It was great to back in New Plymouth. It was a catching up with friends’ trip, and to attend a Photo auction for Hospice Taranaki which was being held in town so I was keen to not be too far away from the action.
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Fitzroy Beach was the perfect place to stay being right next to the beach and an easy 20 minute walk into town along the waterfront.
Good flat parkingKitchens and Showers
With a bit of wind around, it is protected by hedges everywhere you look. With nice big flat sites, two dump stations, nice clean Toilets and amazing showers, it was just perfect.
New Plymouth PortWalking the dog.
There is a big jumping pillow and a great playground too for the kids.
The City to Bell Block walkway winds its way along the waterfront right across the front of the campground so there is plenty to see and do. There is a great Kiosk not far away on the sand dune that does coffees, Ice creams and everything else.
People riding on the walkway by the camp
On our last trip here quite a few years ago with bikes, we explored the walkway from Bell block all the way into town. See that here.
View from the top dump station 🙂
Great Hosts and nice campground handy to town.
Rafe’s Tracker map to Fitzroy Holiday Park – Armada GPS
It is in Bell Block and just 10 minutes from downtown New Plymouth so its handy too.
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Handy to the Happy Hour Pavilion
Just as the first Covid lockdown came on last year, Kevin and Lynda’s Tamarillo crop and others like it, were devastated by a bug that badly damaged their crop. A real tragedy. They had several neighbours who also got struck by the same bad luck.
Not to be outdone and being clever Motor homers themselves, they turned their small farm into a lovely big Motorhome and Caravan Park over property and it is a huge success!
Kevin and LyndaGetting Busy
Keeping the big shelter belts that surrounded their Tamarillos, they’ve added a nice new Happy Hour facility with an outside deck.
Holes in the Shelter Belt
While I was there, there were a few windy days but being surrounded by the shelter belts, you wouldn’t have known!!
I was originally only going to stay a night but there is such a great atmosphere and a sense of community that I ended up being there for 5 days! There are 8 powered sites and some hard stand parking, but it is so sheltered.
Happy Chat
Kevin and Lynda are both very good musicians and several of the people who stay there regularly are too.
Suzy TKevin and LyndaClose to the Music
On the day I arrived, they had a small concert for an hour or two with their semi-trailer in the next paddock, fantastic. Kevin has setup it up with a neat sound system and what looks like a bit of a “Green room” at the end of the stage. Suzy T as she’s known, was on the keyboards and vocals. She’s a great singer and was staying in her Caravan just across from me.
Between where I was parked next to the Happy Hour Pavilion and the Stage, there was a huge row of shelterbelt trees but in one corner, there was a neatly cut out doorway through the trees… very clever.
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Kevin, Lynda and Suzy T
Kevin and Lynda
Suzy T
Cloe to the Music
Holes in the Shelter Belt
On Guard
My neighbours sorting out an electrical issue
Kevin also helped me sort out a small problem I had with a missing screw in my under-engine cover which was hanging down. All done in a few minutes!
On Guard
A fantastic group of people encouraged by great hosts. Thanks again for having me.
Rafe’s Tracker map to Ninia Park over – Armada GPS
A true labour of love .. Dave and Maria bought the Post office building some years ago and have restored what was originally the Eltham Post Office with the Telegraph area upstairs, is now a luxury B&B.
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Dave is a retired Photojournalist and worked with me at the Herald in the late 1970’s. David has also provided some images to the Hospice Taranaki Auction happening on the 24th September.
Dave outside the B&B
I was in New Plymouth staying at Ninia Park over so it was an easy trip in Rafe to pop in to see Dave after 40 something years since we’ve seen each other. Unfortunately, Dave’s wife Maria was away in Sydney catching up with friends and family so I get to meet her.
Historical Neighbourhood
I found Dave water blasting some Mould of one of the sheltered walls at the back and we adjourned into the kitchen for a good catchup over a cup of tea.
The main Helena Suite
Later I got a tour of the building which is amazing. They’ve certainly been busy!
Lots of old period things add to the charm
The upstairs has been converted into their private flat but in a thorough Way 🙂 .. as you would expect from these two!
Dave outside the Post Office.
If you want to sample this beauty and have a night away from your Motorhome or Caravan in one of Taranaki’s small towns, check out their website here.
