Category Archives: Close to home

Close to home, Day Trips

Tyers Magic

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Before we enjoyed a great lunch at the Helensville Railway Station Cafe, we visited the Helensville Train Museum right next door.
Run by the Helensville Railway Station Trust by volunteers, this is well worth checking out.

Helensville Railway Station with the Museum behind
Helensville Railway Station with the Museum behind

parakaiThere is a gigantic model railway based on Helensville, even replicating well know local buildings and known points. There is even a little orange sign that says, “You are Here” 🙂
The chap that built the model spent 30 years putting it together.

Click on any photo for Hi Res or a Slideshow

Helensville Station. Note the pub in the background
Helensville Station. Note the pub in the background
The Pub over the road
The Pub over the road

After spending an hour or so, checking it all out, one of the volunteers came over and said to me, “come and check this out, I’ll demonstrate it for you”.
There were two red boxes with buttons and bells.
This was The Tyers Tablet system which railways in both Great Britain and New Zealand used up until 1994 on single lines to prevent head on collisions.
It involved a sophisticated coded bell system with switches with electromagnetic locks that allows a small disk, a Tablet, to be released for a train driver when the line is clear. The system was setup between railway stations at each end of a line.

All Packed
All Packed

Given that it was setup in the dark old days of bleeps over the phone lines, it’s a clever system. Helensville Railway Museum is the only one that we know of still in working order and when you think of what it had to do and when it was invented, it’s pretty clever.
If you want more info on this, Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about the Tyers Tablet system and here’s a youtube vid of the Helensville setup being explained.

 

The Railway Station in 1910
An old train at the station
Fiona in the ticket office

The two volunteers there were only too happy to show me everything at the museum and couldn’t have been more helpful. It’s a must do if you’re in town.
It’s $3.00 each and well worth it.

Close to home, Hot pools

On Track

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Helensville is a neat little town and after spending a nice afternoon in the Hot Pools at Parakai, we took Rafe in for a nosey around.
We’ve been to the Railway Station before we had Rafe and it has a fantastic cafe which is where the original NZ Railways cafe was.

The Railway Station in 1910
The Railway Station in 1910

There is also a antique shop run by a nice lady who once lived in Auckland but escaped to Helensville a long time ago!
The Railway Station is owned by the Helensville Railway Trust and they’ve recently just done up the building including the loos. There is plenty of parking so it’s an easy place to park your Motorhome.

Just a friendly reminder, click on the images for hi res or a slideshow.

It was time for lunch so to the cafe. Still being ultra nice to my front tooth, I had to skip some of the real bready lunches and had a “Train smash” I think it was called which was basically a full breakfast.. Very nice. Fiona had an Angus beef burger.

My "Trainsmash"
My “Trainsmash”
Fiona's Angus Burger
Fiona’s Angus Burger

On the wall is a great photo of the staff at that particular time. Looking at the gear, they’re wearing, I’d say it’s late 1800’s or early 1900’s.

NZR café staff in the early 1900's . The lady in the middle was the manager who recently had her 90th birthday at the Café.
NZR café staff in the early 1900’s . The lady in the middle was the manager who recently had her 90th birthday at the Café.

The woman in the middle was in charge at the time and she recently celebrated her 90th birthday at the Cafe. A great story.
There are some really interesting pictures on the wall, one which looks like it might have been in France where a train jumped out of a wall on a second story. Oops!

Oops. Seen on the wall.
Helensville Railway Station with the Museum behind
In the Antique Shop
Antiques
Fiona at the counter in the cafe
The cafe
The outside Cafearea
Post office
The BNZ building
Rafe in the main street

After having a look around, we stopped for a look at the shops in the Main Street.

Main Street
Main Street

Some interesting buildings, everywhere you look  you see history.

Auckland Parks, Close to home, Hot pools

Recovery trip

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Its not quite what it sounds like. I’ve just had an implant in one of my front teeth  and it’s amazing how groggy and dozy you can feel for days afterwards from all the rocket fuel that’s loaded into your veins. All for a good cause of course 🙂

To keep things simple and because it was wet and rainy, we thought we’d try the Parakai Hot Springs park near Helensville. As it was reasonably close and we thought a nice blob out spot with the pools.

Remember to click on the images for hi red or a slideshow.

A bit wet but nice park environment
A bit wet but nice park environment

The lady at the counter was great fun and after telling me that Fiona was a senior, and we had a good giggle at that, she gave us all the info we needed and we headed off to our parking spot.

Because it has been so wet, they only had 7 concreted parking spots for motor homes but there are a lot more for when it’s dry.

ParakaiIt’s well set up with a big toilet and kitchen block in the middle and some permanent caravans down at the other end. Every second parking spot has a rubbish bin and tap. The bin was emptied every morning. There is also a security man parked in the corner.

