Beach Hop South- Kairakau, HB; Part 1

Real-time: and once again I find I have too many photos to share so this'll be a two parter on our first beach stop. 

We had one important stop before we pulled out of Napier, a visit to the dump station to empty our tanks. This dump station on Marine Parade must have one of the best outlooks in New Zealand; down the Parade and out over Hawke Bay. It's a typical sunny & hot Hawkes Bay day and we're hoping it'll follow us down the coast.

We head south, through Clive, skirt around Havelock and off down Middle Road. It's not long before I shout 'Stop!' (that familiar cry when we're on another little adventure), as I spy a cute church at the back of a paddock down by the Tukituki River. This is on the property of Camp David, a Christian Outdoor Education Centre and the church has been moved there, but I have no idea where from.

Once past the lifestyle blocks, Middle Road narrows and then twists and turns through rolling green Hawkes Bay farmland; the paddocks full of cute spring lambs. No dairy conversions out here.

We take a left turn at the end of the road and head down a hill to see a country hotel ahead of us and three pairs of eyes watching as we approach.

This is the Patangata Tavern and it's a busy country pub as it turns out, it's very popular with weekend day-trippers, bikers and bus tours and there are a group of seniors from Hastings having lunch today. We pull over for a break (and so I can take photos) and before we know it we're surrounded by three friendly chaps asking about the 5th-wheeler and our lifestyle.

By all accounts, the Patangata Pub was also a very popular hotel many, many years ago too. Two of my uncles worked on Kapiti Farm Station out near the beach we're heading to and this was their weekend 'local'- even though it was 23kms away. 

It was also the pub that my parents visited when they were 'courting', Dad driving his Model A truck out from Hastings to the farm to see the family and then, when the Model A became unreliable, bringing his soon-to-be-bride out in his 1940 Ford Prefect. 

There's a 'family story' of Mum driving off in Dad's car while he and his mate were relieving themselves on the side of the Patangata Road. She then wound the window up on his friend's head when he jumped on the running board to reach in and turn the key off. She laughed so much she forgot to put the handbrake on and the car ran off the road and into a culvert. They had to wait half an hour for another vehicle to come by and rescue them. And he still married her! 

This will not be the first unusual 'courtesy car' we're going to see on our beach hop.

The South Island isn't the only one with long single lane bridges either- here's the Patangata Bridge over the Tukituki River. Although most of it crosses over a bare dirt paddock which is obviously a flood plain on those rare occasions when the Tuki floods.

Further on and we take a slight detour when I see another church across a paddock. We pull up outside the Elsthorpe Hall and for the second time that day we're approached by a small group of men keen to look at the van. They've volunteer firemen and have been out on a call, they couldn't locate the fire and have just returned the fire truck to it's garage. I leave them yarning to David while... 

...I shoot next door to, well, shoot Elsthorpe's St Stephens Anglican Church...

...and a whole bunch of spring daffodils in the garden across the road. 

We carry on and it's not long before we reach our destination and the first beach we're visiting on our way south; Kairakau Beach.

We drive through the settlement to the north end of the beach where there's a lovely grassed area available for CSC (certified self-contained) vehicles to stay. This is Central HB District Council land that's looked after by the Kairakau Residents Association and a donation is asked for if you stay. The only problem is the iron maiden is right back at the beginning of the beach road and is often missed by visitors. 

We can't believe our luck at how fabulous the site is, right on the beach and no one else around! There are signs asking that you park at right angles to the beach which is fair enough in the summer when it would be busy, but I'm sure we'll be fine parked parallel so we can take in the view while sitting in our slide-out.

The only problem we see is, like Ward Beach, in Marlborough, the beach is backed by a row of very tall cliffs and very soon the sun will disappear behind them. Never mind, the wind is chilly and we'll be inside by late afternoon anyway.

It's not long before we hear a quad bike approaching and we have the pleasure of meeting another very friendly chap (who said South Islanders were the friendly bunch, Hawkes Bay is doing pretty darn well today). Graham introduces himself as one of only seven permanent residents and invites us to move down to the campground if we're wanting the late afternoon sun- it's on the corner of the estuary and beach by the buildings in the photo below. The beach campground (also run by the residents association) doesn't open until the end of the month but we're quite welcome to shift down there if we'd like. 

We decide to stay put, we like overlooking the beach and we've also just about finished setting up and about to unhitch. But it was lovely to have been offered the choice. Graham stays for a cup of tea and we sit outside having a chat while he fills us in on a lot of the history around Kairakau.

There's a prominent feature just off the beach at Kairakau; four rocks that provide a degree of shelter to the open beach. Graham tells us they have names, probably given to them by locals a long time ago; from left to right- Three Bears, Racing Car, Punch & Judy, and Long Rock (which is out of picture, to the right here). I can see the slight resemblance to the first two but Punch & Judy? Not so much. Graham says that's because Punch fell off! 

And there's Long Rock out the back.

