Waiouru Museum Trip, 3 July 2017

Sixteen members of the Levin Menz Shed plus one visitor did a trip to the Waiouru Army Museum on Monday 3 July, but this was a trip with a difference.  We were look at all the big items that were not displayed in the main public museum as there was no room for them.

The Levin Menz Shed Member Lounging all over a Valentine Tank.

Rather than write a lot of words about what we saw I will just say it with pictures:

Folding paratrooper motorbikes, not very sucessful. The one at the back has a bigger seat, 

it was adapted for use by midwives.

Iconic Willys Jeep

WWII Indian Scout Motorbike

One of only a small number left of an exact miniature Bailey Bridge. Used to teach how to 

assemble. Click on link to find more information on Bailey Bridges.

A Willys Jeep as setup for the SAS, and a Series 1 Land Rover also used by the SAS but for use in Borneo and Malaysia. The spare tyre was mounted on the front to aid with bashing through things.

A selection of big trucks

A room full of big guns all in chronological order.

And to finish off the Royal Parade Land Rover and the Valentine Tank unadorned.

Thank you to Stafford and Adam for arranging an excellent day out at a truly amazing facility. We may have to go back at some stage to see any changes and to see the bit missed.

If there was anything that I was in awe of was the sheer amount of equipment being preserved and of how much of it still is in running order!

Taupo DeBretts

Taupo DeBretts used to be “the place to stay” for campers, and is still very popular.  Especially with the added attraction of the Hot Pools.  Campers get a half price deal to the pools, and being golden oldies, our price is very reasonable indeed.  Hope we have time for a dip while we are staying here.

The only downside is that, like a lot of camps, the sites are rather small for a big caravan plus tow car – it seems that camps these days like to cater for the smaller rental motorhomes.  We are perched on the hillside as the busy traffic on SH5 (Napier-Taupo Road) whizzes by behind us.  There is only just room to park the 4WD in front of the caravan.

On site at DeBretts, Taupo

Robin and Geoff took off bright and early for a “Boys Own Adventure” and is under instruction that he must write a blog all about it when he returns.  So I had plenty of time to check out the facilities.  The new ablution block now features unisex toilets and showers and has “underfloor heating for our comfort”.  Very nicely done indeed, and lovely and clean too, of course.

Unisex ablution block

And since I had the morning to myself, I might as well get the washing done.  Holiday or not, the laundry still mounts up.

Fresh from the drier

Who can remember the iconic Terraces Hotel?  This was a historic landmark that first opened its doors in 1889.  Known as "the only hotel with hot water on premises," the 20-bedroom hotel boasted two lounges and later a dining room able to seat 40 guests.

Hilton Lake Taupo, as it is now known, was extended and refurbished about 10 years ago.  I walked the short distance from the camp to have a coffee inside and see how much it had changed.

Hilton Lake Taupo

Yes, it certainly had changed since our last visit here.    I sipped my coffee sitting on a comfy leather settee in front of the fire.

 

Coffee time

We had previously enjoyed many meals in the old dining room in earlier years, but not now with these menu prices.  Never mind, I enjoyed my coffee, and feeling rather like a poor relation, walked back to camp. 

Views of Lake Taupo from the camp

National Park to Taupo

The strong winds blew all night, rocking the caravans and the rain hammered down, almost without let-up.   Luckily the wind blew itself out overnight so we didn’t have worry about towing in dangerous wind gusts.  And what was the mountain doing this morning, I wondered?  There it was, looking as beautiful as ever, clouds swirling around the peaks, and the snow cover a little lower than yesterday.  With a handy dump station on site at the Ohakune Club grounds, we soon emptied out, and filled up with fresh water, all set for the next part of our trip.

Mt Ruapehu from Ohakune

We really needed a quick trip to town for another chocolate éclair fix – after all, we were moving on and wouldn’t be back again this way for a while.  And what was the Chocolate Éclair Shop’s response for the All Black 2nd Test loss to the Lions touring rugby team?  The tissues were for Sonny Bill’s fans who was red carded from the game in disgrace.

