Category Archives: Waikato

NZMCA Rallies, Waikato

2025 Te Aroha Romp – Lots of Images!

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This is one of those events you just don’t want to miss — and it’s easy to see why it sells out in a matter of days! The Te Aroha Romp is always a highlight on the NZMCA calendar, and once again the Waikato crew pulled off an amazing weekend.

Click on any Image to Enlarge

In the NZMCA park

I arrived at the NZMCA park next door on Thursday so I could settle in 🙂   It’s a nice wee park and so close to town too. With the Romp on right next door, the park was really humming. Russell the camp custodian was having a busy day and doing a great job keeping everything running smoothly.

Terry popping out!

Just after backing into my parking spot, I met Terry and Catherine a couple of vehicles along with their recently acquired Trailite. I joined them later for happy hour, a great crew and plenty of laughs.

The next morning, Russell told me the back gate was open, making it easy to drive straight next door to the event parking. After settling Rafe and opening a few vents, I wandered into the Silver Fern Farms Events Centre to check in. I bumped into Des, the OC of the event, who’s been running it since its early days in Tokoroa. He was in good form and ready to roll!

Click on the Gallery below to enlarge – The Parking

The Entrance

The parkers did an incredible job fitting in over 550 motorhomes and caravans, almost all on the Friday. The horseshoe shaped setup around the main rugby field looked fantastic, a real sight to see.

Over 550 Motorhomes and Caravans!  Click to Enlarge!

That night, Coopers Run kicked things off with a great set in the Events Centre. They were excellent, but I was pretty knackered so retired to Rafe for a quiet movie night.

Coopers Run with plenty enjoying dancing to their music.

Saturday morning, the games began! I spent most of it catching up with friends I hadn’t seen for ages, but I did catch the egg-throwing contest, always good fun.

Jean during the Egg catching competition.
The Egg Throwing

Then came the piping in of the Haggis and the whisky ceremony, followed by the pipe bands.

In comes the Haggis

If you’ve got any Scottish blood, it really gets the hairs on your neck standing up, just magic.

Click on the Gallery below to enlarge. – The Haggis

In comes the Haggis

During the afternoon there was a pipe band competition and a  march of the combined Pipes bands in the main paddock. Seriously good sound 🙂

Click on the Gallery below to enlarge. – see the Pipe Bands

Coming in for the competition.
The judging grandstand
Disppaly on in the main ground.
Impressive marching and the sound was awesome.

After happy hour, I wandered back to the Events Centre for the Paul Madsen Band — a 70s hippy-themed night with some amazing costumes. For just three musicians, they really packed a punch, and Paul’s voice was something else.

Click on the Gallery below to enlarge –  The Paul Madsen Band

Michael and Earl
Paul Madsen
The Paul Madsen Trio

Sunday morning, the rugby was on the big screen, plenty of nervous energy in the first half, but the All Blacks got the better of the Irish after the break. The collective sigh of relief was something to behold!

All Blacks v Ireland

Later that afternoon, Lisa Lorrell took the stage, performing songs from Phantom of the Opera and more. A relaxed, musical way to round out the weekend, topped off with another cheerful happy hour where I met some lovely folks from Taranaki.

Lisa Lorrall

Monday morning came far too quickly. After a quick coffee and a stop at the dump station next door, I pointed Rafe north up the Matamata Road and back to Auckland.

Another great Romp done and dusted, huge thanks to all the volunteers and organisers who make this event so special every year. Can’t wait for the next one!

Rafe’s tracker map to Te Aroha Romp and NZMCA park – Armada GPS
Waikato

Ohinewai Beckons for Things Tech!

And wow, what a turnout! More than 85 motorhomes parked up, not quite in the middle of paddocks, but close enough!

Vans everywhere you look 🙂

This was another slick event, run by Waikato’s NZMCA area chief tech man Des and his team.

