North Island road trip 2016

The Forgotten Highway

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I was stressing a bit about this because I’d heard so many different opinions on how bad the road is, how to take it really quietly and so on.

imageI left Taurumunui about 9am and was on the road. The early part of it was easy with it all being sealed but what amazing landscapes and how they changed. From rolling hills with the wide river at the start, it changed to valleys and hills and then bush.

Click on the images for hi res or a slideshow
imageI needn’t have worried as the road was pretty good. I was only doing 60-70k odd for most of the way which was just about right for Rafe and it was an easy run.

Joshua Morgan’s Grave

I stopped to have a look at Joshua Morgan’s grave at Tangarakau Gorge. He was in charge of the Survey team that set up the road through the Gorge but he died aged 35 in the bush of Peronitis. His widow went on to live until she was 85 in Auckland and she is buried with him in the gorge.
imageThe 12k’s odd of unsealed road in the middle I found  quite slippery. I think most of it was done at about 40 odd k. The Moki tunnel was fun too. There are lots of side tracks off the main road so it pays to get the brochure before you start from I site in Taurumunui or Straford depending on where you start from. There are roads off to waterfalls, other wee settlements and  the bridge to somewhere which is a concrete bridge built in the middle of nowhere and others.

Arriving at Whangamomona
Arriving at Whangamomona

To get to Whangamomona took about 2 hours from Taumarunui allowing for the odd stop for piccies and a look at Joshua’s grave.
Amazing countryside and well worth doing as you’ll see from the piccies. After a night of checking out the town, I was up bright an early and hit the trail again.

From the Strathmore saddle you can see Mts Ruapehu and Tongariro
From the Strathmore saddle you can see Mts Ruapehu and Tongariro

The road through to Straford was much easier being all sealed. There were two or three more saddles to go over. At the Strathmore Saddle, I stopped at the top and checked into the Internet and caught up with emails etc. From the top you could see Mt Taranaki in one direction and looking the other way, you could see Mts Ruapehu and Tongariro.

Mt Taranaki. We're nearly there !
Mt Taranaki. We’re nearly there !

The secret is the advice I was given by a few, was take your time and don’t rush it. This is a trip which is well worth doing.

North Island road trip 2016

Down by the riverside

One of the great things about traveling on your own is that as most of the campgrounds charge by the person rather than by the park, it’s quite cheap to stay wherever you like. I’m meeting Fiona in Wellington later in the week so it’ll be time to be sensible again 🙂

Nice Bbq area
Nice Bbq area

I checked in at the Tauramunui Motor Camp which is beside the river. After meeting the owner who gave me a good run down on the road to Whangamomona and gave me a brochure, showed me where to park. He’s a character, an ex Merchant Navy seaman from the UK with lots of stories to tell. He was really helpful and offered several brochures on the highway which was great and gave me confidence for the trip.  He was telling me, they’d had a huge amount of rain and as it was all grass parking, there were some no go areas with the grass being too soft.
TaumarunuiAt $16 including a NZMCA discount for a powered site, I thought this was pretty good and it would enable me to use the new Philips induction plate I’d just got, being on power. These plates are so efficient. In with the frozen peas into a pot and after just over a minute or so, they’re ready to go. Cooking steaks or meat takes a little longer. Fantastic.

Nice Barbecue area outside the Kitchen
Herbs you can help yourself to.
Play area for the nippers

I went for a walk down to the front of the park and it borders on the river. A nice spot.
TaumarunuiAround the back of the camp were cabins in the trees and in the middle a playground for the kids and the ablutions, showers and Kitchen block. All nice and clean and in good shape. I was there on my own until about 7pm when two or three camper vans popped in. The place still felt empty but it is the middle of winter 🙂

North Island road trip 2016

Mangaokewa Gorge

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A years ago or so,  we found this spot and stayed here with our friends Rob, Helen and Chloe. With high cliffs all around with a river running through the middle, it’s an amazing spot. When we were there with Rob, Helen and Chloe in our way south. it was a bit warmer and there were people swimming in the river, a lovely spot.

