Tag Archives: Campgrounds

Northland

2024 Dethleffs Get Together at Waipu Cove

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What a fun weekend. Fiona and I arrived in Waipu Cove just after lunch and found our park almost next to the track over the Sandhills. Very handy but it was too cold for me swim yet 🙂

Click on any image to enlarge

That fantastic beach
Fabulous Beach by the doorstep!

Peter and Judy were right next to us with their 2014 Esprit so it was nice to have probably the oldest Motorhomes out of the 24 that had arrived parked together.

The oldies. .. Peter and Judy’s 2014 Esprit and our 2014 Globe 4.

I spent the early part of the afternoon catching up with people and checking in with people I hadn’t seen for a while.

Everybody getting settled
24 Motorhomes.

Happy hour came around and as we were the only ones at right angles to the wind that had a bit of a bite to it, we squeezed in between the old girls, The Globe4 and the Esprit 🙂

Friday night

The next morning, it was about getting ready for the 8k bike ride to McLeod’s Pizza and Brewery bar in Waipu which was mostly on a trail and was about 20 minutes ride away. We started with the customary team photo of all 29 of us and we were away.

29 heading for the Waipu Brewery 🙂 (and pizzas!)

It was a pretty easy ride and was mostly pretty flat. As we arrived early before the Brewery had opened, we headed off for a coffee across the road. Fiona saw one of the girls in the shop sneak off for some more milk 🙂 Great business for them as there were quite a few of us.

Bikes everywhere. Leaving Waipu for the campground.

Chris and Mary and Ben and Joss bought their vans in and joined in the fun.

Martin and Jill’s new Grand Alpa with Chris and Mary’s Esprit

Although there was quite a bit of wind around, it had dropped a bit, and the sun was shining so it was looking good for the Potluck dinner planned for later that day.

The official team pic 🙂

With the wind in the Southeast but a bit less of it, we decided to have the happy hour between the two oldest vans again to shield from the wind. It worked pretty well and then we shuffled off for our team photo.

Happy hour on Friday night
Saturday Happy hour

6 pm came around and it was time for us to move over the Kitchen where there were several tables available which made life easy.

Click on the Gallery below to enlarge.

Up Early 🙂
Bikes everywhere. Leaving Waipu for the campground.
The official team pic 🙂
Saturday’s Happy hour view from the top of the sandhill 🙂

The queue for the food was out of the door and the food was amazing. Everybody made a real effort. A fabulous night and it was fantastic to see everyone tucking in and having fun.

The Camping Ground is one of our favourites with its 10 metre square parks and we were all literally only steps from one of the best beaches in NZ.

A few of us stayed over for another night and after a nice lunch at the Cove Restaurant down the road a bit, we enjoyed a fun happy hour with Mary and Tony outside their new Baby Alpa.

Happy hour on Sunday at Mary and Tony’s

A lot of fun and thanks you everyone for taking part.

Rafe’s tracker map to Waipu Cove – Armada GPS
Bay of Islands, Northland

The Paihia Blues and Jazz Festival

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Fiona and I came to one of the first of these about 9 years ago, not long after we first got our Motorhome. It was held at the Falls Camping ground which was then owned by Jan Molloy and partner who along with others helped get the festival under way. I remember the band that was there then was Kantuta along with some others.
Jan and her partner later sold that and set up the Bay of Islands Campervan Park which they still own.

Click on any Image to Enlarge

Bay of Island Campervan Park

This year I called Jan who and she was able to squeeze us in for a couple of nights. We’ve been here before, and it is so handy. They’ve had quite a bit of rain this year so the parks were a bit on the damp side so we had to be mindful of parking so we could get out easily.

Rafe in his spot with the Olive Trees

It is such a great location as you can walk pretty much everywhere and there was a Coach doing a regular circuit of the venues so you could see all the bands playing.

Looking bay to Waitangi

We arrived half through the Friday on a lovely fine day with the odd shower and settled in. There is a Countdown supermarket right opposite, so Fiona went over to get some last-minute provisions.