Des introducing the first speaker

I rolled in around 11:20am on Friday, thinking I was late, but most people were already settled in, parked up neatly on both sides of the road by Ohinewai Hall, with plenty of space in the paddock opposite. Perfect venue, perfect setup.

Comfy in the paddock
The Hall

After parking up and signing in, it was straight into the sessions:

  • ASB Team – They kicked things off with a really interesting presentation on online scams, showing real-world examples and sharing tips on what to watch for. So valuable for everyone to see.
  • St John Crew – This was one of my highlights. They walked us through the steps of CPR and using a defibrillator. Those machines always seemed a bit intimidating to me, but after seeing how automated and “talk-you-through-it” they are, I’d be much more confident in a real emergency.

After that came Friday Happy Hour, where I caught up with my mates Alan and Keitha from Matamata (they’ve got a Dethleffs Trend). Always great to swap notes about motorhome tweaks and adventures.

Heading in

The next morning, Wireless Nation put on a lively session with skits (featuring NZMCA volunteers!) about the 3G shutdown and the end of Windows 10 support. Lots of laughs and some useful info too.

Wireless Nation

After lunch, we heard from Craig from Google, who gave a fascinating talk about what’s coming up in tech. The big buzz was around self-driving cars. Craig has been in one in the US and reckons he feels safer in it than with a human driver in traffic. Big call but exciting to think about where this is heading.

Craig from Google.

Later in the afternoon, people could get one-on-one help with the
NZMCA Travel App, General tech issues (thanks to SeniorNet) and Internet questions with Wireless Nation.

The day rounded out with Happy Hour at 4pm followed by some fantastic live music from The Coopers Run Duo.

Across the road

On Sunday morning, there was a final get-together before heading home.

I came away really glad I’d gone. Even with my pretty solid internet/tech background, I learnt a lot, especially about CPR and spotting scams.

A huge thanks to Des and his team for putting on another superb event. I’m already looking forward to the Te Aroha Romp in October. If you haven’t got your tickets yet, get in quick. It’s always a fun one!

Rafe’s tracker map to Ohinewai – Armada GPS
Waikato

Gary and Jojo’s Self-Built Caravan

One of the nicest surprises at Karapiro was meeting Gary and Jojo, who were parked just a few spots away with their amazing self-built caravan.

Click on any Image to Enlarge

Gary and Jojo with their caravan.

At first glance, you’d have no idea it was home built, it’s beautifully finished, full of clever details, and really well thought out.

Even better, it’s colour-matched to their tow vehicle, a V8 Toyota utility and the cleverness doesn’t stop there. Gary’s designed a swappable system where the caravan body can be mounted directly onto the back of the Toyota, and vice versa. While it’s still a bit of a work in progress, it’s seriously impressive engineering!

The Galley and looking towards the Toilet and Shower
The Bedroom living area looking over the Gold Couch. Complete with TV and a Star Gazing vent above.

The caravan is fully equipped with a bathroom, toilet, and galley area (complete with fridge), and it’s fully insulated too. It looks super comfy inside and is a real credit to their hard work.

Gary and Jojo are from Whangārei and have spent the last 18 months building it themselves, including doing all the welding for the custom trailer chassis. The curves and detailing on the build are outstanding. It has clearly been a labour of love.

They were joined by friends at Karapiro for the Branded Music Festival, and it was great to see them enjoying the results of all their hard work.

Looking out over the bench towards Lake Karapiro

A fantastic story of Kiwi ingenuity and a real head-turner of a caravan!

Waikato

Karapiro Music Festival

The big drawcard for this event was seeing two iconic 70s performers, Shane and Suzanne. Suzanne, of course, performed with her sister Judith as one half of The Chicks. A real trip down memory lane.

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Karapiro is the home of Rowing and Kayaking in the North Island.

I’d booked in for four nights to make the most of it. The event itself ran for three days, but being Karapiro and with them offering a great deal for concert goers, I figured I’d go all out!

