Caravan Safari

 Robin and I are leading a Caravan Safari with our caravan club friends through coastal Wairarapa.  Taking them along roads not traveled, and places yet to be explored.   The drive took us through some pretty farmland, with plenty of cattle and sheep grazing contentedly.   Our first stop was Alfredton Domain which has overnight free parking.

Alfredton was formed in 1868 and was part of the Small Farms Association.  These days it is a tiny village with a school and a church.  The Domain is an attractive place with ewes and small lambs everywhere.  The calls of our beautiful native bird, the tui, were heard overhead in the large trees.   There is a plaque honouring the pioneers who laid the foundations of the district.

 Next stop was Pongaroa.  For such a small place, there are quite a lot of interesting things there.    In the middle of the village is a sculpture to commemorate a famous son, Maurice Wilkins, who was awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize together with his colleagues when they discovered the now familiar double helix of DNA.

Tribute to Maurice Wilkins

The local pub, the Pongaroa Hotel,  has an interesting history, starting life as a BNZ bank.  The bank closed in 1936 and was used as a private house for 12 years.  It was then converted into a hotel, then a tavern, then back to a hotel again.  There are many interesting historic photos inside the building including bullock teams hauling huge loads of native timber to the mills.  You know this is a rural area when you see the gum boots (Wellington boots) all lined up at the door.  We settled down in the dining room, checked out the menus and ordered our meals.    Generous country sized servings and very tasty indeed.

Pongaroa Hotel

We found out that our club member Helen grew up in Pongaroa so knows the area well.  When having a coffee in the local cafe, she mentioned that she worked in the building as an after school job when it was a country store.  I couldn't help myself and had to purchase a tea towel to mark our visit here, after all, you can never have too many tea towels, can you!

My new tea towel

The following day was clear but cold, and we packed a picnic lunch and the folding chairs, and headed off on an adventure.  Off we went to show our camping buddies the beautiful Waihi Falls, about a 45 minute drive from the camp.  The majority had not been there before.  The walk down to the falls was down a steep track, and I counted 105 steps.  Of course it was much easier going down than clambering back up.  We all walked at our own pace and the walking poles made us feel a little more secure.

Waihi Falls were a sight to behold, roaring with sound as the water thundered 25m over the edge, sending light spray around to land on our faces.  Such a magnificent sight, so doubt the recent rain fall had made the flow even stronger than usual.

Waihi Falls

Our safari trip is half over with even more adventures to come.  It is good to come exploring to visit places a bit off our usual itinerary, and even better introducing these places to folk who haven't traveled this way before.  

Believe it or not, I have taken three pairs of socks, at various stages, away with me.  But I've only knitted a few rows so far.  Never mind, the knitting projects are there for when I need them.

I've got three pair of socks on the go.