A Succesful Show

The Covi Caravan & Motorhome Show is well & truly over now & we have headed north. The whole weekend was a very busy one not only inside the showground halls but also outside in the huge car park where as you can see there were hundreds of motorhomes, buses, caravans & fifth-wheelers parked up for the weekend rally. Parked up in straight & tidy rows, every available space was taken with the overflow filling up another smaller car park next door. Here in our park I counted  10 rows of vehicles stretching back probably at least 500 metres to the main gates.

Unfortunately the weather wasn’t that wonderful on any of the 3 days & on Saturday night around 2am a horrendous thunder & lightning storm raged directly overhead for an hour or so. The rain was torrential & the noise on the roof deafening & every time there was a flash of lighting it lit up the whole van through the skylights and the thunder claps actually shook the van.  As I lay there listening, I wondered how many vehicles might have sprung a leak and also whether the vehicles laid out there like they were, might attract lightning bolts. The morning dawned fine & clear & it looked like no one had suffered too much although our friends told us they de-camped to their car in the middle of the storm, feeling much safer there.

We were at the show for two reasons; as happy owners,  & clients, we were helping out “On the Road RV” on their Ultima Stand and secondly we had a number of items to purchase.

 

Over the last 25 years we have regularly attended shows with numerous products from most of our business; Fieldays, Home Shows, A&P Shows, Boat Shows & Bike Shows, we have done dozens here in NZ & in Europe, UK & the States, & now we can add Motorhome Show to the list. But it was very different when you don’t own the business there's none of that "sale, sale, sale" pressure there. We had a great time although we were both tired by the end, we’d forgotten how hard standing on your feet all day, smiling nicely & talking constantly can be. As owners with a lot of experience now of living in the van for both long & short periods we were able to answer many questions accurately & truthfully and offer a load  of advice to people that were contemplating buying a fifth-wheeler either for holidays or for permanent  living. There are a surprising amount of people  who are making the decision, like us, to become permanent gypsies.

Two couples who had made the decision to buy Ultimas came back to our van after the show one evening to check on how we had set up the interior.  One couple brought a bottle of bubbly to celebrate their purchase which was shared around.  (Excuse the out of focus photos they were taken with my cell phone)

 

We had Sunday off as we needed to follow up on a couple of items we were looking at buying, have a look around the stands & then head off to Whangarei in the early afternoon.

And here are our new purchases, a 3.4 Takacat inflatable dinghy & a 2kw Honda generator which should help out with my power hungry computer amongst other things.  Now we just need to rearrange the ute & fifth-wheeler again to fit everything in & still allow room for the outboard which will be the next purchase. It is becoming a real juggling act & I know we will be off-loading a few smaller things for good once we get back to Tauranga.

 

And here's one for the road...

Camping in the City

Last night found us in a very tight little spot at a camping ground right in the middle of Remuera. It was surrounded by houses & tucked down a narrow tree lined driveway at the bottom of a hill. David's driving & backing were outstanding both getting into the place & back out of it this morning.

Five styles of camping

 

We were up early so we could get everything ready to go as soon as we'd watched the first America's Cup race. We had been asked to get to the park early as there was going to be a lot of vans arriving & the bigger vehicles had to move right down the back of the carpark. Once ship-shape all we had to do was hitch up & pull out, the ute stuck out across the driveway otherwise we'd have hitched before the racing began too.

We were hoping to get to Alexandra Park, which was only a few kilometres away, by the time the second race was due to start. And then David had the brilliant idea of live streaming it on his iPad which we attach to the dash (when we're using it to navigate), & that way we wouldn't miss any of the action. Of course we forgot about the huge data use live streaming uses & quickly used up all his allocation and then some! Another lesson learned, although we both said it was well worth the expense (over $100) and we wouldn't have missed the sailing for the world. Thankfully the second race was postponed otherwise we may have been looking at another couple of hundred dollars!

Once we were parked up at Alexandra Park, David phoned Telecom to check & see why it was still showing his data was being used even though he had everything switched off after we got the notification he was over his limit. And once again David's charm worked wonders, the very helpful telecom guy said we were such good customers that he'd pass a credit for all the excess usage! Sweet!

We've had a quiet day inside the fifth-wheeler backed up to the race course fence watching all the comings & goings as dozens of vehicles(and people) in all shapes & sizes arrive and are directed to their parks. It's a blustery overcast day, a good day to catch up on chores inside.

As you can see & as is typical of us we were first to arrive.........

.........in our area of the park

I'm Still Smiling

We've now left Simpson's Beach and have made our way the short distance around to Hot Water Beach where we are plugged into the grid again at the Top 10 Holiday Park, we needed to empty tanks, recharge batteries & plug into the internet before we head south into the bush again at Broken Hill. But most of all I had a whole heap of washing to do & dry while it was sunny, I don't mind hand washing smalls but I draw the line at towels & sheets; I take my hat off to my foremothers though, washing must have been a terrible chore (& bore). The sooner we have a 12v washing machine the better! We also wanted to check out the beaches on this side of Mercury Bay.