Turning onto SH4, we drove past Horopito Motors, the largest car dismantler in Australasia.  And close by was the site of the historic Final Spike on the Main Trunk Line, put in place in November 1908 – no time to stop here today either.  Under the 100 years plus Makatoke Viaduct, which has recently been repaired and repainted and on to National Park.

Makatoke Viaduct

Turning off onto SH47 we drove through sub alpine native bush, with the misty clouds obscuring the mountains ahead of us.   The road was rough in parts and we bounced along, wondering what was happening inside the caravan, and hoping that all the cupboard latches had been shut tight.

 

We stopped for lunch at Waipapa Reserve, Turangi, a nice roomy area with plenty of parking.  We watched a man and his dog having fun in the park, playing with a frisbee – the dog was almost beside himself as he waited for his toy to be thrown.  Jumping high, twisting his body every which way, the dog wasn’t going to let that frisbee get away from him.  And with a handy coffee cart close by, we all ordered a nice hot coffee to go with our leisurely  lunch.  Yes, we confess, we did eat our final chocolate éclair each, and they were delicious!

Lunch at Turangi

Another 40kms and we arrived at our destination at Taupo, DeBretts.  It is quite some time since we have stayed here, and thought that now it was winter, it might be nice to have a power site for the next three nights.  With a "winter special" for those staying three nights or more, it was a good choice for a winter stop over. Instead of staying, as we usually do, at the NZCA site at Taupo Airport. 

On site at DeBretts, Taupo

A couple in a Britz van are parked close by, and as we suspected, are here in New Zealand to follow the Lions Rugby team around from game to game and are understandably delighted with the Lions win against the All Blacks last night.  We had a nice chat about places they had traveled to on their trip, and highlights of our own trips to UK.

On to Ohakune

Breakfast first – always a good start to a busy day. Three of us decided we would have breakfast at the Flat Hills Café, a good deal with complimentary tea or coffee for those staying in camp.  We all chose bacon and eggs – but wanted our eggs done differently.  One had fried, one ordered poached, and the other wanted scrambled eggs.

All in need of bacon and eggs to start the day

We were joined at the table by Ricky and Jane, travelers from California who were touring around the country.  They are ardent Lord of the Rings fans, and are looking forward to their upcoming Weta Workshop tour.  I asked Ricky if he wouldn’t mind taking our photo, and then he casually mentioned that he was a professional photographer working for National Geographic. Do check out examples of his glorious work on his website at www.rickyqi.com.   No doubt he is used to a much more fancy camera than mine.  They were most appreciative when we gave them both some ideas for the South Island  portion of their trip.

Breakfast over, we finished packing up the vans and headed on to Ohakune, heading up SHI to Waiouru, and then turning onto SH49 to Ohakune.  Not a long trip at all, only 83km today.

First glimpse of Mt Ruapehu today, coming into Waiouru

Arriving at the Ohakune Club, we found a site each along the tree line, trying to get away from the wind gusts, and went inside to pay our overnight fees.  We had been here a few months previously, and the Manager remembered us, she said.

Two Leisurelines at the Ohakune Club

No trip to Ohakune is complete without a visit to the “world famous in New Zealand” Chocolate Éclair Shop.

It’s no surprise that we came out with some of those delicious chocolate éclairs for lunch.  But to even things up a bit, we also bought some nice locally grown vegetables too.

Look at the size of these!

The owners of the shop are obviously rugby fans and they had this little display in the shop, especially for the Lions supporters.  The 2nd Test will be played tonight, so we wonder which side will be in need of the tissues?  Robin will be in his element later tonight when he watches the match inside the club on the big screen, surrounded by lots of other keen rugby supporters.

Tissues to mop the tears

In the afternoon we took a little “tiki tour” around town – although we have been to Ohakune there are still places to see.  The local museum was sadly closed so we checked out the historic railway station.  No wonder this is a chilly place in winter, it is over 2000 feet high. That probably explains why we saw so much fire wood for sale.