I climbed up the hill behind- not to the top which would have killed me- just enough to get a birdseye view of  'Out There' and the beach. And look at that, the complete beach and virtually the whole settlement to ourselves. It never fails to amaze us at how often we find we're staying in stunning locations and have the place totally to ourselves. 

As the sun sets later in the day we decide that Kairakau Beach is a good first stop to get us back in the mode of travelling and exploring. And we once again decide that we really do live in an amazing country.

To be continued....Kairakau Beach; Part 2

‘Thank God They’ve Gone’

That’s a standing joke & standard response from Pam & Gerald and Joy & Kevin as they wave off day visitors and short term campers from any of their camping sites. It’s when peace & quiet returns and they can get about doing what they set out to do when they went camping; relaxing, reading a book or fishing. Don’t get them wrong though, they all look forward to sharing time with friends & family and everyone is made more than welcome; fun is this extended family’s middle name. It’s just nice to sometimes have a little me time.

The six of us waved off the last of the camp visitors three days after arriving, “Thank God they’ve gone” we all said in unison and then crashed for the rest of the afternoon. Oh the joy, we had two whole days ahead of us before we were due to leave.

The weather was glorious, near every day a stunner with cloudless blue skies and the hot summer sun beating down. In fact it has been amazing since we arrived in Hawkes Bay, just as I remember the carefree summers of my youth. I can’t recall when I last had a Christmas/New Year holiday with such wonderful weather- (and even now parked up beside Mum & Dads’, every day dawns hot & blue- it seems criminal that we’re not out there enjoying it but we know we’ll be back on the road soon enough and traditionally February/March are when the summer really kicks into gear)

The river was running very low so we were able to easily cross and explore along the other side including a large gravel plain full of blooming wildflowers…

… and tetchy birds at the end of their breeding season and looking at distracting us from their fledglings- from left to right, top to bottom- a pied stilt doing a distraction dance, banded dotterel, pied stilt, black fronted dotterel & paradise shelduck juveniles..

Captures from around Camp Tukituki-

Late one evening (11pm) and with the camp site looking surprisingly tidy considering the evening hi-jinks (what happens in camp, stays in camp), I did some long exposure & light painting shots of the vans. I had two apprentices, Pam & Joy, looking over my shoulder to see how it was done.

Night shot exposed for 30 seconds.

Light painting (explained here) exposed for 25 seconds- not too great a shot as you can see where the torch beam has left it’s trail. I needed a torch with a wider softer beam to sweep over the object.

Pam tried her torch out but it was too bright, this shot looking more like it was taken with the flash, this one was exposed for just 10 seconds.

And one last long exposure shot down the sides of the vans, exposed for 30 seconds again- no torchlight. The solar lights give a nice colour & ambience to the shot. They were changing colours during the exposure time, red, green & blue but only the blue showed up, it must be the stronger light.

Our view up the river….

…and down.

And finally after a fabulous six days it was time to pack up & pull out. Thanks so much guys for the fun, the laughs, the all round madness of camp and sharing the whole bloody lot with us by putting us in the middle!

Thank God we’ve gone!

It took two years but we finally we made it to the Tuki. We had a magic time and one we’ll certainly add to the top of our “Best Camp” file.

Where Family Memories Are Made

Nothing speaks more of an idyllic New Zealand summer than the wonderful family memories that are made when families go camping. Whatever the accommodation or location, it’s a time that everyone looks forward to; where they can leave their everyday life behind for a few days or weeks, where they can relax and unwind, enjoy each others company, revel in the hot summer sun and play & swim in the warm waters of the many beaches, lakes and rivers that Kiwis have access to.

The hot Hawkes Bay sun was still beating down on us as we arrived at the river after a wonderful Christmas Day at Eskdale Park. We were keen to get sorted and set up camp before it became too late to enjoy the last of a perfect summer’s day. We’re camping with two of my aunties and their husbands; Pam & Gerald and Joy & Kevin. Pam & Joy are more like sisters, they are only a few years older than me and our families have grown up together so we are all very close. Both couples have recently moved from caravans to motorhomes and have spent a lot of time camping around Hawkes Bay and elsewhere over the years.

After a bit of maneuvering we had the vans lined up on a small plateau overlooking the river with awnings extended, ground mats laid, chairs, loungers, BBQs out & water toys at the ready. With the sun shelter/come meeting dome erected it was time for a well needed cool drink.

It was the lull before the storm. The next morning three of my cousins and their families arrived to set up camp beside the vans for two nights; Pam’s two daughters, their partners and 3 children & one of Joy’s daughters, partner & four children- Joy’s other two daughters, their partners, one set of in-laws and 4 more grandchildren came to visit for the day. Oh, and did I mention there were two dogs too.

Along with two friendly horses & a mule who must have wondered what on earth was going on at their watering hole. After getting mobbed every time they approached the camp, they decided it was safer to visit the river for a drink after night fall. They also thought it was necessary to check out the tents and rubbish bags before dawn, heavy breathing & stomping around the tents just in case we wanted to say hello again.