After getting set up at this very lovely holiday park, it's only 4 years old & is very spacious & well appointed, we took a walk over to Hot Water Beach as it was just about low tide. And as most Kiwis would know at low tide on a tiny section of this beautiful beach, hot water bubbles up through the sand from two springs that are located about 2 kilometres below ground. And if you can dig yourself a hole the seawater & hot water mix and form a natural hot pool for you to soak in. This is only possible though for about 2 hours either side of low tide. You can hire a spade for $5 from various shops & camps in the area if you forget to bring one :) That's a nice little money earner too.

Hot Water Beach

You can see from the picture above that Hot Water Beach looks a lot like the others we've visited in recent days; isolated, nobody about, well just about nobody, the odd person walking but generally deserted so it was a bit of a surprise to see quite a lot of activity happening when we arrived.

In the end I couldn't believe my eyes, it was kind of surreal, there were dozens & dozens of people coming and going and digging holes and trying to fit into them. So many nationalities, young & old & so many different languages being spoken too. All trying to claim their patch of sand, there were some elaborate & deep holes with sand banks holding out the waves. Lots of people with cameras, some with beer & chips, some in their clothes & some with hardly anything on. What a spectacle, it really made me laugh. Someone did a great marketing job in selling Hot Water Beach to the tourists. It's a pity some of the other "Hot Water Beaches" around NZ aren't more accessible. Or maybe it's just as well they aren't.

In the meantime enjoy looking at the photos, they still make me smile now, actually they make me shake my head in disbelief. Click on them if you want more detail ;)

Bottom centre- who's the cool dude in the sombrero

Bottom right- this guys got his beer ready to go & is that a whale bottom left?

That's a dashing pair of yellow togs & love the guy with the tats hair-do!

Left centre- who on earth brought their tripod & then set it up in the middle of the melee!
And who is kicking sand in that baby's eyes

 

 

Someone even brought their chilly-bin

 

Port Jackson Campground

Port Jackson campground runs the length of a beautiful crescent shaped golden sand ocean beach which is tucked into relatively sheltered bay located between Kaiiti Point & Cape Colville. And we have what we’ve decided is the best site of all…..as long as the wind doesn’t get up.  We are sitting high up on the sand dunes on the front row, the van sited horizontally to the sea view with a salty scrub wind break on one side & a beach entrance on the other. Port Jackson is a back-to-basics campground & the “long-drop” toilets & cold showers are just a short walk away should we want to use them and the water tap is just across the track from us.

 

It was more by good planning on our part than by chance that we have a great spot. While a lot of people living life on the road don’t have itineraries & I’m sure we won’t have much of one either once we get the hang of it, I decided that this five weeks around the Coromandel, while mostly flexible, had to be planned a little more because smack bang in the middle of it was the long holiday weekend of Easter. Easter signals the end of the summer in New Zealand (and what a summer it’s been!) & the last chance for Kiwis to visit their favourite seaside holiday haunts & going by the number of campers that have invaded this camp ground this is a very popular haunt!

I’d booked a site at Port Jackson over the internet before we left home & also spoke on the phone to the camp manager Jenny, to ask her about access for a fifth wheeler. When we did the day trip to check the road out we called in at the camp & spoke to Jenny & Len, her husband, they were very encouraging about the road and after we’d made our mind up that we were coming they sent us down the camp ground to choose a site.

There were very few people about and with three sections to the camp we had a lot of choice. We found a couple of great sites on the front row in the middle section, Barrier Camp. Jenny earmarked  them for us although one had been taken by the time we arrived. The other was our first choice so we weren’t worried. The site was usually booked along with 3 or 4 others around it by a group of families that come to Port Jackson every holiday and have been doing so for the last 15 years or so. But as they hadn’t confirmed & we’d planned to get here two days before the Easter rush it was ours to occupy. The families did arrive in the end; they are behind & beside us & have made us very welcome even though we have their prime site!

Here they are discussing the day's catch

We had a quiet couple of days (& the best weather) before the masses & their boats started arriving on Thursday night & all day Friday. A dust cloud erupted every time another vehicle pulled in or roared past outside heading to Fletchers Bay at the end of the road. A wide variety of colourful tents began popping up all over the site along with quite a number of caravans & campervans. Most of these people have done it before & have been doing it for years, it’s a family tradition. They have come with their tinnies  & inflatables, quad bikes, push bikes, kayaks, diving gear, fishing gear, BBQs & tables, solar panels, communal food tents, shower tents & toilet tents, awnings hung off the front, the rear & the side of anything stable, & even a hand wringer mounted on the trailer for the washing!

And let’s not forget the most essential item of all, the large chilly bins full of ice & beer. It would seem a fisherman is not a fisherman unless he has his shirt off and a beer in his hand. Some even bring the kitchen sink. Except it’s not for the kitchen it’s for the fish, they stand around the old formica bench with a beer in hand while they analyse & discuss what went wrong or right with their latest fishing trip, who caught what & what got away, while filleting their catch.
 

