Tag Archives: History

North Island road trip 2016

A bike ride through Wanganui

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I was staying at Caroline’s Outback Campground and with a day where it was threatening to rain, I decided to ride into Wanganui town and have a wee look around.Wanganui
I stopped down by where the ferry is kept on the river not far from Moutua Park and the buildings around there were just something else.

Click on the images to see them in Hi Res or a slideshow

WanganuiQuite a few of them were vacant which gave me reason to think that some of the businesses might be finding it tough but despite that, they’re well maintained and just beautiful buildings. I’m a bit of sucker for things like this, old boats buildings cars.. Just nice to see.

While I was there, a maintainence person came about and started painting the funnel of the river boat. I also came across a lady trying to get a picture of the ball on the waterfront without getting herself in the reflections so I was happy to show her how with the built in cracks on the ball. 😀Wanganui
After an hour of cruising around, I headed back to the camp before the expected rain hit. Great bike tracks and walkways and a neat little city with lovely buildings.

North Island road trip 2016

Roxy Theatre

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In Wellington, I received a message from my old friend (and work colleague and Motorhomer) Grant suggesting that we should go and check out the Roxy Theatre in Miramar.

Click on the images to see Hi Res or a slideshow
RoxyAs it was only a few K’s away from our base at Evans Bay, we set out to check it out and it’s a thing of beauty.

Owned jointly by Richard Taylor and Jamie Selkirk of Weta Workshop fame, it is simply stunning.
imageThey’ve owned it for quite a long time but due to their work commitments with the movie industry, they had to put the renovation job on hold until a few years ago.
It was once a shopping centre so it has been a big do up job.

The Cafe and Shop
Upstairs with the ceiling
Some of the art

There is a really nice cafe on the ground floor but the decor and attention to detail with old movie cameras, the art and a huge ceiling mural is just stunning.

RoxyIn the middle of Miramar shops, it’s something you must check out.
The Weta cave is at the other end of Park ave, which is also worth visiting too. There is easy Motorhome parking in the surrounding streets so easy to get there.  Thanks Grant for telling us about it.

North Island road trip 2016

The Water Tower

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One of the things that was a recommended thing to do by Rob in New Plymouth was the Water Tower in Hawera and he was right. It’s well worth doing just to give you a sense of where everything is.

And you can see it everywhere.
And you can see it everywhere.

The Water Tower was built in 1914 as the Insurance companies at the time were concerned about the low water pressure for fire fighting after a series of disastrous fires.

The Main Street of Hawera with the base of Mt Taranaki on the right.
The Main Street of Hawera with the base of Mt Taranaki on the right.

While it was being constructed, there was an earthquake which put the whole tower on a lean. When the water was pumped in later, they fixed it in the middle of the night by undermining the foundations and shoring them up.

The Main Street
One of the “rest areas” along the way.
The Tower

There are more than 220 odd steps but with fairly large galleries between the levels to stop and catch your breath. It costs $2.50 per person which you pay to the ISite at the foot of the tower and they’ll give you a key.
Very worthwhile cheap entertainment for an hour or so and a fantastic view from the top.

North Island road trip 2016

Stratford Pioneer Village

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This was a real discovery as when I first arrived, they immediately said that they allowed Certified Self Contained Motorhomers to stay overnight. A great discovery as it doesn’t say anywhere and doesn’t seem to appear on any apps that I use. .. Now we know.

Click on the images for Hi res or a slideshow

Cafe over the carpark
Cafe over the carpark

The Pioneers village is just outside Stratford on the southern side and is a collection of 40 plus pioneer buildings set up as a village and done very well.

Okato Cottage
Okato Cottage
Inside Okato Cottage
Inside Okato Cottage

Many of the buildings have come from the area and have their full history with them so it’s a great record of who did what locally and the the buildings are well setup for visitors.

A nurse a bit worse for wear
Raewyn oiling the wheels

Many of the local families have donated all sorts of furniture, clothes and their old homes to make it happen.
imageThere is also a train with carriages on a track that surrounds the entire village. Board member Raewyn was the train driver on the day and was very helpful with showing me what was there.

Plenty of parking
Plenty of parking

There is an adjoining cafe which has a great selection of food for lunches and coffee stops so a good place to stop and as I said, very easy parking.

North Island road trip 2016

Staying with the Schoolhouse

The Whangamomona Holiday Park was setup by the Stratford Council using the old school house on a local park ground which was also used by the Rugby Club. It is now run by the local community.

The Schoolhouse now houses a kitchen, toilets and showers
The Schoolhouse now houses a kitchen, toilets and showers

The school was closed down in 1979 and several buildings taken away but the old schoolhouse still remains. Some of the older buildings also remain and are used as Backpackers cabins with bunks in them.
WhangamomonaIts a perfectly flat parking area divided by a hedge between powered and non powered sites. There is a well setup playground and an eclectic bunch of Exercycles in the grass which you can use if you like. An open air Gym!
WhangamomonaThere’s also the odd chook and some miniature ponies running around free too.
There’s a kitchen which is being replaced by a newer one in the schoolhouse, loos recycling and and outside wash up area.
At $15 a head including power with everything in good order and clean, I thought it was pretty reasonable.

The camp office
The camp office

The camp manager Richard lives on site and seems like a good chap too. I was given a guided tour around the camp and through the old schoolhouse.

