Wairoa

As soon as we arrived at the Wairoa Riverside Motor Camp, chosen because we can plug our heater in and also they are on "Campsaver" for NZMCA members which gives us a winter rate of only $20 a night,

Artwork created at Waikaremoana!

we got to work trying to clean all the gritty dust off the bus - quite a mission! Then we ambled our way around the town to familiarise ourselves with the area, not having been here before. The campground is on the fenced river edge, very close to town and next door to the swimming pool where I would have gone before leaving this morning if I'd got up early enough!

Wairoa Motor Camp. 

Serene and chilly at dusk. 

The town looks quite depressed but the setting is pretty with the river, cycle and walkway across the road from the shops. We crossed over the bridge and were soon at the fish & chip shop where we bought our dinner to take back to the bus. They were quite good and it made an easy night. Another cold night, but yet another beautiful day today. We have been so spoilt with the weather.

On leaving the camp we headed back the way we came for a few minutes to play golf at the Wairoa golf course. 

T takes on the first downhill. 

On arriving we were the only ones there but by the time we had  completed the very challenging 18 holes there were a couple of other vehicles in the small car park. Well, what a course it was! 

T takes on a gully!

Not for the faint-hearted or beginner with it's numerous deep gullies and hills and impossible for anyone to think of using a cart with all the steep slopes. There were 4 par 3s on the second 9 which normally would make me very happy but oh dear - the gullies take away the magic! Len incidentally played quite well but I took more shots in my game than I have for a few years with so many balls rolling down the sides of gullies. However I kept relaxed and am pleased I managed to play it but know that I will never ever ever play it again!

A quiet night at the seaside!

We are now parked in a free overnight parking area, along with about 4 tourist vehicles, next to the sea at Oputama Beach Reserve on the Mahia Peninsula. It will be so good to listen to the waves and let them hopefully lull us to sleep which we are going to do right now!

Post Bangkok to Lake Waikaremoana

After a nice, though sweltering, 12 days looking after my granddaughters in Bangkok I returned safely to Whakatane and Len who had kept himself busy by playing golf and fishing. It was a treat to have a lovely smoked kahawai pie on my two first nights back - a successful catch in my absence!

Life in the fast lane!

After 3 days of recovering at Bill & Annette's POP which included a night out watching the excellent local production of Mama Mia we set off for Lake Waikaremoana which we had been meaning to visit for a number of years, but had never quite made it. The Great Walk around part of the lake was once on our to-do agenda but we are past the desire to carry big packs.

Lake Aniwhenua was again a good peaceful and scenic spot to stop for a coffee on the way with only one other vehicle there. After passing through Murupara it didn't seem long before we were on the windy, mainly dusty gravel road although parts of it, where the sun could never reach, were quite wet. You feel like you are in the middle of nowhere with the bush and long distances before any tiny settlements - however we now know where Ruatahuna is!

Life  in the slow lane!!

You need to watch out for horses and although there were hardly any cars any oncoming ones did seem to think they are the only ones on the road. We had a very lucky near miss from one that came straight round the corner towards us on our side of the road. It was only because we were travelling very slowly and he did a last minute swerve that we avoided an undesired head-on. A couple of other cars also had to get to their side of the road quickly to avoid us so Len was constantly on alert. We probably had a couple of hours on the gravel, much of it "corrugated" but never saw any other vehicles travelling in the same direction as us.

Unspoiled at its best!

We stayed at the picturesque Lake Waikaremoana Motor Camp as we needed power to plug our heater in seeing the night temperatures were down to 3-4°. Being the end of autumn the camp was pretty quiet but we arrived on a Friday night and there were some boaties going out fishing over the weekend. We enjoyed 2 nights there and the days were glorious with plenty of warmth if you were in the sun. 

On Saturday we did most of the shorter walks close to the camp, these including the Black Beech Track, the Hinerau Track, the Aniwaniwa Falls Track with wonderful views of the cascading water, and the longer 2 hour return track with it's steady climb of 300 metres to Lake Wakareiti and the shelter overlooking the magnificent lake, grey on this day rather than blue because of the overhead cloud.

A typical well made track leading to......

.. a beautiful waterfall!!

..and another!!

On returning to camp Len did a little spinning in the lake.

