Stratford, Eltham, Dawsons Falls, Normanby

Saturday 13th October
Played golf on the picturesque Stratford course and had plenty of time to admire the majestic view of the Mountain as we were behind a tournament involving 112 firemen which made the round  v e r y  s  l  o  w - 5.5 hours instead of the 3 hours that we can do when a course is quiet.

16th tee after 5 hrs!

Parked up for the night at Connell Reserve, a free area, just out of Eltham. There were no other motorhomes parked there but we felt reasonably safe and had a beautiful view of the Mountain again. Was a very cold night though and we needed all our available bedding.
We walked through Eltham in the morning and visited the Cheese factory shop where we got some bargain cheeses especially the Kikorangi Blue - yum.

My hair needed a good wash!

Then we drove through Kaponga up to the Dawson Falls and Wilkies Pools tracks at the base of Egmont. Really loved being out walking again in the bush rather than on a golf course and the lichens/mosses growing on the trees and ground in the colder temperatures were very pretty. It was such a surprise to see so many Motorhomes parked up there - they were all on a rally for a week and the organisers, Merv and Bernie, live at the Bethlehem Country Club! (in Tauranga)
We seem to have been following them around since as they were also at the Hollard Gardens which we visited after the walks and today they are at the amazing Tawhiti Museum out of Hawera. It is known as the best private collector museums in NZ and the work and many hundreds of lifelike models depicting the inter-tribal and European-Maori wars is truly amazing. Well worth a visit for those who even aren't really into Museums.
Last night we changed our minds about staying at a golf club a few miles out of Hawera and instead went to a POP ( Park over Property - these are usually NZMCA members who allow other members to stay for a very small fee on their grounds) just down the road. They have a huge, stunning garden which is sometimes open to the public, wouldn't accept any payment and insisted we take a bag of lemons when we left.
We were so pleased to be there as last night a "weather bomb" began and we had a pretty rocky night even though we were sheltered by sheds and trees. The car park that we might have stayed in at the golf course was very exposed so wouldn't have been a great option.
Not sure where we will stay tonight - the wind is gusting really strongly still - but we will head into Hawera now and play it from there. Need to fill up with water somewhere. It's quite amazing to not be bound by any timetable and be so free and everyone we meet is so helpful.

New Plymouth to Inglewood

Wednesday 10th October
After our 2 nights spent at the Fitzroy Golf Club by the beach in New Plymouth we moved just down the road to the Fitzroy Beach Holiday Park as the weather wasn't so  good and we needed to hook up to power, top up with water, empty the grey water and use a washing machine and drier. After the camp ground at the Mount this one was really basic with old, rundown amenities and an electrical circuit that would cut out if more than a washing machine, drier and toaster were all on at the same time! Most of the people there were virtually living there permanently as it is a little cheaper than flatting.
It is in a great position being right by the beach and the walk/cycleway. The shower experience there started off being a little different. I was trying to keep as far away from the mouldy walls as possible so the mould wouldn't attach itself to me and at the same time attempted to get hot water flowing which seemed impossible until I realised the the C stood for hot and the H stood for cold - silly me. At that point I didn't even mind the plastic curtain wrapping itself around my legs as the flow of hot water was truly awesome - good strong shower and no button to push every 10 secs (like the Mt) to keep the flow going!
Yesterday we got our gas bottle retested and filled, and enjoyed walking through the town. Today we realised that our COF had expired so had to make a visit to the Testing Station before we left town - all good.
We are now parked at the picturesque Inglewood Golf Club where we have a nice view of Mount Taranaki. We played a round of golf - very flat and should have been easy but I think I like making things hard! They are going to leave the toilets and showers open for us all night not that we will really need them once we've had the shower we're going for now.
Tomorrow we will wend our way down the road to Stratford.