The Moon is up early
The Moon is up early

A nice spot and an easy walk to the pub and the village.

North Island road trip 2016

Headquarters

After walking around the town, I checked out the Hotel, HQ for the republic!  The Whangamomona Hotel was originally built in 1902 but burnt down 8 years or so later. In 1919 it was used as a Hospital and during the depression.

Before the fire
Before the fire

In 1989 when the Electoral people in Wellington were amalgamating councils everywhere, they decided in their wisdom ? That they would amalgamate the good folk of Whangamomona away from Taranaki to Wanganui on the basis that the river edged up there. The locals were understandably incensed and decided they would break away as a republic. The Hotel was the Republic Headquarters and after local elections for a president, all the tough decisions are made at the hotel. Sounds very sensible to me 🙂 You can even buy a republic passport!

Anita with the pubs cat.
Anita with the pubs cat.

When I arrived, I found the Hotel was closed but Anita the manageress was very happy to open it so I could get some piccies of the hotel.

Whangamomona PubWhangamomona Pub
You can smell the history ..

Anita at the bar
Anita at the bar

It currently has a category 2 listing as a Historic building and is regarded as one of the most remote pubs in NZ.

As it was closed when I was there, I couldn’t try anything but they have an excellent reputation for great meals.

North Island road trip 2016

The Republic

As you drive over the bridge from the Highway into Whangamomona, you feel as though you could be driving back in time 50 years or so. It’s like it’s all stopped still.

The Post Office and the Pub
The Post Office and the Pub

Whangamomona was established in 1895 as a service centre for the local farming community. Then, there were 300 or so residents. Now there are about 30 residents in the village.

The rail bridge at Whangamomona

The buildings are amazing. There is a General Store which looking square on looks like a reasonable sized store but when you look side on, it’s a about 4 ft deep as a display! These days like in most small towns, the strong community is based around the hotel.

The local garage
The local garage

In 1989, they rebelled against amalgamation and formed their own republic. You can even buy a passport.. At the hotel 🙂
A neat wee town, neat people and everywhere you look there is history

Coromandel 2016

Character, Soul and Scones

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After meeting my new friends from Christchurch, Rory and Henny and their friends Dave and Karen, I made a point of making sure that at some stage during the day, I should pop down to the NZMCA park and have a cup of tea with them and a catch up. 

The Coromandel Pub, you can also stay behind this for $10 including power
The Coromandel Pub, apparently you can also stay behind this for $20 including power

I set off reasonably early on my bike with my camera tucked down inside my coat and made my way down to the other end of Coromandel town.

Don’t forget to click on the images for Hi Res or a Slideshow

CoromandelThe shops and buildings are fascinating and you can feel a real vibe about the place. They were getting really for the Illume parade and event that night so it was even more buzzy than normal.

The free parkingover the road from the Police Station ..Handy!
This is right in front of the NZMCA park
The Causeway to the wharf
Down at the wharf

After getting some nice piccies and talking to a couple of the locals, I biked around to the wharf and then back to the NZMCA park where I caught up Rory and Henny and with typical South Island hospitality was just in time for some of Henny’s lovely homemade scones and a cup of coffee. We had a great hour or two talking about everything and they’re great fun and good company.

Coromandel
Its easy to tell where the Laundromat is !

I biked back, checked out the campground and blobbed out with the stereo before  hittting the sack early to get ready for another big day. 

Looking back towards Coromandel .. my bike on the right
Looking back towards Coromandel .. my bike on the right

A neat place to visit, some great places to stay and despite the weather, plenty to do and see.

Marine, Quirky things

Waterfront Parking

Sandspit Holiday Park is one of those places I’ve wanted to try out for months so I was chuffed when I found a good reason to stay here and with reasonable weather too.

It is an easy walk to the wharf for ferrys to Kawau so its well placed if you want to do a day or two at the Island. Its also an easy walk to the Sandspit Yacht club and the brand new marina that has just opened there.

Check out the images in Hi Res by clicking on them or for a slideshow.

Our spot near the water
Our spot near the water

We dropped in out of the blue after a few days of heavy rain so we were walked down to check the grass waterfront parks to see if they were up to handling Rafe’s weight. With plenty of gravel and sand about, I decided it felt pretty solid and we’d give it a go.

Neat Cottages that you can stay in all along the waterfront.
Neat Cottages that you can stay in all along the waterfront.

As it was off peak in winter, the cost for two of us was $32 with power for the night which I thought was great value.

After settling down Rafe, plugging in and opening hatches, I went for a walk with the camera.

Our spot before the tide came back in
The view with the tide out. Ferry Wharf in the distance
A Classic coming in
The TV Room
Real Snakes and Laddeers outside the Libary
Laundry
Kitchen and Toilets
Quiet a few permanents
Kitchen
The new Marina
The Ferry Wharf

They have some amazing quirky cottages and the buildings are great. There is even Horace the Morris parked in the grass.

Horace
Horace

The ablution block is almost brand new and the shower and toilets are amazing.

Bring the boat in
Bring the boat in

We went for a walk before the sun went down to the ferry jetty where boaties were coming in and a few were fishing.

A really interesting place.  We’re planning to go back with the Grandies as they could easily stay in one of the many cottages there.

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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.