Paihia

The next day, we were up early and walked to Jazz HQ which was about a 25-minute walk at the Scenic hotel in Paihia. On the way along the waterfront, we passed a band playing on the footpath outside the shops with several people dancing and getting into the swing of the festival.

The street band

After getting our day ticket at the Hotel, we sat down to enjoy some of the music by a really good Napier Blues band called DejaBlue. Fantastic sound and we were able to get a really nice Seafood Chowder for lunch. They were followed by The Nairobi Trio who were really entertaining and again, some great sounds.

Here are some more Images from the Festival

Click on the Gallery below for an Enlarged Slideshow

The Street Band on the way
Nairobi Trio
Nairobi Trio
Nairobi Trio
Courtnay and the Unholy Reverie
Courtnay and the Unholy Reverie
Walking towards Paihia
Looking out twards Russell

It was early afternoon then when we decided to head to the Paihia Club where we heard a couple of bands, one of them from Taranaki who were really good. Courtnay and the Unholy Reverie!!….

DejaBlue
Nairobi Trio

They played a Led Zeppelin song and several of their own. Fantastic sound washed down by a G&T and the acoustics there were good too.

Courtnay and the Unholy Reverie
Courtnay and the Unholy Reverie

After a couple of hours, we wandered on to the Paihia Sports bar and then caught the coach to the Twin Pines Manor at Haruru Falls, where we saw another good band, Herbie and the Heartbreakers!

Twin Pines Manor
Courtnay and the Unholy Reverie

About 6pm the bus arrived, and we decided to call it quits and head back to the Campground while the bus was there.

Courtnay and the Unholy Reverie

A great fun day out and lucky with the weather being able to walk to almost everywhere.

Rafe’s tracker map to Paihia – Armada GPS
Waikato

Matariki in Raglan

There is something different about Raglan. It has an atmosphere all of its own and sitting on the balcony of the Pub in the main street with a glass of wine, even though it was freezing, I was just enjoying soaking it up. 🙂

Click on any Image to Enlarge

The Pub

We left Auckland well after everyone else on the Saturday and arrived in Whatawata just in time for lunch. As I parked Rafe out of the street, I was just getting out of the truck when I met Hilary and Lyn who we last saw at a Dethleffs do at Miranda. They live just around the corner from the Cafe and it was nice to see them again.

After a cup of tea with them and some nibbles, we set off towards Raglan.

Due to the economic downturn and a cold winter, Raglan have been doing a pay for two nights, get a third night for free so we jumped into that with both feet 🙂

The Three Dethleffs, Us, The Grand Alpa and the Pulse.

Arriving in Raglan, we found we were parked right next to one of the biggest Dethleffs on the market and the newest, one of the XLI Grand Alpas with the rear Lounge. Our Globe 4 being one of the oldest Dethleffs in NZ, it was a bit of the old with the young 🙂 There was also a Dethleffs Pulse on the other side. 🙂

That afternoon, we decided to head into the town to check things out.

Click on the Gallery below to enlarge

Action in the street
Mt view of the world from the pub balcony 🙂
A neat second hand shop on the way to the wharf.
The wharf with the Silos you can stay in.
Boats comng back in
Looking towards the Campground from the walkway from town.
Walkers on the beach

After lunch, Fiona had a look around the shops and I went and had a glass of Chardonnay on the balcony overlooking the street and watched the world go by.

Looking out from a Restaurant we had Lunch towards the Sea.

The next day we had lunch at a Restaurant overlooking the water and then walked around to the wharf. There is a neat fish and chip shop there along with a Leatherworks, a Pottery Gallery which we’ve bought some things from before and are very good.

Walking towards the wharf. The Silos peering over the top.
The wharf with the Silos you can stay in.

The Museum is well setup there and has a souvenir shop inside and it is well worth a visit. Lots of interesting images of how Raglan used to be.

The beach behind the campground.
Lovely on the beach despite the lack of sunshine.

A fantastic three days in a neat spot. The weather closed in a bit on the last day so my trip to the beach looking for some images of blue sky didn’t quite pan out.

Sun going down.

It was very pleasant down there sitting on a log for half an hour or so watching the sun go down.