Chaos reigned around our quiet little oasis in the centre of the camp, but what fun it was to sit and watch and occasionally join in the activities. Although it would seem our main activity was sitting in the shade catching up with everyone. Mum, Dad, my brother & his two children came to visit for an afternoon too.

Number one activity was riding the river rapids which started just up from the camp; although they are more riffles than rapids but they still caused a bit of consternation because of the large rocks with pointy peaks sitting just below the surface. These were to be avoided at all costs unless you wanted to end up stranded atop a rock with flailing limbs trying to bounce off and back into the flow. You’d also return to camp with not only a sore bum but a dirty one too! Laying on your inner tube instead of sitting in it might have alleviated this problem but it’s nowhere near as much fun. It always looks way scarier from the water line than it does from the river bank too. I’d love to be able to post some of the photos I have of the faces of the kids as they approached each rush of water but I couldn’t do that to them. Could I?

Once past the rapids it’s an easy float down the river for another kilometre or so before climbing out at a shallow section and awaiting the ride home! I say ‘easy’ but in fact you do need your wits about you, there are a couple of swift sections that threaten to take you under the overhanging willows and wipe you off if you don’t paddle fast. I didn’t paddle fast.

The second most popular activity was fishing, both for the kids and adults although not one trout was caught. Oh they were hooked alright but not one stayed on the line long enough to be brought to shore. One fish in particular lived in the pool across from the camp site, he must have been a wily old fellow because I’m sure he was hooked at least a half a dozen times by various fishers but managed to spit the hook out just as many times.

Zara & Hunter had fishing lessons from their Pa while Samuel was sure he was going to catch that elusive trout, the one that Opa tried to catch morning, noon & night. Building memories.

Construction of the Tukituki Hot Pools took place one hot afternoon; a series of rock pools deep enough for the littlies to safely play in and for the adults to soak in. Problem was the river water was luke warm and the pools really did become ‘hot pools’- too hot to cool off in anyway.

There was great excitement amongst builders big & small when someone shifted a large rock and found an eel slithering away. “Quick grab a net” someone shouted, and out came a pink net- belonging to Zara- to scoop it up. The tiny foot long eel was released in one of the pools where all the kids watched it squeeze under the rocks and swim away again.

Playing in, on and around the river for the most of the day was the number one choice for the children, no iPads, cellphones or TVs in sight. Just one budding young photographer, Charlie, with his new GoPro camera on hand (or head) to record the activities. Whether it was to float about on an inner tube, cart water for Opa, do dive bombs in the swimming hole, learn to throw stones from an aunty or float about with your best mate Betty on board, the kids had a ball. They also slept well each night, tuckered out from the day’s activities and the hot sun. Memories are made of this.

Betty, the French Bulldog & Razz, the Fox Terrier had a great time too, joining in the fun along the way. Betty at 8 months old is new to this camping (and swimming) game but Razz is an old pro. Both were very well behaved and a joy to be around. Although with her old head knowledge and keen sense of smell, Razz knew who around camp was a sucker for a cute forlorn face when you’re eating bacon for breakfast. No prizes for guessing who the sucker was.

Another popular activity once everyone had finished with the river for the day was the mighty slingshot which shot water balloons off into the distance. Two of the guys held the sides while the kids loaded a balloon into the sling and then pulled it back as far as they could before releasing it. The excitement & squeals of delight and laughter as the kids lined up for their turn was priceless. As was the expression on the kids faces as they strained to load the sling.

Some balloons made it to the other side of the river, others burst upon release showering everyone nearby with water. Some of the younger boys tried catching them down by the river- the kids up top using them as targets, a few ducks over the other side got a short shift too. Some turned around and shot them high over the vans where they landed and exploded on an awning. Our awning. A stop was quickly put to that. Nana Pam was not impressed.

I wondered what would happen to Hunter(bottom photo) if he forgot to let go!

Happy Hour tradition with Pam & Joy dictates that they dress in their ‘camp evening dresses’ before drinks, ring a bell and shout ‘shop’ at their husbands everytime they need a refill. They both have a number of dresses that they wear for ‘Happy Hour’, ones that look lovely but ones that they normally wouldn’t wear in their everyday life. Its something they like to do after a day spent in togs, shorts, bare feet etc looking after husbands & family and/or relaxing. It’s a demarcation line between a busy day and preparing the evening meal (although depending on how long Happy Hour is, the meal might not eventuate).

Pam bought four dresses for the first night’s ‘Happy Hour’. One each for her & Joy and two for her girls, it was their first night camping altogether. Don’t they look great. That’s Joy on left, Pam next, then my two cousins Lynda & Jayne.

Not to be outdone, Kevin made an appearance later on in his onsie which encouraged, first Lynda to appear in hers, and then Pam in hers. I’m afraid I can’t show you the photo of one of the other guys in his pink onsie- needless to say it wasn’t a pretty sight! Fun & hilarity all around.

After dinner and a few too many drinks the night was danced away to the sounds of the ‘50s (and a few from the 70s to keep me happy)

Fun family times indeed.