Ardmore

We are now parked up at the very new NZMCA Park located within the Ardmore Airfield. One of the benefits of belonging to the NZ Motorhome & Caravan Association are the number of park over properties located around NZ. These provide safe & secure parks for members to stay at minimal cost. And by minimal it really is, $2 a night per person.  

The parks usually have water available, some have rubbish collection & dump stations. Inside the small kiosk where you register & read any notices there is often a book exchange and outside usually a small herb garden, which I was very grateful for last night, I used some of the parsley when I made dinner.  

We arrived fairly early yesterday as we only had 70kms to travel from Miranda and there were't any other vans in the park. We parked up in the corner with a good view of the planes coming & going on the runway just a few hundred metres away. Auckland has had a fair bit of rain recently & we could see that the ground was a bit boggy in the centre as we walked across the field to check out the access, so we drove in around the edge to our spot.  

 

Unfortunately the large bus towing a car on an A-frame that arrived next, drove in and across and promptly got stuck! The air was blue for a while and the wife got all the blame. Another motorhome arrived shortly afterwards and luckily he knew the contractor that mowed the park and whose tractor was still parked down the back. Half an hour later he arrived and with abit of manoeuvring and advice from the 'helpful' bystanders (David included) the bus came free.  They moved it onto more solid ground and when we came back after a drive later on, there were two more buses parked  beside them. The message had obviously been passed on. 

 

 

We were up early and ready to watch the America's Cup racing this morning & were disappointed (as likely the rest of NZ were) when it was postponed. So I cooked up a 'big breakfast' to drown our sorrows and just before it was ready there was a knock at the door & I got to meet "Smillie" a lovely lady who belongs to a forum that I contribute to. She got to meet David & I in our PJs & dressing gowns! And just in case you're wondering she was not in the bus that got stuck.

We are shifting into the city later this morning as we have some shopping to do- Katmandu @ Silvia Park :) and we're hoping to catch up with David's sister tonight. We'll also be handy to Alexandra Park where we will head tomorrow morning. Alexandra Park is next to the show grounds and where we'll be parked up for the duration of the show and the rally which is happening there at the same time.

As I type, David is getting everything ready for us to move on out and I have the feeling that this is going to be a very busy place tonight, four buses & vans have arrived just in the last half hour. A lot of these people will be heading to Alexandra Park tomorrow too.