New Plymouth

Now, I have learnt that I have to start with the latest news and work backwards so that the diary reads in the right order so here we go!
Sunday 7th October: It has been an amazing day - woke up to blue skies and minimal wind in the Fitzroy Golf Club car park - tiny parking area and I didn't know how we would fit in but they really like having us here and think that we help with their security. They don't know we couldn't fit the baseball bat in!
Played golf this morning and I was definitely a lot happier than yesterday. It was warmer, the wind was kinder and although there were still a couple of Really Bad holes the others were enjoyable.
In the afternoon we hopped on the bikes and rode down the amazing Coastal Path into town and then on to Pukekura Park which is really lovely and peaceful with the lake and water features. We forgot the camera, yet again, so just have to try and remember the colours of the rhododendrons, azaleas, cliveas, the fountain, water lilies and the view of Mt Taranaki.
We then continued on to do the rest of the Coastal Path and then the Te Henui Walkway, on our bikes.
It was a beautiful day and New Plymouth has to be one of the most, if not THE most pictureque cities in NZ. "Wow" to their amazing long walk/cycle way along the beach, their other town walkways and Pukekura Park. Tauranga and the Mount are beautiful but we do need a bit more foresightful inspiration!

Now I regress to yesterday when, after listening to a howling wind all night in the bus at Manukorihi Golf Club, we drove to the Waitara Golf Club where I had the most miserable game of golf in my whole life - no fault of the course itself  as it was a nice Links course by the sea but it was blowing a hurricane. This meant that it was difficult to keep standing to address the ball which would regularly be blown off the tee and then when you did eventually swing the golf club back the gale would stop you bringing the club forward again. Talk about a "Grumpy Old Woman"! Len was "Mr Cool" and I can only assume that he was so amused by my bad behaviour that it kept him really relaxed and he had quite a good game! I think the grumpy old woman ripped my golf card up and threw it in the trash!
We then drove onto the Fitzroy Golf Club, by the sea, where we still are. We even have a view of Mount Egmont - the only downside is that it was Freezing Cold last night and we have no heater if we are not connected to electricity ( none if we are either come to think of it, but we can fix that easily). Anyway I must have looked a sight with all my layers of clothes, the blanket and the duvet wrapped around me and then, once we got into bed, we needed "everything" on us. The bus was blowing about in the wind but we did sleep so that was good.
The one other downside about this park (golf club) is the womens showers. I think I am learning that one should never get undressed until the shower has beeen turned on and tested! Tonight, again, I stood naked, turned on the shower and waited ... and waited... for the shower to go warm. In the end I had the control turned right to the end of hot and I managed to get some hot plop, plop, plop drips! After checking that there wasn't a slot machine to put coins in for hot water I decided to stand under the drip and soap up. Then glory- be, the drip got hotter and I was able to turn it back a bit to get a better flow for 10 seconds - just in time to get a bit of soap off! then I tried for the hot  plop but it was a cold plop (I think Len must have turned his lovely shower on then). Suddenly the plop started to feel a little warm so I rushed to put some shampoo in my cold hand only for the plop to go cold again but by then I just had to go for it - quickly shampooed, turned the control round for more cold flow, rinsed out the shampoo and hopped out the shower with my teeth chattering. (No problem with Lens so next time I might use the mens!)

Waikato to Taranaki

Wed. 3rd.
Squealing house alternator belt finally replaced - silence!! And battery now being charged while we travel.
Considered playing golf and staying in Piopio but weather not good and place wasn't very attractive - could imagine gcraffiti over the side of the bus if we overstayed our welcome.

Drove on to Mikes Organic Brewery (2nd smallest boutique brewery in NZ). Free to stay overnight and good beer to sample!! Trish, the barmaid and Jack Of All Trades very interested in our bus.

Thurs.4th.

Showed Trish, the barmaid and JOAT the bus when she arrived at work as she had been dreaming about it all night! Played Urenui golf course - nice and flat and quiet, tucked in between the river and the sea. Then checked in to the Urenui Beach Camp, next door, for the night. Walked up to Urenui village and met Trish, from the brewery again in the 4 Square (small world!).
Fri. 5th.