The River
The River

There is a swing bridge which takes you leads you along the valley for some great walks up into into the bush into the valley.
Mangaokewa GorgePlenty of level parking, picnic tables, Barbeques, swings and slides and some loos too. The best part of all this is that you can stay for free overnight as long as you have that Blue Sticker of Self Containment.

The Viaduct
The Viaduct

As you enter the park, you pass under the main trunk railway on a massive viaduct.

I just popped in for a look and to do a Internet speed test and get some photos but while I was there a train went through. You can hear it but being a couple of hills away, only just. To get there, head south out of Te Kuiti towards Bennydale and it’s a few K’s on the left. A nice spot to stay if you’re heading through that way.

The Netspeed Internet Speedtest
Test Date: 14/08/2016 2:30 PM
Download: 7.31 Mbps
Upload: 0.73 Mbps
Ping: 57 ms
Server: Christchurch

North Island road trip 2016

Stand out from the crowd!

You’ve got to hand it to the good folk of Otorohonga, they’ve certainly thought about standing out from the crowd with their public loos.

The Railway Station
The Railway Station

I was heading towards Tauramunui to do the Forgotten Highway and as I was approaching Otorohonga, I thought I’d stop at the Railway Cafe in the Railway Station around the behind the main shops. It was closed but I noticed the loos right across the road.

The Chaps
The Chaps

What a hoot having all the names on the door..

The Woman's
The Woman’s

Something there for everyone !

Easy peasy parking
Easy peasy parking

Another cafe famous for its great coffee, with very easy parking for bigger Motorhomes, which you wouldn’t know was there.

Northland

Lunch and Coffee at Kaiwaka

We were on our way back to Auckland and were looking for somewhere to stop for lunch on the way.  Rob, Helen and Chloe were about 5 minutes behind us as we came down from the Brynderwyn Hills so the pressure was on.. finding somewhere!

kaiwakaJust before we came into Kaiwaka, Fiona spotted a nice little rest area off to the right. It was after the Motel complex but before the bridge into Kaiwaka.  We were too far past it to turn so we went into Kaiwaka to turn around and went back to it.

Just as we were turning into it, we spotted the Tracker coming down the hill ahead of us so they knew where we were.

The Tracker and Rafe
The Tracker and Rafe

We settled down in a dry hard area and got ready for lunch.

kaiwakaThere is a picnic table there and its all beside what looks like a tributary river to the Kaipara Harbour.

The river to the Kaipara
The river to the Kaipara

A nice wee spot and in a handy position. There is a bit of a hump at the entrance so for those with a big overhang, a diagonal crossing is wise. If you’re travelling north, Just after the bridge on the left before you get to the Motel complex.

Coromandel 2016

Smiling Faces

There’s nothing quite like a great welcome when you first arrive to check in for a spot in a Holiday Park.  Helen and Trevor have been managing Coromandel Top 10 Holiday Park for the owners while they take a break overseas.

The Welcome Station
The Welcome Station

After seeing the state of the not quite finished NZMCA park, I decided to check in to the Coromandel Top 10 Holiday park and what a great welcome 🙂

Due to the huge amounts of rain, the grass was a muddy bog and everyone was huddled in a corner on the tar seal. There had been a few towed out that morning and more were rescued over the next few days !

coromandel I was given a nice park on Gravel with plenty of room around me with nice hedges separating the parking spots. Dump station just opposite and easy to get a big Motorhome into.

There is a heated swimming pool which some brave people were swimming in when I arrived back from a walk into town and it wasn’t a warm summer night either! The pool was warm but the lights were off and they’d forgotten about towels too. They were having fun with their children who were in too.  

coromandelI was on my own and with winter rates it was $22 a night with power and the use of everything which I thought was pretty good for an effortless couple of nights in a clean and well kept Holiday Park.

A Villa you can rent
A Villa you can rent

The kids in the park on Saturday certainly enjoyed it.