Sunday, after another fish for Len and a steep walk for me up the Hinau track which rises from the camp we set off on the road for Wairoa, stopping to do the interesting  45 minute return walk up and through rock bluffs and huge boulders in the bush to a platform giving spectacular views of Lake Waikaremoana  and Panekire Bluff.

Gorgeous unspoiled lake and bush.

The couple from New Caledonia parked next to us at the camp were on this walk as well as the one we did to Lake Wakareiti the previous day.

Next we explored the Onepoto Caves track, further down the road, theoretically 2 hours return but we were quite a bit quicker. Obviously we can't have walked far enough into the numerous caves! An interesting walk though with a range of caves from small cavities to deep recesses and tunnels as well as chunky rock overhangs.

"Quick, take the photo. I can't hold it much longer!"

There was still quite a few miles of gravel road before the tarseal finally appeared on the way to Wairoa. The bus has never been dustier!!

Ngongataha, Whakatane, Mount Maunganui, Rangiuru, Ohope, Whakatane.

2-3 weeks have passed by without writing any blog as we have, once again, been back close to home where life almost returns to normal.  After spending 2 nights at the very large, tiered, NZMCA site at Ngongataha we drove onto Whakatane for my long awaited dentist appointment and, as a result, I'm now able to smile a little wider without seeing 2 broken teeth - just the gaps behind now! 

Always a beautiful smile!

We had a night at the McAlister St carpark and then had a week at Sandra & Matts in Mount Maunganui, keeping their boys company, while they had a well-deserved holiday in Fiji. Another chance to catch up with other family and friends and play some golf, firstly at Omokoroa with my friend Pixie and her friend, Celia, winning 3 bottles of beer each in the haggle. Then, before leaving the Mount, we had a game at our old course of Omanu before heading back to Whakatane.

We spent a night at the Montrose POP which is a lovely quiet spot in an orchard at Rangiuru, then a night by the harbour at Ohope reserve after playing golf over the road at the Ohope Course. Len tried his hand at fishing down by the estuary inlet but we'll blame the old bait this time for the lack of success! Bill & Annette's lovely quiet country POP by the Whakatane airport and golf course, where we have stayed before, was our destination after fishing as the next morning I was flying out to Bangkok for 12 days to look after my 2 granddaughters while my daughter in law went to a conference in America. I'm leaving Len in safe hands while he plays golf and hopefully fills the freezer with fish!

We arrived at the POP just in time to be invited in to Annette & Bills for a fish dinner as Bill had been out in his boat with another couple of motorhomers from Tauranga and they had had an excellent catch. The crumbed fresh kahawai was delicious and luckily we could contribute with potatoes and salads. They are such an amazing, hospitable couple.

Now Bangkok here I come - - - - -

Arapuni, Tokoroa Golf

It was such a peaceful night in the Arapuni Jubilee Reserve with just the sounds of little birds chirping on waking. It felt a very safe place to stay being nestled in a quiet housing area behind the main road. 

We definitely won't be jumping!

Jelly legs!?

After breakfast we did a kind of loop walk from the reserve, across the main road and down past the rugby ground to the Swing Bridge below the Arapuni Power station. 

1929 power station still operating. 

On crossing the bridge we walked up the private road to the dam itself, crossing it and then returning back to town down the side of the river, this path forming part of the 100km Waikato River Cycle trail.

Rhubarb in Arapuni. 

Following the sign and the rumble of our stomachs we soon found the only "shop" in town which happened to be Rhubarb, a cafe we had read good reviews about. It was already busy and, as expected, the coffee was good and the slices we shared just delicious although it had been hard to make a choice with their yummy looking selection!

More exercise now needed!!  So our GPS, Claudette, was programmed for the Tokoroa golf course where there was a Men's regional Pennants competition on when we arrived but by the time we had eaten lunch (yet more food) it was clear enough for us to tee off on No 1. We liked this country course with it's conifers, twisty willows, oak trees and it's own special challenges such as some greens being perched up high. The greens were a nice relief after The Narrows where they were like lightening. Tokeroa's were more our speed style! The fairways were quite wide and reasonably straight so it was easy to navigate our way around.

The golf course allows NZMCA members to stay for a small fee and as we had paid green fees of $25 each there was no extra charge for us to stay. We would have normally had to move on to dump our waste but because we could use their shower and toilets, which they left open all night, we could stave off having to do this for another day. The carpark is right beside SH1 and although we moved up right behind the clubhouse, once all the players had left, the traffic noise still found its way round each end of the building which meant that our sleep was about the same as normal - disturbed!
But we still appreciate being able to stay.

