Life in the van (part 2)

Isn’t this a wonderful way to live your life – always trying something new? Driving and living in the campervan was one of those “somethings”.

As I left the comfort of Sari and Norm’s home and Sari’s companionship I wondered what lay ahead as I drove back to Hamilton via Wairarapa, Hawkes Bay, through to Taupo and home.  It was an ideal time to reflect on my experiences and think about the coming days.

As I had an early morning ferry crossing I decided it was best to stay the night before at the Picton Campervan Park which was two minutes drive away from the ferry check-in and drive-on.   A good decision.

The InterIslander Ferry

The day before my sailing I was bragging to Sari about “I’ve never having had a rough crossing.” Have you ever noticed that when you brag you can guarantee things don’t go to plan?  The crossing was “rough” in my eyes!!  Once the InterIslander left the safety of the Sounds, white caps were everywhere and the swells of the sea were very noticeable!  It wasn’t long before I grabbed one of those ‘little white bags’ and staggered/wobbled to an Exit door for fresh air.   A cold south-easterly wind blew, I was often misted with sea spray but at least I felt OK outside.  It was a slow crossing, the thought of food or even a coffee never entered my head.

As I sat in my van waiting to drive off the ferry in Wellington, I couldn’t help but notice and be amazed at the number of vehicles and the size of the truck and trailer units that can be accommodated.  And the process of loading and unloading vehicles all done so efficiently.

It was a relief to be finally driving towards South Wairarapa via the Rimutaka Ranges.

South Wairarapa

Visiting South Wairarapa was a first for me.  The afternoon was spent driving to Palliser Bay and observing the landscape and little villages along the way. The first small village I came across was the Land Girl Cafe, Pirinoa.  It is an old blacksmith’s workshop built in the 1880s and handed down with the farm through five generations.   The cafe also included a gift store with many little treasures for sale. Located across the road from the cafe are the primary school, petrol station, and small grocery store, an ideal place for a break.

The Putangirua Pinnacles

After driving and sitting for a couple of hours I needed some fresh air and a walk, the Putangirua Pinnacles is a must-see and do. The rock formations are unusual and very impressive.  I’ve never seen anything like them before.  The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was filmed here.  It was an easy 2.5 hr return walk winding along a river bed or you can take a bush track to a viewing platform that looks down onto the pinnacles.  It’s an enjoyable walk and taking something to drink is important.  There is a freedom camping site near the beginning of the walk that also includes toilets.

Ngawi Fishing Village

I have always wanted to see where “there are more tractors per head of population than anywhere else in the world”, and Ngawi is the place.  It is a small fishing village located on the coast of Palliser Bay.  The old bulldozers and tractors haul the fishing boats in and out of the wild waves of Cook Strait.  It was really hard to get a good photograph of all the tractors and bulldozers with my phone so hopefully, you get the idea.

Cape Palliser

As Cape Palliser is the most southern point of the North Island, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  The road to the Cape followed the coastline – quite dramatic with waves crashing on the seabed next to the road as there was a very strong and cool SE wind blowing. Didn’t walk up to the lighthouse – my excuse – it was getting late and still hadn’t found anywhere to stay! In another word, I was feeling lazy!! I’ve found on this particular trip that when travelling on my own I’m less inclined to “push myself or apply that little extra effort” – wonder what that says about me?

As I was driving out towards Palliser Bay I had noticed Gateway Motel Holiday Park.   On my way back I stopped off here for a quiet evening in my campervan.  Nothing dramatic to report, as I was the only guest staying that night.  Had a very comfortable and cozy night in my van.  After having cooked my dinner there wasn’t a lot to do, thank goodness for a good book or two.  Since I had left Blenheim I had been reading the book titled “The Resilience Project” by Hugh van Cuylenburg and found it very thought-provoking, included valuable take-away ideas, and it was hard to put down.  In the dining room/kitchen at Gateway Motel Holiday Park, they had a great selection of books available.  Found the book titled “Jewell in the North” by Tricia Stringer another Australian book; this fiction book kept me happily entertained for many an hour in the evenings.

Destination Waipukurau

I can’t remember the last time I drove along Highway 2, so I was keen to explore/travel this highway, especially seeing places like Martinborough and Greytown. Martinborough was busy preparing for their annual fair, you could see many older people marking-out stall holder boundaries.  The town was looking impressive; all the buildings looking clean and fresh, and gardens colourful. What really struck me was the older style homes that have been restored or kept in “spick-and-span” order so to speak.  The homes and gardens were truly beautiful and appealing.

Greytown

What a stunning little country town Greytown is.  The shop facades reminiscent of times gone by and beautifully painted and maintained just like Martinborough.  There were two shops I wanted to see and experience and both shops exceeded my expectations.   If you are ever passing through Greytown do make a point of visiting them.  If you have visited either of these shops, I would love to hear about your experience and if you were able to exit them without having made any purchases.

• Mrs Blackwell’s Bookshop (opened 2020), where it is easy to spend a couple of hours browsing.  Along with the wide variety of books, it also contains a variety of gift ideas.  An interesting shop, and well laid out.