Ohakune Railway Station

Pallets full of firewood for sale

Ohakune is famous for growing carrots, parsnips, swedes, potatoes and Brussel sprouts.  The huge fibreglass carrot to celebrate the town was officially opened in 1984.

The Big Carrot of Ohakune

View from our camp today

Off to Flat Hills

Off we go on another road trip – it’s a hard life but someone’s got to do it!  We left home little later than anticipated, why oh why does it always take us so long to get ready?  We should be experts at this by now!  It didn’t take us too long to travel up SH1 to Sanson – and what’s that away in the distance?  It’s my favourite mountain, Mt Ruapehu.  Not always visible this far south, but obviously the conditions were right to view it today.  Still a little hazy, but clear enough to see in the distance.

Mt Ruapehu from Sanson

After a quick stop for fuel we were soon on our way again.  The number of rental motorhomes all travelling south was tremendous – presumably all those rugby mad Lions supporters travelling to Wellington for the 2nd All Black Test.  We decided to stop for lunch at the Sugar Plum Café, just north of Marton.  And what a popular place it was, buzzing with customers and the food was great too.  With a warm fire burning, a great menu and a cabinet full of tasty items, it was a lovely welcoming place indeed. 

Lunch at Sugar Plum Café

Oh look – here’s another well photographed sight from our travels up and down this road.  Non other than the 72 metre high  Makohine Railway Viaduct.  We weren’t lucky enough to see a train crossing over as we drove underneath, but it is still an impressive sight.

Makohine Railway Viaduct

A little further up the road at Ohingaiti we pulled off the road onto an area of parking for trucks, to wait for our travelling companions to arrive.  Before too long Geoff and Eileen pulled up behind us, and then we were on our way towards our stop for the evening, Flat Hills.

Waiting for our travel companions

Flat Hills Café is a popular stop on SHI and is on the tourist bus route, which must do wonders for their turnover.  They have recently developed a small motor camp so we decided to give it a try.  And with the advantage of a winter discount, the camp fees were very reasonable indeed.

On site at Flat Hills

The Pod Cabins dotted around look like little Hobbit Houses.  I peeped through the windows and they look nice and comfy, but without bathrooms.  Guests have to use the nearby campers ablution block.  And with a campers lounge and kitchen facilities available, campers are well served.

Cozy little cabins

There is plenty of wildlife around.  Behind the cabins we saw a large group of pukeko feeding on the banks of the small lake. Pukeko often live in permanent social groups and defend a shared territory that is used for both feeding and breeding. Social groups can have multiple breeding males and females, but all eggs are laid in a single nest and the group offspring are raised by all group members.  That’s certainly communal living at it’s best.

Pukeko by the lake

I had to go and say hello to the herd of pretty alpacas – all too busy munching away on their hay to bother with me. 

Alpacas at Flat Hills

There was one other campervan in camp when we arrived, and several others came in during the evening.  The hosts are very obliging, and will provide an evening meal, delivered to your van, if required.  That is good to know for future occasions – although we had “something I prepared earlier” for our dinner.  Perhaps we will take advantage of their “Big Breakfast” in the café tomorrow morning before we move on. 

Hello Wednesday

And what a glorious morning it was too – so nice to wake up to such a pretty sunrise.  Just loved those pretty pinks in the Eastern sky this morning.  So it was out with the camera to snap a few photos bright and early.  It's amazing how the colour can change in just a short time – so the moral of the story is, don’t leave it too long or the colours will fade away.

I was in a bit of a pickle when an unexpected hospital appointment with the specialist came through for today.  Robin was booked up doing a drive down to the Hutt Valley with a patient for the Cancer Society, and I didn’t fancy the long drive to Palmerston North Hospital on my own.  Luckily a phone call to the local Heath Shuttle took care of my problem and I was booked onto the van for the return trip – all sorted.  Caravan club member and neighbour Derek drove up and John was the assistant, then they swapped driving duties on the return trip.

Horowhenua Health Shuttle