Coromandel 2016, Waikato

Bugger

Bugger
The sign says it all.

Leaving Thames after a great few days cruising around the Coromandel Peninsula with plenty of time of my hands. I had all day to get home but just before Pipiroa, I started seeing signs for the Bugger café.  Well with the Toyota Bugger ad having just been judged one of the all time top ads and the name of this blog, I just had to stop and check it out and I wasn’t to be disappointed.

Click on the images to see Hi Res or a slideshow

Bugger
Big Carpark

A huge carpark in front and although it was busy with cars, there were plenty of big spaces to make easy parking for a large motorhome like Rafe.

Bugger
Rafe snuggled into a park

I stopped to take some piccies outside and wandered in to a big cheery welcome from owner, Glenda and her team.. nothing beats a great welcome.

Nice food, nice people, reasonable pricing and lots of Bugger bits around the wall encouraging good humour. Their line is “Laugh a little” which you can see everywhere and its infectious.

Bugger
I bought a Bugger Tshirt and a Bugger Motorhome Rug called the Bugger Rug for Fiona.  Lots of fun and neat people.
Glenda and John also have a Bugger café in Tirau.

Auckland Parks, Close to home, Day Trips, Friends, Hot pools

Keeping warm in the big Freeze

The forecast was definitely sorting out our location for us this weekend.. Parakai so we were plugged in for the heat and close to the pools.  Parts of the Hawkes Bay was without power and roads were closed everywhere with snow. Somewhere warm and close by was the order of the day.

The last time we were at Parakai, it was hosing down and there was mud everywhere. It was very much the same this time except we were lucky in that we got to see a lot more of the sun but jeepers it was cold!

Muddy bits roped off. All the grass was muddy
Muddy bits roped off. All the grass was muddy. Gary and Chris’s Fuso next to us. The latecomer with his wheels down next on the right.

One of our neighbours who arrived later in the night missed the concrete strips (easy to do) and his rear dual wheels were a good 4-6 inches down in the mud.

The pools were fantastic and it was nice to see our fulltiming friends, Gary and Chris again after their trip up North.

Click on the images to see Hi Res or a slideshow

I had just bought a new toy through the Noel Leeming / NZMCA discount scheme. It was a Philips Induction plate and what a little beauty. I’d just put enough frozen peas in the pot for four with some warm water. Then I hit the go button, wow, I wasn’t timing it but it wouldn’t have been much more than a minute and it was ready to eat. Then we did the steaks in a Staub pan while the girls were getting some chips from over the road. These took a lot longer and as its so easy to control the heat, better cooked and quicker than gas.   Well worth getting.

After a good feed, we blobbed for a while and then went for a swim. Later, Chris made some nice scones for tea and we had a couple of glasses of Italian red to finish the day.

The Permanent area
The pool entrance
Outside the Railway Museum

the next morning, Fiona was keen to re visit the Antique shop at Helensville railway station so we went around there and quickly checked out the Railway Museum and café for a cuppa.

Chris and Gary (walking away) with their Fuso
Chris and Gary (walking away) with their Fuso

Gary and Chris headed off for Rays Rest and we headed home.
A nice weekend and despite the cold, Parakai definitely looks better when the sun is beating down.

Preparation

Nitrogen in your Tyres

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I’ve been using Nitrogen in tyres for years and it does seem to make a huge difference. The biggest bonus is the consistency of the running pressure so you tend to run your tyres at the correct pressure. The other difference is apparently the heat is controlled much more effectively. What makes it even better is it is so cheap to use. Click the images to see Hi Res

Rafe getting Nitro'd
Rafe getting Nitro’d

My regular tyre shop in Bridgestone Tyres Devonport, have had a machine for years which effectively sucks the air (and other things like moisture) out of your tyres and replaces it with Nitrogen from the atmosphere. Yep, the atmosphere is 78% Nitrogen.