•  Blackwell & Sons a shop that sells hand-built bicycles and accessories, ‘top of the range” so to speak.  This shop is a must-see if you are looking for a bike that is stylish, comfortable, and reliable or just want to look at the variety of everyday bicycles available.  I could see myself riding one of their bikes when I get really old.

In Greytown, it took a lot of willpower to walk past many inviting cafes, you may wonder why?  I had read about the Clareville Bakery (Artisan Bakers just north of Carterton) and that was going to be my coffee stop for the day.  The size of the purpose-built car park was an indication of how popular this bakery was.  Reading about all the different awards they had won since they started their business in 2013 was an indication of how good their food is.  It was interesting to sit and watch the variety of people who came and enjoyed the tasty food, from tradies to young mums, police officers, families, older people and groups of people having meetings, plus I.  It was a busy and hospitable setting to savour my coffee and eat a plain croissant.

For my lunch break and “power nap” I came across a lovely roadside picnic area.  This was one of the many things I enjoyed about travelling in the campervan, I could stop anywhere and quickly make a fresh salad sandwich, boil the jug, and chill out.

There was a surprise in-stall for me at this stop.  A beautiful sculptured memorial to the Polish children’s camp that was erected here after World War II.  This instantly brought back happy memories of Mrs Dravitizki who used to be a neighbour of ours when growing up in Ratapiko.  Mrs Dravitizki was one of those children who was brought out to NZ and lived here for a time.  Interesting what you discover when you stop at random places!

Waipukurau Holiday Park was my choice of a layover for the night.  I enjoyed being able to park-up and connect to the power supply.  This enabled me to have all the mod cons the van contained, especially the micro-wave for my baked potato.  The park was very quiet and the facilities clean and tidy.

Why Waipukurau you may ask?  I’d read there were appealing walking and cycling trails along each side of the Tukituki River and they needed to be checked out.

The Tukituki River Trail walk didn’t disappoint, what did surprise me was how quiet it was of other human beings.  Saw four people in two hours of walking.  The water level of the river was very low, guess partly due to the hot dry weather the area had been experiencing along with those consistent winds!  Actually, the whole of Hawkes Bay was looking ‘golden brown’.

Destination Mangakino – Lake Maraetai

I had a desire to get home and wanted to try “freedom camping” for one night before the end of my adventure.  So Mangakino was my destination.  But before that the Napier – Taupo Road to be navigated.  Driving this road required my absolute attention.  The campervan had six gears and a diesel motor so whenever there was an incline on the road I was into ‘full change gear mode’.  If I wasn’t fully concentrating I’d sometimes make the odd error of gear choice!!  Thankfully there were plenty of strategically placed “passing lanes”.  In many places, the road surface showed signs of too many heavy trucks travelling this route.

Taupo was looking picturesque, people out and about enjoying the lake, walking, and cycling the pathways.  It is always a busy town on weekends.  It was quite by accident, I caught up with Geoff in Taupo.  He was off to ride the Timber Trail the next day with mates.  Trust that adventure went well Geoff, I’m keen to hear how it went.

As it was a long weekend Mangakino campground was a very busy place.  It was great to see families enjoying the lake, swimming, water skiing, kayaking, etc.  I was surprised at how little room there was available to park up my little van, but eventually, a nice private spot was found.  During these last few days, I’ve been surprised by how few people were keen or interested in talking to me.  I am comparing this to when I travel on my bike – quite the opposite, perhaps campervanning is “normal’?  Never mind that nobody talked to me, I loved waking up in the morning on the shores of Lake Maraetai, it was very still and so peaceful –  a nice way to end my adventure before my journey to Matangi.

Recommendations

If you are in the Wairarapa or Hawkes Bay areas highly recommend the following:

• Walk to The Putangirua Pinnacles
• Drive to Ngawi fishing village to see the tractors and bulldozers
• Drive to Cape Palliser and walk to the lighthouse
• In Greytown check out Mrs Blackwell’s bookshop and Blackwell & Sons bicycle shop
• Have a refreshment stop at Clareville Bakery
• Walk or cycle the Tukituki River Trails in Waipukurau
• Freedom camp beside Lake Maraetai

Final note:

It has been a wonderful experience to travel and holiday in the campervan.  Thank you Claire for giving me this opportunity.

I did have a couple of “moments” in the van:

1. One was thinking I had locked myself out – a valuable lesson learned there about making sure where I kept the keys.
2. The other was accidentally knocking the toilet cassette lid down the “dump hole” as I was emptying it.  Luckily it floated and was easily retrieved.  Thank goodness no-one was watching!

This blog is finally completed, it’s taken a while!  If you have any travel stories you’d like to share please let me know, I’d love to post them under my “Guest Bloggers” section.  Just contact me.

What next?  Who knows – a bit of tramping and of course plenty of cycling?  Till next time, go and try something new and don’t forget to share it!  GoldCard Gal 🙂

(E & OE)

Additional scenes