One of the nice things about going a different way is seeing new things or seeing them differently.
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Makatote ViaductRafe next to the Viaduct
After leaving Ohakune, we headed up towards National Park, stopping in at the new Kiwi Camp there by the old Historic Railway Station. The cafe was shut so after half an hour of walking around, we headed up the road until we came to the Makatote Viaduct. What an impressive structure and given when it was built, it wouldn’t have been easy.
National Park Railway StationFiona at the Historic Railway Station
Another half an hour and off we went again, this time we decided to head up and see the old Chateau. What a shame it has become a casualty of its upkeep. We stayed here with friends Gary and Dianne a few years ago in the campground there and had High Tea in the Lounge with all the service… most impressive. We still have the memories. 🙂
The Chateau with some rain coming through
The building is still impressive though. I hope someone can find a way to make it pay its way.
Turangi NZMCA park
We left there and headed for Turangi and stopped in at the mall for a Coffee and Lunch opposite in a Cafe then we checked in at The NZMCA park there.
Rain coming through in waves.
The park is looking fantastic. The forecast was for heavy rain and thunderstorms which we were all waiting for but didn’t happen. A great night there anyway.
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.
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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.
Our old neighbours from Devonport, Terry and Lisa moved to Wanganui quite a few years ago and lived directly across the road from us for many years. Terry was involved in the bag business for many years, and I photographed his bags for his catalogues, both on film and digital for many years.
My endearing memory of Terry was him on our doorstep in his dressing gown early on the morning of 9/11 getting us up and getting in front of the TV where we remained glued to the set for hours! It was a memorable day.
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Wanganui River
We last caught up with them a few years ago when we popped into Wanganui and had a meal with them at Carolines, a neat Restaurant that used to have an attached camping area which is sadly now closed.
Us parked next to Terry and Lisa’s new house.
Stepping back to the travel…. After leaving Tawhiti, we headed on to Terry and Lisa’s new House in Wanganui and a very fortuitous empty section next door 🙂
Fantastic to see them again and catch up with all our news. They’re a great couple and the meal was fantastic. Their house is really nice and perfect for them with minimal maintenance.
In the morning, Terry took us to show us his Warehouse for his Luggage business.
Lovely old buildings
After we left Terry and Lisa, we went on into Wanganui central to have a quick look at the river before we left via Marton to head for a favourite spot at Mangaweka on our trek home.
The tram rumbling by on the waterfront
Thanks again for having us for tea and it was lovely to see you in your new house.
Rafe’s tracker map to Tawhiti Museum and onto Wanganui – Armada GPS
As we left Mokau, we were invited along with Steve and Rosemary to stay at Greg and Shona’s place in New Plymouth. They are also part of the Dethleffs Owners team and Graeme and Shirley were going to be there too.
Us on the left in front, Steve and Rosemary’s Esprit GT behind and to the right, Greg and Shona’s Advantage.
I was a wee bit nervous after repairing part of my Chassis at the back which gets scraped occasionally on high forecourts and driveways as there was a huge camber at the end of the driveway, but no damage was done 🙂
It was lovely to catch up with Greg and Shona and it was very kind of them to put us all up in their driveway with power too! We had a fantastic dinner together and a lovely night in the driveway.
In the morning we all set off in different directions. Fiona and I set off to New Plymouth city to see the famous Len Lye Gallery and have some lunch and Fiona was keen to see some shops 🙂
The Len Lye centre with the White Swan behind.
Our next destination was all about New Years eve 🙂
The reflection of the White Swan hotel in the Len Lye centre
Thanks again guys for having us in your driveway and thanks for a great night. It was great to see Graeme and Shirley again too.
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 MokauThe 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 sandhillsA bit choppy further outThe 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.
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 levelThe 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.
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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.
Waihi has an atmosphere all on its own and it doesn’t matter how many times I come here, there is always a nice historic vibe to absorb. This time it was just nice standing up beside the big Martha hole in the sunshine and taking it all in.
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That big HoleThe Cornish Pumphouse next to the MineThe Cornish Pumphouse in front of Waihi
After checking out the Goldfields Railway parking to see if there was any room as they have a few of the sites off limits due to the sodden ground. I was in luck. It wasn’t perfect as it was hard getting level, but it was only for a night.
Station just in front
It’s good to support the railway where I can as it’s a charity and they do a really good job of keeping the old Trains alive. Most days of the week, they do trips through to the Waikino station where you can get a coffee and walk the Karangahake Trails and walks. You can also take your bikes on an open carriage and do the trails from Waikino.
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Bowentown is just one of those places that just works and with its fantastic beach, it is hard to beat for somewhere to stay. Every time I walked down to the beach with the camera over the few days I had here, there was a completely different look.
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Looking down from the hill. Rafe parked at the bottom of the image.
I was parked overlooking the sea and the rest of the camp close to where I was when I was here a few years ago. A lovely spot and only a few steps to the sand.
That amazing beach
Anzac Bay is an easy walk from the Campground and is on the other side of the peninsular. There used to be overnight parking a few years ago but it was stopped due to congestion issues, but it is another nice bay with others beyond that you can walk to from there. If you have bikes, there is a great bike trail that takes you all the way up to the northern end Waihi Beach.
Anzac Bay
I spent some time with some other Motor homers who had stopped for lunch and were enjoying the sunshine.
Picnickers at Anzac Bay
Back to the camp… On the second day, there, I popped down to the new Froth Cafe for a coffee and a snack. They had a walking group from Waihi Beach so were run off their feet but both Shawna and Helon had the place humming. The walkers do this on a regular basis and stop for a reward at the Cafe.