Rafe parked outside with the Post office behindLovely old Building
It was lovely to see Dave again after all these years. As I said to him, he still looks the same 🙂
With one week to go until the Hospice Taranaki News Photo Auction, I set off to New Plymouth a bit early to have a nosey around the mountain. Mt Egmont.
Click on any Image to enlarge.As I got closer to Mokau, on the coast I thought I’d stop at the Seaview Holiday Park right on the beach which had views down to Mt Egmont.
Bright Colours!
It’s a typical west coast beach complete with Black Sand and the wild water. The ruggedness is what makes it though.
The Beach looking towards New Plymouth
I checked in and was given a park right behind the sandhill facing the beach but still protected from any wind that might come up. Great parking!
One of the many baches along the coast
It’s one of those real old original Kiwi family parks with nice bright colours on slightly older cabins.
One of the Ablution blocks
The ablution blocks are covered in murals… nicely done.
Looking through the campgroundRafe with the beach behindMt Egmont on the right
I went for a wander around the park and then along the beach. Lovely spot!
One of the amazing little hidden treasures in Miranda is this amazing Cafe and Gallery.
Annie with some of the Art
It is run and owned by Annie Wilson and her family. Annie has been here about 7 years with the Cafe with the Gallery coming together over that time. There is also a fantastic easy parking for Motorhomes right in front.
Bikes outside
The easy way of getting here is like we did, from Miranda Holiday park on our bikes.
It is an easy 30 minute ride but there is a small hill so an ebike makes life a bit easier.
The TeamOn the trail to Kaiaua
We left early on a Saturday morning from Miranda Holiday Park while we were at a Dethleffs get together and rode an easy trail along the foreshore until we got back to a bridge. Going right, you’re heading to Rays Rest and Kaiaua or if you go left and head to the corner and up the hill, you’ll come across the cafe.
Fiona with the some of the selection.. Photo by Mary
We had a nice morning tea and something to eat and then walked next door to check out the Gallery.
A sculpture outside the GalleryMary and Fiona in the GalleryA pitchfork sculpture
The art is amazing and is from many well known artists as well as some locals.
That stained glass window
The outside Toilet was designed by Annie and a friend and is something else with its beautiful stained glass window and also has a wooden toilet seat!
Fiona and Mary ready for the road
After a couple of hours here, we biked back to Miranda and were back in the Hot Pools.. a great morning.
And it was a goodie too.. Many arrived early on Friday afternoon and were well settled by the time Fiona and I arrived about 12:30!
The day before we found out about the Kaiaua Pub courtesy van. I knew we had about 12 interested so it was all last minute but after two trips of the van, they all managed to get to the table and it all went well.
It was still raining off and on so I was in the pool soon after arriving, my favourite part of Miranda 🙂
Electrical help
As the day went on, it was a great meet and greet. For many of the 46 Motorhomes that arrived, this was their first get together and for me, the biggest turnout of vans ever.
It was funny though as the numbers from the bookings were 46, if you walked around and looked, it didn’t seem too crowded.
As the day wore on. More and more people were making themselves known and introducing themselves to everyone and looking around the Motorhomes.
Click on the Gallery below for an enlarged slide show – Friday
Friday Happy hour
Friday Happy hour
Friday Happy Hour
John at Friday Happy hour
Noelina at Friday Happy hour
4pm came around and the BBQ area suddenly filled up with laughter and Wine bottles..
Day two was Bike ride day towards Kaiaua. Tony Coupe who put his hand up early encouraging riders to bring their bikes and had a plan to ride to a neat little Café and Gallery called Stray Dog Café. It was just up the hill off to the left on the way to Kaiaua. Fantastic place with an amazing Gallery Thanks Tony.. more on this in another post coming soon.
On the trail to Kaiaua
We arrived back at Miranda a couple of hours later. A great ride and it was time for a coffee and another swim in the pool.
Neil during his talk. Pic by Mary Coupe
At 3pm, we had Neil showing quite a few interested people the basics on Amp hours and how to calculate your battery needs. Very useful and many went away very happy. Great work.. thanks Neil.
Click on the Gallery below for an enlarged Slideshow – Saturday
On the trail to Kaiaua
At the bridge where we split directions.
