Month: January 2016

 

Music in the Mountains  28 – 31.01.2016  1038 kms so far.

We drove through the Wairoa Valley to an overnight stay at St Arnaud before going on to Tapawera the next day.

As we drove away from Blenheim we were astounded by the extent of the vineyards.

We know that the Marlborough region is huge for wine but when you drive past hectares & still more hectares of grape vines, some extending to the foothills, you cannot fail to be astounded.  The big fans on the tops of the poles are for protection against frost damage.

Great coffee in the middle of nowhere.

St Arnaud an alpine town by Lake Rotoiti. The view from a small chapel.

 

The winding road through beautiful NZ countryside to Tapawera.

The Music in the Mountains is an event held at the Tapawera District school. This is a fundraiser for the school & other community groups make some money by running a dinner, sausage sizzle & book sale. There was entertainment each night with the main event being Suzanne Prentice & her group on Saturday night. She is an excellent entertainer with a very powerful voice. As the sun went down & the hills slowly faded into blackness the great music continued & the atmosphere reached right into our hearts. It was a most wonderful experience sitting next to new found friends, soaking it all up.

 

Maiden flight of my glider. Once it was motored up to a ridge it was easy to keep it sailing along the ridge until I got tired of it.

A nice bike ride.

Hanging out the washing.  I think that Oscar saw a cat.

 

OMAKA  26.01.2016

RED LETTER DAY.

It started with a visit to the Aviation Heritage Centre.This is a display of WW One aircraft, uniforms, medals letters etc. The display is a collaboration by Sir Peter Jackson, Weta Workshops & others.

The following photos will not do full justice to the calibre & scale of the exhibits.

Absolutely outstanding.

                                   Read this if you can – an amazing feat.

                      ANOTHER ITEM FROM TERRY’S BUCKET LIST TICKED OFF.

Today Terry got to fly in an 1942 open cockpit Stearman. He shared the flight with a guy who didn’t want to go on his own & Catherine was happy to give up her seat. (Happy? No estatic.)  We shared the cost & the two guys squeezed into the front cockpit.

 

<p><a href=”https://vimeo.com/153176762″>Omaka (100 of 2)</a> from <a href=”https://vimeo.com/user47815338″>Terry Dillon</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

 

Welly – Picton    25.01.2016

Today we got up at 5.30am to get ready & drive to the Bluebridge terminal in time for loading at 7am & departure at 8am.

We got a great discount from the NZ Motorhome Caravan Assoc. & it only cost $215 for the 2 of us & the motorhome.  Oscar went free & he seemed quite happy staying in the RV for the 3.5hr trip.

Leaving Welly

Entering the Marlbrough Sounds & arriving at Picton.

Couldn’t have had a smoother sail across the Cooks Strait – 1m waves.

We have gone to a Top 10 camp in Blenheim for tonight & tomorrow night, to catch up on washing & bits. This is the only time so far that we have paid any money for an overnight stay & it is costing $45 / night.

 

 

 

Castlepoint / Wellington  22-25.01.2016  829 kms so far.

 

We stayed at Evans Bay Boating Club for another two free nights.

Castlepoint

22 – 23. 01.2016

On our way through the Wairarapa it was eating big fat cherry time as we drove.

Castlepoint is an amazing place on the Wairarapa coast but boy how the wind blows there, not cold though. We decided to have fish & chips so I got on my bike to ride to the shop. I had to head into the wind on the way there, down to 2nd gear & working hard. On the way back I didn’t need to pedal at all. No swimming for us as the water down that coast is freezing.

That night we had to move to another free location the first time ever for us. We had a great spot right by the beach but about sleep time a group of hoons arrived, music? blaring, absolutely smashed & they lit a fire. (Total fire ban)

A couple in a bus invited us to follow them to a quieter place where we got a great nights sleep.

Napier to Central HB (Takapau)      401 km so far

17 – 22.01.2016

Stayed a night at Clive alongside the river where our famous Evers-Swindell rowing twins started their training.

 

A shipping container coffee shop.

The next night was at a popular RV stop at Haumoana on the way to Cape Kidnappers.Not much of a beach – very stony but good facilities & free.

On the way to Takapau & Junction Wines we stopped off at Waipawa & discovered Cactus Jacks. A great venue for music – very rustic.

 

Some Hawkes Bay Scenes.

Junction Wines

When we arrived at Junction Wines Jo was preparing for a Hens party so Catherine gave her a hand with people calling in for wine tasting. Jo & John won cellar door of the year again & their son Leith, their winemaker, won a Gold medal for them at the Air NZ awards. Their wines are great & their hospitality the best. We provided dinner thanks to New World in Hastings who have the most amazing big pies. We chose steak & stout – yum!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taupo to Napier      312 kms so far.

15 – 17.01.2016

 

Catherine drove the motorhome for 50 kms. She is driving well although she is still a little nervous.

When we got to Napier we stayed with Cathy & Jorg high above Bayview with amazing views out over the coast & port. We met them at Kairakau Beach in the Hawkes Bay last year.

We went through to Hastings for lunch at an Irish pub & took a stroll around town. Very nice with hundreds of hanging baskets all around town.

Jorg & Oscar herding the sheep.

Hastings Art Deco

Off street parking Napier style.

Catherine shifting the cones for a better picture in Hastings. What would I do without her?

Omokoroa to Taupo 167 km.

15.01.16

We arrived in Taupo after a leisurely drive & a lunch stopover at a lookout in Tokoroa.

Our parking place is on the lake shore, looking towards Mt Ruapehu, which still has a little amount of snow on the peak. There’s a lot of activity with float planes & boats shuttling the tourists about the lake.