Looking over at the River

I initially scored a front-row spot overlooking the river, but thanks to the rain, the ground was a bit too slippery to get Rafe level. So, I moved just back behind the front row where the surface was more solid and flat, which was much better. Later that day, a lovely couple with a caravan parked in front of me but offset, so we both had views. Perfect setup!

Click on the Gallery below to see the area enlarged.

Looking up from down the bottom
Jet boating on the river
Waterskiing races were on too.
Waterskiing spectators

The first day was mostly about everyone arriving, setting up, and getting a feel for the place. I’ve been to Karapiro a few times before, once even with 30-odd Dethleffs motorhomes when I organised a Dethleffs Owners Club get-together. They’ve always looked after us here, and it’s such a beautiful spot.

Click on the Gallery below to see the Walk Ups enlarged.

Line Dancing
Walkups

The second day, more vans rolled in. After lunch, I wandered down to the Don Rowlands Centre to check out the action. They were holding “Walk Ups”, where keen singers and musicians could perform on stage with the volunteer band and some of them were seriously talented! Great guitar work, strong vocals, and a really good vibe.

Lovely area

There were line dancers going for it, people dancing everywhere. It was just good old-fashioned fun. During the dinner break, a few caterers were on hand offering simple, tasty meals, and then it was back into the music until late.

Line Dancing

Show day arrived and, after another round of walk-ups, it was time for the main event, Shane and Suzanne. They looked amazing, sounded great, and considering they’re both well into their 70s, they put so much energy into their performance.

Shane getting the clapping going

During Shane’s performance, he jumped down off the stage to get people to join in. Turn on the sound and click below 🙂

It really took me back to the Happen Inn and C’mon days on 60s TV where they both featured regularly.  Nostalgia dialed up to 11!

Click on the Gallery below to enlarge Shane and Suzanne.

Shane and Suzanne
Classic looks from both performers.

The next morning, I tidied up Rafe and started heading for home.

On the last day!

A great few days away, amazing location, and some real music legends. Karapiro never disappoints.

Rafe’s tracker map to Karapiro – Armada GPS
Waikato

Under the Mountain

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

The main shopping area.

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.

Water everywhere

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!

There were a few hardy souls out !
Te Aroha Museum

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 pub opposite the Museum

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

Rafe’s tracker map to Te Aroha – Armada GPS
Waikato

Hiding from the Weather Bomb!

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I was on my way to the Shane and Suzanne concert at Karapiro and figured I’d hunker down at the Kaiaua NZMCA park for the night. The rain was forecast and sure enough, it absolutely bucketed down!

Click on any Image to enlarge

Wet!

It was so loud on the roof I could hardly hear the TV.
And even though the pub next door was open, it was so wet I couldn’t even bring myself to make the dash over. That says it all!

Just a few of us!

The news was full of weather warnings and stories of flooding
around the country, so I was feeling very lucky to be tucked up safe and dry in Kaiaua. It really is a great park, and I kept one eye on the rising river just in case… though there were a few others parked even closer who were probably doing the same.

Click on the Gallery below to Enlarge

A bit brown
Plenty of water
More water than I’ve seen for a while here.

By morning, the sun was out and there were big patches of surface water around, but the worst had passed. I went for a wander down to the boat ramp. Blue skies, sun beating down, and all was right with the world again.

After a quick tidy up, it was time to hit the road and head towards the concert.

Rafe’s tracker map to Kaiaua – Armada GPS
Close to home, Waikato

Lovely Parkland Parking in Waiuku

I was on a bit of a mission. I needed to get some leaky taps replaced out at Zion Motorhomes, and I had to be in Pokeno by 8am on a Tuesday. Anyone who knows me knows… I’m not a morning person! ?

Click on any Image to Enlarge

The lake next to the Club

Solution?  I’d been wanting to check out the Waiuku Cossie Club’s motorhome parking and explore the township properly, so this was the perfect excuse.

Lovely outlook

I left Devonport around lunchtime on Monday and cruised down the Southern Motorway. Traffic was light, and I found myself in Waiuku early in the afternoon.

