Le Movie and Le Meal

After our ride on the local train on Saturday, there was just time to return to camp for a cuppa before driving back down to  Finn’s.  This establishment is the local pub, cafe, accommodation and cinema all rolled in to one.  Our group had a private showing in the small 24 seat theatre of the film “Le Weekend”.  Rally captain Selwyn assured us all that it was a bit risqué,  so to speak.  Nothing like the whiff of bawdy spice to get this bunch of OAPs raring to go.

Waiting in anticipation

Le Week-End tells of Meg and Nick (Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan) who revisit Paris to revitalise their marriage, and run into an old friend (Jeff Goldblum) who has embarked on a new life, a new marriage, and a new baby on the way.  Sadly, we found the film a bit on the boring side – it certainly didn’t live up to our expectations.  But then, what would we know?  The only risqué thing we saw was this sign in the bar.   Never mind – our movie deal included a pub meal.  The kitchen was working hard and plates full with fish and chips or burgers were quickly carried to our table.   We finished off the meal with rather large ice-cream sundaes.

Sign in the bar

With Sunday being Mother’s Day, all the Mums at the rally got a treat at morning tea.  Kath presented us all with a small packet of “Molly Woppy” Melting Moments, with a choice of chocolate or vanilla.  I was thrilled to discover that my vanilla biscuits were actually lemon flavoured, yummy.  And just so the men didn’t feel to left out, they were all given a Whitakers Chocolate Peanut bar. 

Then it was time to pack up and head off home.  Some of us stayed a little later and ate our lunch together in the sunshine.  Another good weekend rally, great fun, a load of laughs, thanks to Selwyn and Kath for organising it. 

Down by the Station

The Caravan Club notice-board sheltering under the umbrella from the rain said it all.  Just like excited little schoolchildren, we were going on a train ride. What fun!  And on presentation of our Gold Cards, it would be a free trip.

What’s on today?

Some people wanted to travel south to Porirua and headed off early.  The rest of us decided on a shorter trip, north to Waikanae.  So off we went after lunch to the historic Paekakariki Railway Station.  This was built in 1909, and registered with the Historic Places Trust.  A notice board on the station shows what the area looked like in bygone years.

On Paekakariki Station

And here is the New Zealand version of “Mind the Gap” with Robin, Selwyn and Kath standing much too close to the edge of the platform.

They are not standing behind the yellow line.

Here comes our train.  Oh good, it’s one of the flash new Matangi trains.  A few of our caravan buddies had not travelled on one of these before.

Here’s our train

As the train trundled along we had good views of the just started Kapiti Expressway.  This is being constructed over wet peat-land over this part is quite a work in progress.

  Road work machines at the ready

Two stops later we arrived at the end of the line.  Staying aboard, the train was shunted to a siding to allow a couple of freight trains to go past.  Then we took the return journey back to Paekakariki  - our short train adventure coming to an end. 

Paekakariki Holiday Park

“Where are you off to this time?”, our neighbour wanted to know, as we hooked up the caravan and trundled out of our village.  It’s another caravan club rally weekend.  Not too far away either, a short 57km drive down SH1 to Paekakariki Holiday Park.

Most had arrived before us, parked up and  tucked away in individual hedge lined sites.  Robin spotted one with a concrete pad, so decided that was the place for us.  With the ground so wet underfoot, stepping out on to a concrete pad will cut down on mud and grass being tracked inside.  Muffy jumped out of the car after the drive down, into the caravan, settled down on her rug and went straight to sleep.  It’s a leisurely life being a caravan cat.

 

Between the hedges at Paekakariki Holiday Park

We are parked behind the weekend Rally Captains, whose caravan was sporting the newly made porch awning.  These small awnings are so handy on wet days, giving overhead shelter as you enter and leave the caravan, and a space to put wet shoes.

New porch awning

And what’s this - another new caravan arriving.  Geoff and Eileen drove in with their new Southern Star.  Very nice it is too, and everyone was keen to check it out. 

New caravan in the club

Caravan club Fridays are usually fairly low key.  4zees of course in the afternoon, then we all gathered in the kitchen after the evening meal.  That’s when the jokes get told – have you heard the one about the Cat in the Hat lamenting his Golden Years?  With the wonder of the internet, jokes are everywhere, and people like to save up the best to relate on Friday evenings.  Then we had a short competition to write down as New Zealand place names we could think of starting with “W”.  Easy, I though, as I quickly wrote down Wellington, Whangarei, Wanganui, Warkworth and Weber.  Then I got stuck and thought about all the railway stations on the Hutt Valley line, that reminded me of a few more.   My rather sad total was 12, and I could have kicked myself when the winner read out all his 30 or so names.  Of course I knew them all, just couldn’t think of them under pressure.

