Still traveling

I'm obviously much to busy to do too much knitting while we are on our road trip.  The only thing I've worked on is my pair of pink socks, mostly knitted while traveling in the car.  This pretty yarn was a gift from my daughter Nicky last Christmas, so I'd like to get them finished soon.  They are coming along, I think I'm just about up to the heels by now.   In case you don't know, I knit my socks flat, two at a time.

My pink socks

Not only have I packed my pink socks to work on this trip, I've also got two pairs of socks which need the side seam stitched up - no, not done yet.  Plus my blue cardigan which needs working one, not looked at either.  Guess I've been too busy getting out and about.

One of the interesting places we have been to while staying at Ohaupo while our caravan was getting its annual service was to check out the Peat Lakes, we had never been there before.

Ngaroto is the largest of the many peat lakes found between Hamilton and Te Awamutu.  These lakes were formed about 19,000 years ago when sand and gravel carried in the Waikato and Waipa river blocked up small valleys.  Water loving plants thrived and thick layers of peat eventually built up within the lake and around the margins.  There is a walkway around the lake, including stretches of boardwalk together with dirt and grass pathways, about a 6km flat walk.  Self contained camping is allowed at the lake side, and there were several motor homes staying the day we arrived.  

Lake Ngaroto

The next day we traveled out to The Mount (Mount Maunganui) while we were waiting for our caravan awning to be restitched,  so drove there and found a parking spot overlooking the beach.  What a busy bunch the locals were.  There were people climbing up the pathway on the Mount, tiny dots in the distance.  We watched as a never ending stream of people walked, jogged, ran and cycled along the pathway adjacent to the beach.  Fit youngsters  effortlessly ran by, older couples walked together, young Mums wheeled their babes in pushchairs, it was great to see many people out and about enjoying the morning.  Unfortunately when I got out of the car to take a photo I slipped and fell, and found myself on my back between the gutter and the adjacent car.  An unexpected fall is always quite frightening, and as I said to Robin as I clambered back up, it could have been so much worse.  I could have broken my ankle, or banged my head on the car, luckily all that was damaged was my pride.

  Mt Maunganui and beach

Another interesting find was the "Tree of Knowledge" at our next overnight stop, Welcome Bay, in Tauranga.  Perhaps I should have gone and hugged the tree, and asked it to impart some knowledge!

The Tree of Knowledge 

There is a large meeting room with books to swap, and several boxes of kiwi fruit had been donated for the members.  "Help yourselves", we were told, so we did.  What a bonus for the campers.

Help yourself to the kiwifruit

And just because we are on holiday, doesn't mean that the laundry doesn't get done.  There is always a trip or two to find a local laundromat while we travel.

Laundry time again

Gemma is stoic with car travel, she just puts up with it, but once out of the car and into the caravan she is completely relaxed.  Then she jumps up on the bed and spends time grooming herself, her way of calming down, I think.  She is always interested going outside on her lead to check things out.  And once she has finished sniffing the grass, she often likes to sit in the doorway.

I wonder what she is looking at, birds perhaps?

More Safari Travels

 Akitio on the coast was our next stop  This is a sheep and beef farming district and the small town has a school, volunteer fire brigade, a motor camp and a freedom camping area by the beach, and not much  else.

We found ourselves a site with  plenty of room here for our group.  Water, rubbish bins and a toilet block was available, but unfortunately the weather was not kind to us at all.  The beach was covered in driftwood and bigger logs, no doubt washed ashore after a storm.  

Akitio Beach

It was just one night here, so we packed up and set off again, to arrive at Te Paerahi Beach, Porangahau.   Along the way we stopped at the site of "The longest Placename in New Zealand".  There is a nice large area to pull off the road and check out the sign, which was very long indeed.

The name translates to "The place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed and swallowed mountains, known as land eater, played his nose flute to his loved one".  The story goes that Tamatea was so grieved over the loss of his brother that he stayed at the battle site for some days.  Each morning he would sit on the hill and play a lament on his flute.

