Wellington to Paeroa

30 April 2011

With the family celebrations over, it's time to head back to Whitianga from Wellington. We're off to work in a kiwifruit packhouse; the main season is quite late starting this year.

The North Island was hit by a fair-sized storm this week, so we left Wellington in foul weather on Wednesday. The wind made for exciting driving conditions, including testing how well Craig had installed the new wing mirrors.

Wellington Harbour the day we left.

Of course, I stayed warm and dry while Craig tightened the mirrors.

A very quirky Sanson house.

Main street Bulls.

Beautiful morning light on the Rangatira Golf Course.

And Rangitikei River.

Storm damage between Taupo and Rotorua.

Autumn colours in Rotorua.

Not often we see Te Aroha without its head in the clouds.

Family time

25 April 2011

My family has gathered in Wellington over Easter for an advance celebration of Dad's 80th birthday, which is in May.

Not quite the whole family, which is a very scary proposition indeed, but a pretty damn good representation:
Mum and Dad
All five kids (four daughters and a son)
One grandson and five granddaughters
Two great-granddaughters
One son-in-law

You'll notice we're fairly good at girls in our family!

Well done, Hamilton

20 April 2011

We went to the V8 Supercars in Hamilton last weekend. It's a street circuit, which means you only get to see a small part of the track, but there was a big screen opposite our grandstand so we got good coverage of everything else as well.

Our grandstand was on a sweeper, so there was plenty going on - particularly as we had a lot of rain and the track was very greasy.

It was a full-on weekend - practice and qualifying on Friday, races all day Saturday, a ZZ Top concert on Saturday night, more racing all day Sunday and a Good Charlotte concert on Sunday night. All of this was included in the ticket price and we soaked up every minute of it.

Motor racing is much more Craig's thing than mine, but there was so much going on I didn't have a chance to get bored. Apart from the V8 Supercars there were NZ V8s, V8 utes, muscle cars, trick utes and various other parades and demonstrations.

And then there's always the crowd to watch. Lots of serious race fans, but also lots of people who are there because it's the thing to do. I can never get over the way some women will still go in their mini-skirts and skimpy tops even when there's rain and wind forecast - and four-inch heels will never go well in ankle deep mud.

One way to avoid paying for your ticket. They didn't stay
long though, so it can't have been very comfortable.

But they built this makeshift grandstand at the bottom of
the tree. We reckon they could see about 10m of track.

This ute was helping clear up a crash when it got rammed
by another car, so the rescuers became the rescued.

Start of the final race, eventually won by Shane van
Gisbergen, one of only three Kiwi drivers. A very popular
result with the crowd!

Lots of people ended up on their bums in this.

A few more details

13 April 2011

The dress is from Annah S. We designed my ring ourselves with Colleen from The Village Goldsmith. We've had both of them since December - they've been travelling around with us in the bus while we decided where and when to get married. Craig's ring is one I gave him a few years ago; it just got shifted from his right hand to his left.

We only decided on Napier a few weeks before the wedding. Glenis and Brett were the only other people there.

I found both the florist and photographer via the internet. Shar Hays was fabulous - we love her photos and the cool slide show she made for us.

Clearview Estate makes absolutely beautiful wine and we like the fact it is still an informal, relaxed winery.

A few people knew in advance we were going to get married, but hardly any knew it was actually about to happen.

Basically, everyone found out at the same time the next day - via text, this blog, Facebook and Twitter simultaneously. Gotta love the social media!

How the day unfolded

Craig's mother's pearls.

Craig washed the bus and I sent off photos for a magazine article.

It seems like an odd way to start your wedding day, but the bus was going to star in the wedding photos and I had a deadline.

On the whole, though, we had a leisurely and lovely day, involving brunch, hair and makeup sessions for the girls and an interrupted attempt at a quiet beer for the boys (they’d just had their first sip when they got a text saying we were ready to be picked up).

We had a registry office wedding at the Napier District Court, with Glenis and Brett as our witnesses. The registrar was lovely and we were the 100th wedding at that office in 2011.

First married kiss.