Te Awamutu

Managed to squeeze in another game of golf, at the Te Awamutu course, as it was on our route to Otorohanga. Still have noisy house battery alternator belt and the alternator isn't charging the battery. May need a longer garage stop for a permanent repair. Night stop at Camp Kiwi Holiday Park. L

Karapiro Cycle Trail

I promise not to keep writing 2 blogs a day but our plans changed this morning so I need to update!
Our first stop after leaving the golf club at Tirau was the local garage where they were ever so obliging in tightening up our alternator belt and pumping up our tyres which is an awkward process all for a very reasonable price. Then we changed our route again, deciding to head straight to Te Awamutu via Horahora Rd, which runs along the side of Lake Karapiro, in the hope that the weather would improve again as it did yesterday. We stopped for a coffee at the Little Waipa reserve and remarkably the sky cleared and the sun came out at the same time.

There were 2 other motorhomes parked at the reserve and the small world theme continues. I knew one of the couple's wives Jean, as she had been a patient of mine and the daughter of the other couple is a Physio working for Mel at the Mount! So we had a bit of a chat before setting off on the bike ride to Arapuni which I think was the group one that we were all going to do some time ago.

It was great, the first part followed the edge of the river and was reasonably flat but steeper parts emerged, some of which we had to dismount and walk, firstly because my roadie type tyres were slipping in low gear and secondly because my breath was slipping away also. But that was all fine and quite a bit easier on the way back so I think we did it the right way round.

Len was rapt as when we arrived at the Arapuni Bridge a guy, Mr Thompson, who had his 2 sons with him and who has family in Tauranga, was  just pulling in his 4th large rainbow trout using garden worms for bait. He is on an invalid's benefit and had been saving up for 2 years for another fishing licence ($160) - this is the first day of the season so he was very happy, as we were for him.
The ride took us about 2 hours in total and just as we got back to the bus the rain started again so we were pretty lucky. Hope all of you in Tga will do it now.
Tonight we are staying in Te Awamutu in the backyard of a fellow NZMCA member whose name we got out of the book. Only costs $7 for the night which includes power and water.

Tirau

Left a beautiful sunny Tauranga to be met with drizzle and thick fog once near the top of the Kaimais. Weather still the same at the Tirau Golf Course but we were given a very warm welcome by the 2 amiable men in the office and once we had played a few holes the clouds and fog disappeared to reveal a magical, sunny and very warm day.
Loved the course despite the odd little hills and it was very quiet. Was quite pleased that I could do the odd good shot with the lay-off time that I've had.
I had my first golf club shower experience. Just one shower in the ladies and it was fairly aged but I was full of confidence, stripped off and turned on the shower mixer. But ........ there was no water at all forthcoming! I stood shivering in the little shub which had 2 plain taps above it, but no plug, and decided to see if the bottom taps worked. They did! And the water from the hot tap was just the right temperature so there I was crouching down in this little shallow "tub" trying to soap and splash myself adequately with the hot tap! I'm sure I came out cleaner than I went in though which was the object. Len's shower was fine by the way except that the shower didn't drain and by the time he got out the duckboard, which was previously immovable, was floating!
There were a few vets from Tauranga in the clubrooms afterwards and we met up with a couple whom I knew 30 odd years ago, Cherie and Rex. I used to play netball with Cherie! I'm sure we will be reminded on lots of occasions what a small world we live in.

Cheeky washing line at golf club

It's now Monday and we had planned to have a cycling day on the track from Lake Karapiro but it is again foggy and raining and as we are flexible with our itinerary we might go to Cambridge and trade the bike ride for a day catching up on reading while we get our noisy fan belt looked at. It's OK once we have been driving for 5 minutes but I have to pull my hoodie over my head for the first mile or two!