After weeks of family activities, baby sitting and catching up on my volunteer work restoring historic images at the Devonport Museum, it was time for a well-deserved getaway.
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Coming into the NZMCA parkOur little corner in the world at Waihi Beach
We hit the road ad made our way to the NZMCA park at Waihi Beach.
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Waihi Beach
The next door neighbour
Lovely scenic entranceway to the park.
We’ve had several memorable stays here, including covering the ceremonial opening of the NZMCA park, a fantastic occasion. This time, we arrived under a grey sky to a very quiet park, perfectly set up for us to unwind, watch a bit of TV, and enjoy doing very little.
In the morning, we took a short drive down to the Waihi Beach shops for lunch at a cozy café and a browse through the shops. On the way back, we stopped at the beach for a quick look before returning to the NZMCA park.
Our original spot had been taken, so we parked further along beside Harry and Lorraine, full-timers in their Iveco-powered Diamond motorhome. I spent a pleasant afternoon swapping road stories with them both over a glass or two of wine.
Fiona on the beach
The next morning, we packed up and made our way back to Auckland, feeling recharged and grateful for the chance to connect with family and enjoy a couple of relaxing days by the beach.
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 🙂
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That fantastic beachFabulous 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 settled24 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 nightSaturday 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.
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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.
There is always a feeling of excitement when you are driving down the hill to Mystery Creek for the Park and Stay at these shows. You never quite know what is coming next.
Click on any Image to enlargeI was very lucky to get a spot not far from the gate thanks to the efficient parking from the Counties parking team.
I arrived in the middle of the afternoon on the Thursday, and it seemed like most of those staying was there too. Apparently, they had 900 registered stayers and another 150 odd for power… a great turnout.
People queuing to get in on Friday Morning
On the Friday morning, I went in for my first look and the thing that struck me most was the number of Ozzie Caravan manufacturers here with their raised Caravans. They’re built like Tanks 🙂
Inside the Urban Caravan
Perfect for the rough Ozzie outback. I had a quick look at one of them from a Melbourne company called Urban. Apparently, they’re Tig welded which they emphasised as a selling point.
Click on the Gallery below to enlarge the Urban Caravan
Nicely appointed and they look bullet proof but for a medium sized Caravan, available at $189,000.
One of the first Liteweight caravans
So, from there I was off to see the old Cars and Caravans and with their Art Deco decorating they looked stunning. These guys put their heart and souls into these.
Click on the Gallery below to see the vintage Cars and Caravans
I was lucky enough a few years ago to catch up with an old mate from the Herald who I worked with at a Liteweight Caravans get together at Cambridge and it was fabulous. We also met some of the well know members of the family who built them too. See that here.
My next stop was one of the most popular Dethleffs at the Zion stand, the Grand Alpa which is a beast. This comes in at 855cm and is 5.4 Tons and was going as a show special for $341,000. There is also a smaller version of this available which possibly suits NZ roads being 748cm long.
Click on the Gallery below to enlarge the Grand Alpa
This the outside of the XLI as the Grand Alpa was jammed in but they look identical from the outside.
I really enjoyed catching up with some old friends on the Dethleffs stand, some that I caught up with later for a cold one as you do 🙂
The Team at the NZMCA standThe crew at Kiwi fuels
I popped over to the NZMCA stand and checked in there. Nice to see the happy faces there too.
The UCC stand
I also checked out the new Rockwood’s and they’re massive insides with all the slide outs. Very nice and nice seeing a smart bunk layout for the kids.
Click on the Gallery below to see the Rockwood 5the Wheeler.
In the Gallery below is a general roundup. I saw the new Weber Traveller Barbeques which look great. Apparently, they have a complete set of extra bits and bobs just for these new models.
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No 1 Reo NZMCA
The Weber Traveller
Trailite Caravan
The Galley area inside Trailite Caravan
Inside the Trailite Caravan
Looking through the Trailite Caravan
The bedroom – Trailite Caravan
It was off to the tented pavilions then. From floating sunglasses to Gin, it was all here.
Click on the Gallery below for the outside exhibits.
Outside in the Park and Stay, it was fun, and I bumped into quite a few people I knew. By the Saturday though, there were some big holes opening in the parking which was interesting. People getting in early and going.
Click on the Gallery below for lots of white Motorhomes
This was the first one I’ve been to where there was a Stay and Eat area too for those parked so that was fun. A great show and lots of friendly faces.
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.
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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!!….
DejaBlueNairobi 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 ReverieCourtnay 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 ManorCourtnay 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.
After 18 months of open homes and saving madly for the 20% deposit you need these days, my son Alex has just moved into his first house. I can remember when Fiona and I first got ours and what a great sense of achievement it was to be there on the first night. Of all the open homes they looked at with his two sons, that was their favourite too.