We then travelled out to Clearview Estate, where the bus was waiting, for more champagne and photos.

Us and bus.

Us, bus and bubbles!





Dinner in the restaurant at Clearview was pizza and (gorgeous) wine, then Glenis and Brett stayed in a cottage on the vineyard while we spent the night in the bus.



On happy ground.



On the honeymoon trail

3 April 2011

Our life feels like one long holiday, but after the wedding we spent five days travelling from Napier to Whitianga, so this became our unofficial honeymoon*.

Our first night was spent at Arapuni Dam (near Putaruru). There's a free parking spot there, very prettily placed between the one way road over the dam and the one way bridge over the head race. Unfortunately it poured with rain all evening so we didn't venture out much.

The next morning was very still and clear.

We are keen to return as there are lots of lovely walks around here and a fearsome-sounding swingbridge that's 8m lower at one end than the other.

Sunday we moved on to Waihi for a two night stay. On the road we were treated to the sight of scores of flash hot rods on their way home from Beach Hop. We might have to put that on the list to visit next year.

Waihi is a town with a giant hole in the middle of it - the Martha Mine, which is still yielding gold and silver. The town is making the most of its mining history so we had plenty to explore, including views of the mine itself.
 

The Cornish pumphouse, which had to be moved
when current work started undermining it.



The giant hole in the middle of town: Martha Mine.

 There used to be a railway right through the nearby Karangahake gorge, but now just 7km of it remains, from Waihi to Waikino. The stations have been set up as museums and an historic train runs between the two.

The train at Waihi station.

Dotted along the track there are stuffed toys in trees and on bridges and
poles for the kids to make a game of spotting.
It all looked rather macabre to me.

The rest of the abandoned railway line has been pulled up, but still forms the base for a network of tracks the Department of Conservation has built in the gorge. As well as stunning scenery, there is old machinery and mine workings to be spotted.

The railway may be gone, but you still have to share Karangahake
Gorge with State Highway 2.

The entrance to an old rail tunnel, which a walking track now goes through.

And 1.1km later you come out the other end. There are lights, but take a torch!

Craig resting among the ruins.

The next day we moved on to Whangamata. It's not very far, but what a drive - very windy and hilly, very slow driving. Whangamata had quietened down after Beach Hop, and very sunny and warm. It's one of those beautiful beach towns where the population swells from 5000 to over 50,000 in the summer holidays.

Dad told us about the first time he went there for New Year's Eve, in 1948 (he was 17). He reckons there were 90 people in town - he knows because they all went to the same party and someone counted them! Everyday about 3pm a Tiger Moth would fly over the camp and toss out a bundle of papers - it was an easier way to get the Herald to them than driving over from Waihi.

Boats in the sun at Whangamata

Craig doing running repairs to our bikes.

Impressive waves at Whangamata after a tropical storm.

And then it was off to Whitianga to start camp sitting. More beautiful views and torturous roads along the way.

Coffee stop by the water at Tairua.

*I will write more about the wedding, but just want to get the official photos first.

We got married!

We have power

23 March 2011

We've always intended to live 'off the grid' as much as possible. Paying to plug in to power would make our lifestyle so much harder to fund.

So we had plenty of solar panels installed, and all the fancy stuff in black boxes that makes it work.

Unfortunately, the builders took shortcuts when installing it (clearly they were already in trouble) and so it has never worked properly. We have had to plug in every couple of days to keep the batteries full. They weren't even charging up when we were driving because the cable from the alternator was too thin.

So, we've just spent a couple of days and over $4000 having this rectified. Not only did a lot of new wiring have to be pulled, we also replaced the battery charger and the solar controller.

It doesn't make us very happy having to fix things we'd already paid for, but this should be the last of the big costs. We got even grumpier when we found out one of our expensive AGM batteries had been dropped at some stage - the builders had just put putty over the crack and there was quite a bit of leaked acid in the battery compartment.

So, with that quick trip to Auckland and AA Solar out of the way, we're heading back down the country again, with a week to relax before we start a couple of weeks looking after Mercury Bay Holiday Park.