That's a very long sign

Te Paerahi Beach was another freedom camping area, not one we had stayed at before.  A toilet block was available, plus a drinking fountain, but no tap water available to top up the vans.  There were other vans staying there too, but still plenty of room for our seven vans.  The wide sandy beach was beautiful, and most of us strolled along it during our stay here.  There were no piles of driftwood cluttering up this beach, unlike the previous one we stayed at.

Te Paerahi was a lovely sandy beach

Gemma enjoyed relaxing on the caravan bed as a sliver of sunshine came through the window.  Cats always find the best spots for themselves, don't they.

Gemma's happy in the sunshine

The last stop on our safari was two nights at Takapau camp.  It was nice to be on  power again, as we were still experiencing cool weather.  We ate together in the hall on Saturday night, enjoying our local fish and chips.  Then everyone was invited to share an embarrassing story.  I started the ball rolling when I related my tale of woe as a young Mum driving a car with L (learner) plates, remember those, plus two kids and two dogs.  I was traveling up the Wairarapa side of the Remutaka  Hill when all the traffic came to a standstill.  When the cars started off again I found it impossible to do the dreaded hill start and kept sliding back, getting closer and closer to the car behind me.  Finally, the driver came to me and offered to start my car and drove it to a flat pull off area.  I was mortified, and stayed put till all the traffic had passed by, before slowly driving home to Lower Hutt.  Other embarrassing tales followed, most of them long forgotten and buried in the subconscious, as it turned out.

Sunday was a free day with people out visiting friends and family, or in our case, a little shopping and attending to the laundry.   These are always busy places and many locals come to use the machines.  I took my knitting along while I waited and did some rows on my pink socks.

Sock knitting in the laundromat

The grand finale was dinner that evening at Sawyers Arms in nearby Tikokino.  Once again, many muddy gumboots were left at the door.  The pub was quite full with patrons  and our group was seated in the dining room on a long table, which suited us fine.  Menus were studied, our choices were made, and generously heaped plates  arrived at the table.

It was a lovely evening, thanks were made and we were presented with a pretty card, signed by all the attendees on the safari.

Thank you card 

Everyone departed on Monday morning, and the gusty wind made towing a little difficult.  We stopped at NZ Natural Clothing shop at Norsewood  to make a couple of purchases, two nice warm plaid shirts for Robin, and a big kg of cream wool for me, for a future project.  As a thank you for our purchases I got a pair of cozy socks, printed with caravans.

My purchases

A little further on we stopped for lunch.  We had planned ahead and made some bacon sandwhiches before we broke camp to eat on our way, and they were very tasty indeed.   Then we drove up and over the Pahiatua Track, and we were on the home stretch.  As much as I always enjoy our trips away, it's always good to get back home, safe and sound again.

Christchurch with Michael

 We traveled down to Christchurch to spend some  time with my son Michael to celebrate his 60th birthday.  He had a busy week as he had flown up to Wellington to spend a couple of days with his Dad, then flew back down again in time for our arrival in Christchurch.  I had booked a table for dinner on Friday night at the Platform Brew Barn, a riverside establishment in Kaiapoi, quite close to where we are staying at the NZMCA park.

Platform Brew Bar

This was a busy and popular establishment indeed, and we took a little time checking out the menu.  It was an easy choice for me, roast pork, Robin chose sirloin steak, and Michael decided on a burger.  Don't ask me why, but we all ordered dessert as well.  We really didn't need it, but it did taste nice.

Birthday Dinner

Then we met up for Sunday breakfast.  This was another very busy cafe and we ordered our breakfasts, and sat at chatted away.  

Michael and his Mum

Sign in the cafe, who would have known

So what else have we  been doing while down in Christchurch?  We took up drive up to the top of Dyer Pass yesterday a narrow twisting road very popular with cyclists, who seem to dice with death with the cars as they whizz along.  We were doing a return visit to   the cafe The Sign of the Kiwi, famous for their date scones.  We secured a table, and sat and enjoyed our afternoon tea.

Date scones and coffee

Plenty of happy customers

The Sign of the Kiwi was one of four rest houses built to provide access and refreshments for people walking on the Port Hills, back in the 1920s or so. 

