pity on me, and offered to help.  Effortlessly, the car started straight away for him.   I jumped back in the drivers seat and continued my journey home, swearing my children to secrecy  so they wouldn’t tell their father what a terrible driver I was.

Muldoon’s Corner before the work started - Photo courtesy of New Zealand Transport Agency

Muldoon's Corner is the sharpest and tightest corner on Hill Road and is the third to last right-hander heading northward before the summit.  It is notorious for the fact that trucks often had to cross the centre line, and two trucks cannot take the corner in opposite directions at the same time.  Robin used to drive his truck over this road for several years and often came home with tall tales to tell of narrow escapes!  Work has been well underway to realign the road 1km south of the Rimutaka summit on the Wellington side of the hill.

Our trips over the hill are often slow due to the large amount of trucks carrying fill from one part of the road to another.  This map shows how the road is being altered, by cutting, filling, and bridging.

Wairarapa News photo

And just who was the corner named after?  Former National Prime Minister Robert Muldoon, who was also Minister of Finance, that’s who.  The corner has said to got its name in relation to Muldoon's budgets: "tight and [when heading northbound] to the right".

Prime Minister Robert Muldoon

Wairarapa Wanderings

The 1.5km steep unsealed drive up to Assisi Gardens looked daunting.  We could see the house perched high on the hill up above us, so that was where we were heading.  This was the first stop on our day out with Anne and the SLG on our “Wairarapa Wanderings”.

We climbed higher and higher, past massed plantings on the hillside and groups of local stone artistically arranged.  All rocks used in the garden came from the property.

A grove of cabbage trees

The views were stunning as we looked across the valley.  Assisi Gardens cover 11 hectares of steep hillside and are only 10 years old.  The beautiful lake  took shape after 9000 mts of peat was excavated (and used elsewhere in the garden) and the previous swamp filled with water from the natural spring.  The owners gave us a potted history of the property and then we took ourselves off on a self guided garden tour.  Large plantings of native trees and flaxes attract the birds in the Spring.

There was no wind the day we visited, unusual as we were so high up in the hills, and the hot Wairarapa sun was beating down as we wandered around the garden.  We were delighted to cool down and eat our picnic lunch under the shade of the decking at the back of the house when we completed our garden tour.

Lunch time out of the hot sun

The two resident dogs, shiny black Labradors called Venus and Serena were eating their lunch too.  They made short work of a large bone each as they chomped happily away.

Is this Venus or Serena with her bone?

As we left the gardens at Gladstone to drive to our next stop the heavens opened and a torrential downpour arrived.  It was so difficult to see that we all slowed down to a crawl, our lights were on, and the windscreen wipers were working on high speed.  Luckily by the time we left the country roads and joined the main road the rain had eased considerably, and unbelievably, blue skies appeared as we pulled in to our next destination. We were to see the rural Carterton  workshop of sculpture Nico Thomsen.  Ten years ago Nico packed up all his heavy metal working tools including a forge into a shipping container and left Germany to start a new life in New Zealand.  He turns pieces iron into garden works of art.  Nico explained the long process to create his stunning flax pieces.  He uses all sorts of metal, from flat lengths to rods, as he cuts, shapes, hammers, welds into the shapes he is creating.

Nico with his flax flowers

We were all taken with this lovely frame covered with flowers and could imagine it in our own gardens.  Nico told us that he paints his garden creations with rust inhibiting oil which gives some protection if applied regularly, but then again, he feels that a little  rust on his outdoor works only enhances the iron works.

Garden sculptor

Sitting in the driveway was a carriage that looked like it was straight out of a fairy tale.  “Would you mind, Nico”, I asked, “if I sat in your carriage?” Goodness knows what thoughts were going through his mind as he graciously consented.  So here I am, feeling like a princess for a moment!

All I need is a tiara

We had a great day out with our SLG friends.  It was Anne’s turn to organise the day out, and she came up with two interesting visits to places we had not previously discovered.

Stay-at-home Saturday

What has happened to the sunshine?  Today is a soggy, wet Saturday.  The rain is coming down, and our New Zealand flag is hanging limply on the flag pole.  The rain clouds are so low we can’t see the hills at all.  Guess it’s a good day to be staying at home and doing what takes our fancy.  There is rugby on the telly and quilting to be done – no prizes for guessing which one of us is doing what.  Let us hope that the weather clears tomorrow as we are heading back over to the Wairarapa to spend the day with friends.  “Take sturdy shoes”, we were told, so no doubt there will be some exploring to be done.  This is  just a day trip  so both the caravan and the cat will be staying home.

Home in the rain today

Gasoline Heaven

Our visit to Gasoline Heaven was a trip down memory lane for the men folk of our caravan club over the weekend.   Situated on the main road just north of Carterton, we had driven past many times, often saying to ourselves, “We must go there one day.”  That day had finally arrived and we arrived at the car museum to see what was hidden away inside.  The $5 entrance fee seemed very reasonable to us.

Bob and Georgie Wilton began collecting automotive memorabilia in 2002, when they bought an old wooden oil box.  The collection grew rapidly, and outgrew their large garage, so they built Gasoline Heaven as a museum to house their treasures, and their own growing collection of cars.  Bob and Georgie have their own English Ford Zephyrs on show, and their dragster, as well as many other interesting vehicles on loan.

A huge collection of oil containers

Peter drooled over the white and orange 1957 Mark 11 Zephyr.  “I used to have one of those,” he said, “may I sit inside for a moment?”   Yes, if he was careful, was the reply.  Don joined him in the front seat.  Can you see the grins on their faces?

Peter and Don sitting in the Mark 11 Zephyr

The Wilton’s Dragster “The Bullet” looked very impressive.  Painted green and yellow, the 1969 Dragster has a Zephyr 3.0L VG motor.  Off to the side is a collection of old bikes.  Remember the bike with the large front basket that delivered the grocery orders?  There was one of those tucked in the corner, together with several pedal cars.  Wonder how many of our guys had a pedal car when they were children?

“The Bullet”

I noticed two large green Fords from earlier times.  One was a 1930 Model A Ford, and the other was slightly earlier, a 1928 Model A Ford Sedan.  Cars really made a statement in those days!

Two green Fords

Petrol pumps displaying brand names long discontinued were a talking point.  This brought back memories of all the different brands of petrol which used to be sold at petrol stations years ago.

Many other cars were parked outside the museum, including these two in dire need of restoration.  Is that an Elvis plate on that old blue Morris 8?  The yellow Holden ute beside is just as rusty and the pair may well be a lost cause for repair.

Sadly riddled with rust

There was an interesting mix of cars and memorabilia to see, and Gasoline Heaven is well worth a visit if you are in the vicinity.

Who is this masked man?