And then there are the kids, lots of children racing around on their bikes, making new friends & renewing old friendships, digging in the sand, swimming in the waves & enjoying just being kids. What a fabulous time they're having and the making of some great memories; no playstations, computers or mobiles out here, just good clean fun enjoying life & our wonderful outdoor environment. Families enjoying a slice of the Kiwi dream.

It would seem nothing much has changed since I was a kid when our family holidays were spent camping at Te Awanga & Clifton in Hawkes Bay & at Mahia & Mahanga in Northern Hawkes Bay. Iconic Kiwi summers live on.

More photos here of Port Jackson

Napier, Art Deco Capital of the World

One of the reasons for visiting Napier, other than catching up with family, was to attend the 25th annual Napier Art Deco Weekend. Napier celebrates its iconic Art Deco style with a weekend of festivities and fun which now attracts tens of thousands of people from around the world. Over 65% of visitors & locals dress in the Art Deco style of the 1930s. Boas, braces & boaters are de rigueur, in fact if you're not dressed up you feel very much out of place. There are over 200 different events that you can attend during the week leading up to and including the weekend, a lot of them are free; it's one big street party.

Strolling the Promenade

"Far from the world's great population centres and from the European and American cities where 20th Century design evolved lays a small city that is unique. Napier, was rebuilt in the early 1930s following a massive Richter 7.8 Earthquake. Subsequent fires destroyed most of its commercial heart. By the end of the decade, Napier was the newest city on the globe.

Nowhere else can you see such a variety of buildings in the styles of the 1930s - Stripped Classical, Spanish Mission, and above all Art Deco, the style of the 20th Century - in such a concentrated area. Napier's Art Deco is unique, with Maori motifs and the buildings of Louis Hay, admirer of the great Frank Lloyd Wright.

Enhanced by palms and the angular Norfolk Island pines which are its trademark, and surrounded by fertile fruit and grape growing plains, dramatic hills and the shores of the South Pacific, beautiful Napier is the centre of the Hawke's Bay region. In Napier, you can enjoy the legacy of its brave rebuilding and savour the spirit of the optimistic Art Deco era."

One of the main events to start the weekend is the Automobilia Vintage Car Parade, this year led by a stunning display of Bentleys from around the world. Over 300 fabulous vehicles all polished until they shined with most of the drivers & passengers in costume from the era wound their way up Napier's Emerson Street which was lined five deep with people.

After the cars came the motorbikes & cycles.

 

 

The parade finished on Marine Parade at the Soundshell where the vehicles were lined up for inspection, what an incredible sight it was.

If you'd like to view more of the vintage cars click on the link below to see my full Flickr set;

Art Deco Vintage Car Parade

David & I headed to town on Saturday evening to watch the street dancing and the catch the entertainment at the Sound Shell. We arrived at Memorial Square just in time to see the "guests' arrive for their Depression Dinner at "Tin Town", they had walked the length of the main street after visiting the "soup kitchen" set up on Marine Parade. Dressed in rags & hand-me-downs, rattling tin cans, some even begging, they played their parts really well.



Lined up for the Depression Dinner

Sunday morning I headed out early, there were two events I wanted to photograph; the Soap Box Derby & the Gatsby Picnic. Both are very popular events and it was great to see fathers helping their sons & daughters prepare their trolleys. This was serious business, they were all walking the course & talking tactics.



 

The Gatsby Picnic is one of the most popular events of the whole weekend. The long lawns, both top & bottom that stretch along Marine Parade from the Sound Shell to the Floral Clock are a sea of colourful canvas, parasols, sun umbrellas & gazebos. Families & friends, young & old dress up in 1930s style, elegant & stylish, they bring their best china, furniture & knick-knacks from the Art Deco era, set it all up and have a picnic lunch or high tea. There are many fabulous displays and some people go to a whole heap of trouble to have everything looking just right. It's a visual treat wandering amongst the parties going on.

Families, couples and teens walked the promenade along the beach front, slowing to have their photos taken, catching up with friends or checking out other gazebos.

It was another stunning summers day, children played on the pebble beach over looking Cape Kidnappers, a few sat in the shade of their parasols watching the boats & yachts race off shore.

In the shade of the Veronica Sun Bay, people watched the navy band play and couples dance.

And as the hot afternoon wore on eyes turned skyward to watch "Those Magnificent Men"; flying displays by  RNZAF Red Checkers, the Warbirds Display Team & others.

We love you too Napier!

It was another fantastic Art Deco Weekend & it just seems to get better & better with each year.  And even though I left my home town 20 plus years ago I'm still very proud to call Napier home.

If you would like to see more of the Art Deco Weekend click on the links below;

Art Deco; Out & About Saturday

Art Deco; Sunday- Gatsby Picnic & Soap Box Derby