 Way back then

Another place I was keen to visit was the nearby Kaiapoi Woolen Mills, which made the famous Kaiapoi wool blankets, a household must have back in the days when every home had cozy woolen blankets,  before duvets made an appearance.   Opening in the 1880s the mill was a boon to the town and recruited skilled weavers and spinners from the north of England.  The company secured contracts to supply cloth for military uniforms for both World Wars, but business slowly dwindled post war and the company closed in 1978.  However, I'm sure there are still many Kaiapoi blankets tucked away in households throughout the country.

Kaiapoi Mill buildings

Gemma is enjoying her caravan trip, having short trips outside the caravan, safely on her harness and lead.  She is not really very brave and prefers to sit in the doorway to keep an eye on what is going on without feeling threatened.  Dogs and noisy cars send her scurrying back inside to safety.  Another thing she enjoys is insisting that we open the wardrobe doors for her to climb inside.

The wardrobe makes a cat friendly hidey hole

My knitting is continuing slowly, but as I tell myself, every little bit helps.  More knitting took place while I sat and waited at the local laundromat.  Holiday or not, the washing (and drying) still need to be taken care of!

Laundry day in Kaiapoi

Lots to do in Napier

We've moved on to Napier to spend several days just relaxing.  But….. needs must, and we desperately needed to go to the laundromat.  There was one close by, and at the NZMCA camp we are staying, there was a huge clothesline to hang it all out.  There’s nothing better than laundry drying in the warm sunshine, is there?  Holiday or not, there’s always plenty of washing to do.

Round and round it goes

Not too far from the camp is the Filter Room which makes cider and beer.  There is also a restaurant attached and we took ourselves out for a meal, we are on holiday after all, that seemed a good excuse.  I decided to try a glass of cider, but which flavour?  Peach, I decided, and Robin tried a lager.

At the Bar

Our meals were delicious, fish and chips for me, and Robin chose sticky pork ribs, a huge serving but he managed to eat it all.  We had only ever had take-away fish and chips from this establishment before, so it was nice to try a sit down meal for a change.

Delicious meals

One of the places we like to visit in Napier is Arataki Honey, where Robin can get his  honey jars refilled.  We got a jar of Manuka, Rewarewa and Blue Borage, that will keep him happy for a while. And we picked up some more comb honey, it’s not always easy to find, so we  buy it when we can.  I also found a couple of small gifts for future birthdays which I will tuck away somewhere safe till they are needed.

Arataki Honey

Next on our list of places to go was BIrdwoods to their old fashioned sweetshop, always a favourite.  We wanted to replenish our supply of blackballs and acid drops, which we like to keep in the car.  Maybe a little fudge jumped in too.

 

Birdwoods Sweet Shop

This establishment has a gallery, sculpture garden and café as well, but we headed straight to the ice-cream shop.  It was typically warm Hawkes Bay weather, so an ice-cream was declared necessary, and we enjoyed a mixed berry ice-cream, served in a tub.  Better on a hot day, it means it didn't melt and drip all over me as an ice-cream comb is apt to do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another thing on my list was a visit to Skeinz Natural Yarn Store, a lovely shop indeed, packed full of beautiful wool and knitting accessories.  But the trouble I have going into these stores without a plan in mind is that I often get overwhelmed, so don’t buy anything.  I came out with a pattern book of baby knits, and a hank of cotton yarn and a pattern to knit a new dishcloth.

Just a couple of things in the bag

One of the things on our “must do” list was to catch up with our Hastings family again.  Niece Lisa had arranged to collect her Dad from the rest home and had booked a table for us all at The Duke of Gloucester pub in Taradale, a favourite of theirs.

Venue for lunch

It was so nice to see Dennis again, husband of my late sister Kathleen, and Lisa with her grown up family, Adam and Kate.  We pondered over the meal choices, and eventually decided.  The meals were huge and several doggy bags got taken home with the leftovers.

Robin, Kate, Jenny, Lisa, Dennis and Adam

We still have a couple more days here in Hastings, and one or two more places to visit.  And high on my “must purchase” list is some sweet summer cherries!  I love them, but so far have hardly had a taste at all, here’s hoping they are still available.

