Cruising into Te Aroha was pretty interesting this time. With the weather bomb having just rolled through, there was water everywhere.

I drove down to the area by the river behind town, and the water had completely covered the carpark. Huge parts of the wetlands leading up to the NZMCA park were underwater too. I’ve never seen it like that.

Later, once I was settled at the NZMCA park, I caught up with my mate Des, who was on duty as the park custodian. He explained that there’s often a delay with the water coming down from the Kaimais into the Waihou River, so they were half expecting it to rise like that. Good local knowledge!

Des also runs the Te Aroha Town Romp, which used to be the Tokoroa Timbertown Romp, always a great event, and it’s held right next door at Boyd Park.

The last one I went to a couple of years ago!

Even though it was pretty chilly (but sunny), there were still a few motorhomes around. Te Aroha’s just a great spot, no matter the weather.

The next morning, I was up early to pack up and hit the road. Next stop,  Karapiro, just a couple of hours away.