Rafe’s tracker map to Raglan – Armada GPS
Close to home

Magic on the Waterfront at Sandspit

After getting the new Lithium Phosphate batteries installed, I was busting to get out and see how they went. Fiona was at work for the next few days, so she suggested I head away and check them out.

Click on any Image to enlargeI was thinking of heading up to the NZMCA park at Dargaville as I haven’t been there for a while but after checking the cold weather forecast and looking at some of the off-peak deals, I thought I’d check out Sandspit. Not too far and I could plug in for the freezing temperatures to come 🙂

First thing in the morning

I was right on the waterfront and with only two other Motorhomes or Caravans there, we had the place to ourselves… but being plugged in, I wasn’t checking the batteries. next time!

Click on the Gallery below for an Enlarged Slideshow

Down towards the wharf
Restored schoolhouse
The campground
Looking out to the wharf
Sunset
In one of the old storage sheds 🙂
Ye Olde Laundry, there’s a new one too!
Boat Parking
Baches you can stay in
Couldn’t really get closer
Nice parking

We’ve been here several times before, but it is such a magic spot and being right on the waterfront was amazing. I went for several walks over the couple of days I was there to both the Kawau Yacht club and up to the top of the hill above the campground.

Down towards the wharf

It’s a great place to come if you want to do the Kawau Mail Boat trip.  We did that a few years ago and it’s a fun day out.

The View from the top
The big chair on the top of the hill

The top of the hill is great as you can see for miles out beyond the Marina and there is one of those huge chairs up there where you rest and take it all in 🙂 Stunning view but it’s a steep walk!

Nice walking along the waterfront

I also went for a bit of a trek along the beach past the cabins on the waterfront which is nice too.

There used to be a lot of old historic shop fronts and artefacts which due to maintenance have gone but the artifacts remain in glass cases by the Dining room.

One of the old cottages you can stay in

A lovely place and very good value with nice people.

Rafe’s tracker map to Sandspit – Armada GPS
Rallies, Rotorua

2024 Dethleffs Get Together in Rotorua

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We arrived in Rotorua early in the afternoon after getting a puncture in Fiona’s bike repaired in downtown Rotorua. It turned out that the Tube had completely split inside without any outside intervention. One of those things 🙂

Click on any Image to Enlarge

After checking in slightly later than planned, at the Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park where we were all booked in, many of the team were already there and enjoying catching up with others. There was a great circle of chairs already forming outside Greg and Shona’s Advantage, just across where we were parked and as the afternoon went on the circle got bigger and bigger 🙂

Friday Happy hour

The Holiday Park reckon there were more than 25 Motorhomes in our group that had booked. I could only count 23 so to simplify things we called it more than 25 🙂

Click on the Gallery below to see some of the Motorhomes

Spot the XLI

Fiona and I checked in with a few people and then went for a swim which was literally only meters away from where we were parked which was really handy.

After the mandatory 4pm happy hour where we all came together, it was time for tea. We joined in with the crew at Greg and Shona’s spot. Great fun and nice to see everyone again.

Setting off for the Bike ride

The next day at 10am, we were all setup outside ready for the bike rides. We split the group into two. Steve took the more experienced, fitter riders on the Loop which was 42k’s or thereabouts and included the blue and green lakes.   A decent ride.

Steve’s images from the Loop ride to the blue and green lakes. 42k’s
Steve’s image from the loop ride. An event beside one of the lakes.
Fiona returning on the easier bike ride.

Thanks heaps to both Steve Miller and Neal Butt for making sure we all got there and back and safely.

Neal took the other group up a pathway that he knew along the Taupo Road which was great nice and safe and an easy non tree stump and tree root route with a Cafe stop afterwards.  We got back after 15k’s odd feeling like we had had some exercise 🙂 It was time for a swim!

Click on the Gallery below for some casual expressions 🙂

On time for the second Happy Hour 🙂
Happy hour on the Saturday

It was time for the 4pm happy hour and the Team photo event and it was a full turn out. Great to see everyone and this carried on for the potluck dinner at a nicely placed set of covered tables outside the kitchen. Thanks to Judy and some others who stepped in to give the table tops a bit of a clean which they needed.

