The itinerary was planned, let's keep it simple, head to
Napier we said. And off we went, first night Masterton and a pub carpark was
our overnight stop. Not bad really, a lovely garden outside the back door and
quiet car park that stayed that way! Toilets were available while the
restaurant or the pub were still open. Just had to write our name in the diary
the publican handed me after saying 'welcome' in a friendly manner.
Had a lovely visit with Kerry (Bernie's niece) and her
gorgeous family and then headed off to Hawkes Bay. Stopped in Woodville at
Yummy Mummy's to sample their cheesecakes. How delish were they? We settled on
a caramel and a lime one that would (hopefully) last two nights.
Next stop ANZAC park just north of Norsewood. What a
precious little spot. 2 little old clean toilets (sign on the gents was
Gentlemen!) and a patch of green
surrounded by beautiful bush and what's more, we were the only ones there! Fees
were $2 per van per night. First time camping literally on our own, should I be
worried? No, it turns out was the answer to that, thank goodness! The
temperature took a sudden downturn after the sun turned itself out. Time to try
out our gas heater, hmmmm, how does this work? Thanks goodness for Google and
the iPad! Soon we had toasty temperatures.
And then there were two...
Thank goodness 4 wine glasses had been sourced from the local hospice
shop as I seem to run out of bench space and managed to flick one off the bench
and ... smash... that was the 2nd one down (himself took care of the first one
- thank goodness I didn't begin this process!)
New day dawned only for us to discover that we had
miscalculated where the sun would arrive, so with himself still reclining
between the sheets I moved us into the early morning sun for breakfast. Another
'wings' member arrived and a chat in the sun followed. Nice to share travels
and experiences. This ended up with the gift of a Hawkes Bay avocado, Yum, that
would go well with our salad for lunch!
Not far down the road and we come across Otane and a Sunday
market. Purchased some greens and shouted ourselves some beautiful apricot and
bourbon sauce. Then just as we were leaving I spotted some figs, now it just so
happens that eating these fresh is on my bucket list. I was given one to try,
hmmmm, not flash really, was assured that they would get sweeter in a day or
2... we will see... New hospice shop
and new pair of wine glasses! This would help the dwindling supply!
Drove into Havelock and wandered around the village before
heading out to the POP park we had chosen opposite the Arataki Camping ground.
Time for afternoon tea but I was busy with my smocking homework (as you do!) so
Mr. Helpful was on duty. No gas! Has it run out already? That heating last
night must have depleted the 4kg bottle. Bother, will anyone refill a bottle in
Havelock late Sunday afternoon? Off back to town, locate a station and once the
bottle is on the LPG filling station we discover the bottle is 99% full! How
can that be? So reinstall the bottle and I take the reins... ahhh, yes, one
must push the button in when
lighting the gas.... back to the campsite. Nice to know we have used so little
gas so far!
Off for a walk around the new suburb we find ourselves in
the middle of. Feijoas lying all over the ground, unloved and unwatched it
seems to us. Wonder if anyone would miss a few?
Off to town for breakfast after being woken by pukekos
squeaking (is that how you describe the call of the pukeko?) as they ducked and
dived through the long grass on our 'front lawn'. Parked beside the local
village centre (they have 'facilities' there don't you know?) I stewed some
Feijoas for breakfast and we watched the town centre come to life while we
munched our cereal and fruit.
Headed for Napier. On the way spotted a dump station.
Several fellow 'wings' members were in the queue and we were wondering if we
would do our first 'dump' correctly! Decided in the end to ask for help and
have the various do's and don’ts explained, much easier! Apologized to the
couple we had held up only to be told that they weren't in a hurry at all...
Nice! I realize that is the rule.
Napier
Decided to camp at Te Awanga (road to the gannets) in a
reserve just across the road from Elephant Hill winery where we later watched
the Masterchef guys BBQ-ing on TV! Lovely camp, long and plenty of beach front
for motorhomes to come in and park up. Toilets and recycling bins available for
our use and so quiet apart from the pounding waves.
Visited Nadine (Bernie's niece) and met her family and
enjoyed some of the art deco of the area that she lives in. Picked our first
ever avocados with Nadine and Tony. What an amazing tree, it has fruit in
nearly all stages of growth. They were huge and we left with about 6 of them
which will ripen over the next few days, hope we can wait that long! Also
picked up some more feijoas from their front lawn.
Lunched at Speight's Alehouse (Tony's pub) which is round in
Ahuriri. Nice meal, great service. Not much needed for tea that night. Still in
Napier visited Alan and Jean Colbert. Was surprised on the way up there to come
across NGHS in a superb spot high on Bluff Hill. The road is surprisingly
narrow and the access seems poor. Can't imagine how they get 900 girls up and
down that road twice a day. Beautiful old buildings painted light blue, quite
stand out really. Jean says it is bedlam outside the school at 3pm!
Found a new spot to call home for 2 of our nights in Napier.
Clive Ski Reserve. Right by the river, rowers slide quietly past early morning
and late evenings. About 7 vans were there the first night. Some come in really
late and leave surprisingly early. We often leave quite early too, just get up
and dressed and go somewhere else for breakfast. It also means we have hot
water for showers after a short drive.
Last night this trip, at Takapau NZMCA camp. Toilets Showers
and Laundry available, also dump station, rubbish and recycling bins.
Lessons Learnt so far
this trip..
Yep lots
more learning done .......
- · thanks to the New Zealand Motorhome and Caravan forum we have found out that our hot water will 'leak' each time it gets hot. It isn't actually leaking but the hot water is expanding (boiling?) and it is releasing itself through a pressure relief valve. Might now try and find someway of running that outside the van instead of all over our step. Does this mean that we didn't need a new hot water tank at all? Bright suggestion was to try and pipe it back into the fresh water tank, clever idea!
- · to look back before we leave a site, think we lost Bernie's precious crocs this way!
- · the igniter on the stove works only when the 'space heater' is turned on the switchboard (go figure!)
- · light in the oven/grill works only when the 'space heater' is turned on but it's igniter works anytime
- · the gas heater works!
- · TV picture turns off when the water pump comes on later in the evening.. Nope, can't play a DVD on battery
- · found some suction bathroom fittings for toothbrushes and shower wash, they have stayed there so far
- · leaving Takapau NZMCA site and second time ever on power…. Only just remembered to unplug before leaving… now that could have been really embarrassing!!
Food
Tried a risotto - checked in lots of veges - put lots of
silver beat in, that would have been better chopped up small.
Eggs benedict - worked well using packet hollandaise which
was alright but not at all like the real thing.
stir fry - need a second chopping board for this. Used
noodles instead of rice. Quite a tight fit to get a wok and our pot on the hob.
May be useful to have a smaller pot, would be even better to have a steamer to
go with it.