A Dethleffs XLI at the end with us next to it.
A Dethleffs XLI at the end with us next to it. Eric and Lyns Hymer second from the right.

After parking, we set off to have a swim. Two big pools, one outdoor which is cooler and a nice hot one indoors.  There were lots of people there swimming and also enjoying food from the on site cafe.

The entrance to the pools and where you pay for the campground.
People enjoying the indoor pool
The indoor pool
The slide
The cooler outdoor pool
Playground for the kids (or grandkids)
A chap on a plinth
Camping
Some of the permanent caravans
The toilet/shower and kitchen block

On getting back to Rafe, we met our neighbours Eric and Lyn from Orewa with their C class Hymer and their friends from Warkworth.  You don’t see many of these  Hymers around. Their one came from the UK originally. Nice little van.  I joined them in between rain showers on one of the barbeque tables for a cold one.
On the second night we met neighbours on the other side in their near new Dethleffs XLI. Ian and Lynne have sold their house, bought the van and are fulltiming!  Way to go! They came over to Rafe and we solved the worlds problems for an hour or two, as you do.

Fiona enjoying they heat
Fiona enjoying they heat (Cell ph pic)

I have to say it’s definitely a nice close option for my favourite hot pool park at Miranda.

It’s not quite as flash as Miranda but its clean, tidy and perfectly functional. We didn’t see it at its best as there was rain, thunder and high winds but a very pleasant place to stay.  At $28 a night, I think its pretty good value and power is free for NZMCA members.(included in the $28)

For those interested in Internet Speeds,
The Netspeed speedtest:
Download: 30.03 Mbps
Upload: 9.65 Mbps
Ping: 49 ms
Server: Auckland
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&q=-36.659292,174.431957

Auckland Parks, Close to home

The Farmers Markets

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One of the nice things about travelling in a Motorhome is visiting all the out of town village like shopping areas and the Farmers Markets.

Fun in the Sun
Fun in the Sun

While we were staying in Ardmore recently, we visited the Clevedon Farmers Market which is just out of the village but well signposted.

Click on the images to see Hi Res or a slideshow

Coastguard Donations
Busy carpark
Smoothie time
The vege department
Kids enjoying themselves
Always somewhere to rest
Even a motorhomer
You know you’re in a rural spot when you see this.

We found out very quickly how popular this is when we first looked for a park. Its amazing, people everywhere.

marketThere is everything from Veges, Cheeses, Spices and Jams all with some live music and a hay bale to sit on. Its a great atmosphere.
The weather wasn’t really behaving itself when we went with showers but it didn’t seem to worry anyone with lots of shelter there.

Sunday mornings from 9am – 1pm.. well worth a visit. If you want to park there with your motorhome, get there early 🙂

Close to home

On the waterfront

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After staying near our friends in Snells Beach, Rob and Helen for Robs birthday (a big round number!), in the morning, they spoiled us with a beautiful big breakfast. I’m not really a big breakfast person but this was amazing and such that I wouldn’t want to eat until late afternoon, despite all the tempting treats in the area.

matakana
A lone paddler at Snells Beach

We visited a couple of places a little before and after lunch but still couldn’t be tempted to eat🤗.

matakana
Rafe on the waterfront at Whangateau

We ended up staying at the Whangateau holiday park which is an Auckland City run campground like Orewa. They had an off peak deal happening where they were doing a significant discount so we were up for that! 😎 The tide was out when we arrived and it was a bit gloomy initially with the weather, but that improved to the point where stayed an extra night. A lovely spot right on the water.

The next morning it fined up with a nice blue sky so I went for a bit of a walk around the park. WhangateauIt is well set up, a nicely kept dump station, nice clean loos, everything anyone could want!

Close to home

Bright Pots

These could only be from the well known establishment of Morris & James.

matakana

Their pots are amazing with nice colours and they have established a real style. One of the other things I like about this place is the easy parking for big Motorhomes.

Click on the images for Hi res or slideshow
matakanaEstablished by Ant Morris with his wife Sue James in 1977 as a pottery, it now features both, nice indoor and outdoor dining areas. A cup of tea and a cake or something more, it’s all there.

We stopped and had a browse through the pottery. They do tours through the factory too if you’re there at the right time.

As I said, I was struck by the amazing colours and the size of the large pots.

matakana

A nice place to stop off in Matakana.

Close to home

Wine tasting at Ascension

While cruising around Matakana on Mother’s Day, we thought we’d pop in to Ascension Vineyard for a little wine tasting and see about buying some nice wine.

Ascension Cellar entrance and carpark
Ascension Cellar entrance and carpark
Rafe tucked away on the left.
Rafe tucked away on the left.

This has to be one of the better Motorhome friendly parking places you can stop at. The carpark is huge. We parked in the corner out of everyone’s way and wandered over to the cellar door tasting area. We were greeted by a lovely French woman who really knew her wines.