Neil during his talk. Pic by Mary Coupe
Getting ready for the bike ride
Bike preparation
Lets go biking!
Esprit corner
Saturday drinks
Neil and Michelle
John and Tony
Peter and Sue who we bumped into in Invercargill earlier this year.
At 4pm was time for a Team Photo but to make sure everyone was there, we started happy hour and then did the images. Photographer Grant who has the same camera as me, was keen to get me in the photo so we did a quick swap for a fun pic. Thanks Grant.
I was talking to one of the camp senior staff, Gay the next day and she was telling me they were watching us in the CCTV while we were getting organised and starting happy hour then suddenly we all vanished in a nano second.. “where did they go”! That must have been photo time 🙂
Click on this to enlarge for a better look.
John Ogilvie had very kindly brought his amazing projector along for the rugby and with Michelle’s screen, were were all ready for the big game starting later.
Everyone inTea time.The leftovers of the shared meal.. I was too busy eating to get a before shot 🙂
At 6, the food started appearing on the Barbecue area and we all got stuck in. The food was unbelievable. Normally at a shared meal you end up with a lot of snacky stuff but this was top drawer dishes. Well done everyone. Stunning Stuff.
The tidying up and dishes were done in the well equipped kitchen and we were set for the Rugby.
A great atmosphere and we had a few other campers join us on the fringes to watch as well. I found out after talking to Gay in the office that they had quite a few people who wanted to watch in the TV room but there is no drinking or food in there so they were suggesting joining us so that was good. There even some people on the other side of the screen in the BBQ area watching it backwards from the opposite side of the screen 🙂
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Magic Drone pics from Paul
Looking west
Looking west
Looking East
By Paul McLuckie
Well done and thanks John (the projectionist) and thanks again Michelle for the use of your screen. Although the result wasn’t what we wanted, it was still a fun night.
All in all, a great weekend finished off with a farewell coffee/tea catchup before everyone went off in different directions.
Talking to Gay (Miranda Holiday Park) afterwards, she said it went well for them, no one got up their noses (not from our group anyway) and for them it was easy.
Thanks too to Paul McLuckie who put his drone up to get the amazing drone images.
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Thanks everyone for coming, we had a lot of fun and it was nice to see everyone again. Some we haven’t seen for years.
After enjoying a great All Blacks win in the Raglan Holiday Park, we headed into town over the walk bridge to check out the shops. First stop was a Café for a coffee and then we walked about 1k across to the wharf and Silo area.
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Raglan personifiedThe Historic RaglanNeat shops
We last visited this area years ago with friends Dianne and Gary from Taupo so check that post out for more photos of this area.
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The Beach by the camp
The Bridge to town
Raglan Jetty
Lunchtime
Neat Shops
The Historic Raglan
The main street
The view out of the main street
The Raglan Wharf
Raglan personified
Sundown
Since then, one of the Silos has been converted into what looks to be some very nice rentable Apartments.
The Silos
Its a busy area with a fantastic Fish and Chip shop on the outer end of the wharf along with some pottery and Leather shops. Fiona bought herself a new Leather Hand Bag where we enjoyed a really nice chat with the shopkeeper. I complimented her on her lovely London accent before she told me she was from Perth ! Oops .. but she did have a nice English Accent so no harm done 🙂
The Raglan WharfCafe opposite Raglan Wharf
After a coffee in a new (to us) Café opposite the wharf, we headed back to the town and Rafe.
Sundown
An amazing little town and not far from Auckland with the current Diesel prices as they are.
The weather was good, there was a beach only a few yards away and the town was only 10 minutes walk.
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Rafe at Raglan
We were looking to get out of the traffic but not too far away.. Raglan won the day. It has been a while since we were last here but it has an atmosphere all of its own. Very like Waiheke Island with some of the similar arty but down to earth shops.
Kids enjoying BadmintonOur neighbours from Hamilton and Tauranga enjoying the sun.
When my son Drew found out we were heading to Raglan, he said we had to go to Orca so I booked in online and its a magic spot. We went for lunch and the food was fantastic and it was very reasonable with a great view too.
The view out of the main streetThe Historic Raglan Pub
After lunch we headed back to Rafe at the Raglan Holiday Park and then later onto the beach.
