Off and Away

Our three week caravan trip away started off with a weekend rally with our caravan club buddies.  And what fun we had.  There was quite an adventure planned for Saturday, with a trip to Day’s Bay and back on public transport.  Originally we were to travel from Naenae to Wellington by train, but track maintenance was being carried out and the trains were replaced by buses.  Not such a disappointment, as along came a big yellow double decker bus to carry our bunch of OAPs into the big city.  It’s been a while since we were in the big city, and we didn’t even realise that Wellington had double decker buses in their fleet.

Our double decker bus

It was a brisk walk along the waterfront, or in our case, a quick taxi ride, to save the sore knees and back from  too much stress.  Then it was “all aboard” the Cobar Cat East-West Ferry to Day’s Bay.  It’s certainly a sign we are getting older when people such as doctors, policemen, and in this case, the ship’s captain, all look so young!

Cobar Cat

A big family group laden down with large packs and chilly bags full of supplies departed at Matiu/Some's Island to stay overnight.  Matiu/Some's Island is now a predator-free scientific reserve.   It may be a small island but its place in New Zealand’s history is huge. Its harbour location made it an ideal location for New Zealand’s first inner harbour lighthouse, a human quarantine station, an internment camp, military defence position, and an animal quarantine station over the years.

Leaving the ferry we walked along  Days Bay wharf, across the road to Williams Park and into the very popular Pavilion Café for lunch.  Plenty of great choices on the menu, and it was just as well we had a large table booked for our group, as the place was packed.  It took us two buses to return to Naenae, and we arrived back at the college tired but happy after our big day out.  Such a fun day, and we all traveled free courtesy of our Gold Cards.

On Sunday after our evening meal we went out for dessert to the Berry Berry Nice Café in Jackson St, Petone, formerly the old Post Office building.  What to select from this range, we wondered, as we contemplated the selection.  There was certainly plenty to choose from.  Most of us chose to sit in the rather trendy little half circular seating arrangements.  We all enjoyed our desserts, with coffee/tea to follow.  What a great weekend we had, full of fun things to do.

Dessert time

Then it was time to head off on our three week caravan safari, spending the first night in Wanganui, then moving on to New Plymouth where we stayed at a former tamarillo farm.  Such a well set up place to stay for a few days, with very friendly hosts.  While in New Plymouth, we always try to catch up with Robin’s school friend Gary and his lovely wife Glenyss.  They were off on a trip themselves the following day so it was lucky that they could squeeze us in before they departed.  Forgot to take photos of our visit, but quite by chance, their mutual friend John had sent through a photo showing four friends after a fishing trip. Just look at those happy faces, the boys are all in their 70s now.

Robin and his schoolfriends out fishing

On our last evening Robin took us on a little tiki tour before heading back to camp.  Would I get to see Mt Taranaki/Egmont before we left the area, I wondered?  There is a saying in these parts, if you can’t see the mountain, it’s raining, and if you can see it, it’s going to rain.  We certainly had more than our fair share of rain lately.  Robin drove up to Churchill Height's to see if we could get a view, and there the mountain was, unencumbered by clouds in the dusk.  What a great finale to our evening.

Mt Taranaki/Egmont

The weather was glorious the next day for our 77km trip which took us along the coast, and up and over Mt Messenger and through the Mt Messenger tunnel. The single lane tunnel as originally opened in 1916, later enlarged to provide two-lane access and to allow trucks with big loads to pass through. Mt Messenger is named after Colonel William Messenger, the commander of the garrison at nearby Pukearuhe redoubt during the 1870s and 1880s.  I love coming across these little historic tunnels, originally hewn by hand  through the mountain rock all those years ago.

Mt Messenger Tunnel

We were staying at Mokau for the next night.  This little village is “world famous in New ZEaland” for the Whitebaait Inn Café, serving giant whitebait fritters.  Although we  hadn’t been there before, two of our traveling companions always stop to indulge when passing by.  Seemed a great idea to us, so we all went for lunch.  Our orders arrived, a massive whitebait fritter each served with a slice of lemon and freshly buttered bread.  Goodness me, a feast indeed, its been a long time since we enjoyed whitebait.  The coffee was nice too.  This is a very popular establishment, with a steady stream of customers.  Whitebait is a New Zealand delicacy, and are the fry (young) of native New Zealand fish found in coastal creeks, streams, rivers and lakes.

Giant whitebait fritters for lunch

Sunset at Mokau

There hasn’t been much handwork done so far on this trip, just a little knitting so far while I was waiting for the laundry to finish the cycle.  Never mind, we’ve been traveling, eating out, socialising, and I’m sure there will be time for a little stitching sooner or later. And more adventures to come.