Some of the wines tasted
Fiona enjoying the comfy chairs

My favourite was a Viognier which apparently is an almost extinct grape as it was allowed to die off in Europe. The story goes that it is quite a picky grape as to where and how it grows. It was imported to Australia and is also now here in NZ. A beautiful wine. I bought a few bottles of their assorted special wines and we left to find a place to stay for the night.

If you’re out Matakana way in your Motorhome, a very easy friendly place stop and have a meal or do some wine tasting.

Close to home

A few hidden surprises

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Huntly is another town that has a few hidden surprises up its sleeve. I was keen to see what the holiday park looked like on the edge of Lake Hakanoa. 

Lake Hakanoa
Lake Hakanoa

Yep, Huntly has its very own lake with a Holiday park on the edge. It all looks very nice. We didn’t go in but stopped for lunch in the park next to the lake. The council have set it up well with nice planting and paths. I’m not a big bird watcher but there were some pretty unusual looking ones there apart from the swans. 

Lake Hakanoa
Lake Hakanoa

After lunch and a cup of tea, we headed off to another parking spot, I was keen to try on the edge of the Waikato river, the Huntly golf club. 

Click on the images to see hi res or the Gallery below for a slide show

Swans at Lake Hakanoa
Huntly power station fro Lake Hakanoa
A Nice big flat parking area.
From over by the river
The instructions
The last person to play for the day
One of the last holes

Our motorhoming friends Rob and Helen are the golf club experts and have stayed at lots but this was our first ever golf course and it looked like a purler! As we arrived, I got talking to a local who was keen for me to spread the word about motorhoming here as they’re keen to promote it. 

Huntly$10 including power and the use of their toilets and showers which I thought was very good value.  After plugging in and settling things down, we went for a walk through the golf course and went right across to the Waikato river. It was a bit grey and gloomy but still nice to be near the water.

Waikato River
Waikato River

After an hour or so, the last player finished and we were on our own.  Another great spot, not too far from home!

Close to home

Looking over lake Waikare

After a couple of nights catching up with our grandchildren in Ardmore, it was time to head off and check out some places we haven’t stopped at before but seen in the NZMCA bible. We did a quick visit to the Papakura dump station to empty the tanks and as we arrived, there was a mattress vanner, on his knees at the dump station washing his dishes under the tap! I’ve seen it all. Unbelievable! 

Look at that view
Look at that view

 With that, we headed of down the motorway south. We turned off at Te Kawhata and slowly made our way to the Te Kawahata domain where there are two big fields and a huge carpark with power points for Motorhomers dotted around the outside. You have the choice of staying on grass or asphalt. There is power, toilets, a dump station and fresh water as well, all for a donation of $5! 

We pulled up at the edge of one field close to a power point where we were looking over Lake Waikare. The lake is massive and unless you’ve had a good look at the map, driving past through Rangiriri, you’d never know it was there.

One of the many mattress vans there.
One of the many mattress vans there.

There were two or three other vans there, all mattress vans but a Britz Motorhome turned up a bit later. 

Great park
The Entrance to the domain
Nice new clean toilets
The Dump station and honesty box

Fiona and I went for a walk into the township, only two blocks away to check it all out. Being Sunday, most things were shut so it was very quiet. An Indian takeaway, a pub, a 4 square. All the things a good Motorhomer needs 😎. 

Te Kauwhata's main street
Te Kauwhata’s main street

We headed back to Rafe and watched some TV and later, crashed. The only noise in the night was the siren for the volunteer fire brigade. A nice quiet night and although we found skid marks in the middle of the field the next day, it did feel safe. In the morning we went for a drive around lake Waikare to check it out, it’s huge.

Lake Waikare from further up the road
Lake Waikare from further up the road

Another one of those places that we tend to drive last and not give a thought about but a nice easy place to stay and at the best price!

Close to home, Northland

Parking behind the History

One of the great new secrets of Mangawhai is the Motorhome parking behind the history in the new Mangawhai Museum. 

Parked behind the Museum
Parked behind the Museum

It’s a huge area and perfectly flat and also has the dump station and for a donation, fresh water. 

One of the most decorated dump stations
One of the most decorated dump stations

We arrived here fresh from having a look around Bennetts chocolate factory and the old Mangawhai shops and were keen to check out the Museum. 

In a brand new purpose built building with a cafe, it is really well done and well worth a look through. There is a lot of history on the Niagara sinking and a huge amount of items donated by the founding families of the the area. 

Plenty of room
what a memory!
A model of the old wharf by the Hotel
Inside the museum

After visiting the Museum, we unhitched the bikes and went for a bit of a trek around the new housing areas opposite the Museum.  As we left, we saw our caravan neighbours from the pub carpark the previous night arriving at the dump station. 

Lots of room and dead flat
Lots of room and dead flat

Another great free parking discovery at Mangawhai and the Museum is one of the best!