What's in a name?

13 March 2011

It's a thorny issue, this naming of your bus/motorhome. I actually don't like the idea of a name at all - there are just so many corny names around, the cringe factor is too high. And, yes, I know that statement makes me come off as a snob.

Having said that, it's a very personal thing, and what seems corny to me might have an awful lot of meaning to the people who named it. And there are some great names around, too - The OKs is one of the best we've seen.

So, a compromise has been reached. Our bus doesn't have a name, it has a title. Yep, splitting hairs, but that's how I can handle it in my head.

And the title is, of course, On happy ground.

It's the title of a Pete Murray song. The first few lines are:
Happy days are coming my way,
It's been some time but here to stay
Is the life of love I've found
Sends me up on happy ground.

What a difference

9 March 2011

Ever had that double-take feeling when you change your hair colour? Every time you look in the mirror you get a fright, remember that's what you look like now and admire it anew.

That's how the bus is making us feel - we can't quite believe it's the same bus.

The painters have done a beautiful job - and we're just so impressed with what a great team they are. And they vacuumed inside before they gave it back!


Giving it a polish before we take it away.



Timing

5 March 2011

Sometimes it's just about being in the right place at the right time. We're couch-surfing at the moment; bludging beds off friends and family while the bus is being painted.

Last week we were in Napier. During a winery visit, we got chatting to the staff and it came up in conversation that we are travelling around in our bus, looking for work. One of them instantly asked 'Do you want to park here and pick grapes?'. We'd love to, but the harvest will probably coincide with when we have to be in Auckland to get the electrical system fixed.

Then this week we've been in Wellington staying with my sister. We were at her work (Bodega) the other day when the boss mentioned the cleaner had gone AWOL and he was having to do it himself. Of course we offered our services. Because, after all, we've got experience.

Which is how we got three days work cleaning a pub.

Timing.

Christchurch

26 February 2011

There are no words to express our sorrow for all those in Christchurch who are suffering through this dreadful time. It is a relief to know all those dear to us are safe, but there are so many people affected that it is impossible to image what they are going through.

Being without our bus has been frustrating, as we just want to be able to go south and help. Hopefully we can do this when the rebuilding begins.

In the meantime, we continue to watch the news reports in horror, and do what little we can to help.

It does make our hearts sing to see the extraordinary lengths people are going to so they can help each other.

He aha te mea nui o te ao?
He tangata! He tangata! He tangata!
What is the most important thing in the world?
It is people! It is people! It is people!

Paint job

21 February 2011

We've just given up our bus for the next week or so. It's gone to Marty's Panel and Paint to get the paint job done.

What a great company to deal with - friendly and helpful, not to mention patient. I guess they're used to dealing with people who are struggling to decide what they want.

We'd only been there half an hour and the staff were already pulling the bus to pieces. The front bumper was off, skylights removed and windows were being masked.

A few hours later we popped in to take some photos and they were cutting pieces off.

Hopefully it will look better next time we see it.



Cutting off the gutters to put on nice new (rust-free) ones.



One end to the other

14 February 2011

In the last week we have driven from Pataua South to Wellington. Along the way we have stayed at: the beach reserve at Onerahi, the Silverdale RSA, the BP station at Wairakei (bad move, very noisy) and a friend's farm near Palmerston North.

Onerahi beach reserve - what a lovely place to stay.

Why pay cafe prices when there are places like this on
the side of Lake Taupo where you can stop and make
your own coffee?

In Wellington we've stayed on the Petone foreshore, Ngatitoa Domain (so we could go to a 50th at the Mana Cruising Club) and on the street outside one of the kid's houses.

I think it's fair to say we're pretty comfortable with sleeping pretty much anywhere now. So long as it's reasonably level and there's not too much traffic, it will work for us. At least for just a night or two - we'd prefer a bit more privacy for a long stay.

We're enjoying being back in Wellington and catching up with family and friends. It does feel rather odd to be here and not in our house - today I automatically turned towards 'home' when leaving the supermarket; the bus was parked in the opposite direction.