Saturday morning we had a leisurely breakfast and then watched the men arriving to play in their competition before taking to the road once again this time heading to the NZMCA park in Ngongataha, Rotorua. The countryside on the way was just beautiful with all the bobbly green hills and stunning autumn colours of all the deciduous trees. Almost every bend seemed to inspire another "wow" - we do live in a very beautiful  country.

Hamilton, Riverlands golf, Arapuni

After golf at Huntly we stayed the night at the Cosmopolitan Club in Hamilton - $10 a night for NZMCA members to have a space in the car park which unfortunately  is right beside the railway line so it was a rather disturbed night with 4 or 5 trains sounding like they were running over the top of us as we lay in bed. However the staff were very friendly and I had a night off cooking with us having a simple dinner in the Club. We could have had a shower there if we wanted too but didn't need one having just showered at the golf club.

The next day we headed out to The Base, a big shopping complex out Te Rapa way which we knew nothing about, not being shoppers! We just needed some chemical tablets for our loo and knew we could get them out that way at Burnsco. Well, the Base is a huge complex with plenty of shops. Our eyes were drawn to The Golf Warehouse where we each got a couple of good golf shirts at the hugely reduced price of $9.99 each. Such a bargain! We slightly impaired this big saving by me also buying a pair of trousers and a long-sleeved top and Len getting a light rain jacket, none of which were reduced but we did need them!

The friendly guy in the shop suggested we play at the Riverland  Narrows Course with it's "very fast greens" and even rang to see how busy it was that afternoon. So having started and finished our shopping it soon transpired  that we were again teeing off on a No1, this time a nice Par 3 at The Narrows just south of Hamilton. 

Our sleep spot!

It's a really nice course running along the side of the river which you can't actually see but with interesting green positions, often perched high with sloping sides. And the greens were certainly about the fastest we have ever played - very difficult when there's a slight slope on them! Also rather tricky to navigate our way around the course as it wasn't well signed.

By the time we got to about the 12th green we ended up behind a group of 6 players who we think must have been the tail end of the Men's Competition so we knew we couldn't be let through. However, Mark, a lone player who came up behind us, joined us for the last few holes which I have to say still involved lots of waiting! It started to drizzle on the 17th which was a bit of a shame as it meant we had to put slightly damp bags into our boot.
But it's a great course - a pity it won't exist any more in about 18 months as an Expressway will be running through it!
We were pleased to be able to stay the night in the carpark and although close to the main road it wasn't too noisy.

Coarse fishing with sweetcorn, maggots and worms. 

Today, Anzac Day, and another beautiful blue sky overhead, has been a quieter day with me catching up on this blog in between spending a little time at polluted Lake Ngaroto watching some Wellingtonians (formerly from England) coarse fishing, visiting the rather nice town of Te Awamutu and then travelling across the Arapuni Dam to park for the night in Jubilee Reserve which is nestled  in a liitle, quiet residential area in tiny Arapuni.

Very quiet Jubilee Reserve. 

Port Waikato, Tuakau Bridge, Huntly

From Pukekohe Showgrounds we drove out to Port Waikato, where we have never been before, intending to fish and stopping at a little reserve that runs down to the water's edge on the way. Without realising, we had parked across an almost unseeable driveway belonging to Viani who happened to be putting her rubbish on the road verge. What a lovely lady - after chatting to Len for a few minutes she soon had us invited  down to see her own well tended garden and beautifully positioned little house on the edge of the river estuary - a wonderful spot. We could see lots of little boats out in the water and people fishing from further around with Viani explaining that there was a kahawai fishing contest on the day. After strolling through her garden and the reserve next door we continued on to the black sandy surf beach which was busy being a Sunday and school holidays with surfers, quite a few swimmers - the water still being 20° - and walkers, some with their dogs.

Good rollers!

Trish on the black sand.

The fishermen all seemed to be on the estuary side and after doing a loop walk along the beach with it's steep eroding cliff- face 'sand dune' Len decided to abandon the thought of fishing and we headed back to Tuakau where we consulted our NZMCA app to help us decide where to stay. Tuakau Bridge Motorhome Park right beside the Waikato River, for $20 a night, drew our attention although, being a very new site, there were not yet any reviews on it. We backtracked along the road towards Port Waikato again only to find a locked coded gate to the site. After ringing the contact number on the app and being told that we had to check in and pay at the Tuakau Hotel we were once again on the same road back into town!