Jane and Monty with The Nitrogen machine
Jane and Monty with The Nitrogen machine

I went down today to get a top up and check as my recent service rotated the tyres and they didn’t have a machine so it was off to Jane and Monty today to get the tyre pressures sorted. I’ve got 70psi in the front and 74psi in the rear and that seems to work fine with a GVM of 4300kg.  I’m using soft compound Michelins and with my 30,000k service and tyre rotation, the engineers that rotated the tyres, were really impressed with the condition of the front tyres, especially given that its front wheel drive.  No scuffing at all and absolutely even wear right across the treads. Some of that can be directly attributed to Nitrogen but also I tend to mother it a bit.

Monty watching the machine top up my tyres
Monty watching the machine top up my tyres

Below is what the experts say:

  • Nitrogen is used in Formula 1 racing, aviation tyres, military vehicles, NASCAR and heavy construction vehicles.
  • Nitrogen maintains tyre pressure 3 to 4 times longer than air-filled tyres and disperses heat more effectively resulting in better fuel economy.
  • Nitrogen delivers longer tread life due to less heat generation.
  • Nitrogen inflated tyres deliver optimum handling characteristics for longer as pressure is more likely to be maintained at the correct level.
  • Nitrogen also slows the chemical ageing of the tyre’s rubber components resulting in fewer tyre failures.
  • Nitrogen results in improved performance, increased safety and lower maintenance.

A Poster on the wall
A Poster on the wall
To do a first bleed of Air and fill with Nitrogen takes about 20 minutes and costs about $40 and the top ups every 6 months are $20. While getting my tyres topped up today, I joked with Monty about how the high pressure was making their compressor earn its keep but that’s normal, so they can deal with the high pressures. If you want to get the Nitrogen in, call Jane at Bridgestone Tyres, Devonport before you go , as Motorhomes do tend to take up a big chunk of their parking 🙂
Close to home

Let’s Trim the Trees !

Over the last few months, we’ve had various council people meeting with tree people, and more recently crane people, and the other day, some cone people turned up to get me to shift Rafe and coned off the carpark.

The trees .. the one on the left was leaning on the house, the other two had borer
The trees .. the one on the left was leaning on the house, the other two had borer.

Its all been about some 300 yr old Pohutakawa trees that cover us and our neighbours. One of the trees lost a limb in a storm a few years ago and damaged the roof requiring a full roof replacement so there  has  been some concern in some of the biggest blows we’ve had recently.

Click on the images to see  Hi Res or a Slide Show

Our land lady tried to cut them back a few years ago  but council people and red tape kept getting the way.

Let the fun begin
Let the fun begin

Recently  some new aborists and council tree specialists met and decided that as one tree that was leaning on the house and the other two were riddled with borer they had to go. As one was a neighbour’s and it wouldn’t survive the wind on its own, the landlady had to deal with that too making things slightly more complicated.

inga-treesIn the end, the council backed it and the cone people, the stop/go girls, the crane people, the tree people all turned up and things started to happen.  The traffic was blocked off and away they went.
It was great to watch. I’m not sure that its my kind of job but when you them scramble up the trees with all their gear and see how high they go, it’s amazing.

The trees .. the one on the left was leaning on the house, the other two had borer
Apparently more than 50 tons of firewood
Clear of trees
The Cooler looking out at the view.

They had planned to take two days but they got through it pretty quickly and around lunchtime the second day, they were packing things away.

The Throne
The Throne

Everything went well.. A few people came around to make sure we had permission and to check the trees were a dead loss. We ended up getting a collection of borer ridden bits and leaving them along the grass for the sightseers to look at.

The two stumps are neat. One has been turned into a throne and the other has a bowl carved out of it for holding ice and wine or beer bottles.  Very nice.

Its all done .. The Neighbours remain tree on the right.
Its all done .. The Neighbours remain tree on the right.

I’ve been thinking about the big Queen Palms at our tenanted house in Devonport.  Maybe we should make them vanish before a someone notices them 🙂

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.