The Happy Team – Click on the photo to enlarge.

The food prepared was sensational and we even had some desert too. The weather held out and we had a great night finished off with another swim in the hot pool 🙂

Click on the Gallery below to Enlarge.

The meal !
Steve and Rene having a natter… There must have been some bumps on the bike ride 🙂
Tea time

Fiona and I thought we’d stay on for another night to relax and after saying goodbye to everyone as everyone departed, we jumped on the bikes and rode into downtown Rotorua.

After stopping at a couple of shops, we headed down to a Cafe we’ve been to before down by the waterfront called Lime.  After a great lunch and an Ice Cream later by Eat St, we slowly headed back to the Campground.

A fantastic weekend seeing everyone. There were quite a few people looking at other’s Motorhomes and swapping notes and all I could see was lots of smiles.

Enjoying the Hot Pools

The next Event is at Waipu Cove Campground on the 18th and 19thOctober. A big Campground right beside an amazing beach. Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

Rafe’s tracker map to Rotorua Holiday Park – Armada GPS
Coromandel 24

Enjoying great hospitality at Coromandel

We let Kaiaua reasonably early and started heading over towards Thames and onwards up the coast to Coromandel. After stopping at Kopu for fuel and the Supermarket for some last-minute provisions, were off up the coast.

Click on any Image to Enlarge

The sun was shining, and the wind had dropped off nicely but there still a few puffs.

The Pub

After about 40 minutes of easy driving, we stopped briefly at the Mania seafood shop for some Oysters and other amazing seafood.

The Coromandel Hotel has a very small Motorhome facility at the back which is just delightful. Don’t come here though if you’re expecting flash loos and showers! While they’re quite functional, they would best be described as very Rustic 🙂 Their business though is selling Meals and Drink, and they do this very well. The food is sensational. The Gin and Tonics are great too 🙂

A Great Bar in Coromandel

After checking in and setting up Rafe, plugging in and opening vents, we set off to downtown Coromandel which is only 10 minutes or so walk.

Coromandel shops

After a Coffee and a look at some of the shops, we slowly headed back to the pub and checked in for Tea. The food was something else… see the images below. I had a Roast Pork and Fiona had a Seafood Chowder. Sensational.

Roast Pork
Seafood everything 🙂

A great part of the world!

Rafe’s tracker map to Coromandel – Armada GPS
Taranaki 2024

Those lovely white cliffs at Mangaweka

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We’ve popped in here a few times over the years with friends Dianne and Gary. I even had visions of buying a building here, but it wasn’t to be but fun dreaming and talking about it 🙂

Argyle Hotel in Hunterville

After leaving Wanganui, we headed across the back of Marton and stopped in Hunterville for lunch. Hunterville is another one of those towns you tend to whizz through on your way somewhere.  All the cafes here seemed to be going gang busters which was nice to see.

Parked at Mangaweka.. those cliffs!

After an hour or so here, we cruised up the road a bit to Mangaweka. Since we were last here, they’ve built a new bridge for vehicles which has taken a chunk of the campground, but I think from memory, its actually easier to get into now with a new access road.

The new Road bridge.

We parked Rafe and plugged in and then walked over the bridge to Awastone to pay for the night and have a cup of coffee.

Click on the Gallery below for an Enlarged Slideshow

The Village in Hunteville
Close to nature
enjoying the water
Parked at Mangaweka.. those cliffs !
The old bridge, now pedestrian only
People camped on the grass by the river.

Awastone is the full featured, big brother campground, owned by the same people across the bridge.

Awastone over the road

After that we cruised back to Rafe to check out all the people playing in the river. The place was pretty busy with people opting to park right down by the river with their Caravans and Motorhomes. It’s a lovely spot

We met the people next to us too … nice people. One lot of their way home from Auckland to Nelson and some others who used be locals come back to their old stamping ground.

Hot and wet!

We only had time for one night here this time, but it was lovely to be here and see those amazing cliffs again. The chap who used to live here was telling me that every time a plane flies over the cliffs, bits fall out of them so that wasn’t good news. It seems they quite soft.