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Big parking area next door for the busy periods.
After spending the Saturday unpacking boxes and watching the moving guys, we retired to Rafe outside for a tea which Fiona had made and heated up in Rafe. We then left him to it and set off for the NZMCA park at Ardmore where we spent the night.
Magic spot in the middle
Arriving at 8pm and opening the gate at Ardmore, we quietly drove in and looked for a park.
The parking spaces have all be changed since I was last there and there was little or no light at the time, so we popped into a site in the middle.
Front row views of the airfieldPart of the view from the front row
After a visit to the local Cafe for breakfast, Fiona left in the car and headed back to Alex’s to help unpack and set things up in his house. I left in Rafe and headed to Pukekohe for the night for my Monday morning appointment at Zion in Pokeno for new Batteries.
Rafe’s tracker map to Ardmore NZMCA Park- Armada GPS
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 🙂
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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’sSteve’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 🙂
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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
Over 100 beautiful Wooden boats were assembled at the Jellicoe Harbour by The Viaduct for the first Auckland Wooden Boat Festival in Auckland.
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Put together by experienced boating event organisers , Tony Stephenson and his wife Michelle and their team.
Looking at the numbers rolling in the door, you’d have to say it was a roaring success and may there be many more to come.
Rorqual owner Drew setting up fenders to settle in Rorqual the Whale chaserPetrel with Whalechaser Rorqual behind
I was there as a bit of a hanger on really helping my son Drew take our old boat Rorqual to the show.
Ex Work boats Ronaki and Sterling
I was really pleased to catch up with some of my old friends from both the Classic Yacht Association and other Classic Boat owners.
There was some inside exhibits as well of smaller craft and some being rebuilt.
Te Hauraki
One of the notable boats at the show was an ex-Auckland Tug called Te Hauraki. For many years it was owned by a long time well known entrepreneur, leader of the Auckland classic boat scene and marine character, John Street. As Tony said in the speeches, he would be absolutely chuffed to have seen this happening in Auckland. Sadly, John passed away recently but his old boat was here for the occasion.
Click on the Gallery below to see enlarged images of the show.
Rehia
Meola
Menai with Rorqual the whalechaser in the distance behind
Sterling
John Dory
Kate
Ariki
Anatole with his boat Korara
Peter with his Bridgedecker Lady Margaret
Rawhiti
Petrel with Akarana behind
Akarana
Viking
Windhaven
Prize
Classic Bridgedecker Menai
Te Hauraki with Meola behind
Picton Whalechaser Primadonna
I’ll leave you with the images which sum it up nicely. A fantastic few days in the sun. The boats all scrubbed up nicely and just looked great. Well done to everyone who took part.
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.
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
This is an amazing place setup by Nigel Ogle in an old disused Dairy Factory on the outskirts of Hawera.
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One of the smaller Diorama’s in the Cafe
Nigel has put this together from scratch including making all the characters and models and the attention to detail is absolutely stunning.
It is split into several sections and the last time we were here, we only had time to do one section (several hours). This time we were going to try one of the ones we missed last time, being the Traders and Whalers.
Click on the Gallery below to see an Enlarged Slideshow
In the mower section
The shop
After parking and checking in, we set off to the Traders and Whalers section where we guided through some fairly dimly lit tunnels with some amazing life-sized dioramas with hugely detailed people with flax, rifles, boats and everything to do with early NZ.
Parking area
We were then led to a big underground cave like area with a moat and a 20 odd person boat. With some others, we got into it and were taken through an amazing area of sound, light and more life-sized dioramas of early New Zealand showing early Maoris trading flax and Muskets with settlers. So well done. I believe it was a collaborative effort with Weta Workshop, so I wasn’t able to photograph any of it. Just amazing and a must see.
Trading
After that we went through to see some smaller displays of early whaling and trading then onto the Cafe for a really nice coffee. They have an amazing selection of traditional cakes, and we chose a couple of beauties.
In the Tractor area
Across the road is very easy Motorhome parking on a big patch of grass next to the car parking.
As I said a must see if you’re in the area.
Rafe’s tracker map to Tawhiti Museum and onto Wanganui – Armada GPS
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.
Later in the afternoon, we had a nice surprise when Russell and Lorraine, whom we’d met at a Frankia Get Together in Coromandel, pulled into the park. It was great to catch up with them again.
Our original spot had been taken, so we parked further along beside Harry and Lorraine, full-timers in their Iveco-powered Diamond motorhome. I spent a pleasant afternoon swapping road stories with them both over a glass or two of wine.
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