Ever been to Brixton?

We hadn’t either – so this was our first time staying at Brixton, New Plymouth.  We are out in the country, staying at a delightful rural CAP (Charges Apply Parking).  The five caravans and three motorhomes currently on safari were expertly slotted into spaces, no trouble at all.  This property is bordered by a river, and the haunting calls of wild peacocks call out from the bush.

Camping at Brixton

Just look at that view

Our host runs his own timber mill and kindly took our group on a tour.  Graham cuts his own trees, mills it into various size planks, and also deals in firewood.

Cut lengths and the log splitter

The Lucas Saw came from Australia and Graham fired it up to show how it worked.  No doubt you would need to concentrate while working this machine, and keep your fingers well out of the way.

Saw Miller at work

The annual Festival of Lights at Pukerkura Park was on our “must see” list.  We joined throngs of other people as we walked though the park, family groups, excited children, teens, and plenty of oldies like us.

The waterfall was so pretty as it changed colour, there were cameras flashing as everyone crowded around.   And the peacock was a sight to see, hard to photograph as the lights changed with the tail moving in out out.

Poet’s Bridge was a picture to behold around the other side of the lake, with the lights reflecting in the water.  Full of people crossing over, lasers lighting up the trees, steam/smoke, or maybe dry ice billowing out, and music filling the air.  Of course we had to cross it too.  Not named for a poet at all, I discovered.  Finding the funds for such a bridge proved to be difficult until J. T. Davis, a member of the independent park board, won 150 pounds at the races on a horse called ‘The Poet.’  The bridge opened on 11 March 1884 and stood until just before the second World War where it was replaced due to deterioration.  The new bridge was painted red, inspired by the famous red bridge in Nikko, Japan.

Poet’s Bridge

And look what we found tucked away in a little dell, is it a dalek perhaps?  Who knows, but it was issuing night vapours and had buttons to press.  That looked like fun.

Robin and Dave checking it out

Another “must do” in New Plymouth was catching up with friends Gary and Glenys.  Gary and Robin were old school friends from way back then, and we met for lunch at Big Jim’s Café.

Jenny, Robin, Glenys and Gary

After lunch we went on a tiki tour to find the old Bertrand Road Suspension Bridge.  Built in 1897 it was finally dismantled in 1927 to allow the next bridge to be built on this site.  Further work has been done over the years, the original Australian hardwood sides were replaced with steel, and the bridge re-piled.  These days, no heavy traffic is allowed, and we drove the car across at a snail’s pace, having to turn the wing mirrors in to avoid hitting the yellow posts now erected either side of the bridge.

Bertrand Road Suspension Bridge

These old bridges certainly add colourful stories  to our history so I am pleased we have discovered it. There is always something interesting to find as we travel around.

We’re Off on Safari

A group of seven vans left Foxton to go on Safari, led by Owen and Helen.  We will be traveling to all sorts of exciting places over the next couple of weeks.  Driving  up SH3 through Patea, we stopped to get some reasonably priced diesel.  This gave me the opportunity take a photo of the Aotea Canoe, a Patea icon, which stands in the main street.

Then it was on to Hawera for the next two nights, staying at the NZMCA Park.  We were second to arrive, with the others coming in thick and fast.  There  was plenty of room for us all, luckily - you never quite know till you arrive just how busy these parks will be.

Hawera Muller Park

There was even a welcoming committee which came waddling towards , a mother duck and her teenage ducklings, it seemed. “Don’t feed then around the vans, or we will never get rid of them”, we were told.

Quack, quack

We met for 4zees in the little gazebo, not terribly warm as the strong wind whistled through.  Part of the structure was made from recycled materials from the old hospital building which formerly stood on the site.  And the table is a poured steel wheelwrights table used for making wagon wheels.

Gazebo, built 2014

There was a bit of a panic in the early evening when Don discovered his car would not start.  Pat came to the rescue with a set of jumper leads, and Owen drove his big black 4WD over to supply the power.

Don, Owen and Pat

Sadly, that didn’t fix the problem, so Robin came out with his trusty multi meter, which showed that Don’s battery was in a very sad state indeed.  This was confirmed when the motor mechanic arrived a little later.  There was only one answer to the problem, the battery needed replacing.  Better to find out now instead of further into the trip when we could be in the middle of nowhere.

Owen and Robin checking the battery

The following morning we went our separate ways.  A group headed out for the day at the Tawhiti Museum.  Four of us went in our car up to the Cheese Bar in Stratford to stock up with cheese, but to no avail, the shop was on holiday time and was closed.  Never mind, we checked out where the local dump stations were, and how easy they would be to access when it was time to move on.  And stopped at White Heather Caravans to check out their accessories.  The mountain was looking lovely too, still a little hazy but plenty good enough for a photo or two.

Mt Egmont

Geoff and Eileen arrived in the late afternoon, making our numbers eight vans, with one other joining us in New Plymouth.  Do hope that nasty wind drops, it’s no fun towing in such conditions.

View from Above

Here we all are at the Drop In Rally at Foxton School.  The numbers varied day by day as people came and went.  Some came pre-Christmas and stayed throughout, some stayed a few days and then departed to other areas, while  others arrived a few days before New Year.  It was reported that 33 vans arrived on News Year’s Eve, all ready to party the night away!  Can you see our rig?  We are the ones somewhere in the middle in the white caravan!

Drop In Rally, Foxton School

Last few days at Drop In Rally

The last few days at Foxton passed in a whirl of Morning Teas in the hall, 4zees gathered outside our vans, and evenings sitting around with good companionship.  We took the short trip back home on Tuesday as Robin was driving the Health Shuttle in the afternoon from Levin to Palmerston North and return.  That gave me the chance to get the laundry up to date after several days away.