Parked next to the Wizard

On the edge of the carpark, in his motorhome, was my neighbour Wizard, doing a few running repairs on his newish Roller Team. He’s a full-timer and a real character.

The Waiuku Club

The setup here is great. There are three blocks of power boards with around eight sockets each. One quirk: when you pay your $25 with power, you also leave a deposit for a key to the power boards so you can switch your socket on.

The Bridge to Waiuku

After I’d paid, I found a spot near Wizard. He was plugged into a board nearby and kindly used his key to power up a socket for me, a great neighbour to have!

Click on the Gallery below for a Slideshow of Waiuku

Lovely Parking
The Historic Church in town
Downtown Waiuku
The Kentish Hotel
The park opoosite the Kentish Hotel looking out towards Glenbrook Steel Mill.
History everywhere
Loveley outlook

I’d driven through Waiuku quite a few times before, but only stopped briefly, so it was nice to have time for a proper wander. There’s a real charm to the place with plenty of older houses being lovingly restored and a tidy, vibrant main street.

The club’s motorhome park is tucked beside a lake, with a walk bridge that takes you straight into town in about 10 minutes. It’s a lovely, quiet spot. If you’re a member of the Clubs NZ network, you can also enjoy meals and drinks at the club, another bonus.

The park opposite the Kentish Hotel looking out towards Glenbrook Steel Mill.

All up, a great place to park up, unwind, and enjoy a charming little town.

Rafe’s tracker map to Waiuku
– Armada GPS
Waikato

2025 Dethleffs Get Together in Cambridge

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Cambridge has become another favourite place and with the Raceway providing such amazing facilities for an event like this.  It makes it really easy to organise.

Click on any Image to enlarge

Looking pretty good.

Having a separate area to park, the Restaurant and normally a Burger shop along with the excellent Waikato River Bike Trails along the river means you can’t really go wrong 🙂

The Raceway

This was to be my last Rally as chief bottle washer, so it had to be a good one.

Peter and Judy’s Esprit with us behind. The two oldies!

We arrived just after midday to find Peter and Judy and Joss and Ben had already made themselves comfortable. They had left some room for us right next door 🙂

Peter and Judy’s Motorhome is a 2013 Dethleffs Esprit Low profile which was imported privately from the UK. It has the same 3 litre Iveco motor and associated running gear that we have in Rafe so it goes really well 🙂

It wasn’t long after that before everybody started arriving. Over the course of two days, we ended up with 21 Vehicles. We had quite a few more who were going to come but the over booked diary got in the way 🙂

It wasn’t long before the 4pm happy hour rolled around and with the wind whistling in the driveway, our usual spot under a big tree would have been unpleasant so we all setup up in a big area between two Motorhomes.

Click on the Gallery below for an Enlarged Slideshow

On the bikes – pic by Liz Tahana
On the bikes – pic by Liz Tahana
On the bikes – pic by Liz Tahana
Downtown Cambrideg
In the Restaurant
In the Restaurant
In the Restaurant
The Taem photo
The bike riders
Ben with his van behind at Happy Hour
some of the cars on their way to Frankton

Fiona and I had missed provisioning Rafe as we were depending on the Burger Bar, but it was closed so the only thing to do was join Peter and Judy and others for tea in Restaurant went down well as it was Steak night 🙂

The next morning was when we normally do the bike ride, and I hadn’t really organised anything, but I got our reasonably early to find many were setting up their bikes.

Liz volunteered to take the reins and lead everyone safely down the Waikato River to Tamahere and back with a stop for a cuppa on the way. Fantastic.

While they were busy doing that Fiona and I walked into downtown Cambridge with Peter and Judy for lunch and a look a general look around. 12000 steps odd! And about 3k’s round trip, good for the weight loss program 🙂

The bike riders
Liz leading the charge

We had a few hours after that to catch up with everyone and swap notes on our vehicles.

The Team photo
And an extra team pic

Happy hour came around again along with the team photo and it was nice to be able to introduce the Richard to everyone.

