Easter Weekend in Napier

 You know what it's like when you set off on holiday - you seem to have all the time in the world and then it's all over.  We were attending our caravan club rally in Napier, with plenty of plans, people to see, things to do, plus a little shopping.  It didn't all fall nicely into place though.  On my "must do list" was a visit to Skeinz, a local company which spins their own wool.  I had found a pretty 6ply cardigan pattern for myself and was after some yarn.   Of course there were several lovely colours available, but I couldn't resist this soft blue, nice and squishy in big 100gr balls.  Call me predictable but I really can't go past blue.

A new garment for me

My other purchase there was a ball of knitting cotton in a nice burgundy shade.  I'll be knitting a couple of cotton dishcloths for the caravan from this, our caravan upholstery is in this colourway.  Not that it really matters just for a dishcloth or two, but whatever makes me happy, I guess.

I can see a couple of dishcloths coming

My other purchase was a tea towel for the caravan, very cute I thought.

We had a busy five days in Napier, and had planned to meet up with my late sister's daughter Lisa and her adult children one day for lunch.  Sadly that didn't go as planned as Lisa was sick and the lunch date was cancelled.  But we slotted in a lunch with our caravan friends at Silky Oak, a wonderful chocolate cafe instead.

Robin enjoying his iced chocolate

We took our caravan buddies Helen and Owen to Birdwoods, a "new to them place".  There is a lovely little cottage on site and we had often mentioned this cutest little lolly shop to them.  Oh no, they said, we are not buying any lollies! And guess who walked out the door with a bag full, firmly clutched in his hands?   We were in need of a coffee after all this excitement, so went into the rather posh Birdwoods cafe.  We were escorted to our table, and a friendly young waitress came and took our order.  We noticed a group of ladies partaking in High Tea with the gorgeous tiered tray full of delectable morsels.  But when we inquired the cost per person, we gulped and decided no, it would have to be a really special occasion to warrant that price.

Jenny, Robin, Owen and Helen

Another morning we went to the local market.  What a crowd there was, families with kids, people with dogs and plenty of golden oldies like us.  My aim was to purchase some fresh seasons apples, found them easily enough.  Then we did some cheese tasting, and three lots of cheese jumped into our bag.  Some nice fresh bread rolls for our lunch, and some beef from the meat stall, and that was our lot.  We came away feeling quite pleased with our purchases.

Farmers Market

Our caravan club members shared Easter Buns for Afternoon Tea one day, and Easter Eggs another day.  And I'm pleased to report that the Easter Bunny tracked us down in the caravan to deliver a delicious Lindt Golden Bunny to us both.

One for him, and one for me

Gemma had a fine old time relaxing with us outside the caravan when the weather allowed, firmly contained with her harness and lead, of course.  She loves popping into any open lockers she can find, here she is checking out Owen's locker, which was handily left open.  

Wonder what is in here?

Napier City suffered a devastating earthquake in February 1931, with 256 deaths and many thousands injured.  The city was levelled, and fires burned in the city for 36 hours before finally dying out.  The sea floor and beach rose 2.7m and the present Napier Airport  stands on land which was once part of a lagoon.  When Napier was rebuilt, the streets were widened, services improved, and the building style used was Art Deco.  Napier has a world renowned collection of Art Deco buildings.

National Tobacco Company building in the Art Deco style

This row of houses, known as the Six Sisters, are among the few survivors of the 1931 earthquake.  They were built by an architect who wanted a two storey house for each of his daughters.   Some of the  houses are now owned by commercial businesses, with a few  reverting back into family homes.

The Six Sisters

 

As Monday afternoon wore on I started to feel unwell, coughing, sneezing, head aches, I was certainly coming down with something.  We left for home a day early, and after helping unpack the caravan, I fell into bed.  Youve guessed it, I had caught the dreaded Covid.  After several years of feeling rather smug that we had never succumbed, it had now caught up with us.  Robin tested positive a couple of days later, and neither of us feel quite so smug now.  To be honest, my ribs are so painful with all the coughing, not pleasant at all.  So we will be staying home for the next week or so, rearranging appointments, and resting up.  

Market, Museum and Vintage Gowns

Our caravan club weekend continued at Solway Park, Masterton.  The weather turned cold and wet, then back to warm Spring weather again.  With half of Robin’s birthday carrot cake still remaining from last week, I had frozen it to keep it fresh, defrosted it and there was enough to share with our caravan friends on Saturday morning tea.

Morning tea in the sunshine

Who doesn't love a Farmers Market?  This was being held just a short walk away behind the grand stand, so we wandered over to see what was available.  Mmm, fancy cheese, I couldn't go past that stall.  And not just any cheese, this is made from sheep milk!  We bought a few other bits and pieces as well, including locally grown mushrooms.  And I found a couple of items for future gifts, its always good to have something special tucked away for later.

Into the market hall, and cheese tasting

We had planned a trip for our club members to Pointon's Car Museum in the afternoon – this was a real hit with the men in our group.  Many, many vintage cars had been collected and restored over the years.   Look at these old dolls all nice and cozy in the back seat ready for a ride.  Oh my goodness, they are snuggled under a fur coat, as you probably did in those days.

We're ready and waiting

After a quick look around, I gravitated to the vintage gowns which had been collected by the lady of the house.

Ball gowns on display

There was a cabinet full of treasures too.  Old dress patterns and a selection of Home Journal magazines.  These sort of things are always worth a good perusal.

In the cabinet

I found these fur scarves/stoles hanging up, a couple of them had the little fox heads attached.  In my childhood elderly ladies all dressed up to the nines used to wear these around their necks, and I was terrified of those fox heads with their beady little eyes looking at me!

Fox furs

Outside behind the museum I saw some lambs in the paddock with their mums.  Nothing says Spring more than new lambs!

Spring lambs

Everyone was asked to bring a donation of a can of food to the rally, and I collected these and split them into two bags.  (I got this idea from a rally we had attended recently with a different group).  A lucky draw was held at morning tea on Sunday, with Helen and Val taking home an assortment of cans.  Thanks for everyone for taking part.

We packed up and left late morning.  There is a dump station at this camp, nice and handy indeed.  With that all taken care of, we drove down through the Wairarapa towns of Carterton, Greytown and Featherston, then up and over the Rimutaka Hill.  I remember seeing photos of this hill in much earlier times long before a proper road was built.  Then the only way to travel over the Rimutaka Hill was by bullock cart on a rather narrow track hacked into the hill.  Just imagine how long that journey would take, and you would feel every single jolt!

Rimutaka Hill Road

We had a great three days away.  Gemma bravely ventured out (with her harness and lead) one chilly morning and wasn't too impressed with getting her dainty paws wet.  And she was so scared when a dog barked and lunged at her that she didn't want to go out again at all.  The dog was on a lead, but even so, the owner would have known she would be frightened.  I always try to be very careful to see if any dogs are close by when we take her outside.

Arriving home, it was the usual unpacking and putting things away, and getting the washing done.  Wonder when our next trip will be?  Not for a while, I think.