Not sure where to next. We're waiting to hear about a couple of jobs, but are also considering having the bus painted in Levin over the next couple of weeks.

The view where we parked on Petone foreshore - this is
about 1km along the beach from our house.

The continuing saga...

9 February 2011

This week we were due to take our bus back to the builders so the last of the work could be finished. However, last Friday they informed us by email they have closed their business and would not complete our build.

We were more disappointed than angry about this - after all, we still have our dream and they have lost theirs. Craig can do much of the work himself and once we buy everything we need we shouldn't be more than a few thousand dollars out of pocket.

Over the last few days, we have discovered not only have they left subcontractors unpaid, in at least one case they told them we had withheld the final payment, which isn't true. We feel sorry for the subcontractors, who put in a lot of effort to get our bus on the road (the plastic welding guy was still working at 8pm on Christmas Eve to fix a leak in the tank), and now seem unlikely to get the money we have paid the BBC for this work.

On the positive front, we now have wiring (for which of course we had to pay $500+, despite this being the BBC's oversight) so we can tow our little car behind the bus.

Yesterday we travelled together in the bus for the first time, which makes it feel like our adventure has taken another step forward.

Breathtaking

The skipper demonstrating use of the sea sick bags.



3 February 2011



They promised a perfect day, and they certainly delivered. Beautiful weather, calm seas, clear water and stunning scenery.

As we headed out to the Poor Knights Islands (about a 50 minute boat trip), we circled and played with a pod of dolphins. The closer we got to the islands, the more wildlife we saw; the islands are a full nature reserve - no-one is allowed to land at all, there is no fishing within 800m and the commercial fishermen have to stay even further away.






Fun to watch but always hard to photograph.

  We anchored in South Harbour, right by Blue Maumau Arch. This was our playground for the next few hours. There was snorkelling equipment, kayaks and paddle boards on board. The crew were incredibly friendly and helpful - one even went into the water with a client who was nervous about swimming. She took her right through the arch on a flotation noodle.


Approaching Blue Maumau Arch. You can see scuba
divers' bubbles behind the other boat.



Dropping the anchor from a dinghy causes less damage.

The snorkelling was magical. Lots of sealife, from sponges and kina, through hundreds of two-spot demoiselles and wrasse, to the eponymous blue maumau, trevally and plenty of great big snapper. The water was superbly clear and we rated the underwater scenery as better than Tahiti. The other highly rated scenery was the boatload of professional rugby players (Auckland Blues) which anchored next to us.



I can safely say I have now tried paddle boarding and got it out of my system. I think I'll stick to kayaks from now on. I was okay kneeling on the board, but very wobbly once I got to my feet.

This makes me look much better co-ordinated than
I actually was.



After all our fun in the water and some lunch, it was time to move on.  Because the sea was so calm, we were able to go through a couple of arches in the boat, and nose into a sea cave which is well-lit by an air shaft. We then went right round one of the islands.

Beautiful colours at an arch entrance.

The vertical shaft at the rear of this cave lets in
lots of natural light.

There was a waterfall off one of the cliffs. This is unusual as there is no natural water source, so it was the remnants of the storm a few days before. When a Maori tribe lived on the islands, they had to dam the runoff to get water. The islands have been uninhabited (and tapu) since the 1820s, when the local Maori were massacred by a raiding tribe.

The valley where the Maori lived and had their dams.
The bodies of those killed in the raid were laid to rest in
caves in the cliffs behind.

Then it was off to the largest sea cave, by volume, in the world. Our 25m boat fit easily inside. With the motors off we could really appreciate the eerie feeling of being in a cave - and the echoes from a long blast on the airhorns. After that, because it was such a beautiful day, we were also treated by a trip around the nearby Pinnacles, which is a gannet nesting site. 




Looking out from the largest sea cave in the world.

   We returned to Tutukaka (and a couple of well-earned beers), before driving back to Pataua South, where there were still toilets waiting to be cleaned.

The trip was a real treat, run by very friendly, informed and professional folk - highly recommended to all.

What a day!