We woke up to a drizzly Saturday morning, maybe the weather will clear as the weekend progresses.  It was Happy Birthday wishes to Geoff at morning tea as we all shared a piece of home made cake for his birthday.

Geoff passing around the birthday cake

Rally captains Selwyn and Kath have quite a busy Saturday programme for us – it all sounds a lot of fun.  Some of it involves trains, well, that will be interesting!

More about the Gorge

The Manawatu Gorge is special in that it is an unique geological formation,  as it separates two mountain ranges, the Tararua and Ruahine Ranges.  And secondly, it is the pathway for the only river in the world that has it’s source on one side of a mountain range and travels to the  sea on the other side.

 

The road was built in the early 1870s and was little more than a bridle track for many years.  Construction was extremely difficult  with workmen often suspended by ropes to set charges to blast the solid rock away.  In 1875 toll bridges were built at each end and the charges were:

Rider on horseback – sixpence
Horse and trap – one shilling
Cattle – three pence a head
Sheep – halfpenny a head

With a toll bridge situated either end of the gorge road, customers no chance of sneaking through with their flock of sheep and not paying.  The tolls were abolished in 1912.

The road was gradually widened in the 1920s to allow for motorised traffic.  Since then, the widening and straightening process has ongoing.   Slips have always been a problem on this road, but nothing compared to the massive slip which was to come in 2011.

Huge slip in Manawatu Gorge.   MURRAY WILSON /FAIRFAX NZ

On 18 August 2011, a large landslip closed State Highway 3 through the Manawatu Gorge, New Zealand’s main East-West transport link for the lower half of North Island.   After a two month cleanup, the road was about to be reopened when overnight, everything changed. A massive slip came crashing down in the same location - the largest road slip in New Zealand's history.  Higgins was the company tasked to clear and repair this very important road link.  To stabilise the slope, five massive benches were built from the top down, each longer than a rugby field.  A track was built through bush at the top of the slope so equipment could be brought in.  Staff began the work at a height of 155 metres above the road.  A total of 370,000 cubic metres of soil, rock and debris was removed from the site.  The road was entirely or partially closed for 13 long months.

The scar on the hill side is still clearly visible, as we looked over from the railway tracks during our Sunday walk.

Scar of the Big Slip of 2011

Luckily, only a few vehicles have ended up in the river far below.  This is a road I am always pleased to reach the end of, especially when we are towing the caravan, but Robin seems to take it all in his stride.  And rail users will be pleased to know that since the railway line was completed in 1891, only two major accidents have happened with trains falling off the rails.  Back in 1946 a train struck a 4 ton boulder on the line, and the engine and two wagons plummeted into the river, killing the driver and fireman.  And then in 1998 a train carrying milk hit a slip and the engine was shunted over the bank.  Luckily the crew were unhurt and all the wagons remained on the track. 

So, love it or hate it, the Gorge is still a challenging place.   Just goes to show that you can’t fully tame Mother Nature.

One foot in front of the other - Part 2

Just through tunnel number two  there was a handy stack of sleepers, just the place to join in with the other walkers and sit for a drink and a snack, and rest our weary bones for a little while.   One couple told us they had driven down from Hastings, leaving early in the morning to arrive in time for the walk.    Not only that, but they had previously tramped up and down the many track-ways on the road side of the gorge.  That’s certainly commitment to getting a bit of exercise.

  Mid morning stop

We were  surprised to see so many dead possums on the track in various stages of decay.  Guess they get mesmerised by the lights on the oncoming train before getting run over.  It may seem unkind, but most Kiwi’s believe that the only good possum is a dead possum.  Possums were originally introduced to New Zealand from Australia to establish a fur industry, and are voracious eaters.  Possums can cause catastrophic dieback, the complete collapse of a forest canopy – especially tree species that possums prefer, such as rata  and kamahi.  Add in the fact that possums have been caught on film eating the eggs, chicks and even adults of our native bird species, these nasty little animals are reviled by the general public.

It was a matter of one foot in front of the other as we continued on our way.  Some of the original hard wood sleepers were still in place, while others had been replaced with concrete sleepers.  In some parts the track had recently been re-metalled, making walking difficult on the ankles, as I continued to slip and slide.   What a shame I couldn’t track down my proper walking boots, those boots had previously seen a much younger version of me up and over the Milford Track some years ago.

Walking on loose metal

Eventually the railway line left the gorge and we walked through the country-side for a short time.  Nearly there now, we just have to cross the final bridge over the Pohangina River.  What  bliss – easy walking on timber.

Oops, Robin looks a bit wobbly with his sore knee

Plenty of drift wood from earlier floods on the river bank 

We were guided down a steep track to the Domain grounds, and what a surprise, a water stop – which was really appreciated by this stage.  Never seen Water in a Box before, but it sure tasted great.