Another Trip Away

Pre Christmas is such a busy time, isn't it.  We had another caravan trip planned, about 8 days this time, to attend the ICA Christmas Rally, up at Te Aroha and Matamata, quite a drive away for us.  Most of the ICA members live much further north than us, so depending on where the rally is being held, we generally have the longest drive.  Our first stop was at Turangi, a well known fishing area.  There was a tap  on the door, and a lady asked us if we would be interested in a trout fillet.  My goodness, of course we would, and she didn't want any payment for it either.  (I have since found out from another fisherwoman that it is illegal to sell trout in New Zealand – I didn’t know that).  They had obviously had a good day out fishing as we saw her take fish to several other vans as well.  Our dinner that night was already underway, so I carefully wrapped it up and popped it in the freezer to enjoy another night.

Free fish at Turangi

We passed  through Tatuanui, and just had to stop here for a photo.  One of the small silos was masquerading as a can of Dairy Whip Cream outside the Tatua Dairy factory.  Very clever indeed.

Cream, anyone?

The next two nights were spent at Te Aroha (meaning love or affection) and we were one of two caravans amongst 20 or so motorhomes.  It was great to catch up with everyone again – this group only has 3-4 rallies each year.  We were parked up on a freedom camping area, and just about filled it all up with our group. 

Parked up at Te Aroha

We were parked next to a sports ground, used by many locals to exercise their dogs.  We made sure to keep Gemma safely inside away from all the dogs.

Any dogs out there?

I was delighted to discover a quilt shop in Te Aroha.  “Want to have a look?”, Robin inquired as he parked the car outside the shop.  What a silly question, of course I did.  Aroha Quilts was a lovely shop, with a wonderful supply of quilt goodies.  I wasn’t really after anything in particular, but after a good look around, I purchased some more  pink and green fabric for my daughter’s Big Birthday quilt.  This is yet to be started, but I have a good selection of fabrics now.  Also spotted was sock yarn, so two balls of variegated blue was purchased too.

Te Aroha Quilts, and my purchases

Back at the rally, we were sitting outside enjoying the sunshine when a man from one of the nearby houses approached us with a basket of goodies.  His wife makes jams and pickles so he wondered if our group of campers  would be interested.  Yes, I certainly was, I bought a jar of lemon honey and another of passionfruit spread. 

Yummy stuff indeed

Moving on the next day we stopped at Wairere Falls carpark, plenty of room for us to park for lunch.  There were plenty of cars parked up in the middle car park, full of keen walkers and trampers off the climb the tracks to see the Wairere Falls up close.  We took the easy way out and took a photo instead of these magnificent falls, they must be  even more beautiful after heavy rainfall in the ranges.

Wairere Falls in the distance

Even though we are on holiday, the laundry still needs doing.  I took my latest pair of socks (knitted flat on two needles is the way I do them) along to work on while waiting, and waiting….

At the laundromat

Our next stop was two nights at the Matamata Club.  The Maori name Matamata means “headland”.  This was the name of a new pa (village) established in 1830 by Te Waharoa on a ridge of high ground.  These days Matamata is a very wealthy horse breeding town, and is also well known as the area where Hobbiton is situated.  In fact, the Information Centre is a replica Hobbiton House, and is the most photographed info centre in the country.  Tours to Hobbiton are very popular, this is where the Hobbit’s Village was built for the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

Matamata Information Centre

The catered meal at the Matamata Club was the grand finale to our rally.  Father Christmas and his helpers welcomed us all into the dining room and gave us all a Christmas gift bag.

The meal was wonderful, hot ham, roast lamb, plenty of salads and veggies, plus a huge dish of prawns in a very tasty sauce, I really enjoyed them! A delicious selection of desserts too, with tea and coffee to follow.  But the meal wasn’t over yet, there was the Christmas cake to cut.  The cake was delicious, chock full of fruit, just how I like it.

Merry Christmas to us

It was a wonderful evening, the food was great, and we congratulated the chef and his staff when they popped out to see us all.