The New Year's Eve Dance at the hall was the highlight of the week.  The one man band had everyone up on the rather crowded dance floor, as they shuffled around in time to the music.  We sat around outside the vans in the evening, having a drink and a nibble, and enjoying each other’s company.  Two couples from our group went up to enjoy the dancing mid way through the evening, and we others put in an appearance in time to see the New Year in at midnight.

That’s a happy bunch.  Selwyn, Don, Pamela, Dot, Cath, Jenny, Owen, Helen

We all had a BBQ together on the last evening, sausages, chops, steak and meat patties were cooking away.  It was nice to enjoy this last meal together before some of us parted company.  Two couples were heading homewards on 2nd January, so it was goodbye to Bill and Val, Selwyn and Cath.  All the others were heading off the next day on a safari organised by Owen and Helen.

Bill and Val

The sun and sky had an eerie tinge to it, smoke from the terrible fires which are ravaging Australia.  Sadly, the fire damage seems to be getting worse, and our hearts go out to our Aussie cousins who have lost lives, homes, businesses, livestock and property.  Because of the difference in our trees, plants and conditions here in New Zealand, we don’t suffer the sort of catastrophic fires as they do in Australia

Strange colours are a result of the smoke from Australia

We wish all our friends, readers and fellow bloggers a Happy New Year, with many thanks for being part of our extended family.  Kia Ora to Ian and Irene of Free Spirit blog who are currently having a New Zealand holiday, all the way from good old Blighty.  We do hope that our paths will cross as we both travel around the country  over the next couple of weeks and we get to meet up with you.

Safe travels to all of those who are on the roads over the holiday season.

Foxton Beach Drop In Rally and Museum Visit

The Drop In Rally at Foxton School is organized by the Manawhenua NZMCA between Christmas and New Year and is always popular.

This is a ‘laid back” type of rally and people are free to come and go as they please.  Some stay just a few days, while others stay right through.   Bill and Val parked beside us, our awnings are together to give us a good bit of shade and shelter.  It’s interesting to note that at this rally the number of campervans far exceed the caravans.

At the Drop In Rally

Did you know there is a working Dutch windmill in Foxton?

And right next door is the Te Awahou Museum, which was showing an exhibition about Anne Frank.  We had planned to come and see it sometime, so this was the ideal opportunity, while we were staying in Foxton.

We all probably know the story of Anne Frank and her family, hiding from the Nazis in an attic  for a couple of years, and she recorded her day to day life in a diary.  What we didn’t realize was that this happened in occupied Holland, and not in Germany, as we had presumed.

The storyboards told how this all unfolded, how the Jewish family and a few friends went into hiding, and the workmates who kept them supplied with provisions.  Anne received a diary on her 13th birthday, and she wrote in this and various notebooks brought in by the helpers.  When Anne hears on the radio that diaries will be collected after the war, she decides to rewrite her diary in the hope it will be published.

Sadly, they were betrayed, and sent away to different camps in Germany.  Anne and her sister were sent to Bergen-Belsen and die of typhoid fever, and their mother Edith dies of deprivation and illness in Auschwitz.  Father Otto Frank is the only survivor of this little family, and was released when Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated by Russian soldiers.  The diary and notebooks were kept safe by a friend and eventually returned to Otto Frank after the war ended.  This was a very moving exhibition.

After a coffee at the museum cafe to revive us, we drove down to the beach to check out the conditions.  The sky was grey and the sea was rough, but the Life Guards were on duty in case anyone ventured out.

Life Guards on duty

One little gull clinging on top of the pole in the wind

We will be here at Foxton for several more days, welcoming in the New Year.  That should be fun.  And then moving on to pastures new.

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas to all our friends, fellow bloggers and readers alike.  We do hope your Christmas Day was very special to you, sharing time with family, friends, and doing what you like best.  Our day was spent quietly at home, and it wouldn’t be Christmas without a Christmas BBQ, would it.  You may be almost able to smell this leg of lamb cooking away through the picture – take our word for it, the smell was divine!

Christmas Lunch

The Weber BBQ does such a wonderful job of cooking roasts, with the probe thermometer taking all the guesswork out of cooking time.  With freshly podded peas, roast veggies and gravy, it certainly was an excellent meal.  Followed by homemade cheesecake and fresh summer raspberries, we certainly didn’t go hungry! 

“Pop” went the top off the bottle of bubbly, and we raised our glasses to each other.  After all that food, it was time for a little R&R in the afternoon, with phone calls and snap chats to family members to wish them all well.

A toast to your very good health

A big thank you to everyone who shares our adventures as we travel around, we appreciate you all.  And we have been lucky enough to meet up with some fellow bloggers and readers over the years, so that is always exciting.  Happy travels to those of you who will be on the road this summer season, and take care, there will be a lot of traffic on the roads.

Luck came knocking

It’s official!!  We went from “never winning a raffle” sort of people to “winning two raffles”.  How about that for Christmas luck.  Actually, we didn’t really win the first raffle, a beautifully decorated home made Christmas cake.  Robin’s brother Gary actually won it, and because no one in his household will be eating cake this Christmas, dropped it around to us.  We probably shouldn't be eating much cake either (is it on the Keto diet?).  But we reasoned that we could take it away in the caravan to share with our caravan club buddies for morning tea/supper on our three week trip away.

Its not fattening until you start cutting and eating it

Then we had a phone call to say we had won 4th prize in another raffle.  We bought tickets for this at the recent Menz Shed Christmas Dinner, it was raising funds for the Levin Club, where we were dining.  Another Menz Shedder won 1st prize, a wonderful gift basket full of all sorts of goodies,so the Menz Shed members did very well indeed to win two out of the six prizes. 

 

Wine and chocolates

With our recent run of good luck, maybe we should splash out on a Lotto ticket?