Richard is keen to arrange the next event in the Wairarapa so we’re really looking forward to that.  Richard has lots of experience in organising things and people so I sure next year’s event will be one not to miss!

Click on the Gallery below to see enlarged Happy Hour photos.

Happy hour Saturday
Ben with his van behind at Happy Hour
Happy Hour on Saturday

After the happy hour and photo, we all headed to the restaurant and had a great night there. Great food, great service and good company, what more could you want 🙂

In the morning, we were greeted with the arrivals of some Hot Rods and Motorbikes who briefly met in the carpark then headed off towards Frankton while we were saying goodbye to everyone before we headed for home.

The bikes on Sunday morning setting off for Frankton
some of the cars on their way to Frankton

A fantastic weekend and it went really well.

Rafe’s tracker map to Cambridge Raceway – Armada GPS
Waikato

Paeroa Scottish Games

Early in the morning in Te Aroha, Fiona woke up showing some interest in the Paeroa Scottish Games. With the event kicking off at 9 AM,  20 odd kilometers away, it was time to get moving!

Click on any Image to enlarge

At the Racecourse Rally

We quickly serviced Rafe, topping up the water and emptying the tanks, then hit the road to Paeroa.

The racecourse Rally

Arriving at the racecourse rally site, we checked in before taking the car over to the Paeroa Domain, where the games were already in full swing.

The Opening

We started by checking out the Clan stalls, where Fiona, being a proud McLeod, picked up some ribbon for her hat. With that sorted, we grabbed a cuppa and sat back, taking in the atmosphere.

The opening ceremony was next, and we made our way to the grandstand to watch the Clans march in behind a lone bagpiper, a truly stirring sight.

In the Clans area.
Lady K from Hamilton showing her Steampunk costume.

From there, I wandered over to the wood chopping competition, always an incredible display of strength and skill.

Then it was on to the rotunda, where the Hamilton Caledonian Pipe Band was warming up for the competition. There were several other bands as well, each one filling the air with that unmistakable Scottish sound.

During their Practise under the trees.
During the competition.

With a long break in the program and Fiona needing to head back that afternoon, I decided to wrap things up too. I was running low on clean clothes, food, and general supplies, so it seemed like the right time.

Click on the Gallery below for an enlarged Slideshow

Lady K from Hamilton showing her Steampunk costume.
During the comptition with the judge.

Unfortunately, that meant missing the evening Tattoo, which was a bit of a shame, but we’ll be back next year, better prepared and ready for the full experience!

A fantastic event well organized and a great day out.

Rafe’s tracker map to Paeroa – Armada GPS
Waikato

Under the Mountain

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With Fiona finishing up work, she was ready for a bit of adventure. She made the drive down from Auckland, and we planned to meet at the Te Aroha NZMCA park, our base for the visit.

Click on any Image to Enlarge

Te Aroha Mountain behind

Te Aroha is a lovely little town with plenty to explore. After a well-earned cup of tea to shake off the drive, Fiona was keen for a trip to Matamata, one of our usual café spots, just an easy 20-odd kilometers away. A relaxed lunch, a good cuppa, and a wander through town made for a great start to our time together.

Te Aroha Museum

Back in Te Aroha, I was keen to check out the local museum, given my work with historic images. The Te Aroha Museum, housed in the town’s old bathhouse, is a fascinating place. The former spa rooms now hold a well-curated collection, and the museum’s video gives a great insight into the area’s history. It’s an easy stroll from the NZMCA park and definitely worth a visit.

Click on the Gallery below to Enlarge

The NZMCA park
Te Aroha Mountain behind
The main road bridge into Te Aroha
The Museum

There’s something special about walking into town across the old railway line, a reminder of Te Aroha’s past.

And with the NZMCA park now offering a double-sided dump station and fresh water, life on the road here is about as convenient as it gets!

Rafe’s tracker map to Te Aroha NZMCA – Armada GPS