Waimate to Timaru

Another quiet night in the NZMCA Park at Waimate but cold being 3° outside and 5° inside. Consequently there was lots of fresh snow on the mountains with Mt Hutt having 50cm overnight thus encouraging quite a few people to go skiing in lovely powder for the day. Unusual for February!

After having a wander through town and buying a couple of old eggcups from 2 different secondhand shops as well as groceries we set off for St Andrews Golf course towards Timaru, where we intended to play and stay. 

Very sad! Would have been good to play on St. Andrews. 

However on arriving we found the course to be closed and totally overgrown although there was a tractor seemingly making hay down the fairway.

Back  to nature after just 2 months!

We knew it had been on the market being no longer viable with falling membership and many other golf courses in the area. A man routing round in a shed told us that it had sold twice in the last few months but wasn't able to tell us what they are going to do with it.

So we had lunch in the weedy carpark and continued on to Gleniti Golf Club on the outskirts of Timaru, a splendid looking course stretching across both sides of the road with a grand old house down a no exit side road for it's clubhouse and other social events.

T to 18th. green, flagging at this point!

A lovely parking area for our bus on a large grassy area amidst some good trees. The 9 holer ladies were just finishing their competition day when we arrived and were very friendly and welcoming.

Be good, ball!

The day had become very hot and sunny so we needed our umbrellas for shade. The course was quite parklike and in good condition with lots of undulating holes making me puff as well as some flatter ones, 2 or 3 ponds and bunkers. The greens had recently been cored so were quite a bit slower than the very fast ones at Waimate. We enjoyed the course, although my score wouldn't reflect that, Len being the winner yet again!

Pretty neat night stop possi!

Nice to have a non bus shower afterwards and settle into our paradise park for the night. It has to be the nicest golf club parking area we have ever stayed in.

Today we drove back into Timaru, heading straight for the RSA Club where NZMCA members are welcome to stay for a donation.

Hot day on Caroline Bay walkway. 

Should have taken the lift!

It's a great place being an easy walk down to Caroline Bay and into town which is what we have been doing. We also went to the movies to see "Stan & Ollie", Len peobably enjoying it much more than me as to me it wasn't a must see although still good to get an insight into their lives. I enjoyed watching them back-in-the- day but find it hard to laugh at them now. Humour has changed a lot over the years - I just hope I'm not on my way to  becoming a grumpy old woman!

It was very hot and sunny at over 25° when we entered the movies at 1.00pm but on exiting less than 2 hours later the southerly had started and the temperature had dropped to 15°!  Typical of Dunedin weather but I didn't know Timaru could have 4 seasons in one day also. It's going down to 4° tonight and apparently there is snow in the towns inland, such as Twizel, not just on the mountains.