Rafe’s tracker map to Mangaweka – Armada GPS
Taranaki 2024

Lovely spot at Mokau

The ride though to Mokau from Otorohanga was pretty good but the forecast was for plenty of rain, so I wondered about the Tainui Wetere Domain campsite which is all grass.  I needn’t have worried as underneath the grass was all sand and only puddles around were pretty much on the road in.

A Great atmosphere

I’ve driven past this Campground run by the local community by the rugby grounds and after reading its rave reviews, I was keen like Steve to stay here. It’s a fabulous place right next to a lagoon with very sheltered swimming for the children.

Settling in at Mokau
The two Dethleffs.

After parking up, I slotted straight into a powered site and Steve popped in beside us. I was surprised we’d be able to get a powered site as it was really busy, but most were happy to be without.

Steve and I went for a walk down to the beach for a look around. It’s an amazing spot.

The wee estuary beyond the sandhills
A bit choppy further out
The two Dethleffs at Waitara

Another great night of catching up together and in the morning, we all set off towards Waitara for a quick stop at a supermarket and where Steve knew of a spot to have lunch by a fantastic raging sea… it made some nice images.

The water at Waitara

After a cup of tea and a look about, we set off to New Plymouth.

Rafe’s tracker map to Mokau – Armada GPS
Waikato

Everything is easy at Karapiro

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One of the loveliest spots to stay is at the Mighty River Domain on the banks of the Waikato River.

Complete with its own Cafe, it is also home to competitive rowing in New Zealand and most mornings you’ll find the nation’s elite Rowers and Kayakers going for row.

It is also very cost effective to stay there too.

Plenty of space up on the top level
The bottom area

We last stayed here with 25 Motorhomes with the Dethleffs Owners group get together last year. It worked well and was a lot of fun with two communal meals and lots of laughs.

Click on the Gallery below for enlarged images.

The rowing grandstand
The Outlook !
An interesting photoshoot while I was there 🙂
Part of the playground
Nice outdoor area from the Kitchen

I met some neat people from New Plymouth while I was here who I caught up with later.

Friends down on the lower level.

There are two levels of powered parking, ablutions blocks everywhere you look (to cater for rowers) and plenty of places for some great walks. There is also a bike trail into Cambridge which is about 7 k’s away.

Part of the playground

GPS instructions to get here included a trip across the top of a dam which you can’t do in most Motorhomes so the best way there is via Cambridge.

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

It is all go at Pukekohe

It has been a while since I was last out here in Pukekohe, a few years perhaps but boy it has grown. There are new houses everywhere you look, and the town has grown too.

Click on any Image to Enlarge

I checked in with Sarah at the Pukekohe A&P grounds where they’ve provided Motorhome parking for some years now.  She very kindly showed me where everything was and after parking the van, I went for a walk over the road to the Z Zone.

I stopped in at the local Hollywood Bakery for a coffee and then popped into a few local shops. before heading back to the park.

When I first started coming here about 8 years or so ago, it was all grass with lots of mud when it was wet and a couple of power poles.

Ian was the man in charge, and I understand he is still involved. He has done a magnificent job over the years of developing this into a really nice area to stay.

Now there are Toilets, showers and a coin operated Laundry in the new(ish) amenities block. There is a circular gravel road which runs past many of the sites and on past the dump station. So no more muddy exits 🙂 .. Ans all at a reasonable price too.

The Amenities block, now with a Laundry
And a Dump Station!

There are a lot more power points all set out with plenty of space on big sites. It’s a fantastic setup.

Click on the Gallery below for an Enlarged Slideshow

The Amenities block, now with a Laundry

Just across the road is one of Pukekohe’s big shopping areas with the Warehouse and several other big stores. Pukekohe’s main street is just a few steps further on.

Having not been here for a while and seeing the changes, Ian, Sarah and the crew have done a fantastic job providing some Motorhome and Caravan accommodation in an area where there wasn’t any.

Here’s a link to my previous visit where I got to talk with Ian some years ago.

Rafe’s tracker map to Pukekohe – Armada GPS