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Sundown
The Hamilton family on the beach
The view out of the main street
In the centre of town
The Historic Raglan Pub
There was a family from Hamilton with their youngest doing hand stands and flips on the sand while they enjoyed a glass of wine and watched the sun go down. Just magic.
Amazing Sunset
We were looking forward to the next day, Watching the rugby and then checking out the town.
Ardmore NZMCA park is one of our better parks so it we were looking forward to a break from the house and the grotty weather for a week of sunshine watching the world go by.
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Our youngest 9 yr old Grandson Liam goes to school in Ardmore where they used to live until last year and Dad Alex, had a week in Canberra for business so Liam needed someone to get him to school and feed him for the week. We live in Devonport so the easy way was to take Rafe out and stay at the park and walk him to his old bus stop not far from the entrance of Ardmore.
For the first couple of days Fiona was working so it was time for some walks during the day, take some piccies and read Newspapers. The sun was out, it was warm in the sun but was cold in the shadows but generally a big improvement on a few weeks ago.
Ardmore park
I met the custodian and Grant and Liz who honestly made me feel exhausted just watching them work on the park. It was almost non stop! .. and they’re really nice people who were so helpful.
On the Wednesday morning Fiona drove out in the car which was good as we could get around and leave Rafe in the park so we got to get a few things and go out for lunch and check out some shops while Liam was at school.
Eye on the line
On the Friday morning, our last day, Grant popped his head in the door and said we had to vacate temporarily so the road markers could come in and give the park a flash new paint job on the parking areas.
The new paint with everyone on the grass behind.
There were about 10 or so Caravans and Motorhomes and one by one we shifted into the slightly damp grass paddock next door. We were a bit lucky having only one Caravan behind a light van losing traction which we pushed out. No harm done and everyone was still smiling 🙂
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The Pink Caravan
Nice seeing the sunshine again
The painters were only there for a couple of hours and made it look easy while we all watched on. There were a few jokes about wobbly lines and late nights but they did an amazing job.
A Flashback to 2015.. Click on the Gallery to view
Back in 2015
From coming here when the park first opened, Ardmore park is looking really good and is a credit to all those volunteers who have pitched in over the years.
We left on the Friday and headed home.
Rafe’s Tracker map home from Ardmore NZMCA Park – Armada GPS
Click on any Image to Enlarge I hadn’t booked or anything and just rocked up and as I checked in, there was something vaguely familiar about the nice lady checking me in.
After I gave her my name, she looked at me strangely and and said, “I went to school with you at Takapuna Grammar School”, the penny dropped and everything fell into place. Jane was also was at school with Fiona at Vauxhall Primary School.. amazing memory. We spent the next hour or so going though all the common friends that we have and strangely enough, have managed to keep in touch with.
Jane’s partner Steve is the caretaker and they have an amazing old Devonport Ferries red bus, a real slice of history.
Jane with her and Steve’s ex Devonport Ferries Bus
Paeroa RV Centre has changed over the years and now house s a lot of permanent people in bigger vehicles and they’ve developed a real community there. I found all of them very welcoming and very friendly and with the less than friendly winter weather that we’ve had lately, its a great spot to get comfortable.
Some of the appendages to their parks .. think decks and little garden areas are amazing. I very definitely felt very undecorated and certainly not anywhere in the hunt for a prize for my park 🙂 I did have some moss and a neighbour pots nearby though 🙂
Click on the Gallery below to check out the Gardens
I don’t think I’ll win any garden competition here 🙂
Ex Concrete Mixer barrel as a garden ornament.
Having met Steve and Jane, they talked me into staying a second night and I spent the next day walking into Paeroa, getting a haircut and buying some costume jewelry for Fiona.
Downtown Paeroa There’s a plastic bottle now !
A fantastic place to stay, great people and I was really pleased to catch up with Jane again and meet Steve.
Fiona & Chris, two empty nesters put their dreams of doing something different into reality… Now back in a house, they were living in their Motorhome, come along for the ride.
Fitzroy Beach was the perfect place to stay being right next to the beach and an easy 20 minute walk into town along the waterfront.
The City to Bell Block walkway winds its way along the waterfront right across the front of the campground so there is plenty to see and do. There is a great Kiosk not far away on the sand dune that does coffees, Ice creams and everything else.
Bugger It, we are off - www.buggeritweareoff.com 
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