A quick stop for a drink

It only took us another 5 minutes or so walking through the Ashhurst Domain and we were handed a certificate each.  We had made it!

Walkway Certificate

And look, they arranged for a Scotty band to serenade us as we walked by.  How kind.

Playing just for us

It was time for a late lunch, and Robin was drawn by his nose to the Sausage Sizzle tent.  The smell of BBQed sausages and onions cooking proved irresistible.  So it was sausage, onions and buttered bread twice, thanks.  I seemed to cause a bit of bother when I asked for a well cooked sausage, and my sausage was returned to the BBQ for another few minutes to brown up more.  The cook rolled his eyes at my request, Robin informed me later.

Cooking up a storm

We were warned before we set off that the 8km walk might not be as easy as expected.  That proved true in our case because of the loose stones we had to walk over.  Obviously, those walking in proper boots did not have the same problem with their feet slipping as I did.  As we sat eating our sausages and bread in the sunshine we watched the steady stream of participants walking by.  Some looked as fresh as a daisy, while others plodded slowly by to get to their cars.  One of the  organisers had told us that the maximum allowable number of 1500 tickets had been sold.  What an excellent fund raising event for Lions, and one more thing we can tick off our bucket list. 

Returning to the caravan, we started packing up for our trip home.  What a great day doing something different – wonderful scenery, great weather, and not a breath of wind.  Certainly worth the various aches and pains, which just goes to show we are not as young as we used to be.  It was early to bed after all that fresh air and exercise. 

Track and Tunnel Walk – Part 1

Sunday rolled around and it was time to tackle the Track and Tunnel Walk through the Manawatu Gorge.  As it turned out, this was the 20th annual walk which the Woodville Lions had organised.  We read and signed the Walkers Consent form.  The instructions were: moderate fitness- questionable, sturdy footwear – we’ve searched high and low for those tramping boots and still didn’t find them, wet weather gear – parkas at the ready, torch – two new torches plus batteries all set to go.  We joined the queue to get in the line of buses all waiting to take us to the Woodville end of the gorge to start our walk.  “Oh, I do like your walking poles” one lady commented as we climbed aboard.  They proved to be very useful as the day wore on.

The start of our adventure

The walkers disgorged from the bus and the keen ones set off up the railway track at a cracking pace.  Surprisingly, the majority of walkers seemed to be in the older age group.  The youngsters taking part bounded along, without a care in the world, while Robin and I were more of the “plodding” type of walker.  Although the track was flat, it was a bit difficult walking over the loose rocks over the track.

Robin carrying the day pack, with parkas, water and snacks

Lions members had been placed at strategic points along the track, at all the bridges and outside the two tunnels.  They jollied us all along, giving everyone encouragement, especially the slower walkers like us.  I must have been looking a bit worse for wear at one of the bridges, as the man in charge insisted on taking my hand and helping me across!   It didn’t take long for Robin’s sore knee to start giving him trouble, and I was having problems with my right ankle, when my shoes slipped and slid on the loose rocks.  Thank goodness for those walking poles giving us a little extra balance. 

Looking back at the Road Bridge, Woodville End of Gorge.

For those familiar with driving over the Manawatu Gorge, it is a bit disconcerting looking across at the road to see how it is constructed on piles perched on the edge.  Mind you, while driving along, we often used to look over at the railway track which is similarly constructed, and comment at all the places it seems to overhang.

A gaggle of geese in the Manawatu River

  A myriad of creeks cascade down the hill

The two tunnels on the trip weren’t too bad to walk through at all, certainly very dark, so the torches were invaluable to see where to put each footfall.  The two tunnels have been constructed quite differently, with the first one being rounded.

Tunnel number one

And tunnel number two is more rectangular.  Strange noises bounced around the second tunnel as one of the older walkers decided we all needed shaking up with his wild animal impersonations. It was interesting to read that with containerisation and containers getting progressively larger the tunnel floors have had to be lowered to accommodate the taller containers, at least twice. There were a few mishaps before the floor lowering when a container was not offloaded and became stuck in a tunnel. There was also 30 something bridges both long and short which had to be crossed, some with hand rails and paths some we had to walk in the middle of the track, and some very slippery. There was a marshal stationed at every bridge to offer assistance if needed.

Tunnel number two

This is the approximate half way point of the walk, we were told.  Great, let’s stop for a rest.  (More to follow).

We’re bushed!!

We’ve had a “Big Day” today, and we are completely bushed.  This is what we got up to.

Our adventure today – any ideas where we went?

Too tired to tell you all about it just now – think we need to have an early night.  Full blogging duties will resume tomorrow.