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Lunch at Anzac Bay
Looking out towards Katikati at Anzac Bay
The Vw’s are still there
The kid’s area at Bowentown
The view from our park .. just the best.
Looking North, Rafe down the bottom.
The Boat ramp on the inner harbour at Bowentown
One of those moods on the beach
There used to be a lovely boardwalk that ran along the top of the sand dunes along the beach but unfortunately the last weather events undermined to the point that it was unsafe, and it has been removed.
It is still one of the best beaches around and just going down to sit in the lee of the hill at the bottom of the beach with the sand between your toes is just magic, even in winter 🙂
Matariki weekend started with big traffic queues, so we thought we’d wait until Sunday and catch the traffic going the other way. Keeping it close and keeping the fuel costs down, we thought we’d head towards the Kaiaua NZMCA park with the superb hospitality provided by both the Pub and the Fish and Chip shop.
We arrived at Kaiaua NZMCA park around the middle of the day on what was a grey day. There were already several 5th wheelers, Caravans and a few Motorhomes there but there was plenty of room.
As I got out of the Motorhome to register in the shed, I met Mia and Hans who were right next door to us in there new Benimar from Taupo. They were veteran Motor homers who have travelled extensively through Europe in a Motorhome. They spent a year travelling and some of their adventures sounded amazing.
Not long after this came Steve and Caroline in their 8m Delaware from Whitianga. Nice to meet them too.
The Marina
After checking out the river next to the park, we headed to the Pub next door for a pizza lunch. It was superb and very good value.
As we walked into the pub, we walked past a whole lot of vintage Morris’s out in the carpark. A lot of car and bike clubs come here for lunch in weekends and do a loop back up the coast. Lovely seeing the old cars.
The Morris club dropped in too!
We went for a walk around Kaiaua after that ending up at the pink shop up the road a bit.
The Pink ShopKaiaua Beach looking down towards Rays Rest
Later in the day, we headed over to the Pub where we met both Steve and Caroline. Hans and Mia were sitting at another table and came over and joined us and we heard about their amazing trip through Europe including Turkey. Fascinating!
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New arrivals
Fiona coming back from the pub
Next to the park
The Marina
The Pub
Ducks in the river around the park.
Hans and Mia joined us next door for a fabulous meal at the famous Fish and Chip shop right next to the pub.
The Fish and Chip shopThe NZMCA park from the bridge
It’s a great little village Kaiaua and the park is fantastic. Being this close to Auckland, it’s an easy escape for a few days which is exactly what we were looking for. It was a real bonus meeting some interesting people as well.
Some of you may remember the Auction for Hospice Taranaki set up by my old friend and boss Rob Tucker in September last year. Rob organised some of his old work colleagues and other close news photographers to each provide their 3 favourite images for the auction. They were framed and mounted and various businesses in New Plymouth banded together to donate their services to make it a huge success. The Auction raised over $200.000 for Hospice Taranaki and really helped them out financially.
The three images I contributed to the Auction taken during my time at the Auckland Star below. Click on the images to enlarge.
Tina Turner at a press conference under TV lights.
Micheal Winslow outside the Regent in Auckland.
Run for your wife. One of the last shows at His Majesties Theatre in Auckland before it got bulldozed. L to R: Geoffrey Hughes (Coronation Street), Timothy Lea (Confessions of a Windows Cleaner) and Windsor Davies (It aint half hot mum) were staying at the White Heron lodge in Parnell where I met them early one morning.
I used to work as a photographer at the Herald with Rob. I was his first appointment when Rob was appointed as one of the youngest Picture Editors the Herald ever had. He had worked in Taranaki, at the Auckland Star and in the UK. The Herald did a really good video of Rob’s career highlights which you can see here. Rob was also appointed a medal in the recent Kings Birthday Honours for services to Photography.
A couple of weeks ago, Rob sadly passed away after fighting cancer for the last few years. The day we knew would come arrived, but it never makes it any easier when you lose a good friend.
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On the drive down
So, I jumped into Rafe and set off for Fitzroy Holiday Park to attend the funeral which was in Rob’s hometown of New Plymouth. The weather wasn’t fantastic, but I still managed to get some nice moody images coming down the coast into New Plymouth.
Lovely Coast
I checked into Fitzroy Holiday Park and the next day at the funeral caught up with my old darkroom buddy and fellow Herald Photographer Ross Land. We both started within a year of each other as young 20 yr olds, both appointed by Rob so have known Rob for over 40 years. As Rob was confined to a wheelchair, Ross was Rob’s right-hand man at the Auction, helping with the mounting, putting the book together and helping get the Auction under way. Despite the loss of our good friend Rob, it’s always nice to see Ross.
At a get together at Rob’s place 6 or so years ago. LtoR, Rob, Rob’s brother Jim and me. Rob’s wife Bonnie took the photo.
I also caught up with a few other photographers and Journalists present including Robs brother Jim who was my boss at the Auckland Star for 5 years or so in the 80’s. It was also really nice to see Robs wife Bonnie and their family.
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Well used walkway
The Kiosk and surfclub.
Water isn’t far away.
Cabins
Fitzroy is one of those Holiday Parks you never get tired of. It’s in a great location right on the beach and the facilities are fantastic and its reasonably priced at this time of the year. It’s also handy to the city.
There is a walkway/bike lane that runs all the way up the coast and back into the city which is amazing. It runs through the front part of the camp and a really popular coffee Kiosk just outside. It’s a really popular place for the surfers and the walkers and bike users, both on the walkway and beach are nonstop.
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.
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