However it was soon sorted and we were on our way again.There was already one motorhome parked at the site and another had driven in just before us making 3. 

Tidy parking zones with river views. 

A pristine camp with power and water, allotted gravel parking spaces between new little hedges and each site with its own table. There are also 3 separate units available for rent. 

Please be interested in my spinner!

Although right by the main road it is also right beside the river which meant that the next morning Len could try some spinning - no catches but he could see some biggish koi carp that looked a little interested - not exactly what we would want for dinner though!

The evening we arrived we enjoyed a Happy Hour with Mel who works at a chicken farm and John, Marlene & Katie from Blenheim with Len rather liking the sample he had of John's home brewed whisky. It might have given him an idea even!

Monday morning golf was calling again so after trying his hand again at fishing we moved on to the Huntly Golf Club where you can stay for $5 a night. We were welcomed by the very chatty manager and, being a bit tired, decided to play the next morning rather than straightaway. This decision was helped by the fact that being a Public Holiday it would have cost us  $30 each to play instead of $15 each the next day - a bit crazy as it was very quiet both days. A large bus and a motorhome joined us in the carpark after dark and they both moved on fairly early in the morning so we were again by ourselves until 2 other cars arrived with golfers. And that was it!

Is it safe to be driving!?

Being in the Waikato it was still very foggy when we teed off - very difficult to see where the fairway went so it was a bit difficult until we got to about the 8th hole! It was a nice course to play though with it's usually straight but humpy fairways, faiway bunkers, trees and barely any rough to get into trouble in. 

Part of the course runs alongside the Waikato River and the Te Araroa trail follows the edge of the course here. We found the greens to be in pretty good condition so although my golf is poor right now I can't blame them! Len is continuing to play very well.

Clarks Beach, Waiuku, Hamilton's Gap, Pukekohe Showgrounds

After a week in Auckland helping out a bit with house renovations we headed south west  to Clark's Beach, particularly the golf course which we had heard good things about. We were not disappointed - it's a fabulous picturesque, well-cared for course with interesting features on every fairway including pools, water views over the Manukau Harbour on all sides, a fountain plus plenty of bunkers. It was a beautiful sunny day and we really enjoyed playing on it. 

One of the prettiest (golf courses)!

They even 'turned a blind eye' to us staying in the carpark for the night which we appreciated.

Pensive model pose!

After our round of golf we did a big loop walk around the harbour to the motorcamp and through the residential streets to the tiny village with it's restaurant, takeaways, liquor store and dairy where we treated ourselves to an icecream it being a little early for the temptation of fish and chips.

The next morning we decided to play golf again, this time at the Waiuku Course where a very friendly lady greeted us and gave us a good deal to play seeing the greens had just been cored.  

A bold shot from "peanut"!

We had been spoilt by the great condition of the course at Clark's Beach but still enjoyed playing here on the treelined fairways which we found had quite a good run though of course the greens were slow. It was a little frustrating to be behind a couple of slow lads whose balls were flying everywhere giving us long long waits. They finally let us past on the 8th hole.

From Waiuku we drove out to Hamilton's Gap on the coast, a free parking area that, according to comments on our NZMCA app always seemed to be a very quiet spot with just one or 2 vans, right by the beach. Well, we did get a surprise to find a whole village camping there, with both vehicles and tents, when we arrived about 5.00pm on Good Friday! 

View towards Hamilton's Gap.

We only just managed to squeeze into a space near the very rutted entry. The night was quiet though with just the faint sound of the sea.

I hope you're not reading fish recipes!

The following morning we took the fishing rod through the 'camp' and the liitle stream to the beach, with it's very black west coast sand,  to join a couple of other fishermen. No luck for any of us though so after a couple of hours it was time to have lunch and drive back to Waiuku as we needed to dump our waste even though it would have been nice to stay another night alongside all the families enjoying the long Easter weekend.

We spent the night at the Pukekohe Showgrounds with a couple of other motorhomers - a nice peaceful spot despite the odd train rumbling close by through the night! 

Note the flying car (centre picture).

As we were driving out in the morning we stopped for a liitle while, just along the road, to watch the model racing car enthusiasts competing on their amazingly well set up circuit, complete with a grandstand, wicked corners and challenging jumps! I think Len really wanted to join in!