Matangi Station Rally

 Real-time

We're not usually rally attendees but we do keep an eye out for ones that are held in unusual and interesting places.  Once we were accidental attendees to a rally at Nelson Lakes, that turned out to be a great weekend. We still laugh at how it happened and how awkward we felt. Others we have done have been attached to events such has the Arrowtown Autumn Festival (twice) and the Cavalcade (at Omakau) both were hosted by the NZMCA Clutha Valley Area. 

From the lookout above Alexandra 

We had a few days to fill in before we had to be in Southland so when I heard that Clutha Valley was holding a rally at Matangi Station, a large farm station near Alexandra, I thought it would be an interesting to attend and also a chance to catch up with Clutha Valley members we'd met on previous rallies. 

Matangi Station is located in Little Valley, just 10kms from Alexandra and yet it felt a whole world away once we climbed up the rocky hills behind the town and followed the narrow dusty road through a typical Central Otago landscape of rocky tors, golden tussocks, briar bushes, prickly matagouri...

...and those hardy Central Otago Merino sheep.

We had to squeeze past several vehicles coming out of the valley on the narrow road and we wondered what they thought when suddenly their quiet 'farm' road was inundated with large motorhomes travelling in on a dead end road. Hopefully they had been forewarned to expect us. 

An old stone wall followed the contours of the road for quite a distance and we later found out that this was a water canal that was built to supply Alexandra with water. It didn't last long because there wasn't enough supply, even though there are several springs in the valley.

It didn't take long before houses, farm buildings and the cultivated green paddocks of Little Valley opened up before us. There are three farm stations in the valley all owned by the extended Sanders family; we are heading to Matangi Station, a merino stud farm run by John & his wife Mary Liz and two of their sons & families. In fact we had been driving through the station farm since leaving Alexandra, Matangi Station reaches from the lookout behind Alex right through to Little Valley.

Motorhomes, caravans & fifth-wheelers trickled in throughout the afternoon and once registration forms were completed we set up camp in the woolshed paddock.

Soon the vans reach around the corner of the woolshed and off across the paddock, people were soon catching up with old friends and welcoming new members. There were certainly a lot of laughter at happy hour as everyone tried to cram in under the shade of the gazebos and out of the sun in the 30+ degree heat.

David flew the drone over the campers...

And later in the evening I drove back up the road to take some golden hour photos of the valley.

The merino rams weren't keen on having their photos taken and soon disappeared over the rise. Little did they know...

The next day after a morning tea catch up those with bikes got ready to cycle over one of the farm tracks.

As lovely as it looked I was secretly pleased that I wasn't going to be heading off in the mid-day heat, it was another scorcher of a day.

I stood at the gate and took their photos instead! What a happy bunch they were too.

If I had one disappointment it was the fact that there wasn't the opportunity to drive one of the farm tracks- for those that had 4WD vehicles- to an advantage point on the surrounding range. That would have certainly been a highlight for us. 

Instead I drove back up the road again looking for photo opportunities and as luck would have it, those camera shy rams were being rounded up by John...

...and mustered straight past me parked on the side of the road.

 This is just a small group of the farm's 700 merino stud rams.

And they were heading for the woolshed...

...where they were penned for the night and available for us to check out at close quarters after John gave a talk about the farm's history & operation during our BBQ dinner (not a lamb roast either).

Clutha Valley Area members always put on a great BBQ for attendees, we supplied our own salads, they supplied the meat. 

After dinner and a bit of lubrication, the bagpipes made an appearance...

And then someone, who shall remain nameless, decided to do a little highland fling to entertain the crowd. 

It was a relief of sorts when the sun finally disappeared behind the hills, although the heat & humidity lasted through the night; windows, vents & doors were left wide open on many vans. The peaceful sound of silence & the occasional sheep baa soon lulled us to sleep. 

Although I did step outside at some un-Godly hour to look at the night sky. It was stunning, millions of stars twinkling in the moonless night, reaching from one side of the valley to the other & beyond. I kicked myself in the morning that I didn't have enough energy to get the tripod & camera out to take a few photos. 

After one last morning tea gathering with a few prizes and awards presented...

...it was a mass exodus out the gate and off up the hill.

Until there was just us left in the paddock.

Which was fortuitous...

...as I spotted John about to take the rams back to their paddock. Merino rams are a favourite subject for me, I just love the expression on their faces, their curly horns and the spooky little face that appears on the end of their nose if you look long enough!

Once out the gate, they grabbed a quick bite to eat...

...and a drink from the nearby stream until a couple decided to head out the home paddock gate and the rest quickly followed along like, well, sheep.

Out the gate and into the opposite paddock before John spotted them and roared off on his bike to round them up...

 ...and head them back up the road. We followed slowly along behind.

At the end of the road, just before we dropped back down into Alexandra, we pulled to a stop so I could take a photo from the lookout and a Karearea/NZ Falcon flew straight past the rig at eye level and disappeared over the cliff edge. The perfect way to finish off a great weekend! 

Thankyou very much for your hospitality Clutha Valley members, it was a great rally and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Alexandra- click on the photo to enlarge

Clutha Valley Autumn Festival Rally

Real-time

We had an awesome time at the Clutha Valley Autumn Festival Rally in Arrowtown last weekend; our second time at both this particular rally and the Autumn Festival. We don't usually 'do' rallies, mostly because we're always on the move but when they coincide with an event it's great because usually the rally is held close to the event and it's so much easier for transport and parking. And it gives us a chance to meet new people and catch up with others we've met on the road previously.

This year, the rally parking had shifted directly across the road and was located up a narrow track on top of a large plateau. The previous site had been purchased by Millbrook Resort and was in the process of being developed- last time I was asked if I'd like to take a helicopter ride over the site to take photos of the rally (like I'd say no). If you click on that link above you'll see more of the helicopter photos- this one shows the old site and the plateau with the track up the side.

Our friends, Amanda & Paul arrived with their 5th-wheeler ahead of us but were a little unsure of the track. It looked quite narrow and steep, although that wasn't so much of a problem as what was happening at the top- whether it opened out or had a tight bend in it. So we went ahead of them to check. Once we gave them the ok, they proceeded through the gate.

They then had to wait while a couple of vans left the site; Genny giving me a big wave on her way down (you'll see her pets further down). 

A small traffic jam formed as vans arrived and departed.

I took a few photos of Paul & Amandas' rig for them, as they came up the track.

As you can see their rig is just a little bit bigger than ours! With our doors facing each other we had a great little communal area between the two vans.

The site parking was great- flat, level and firm with lush grass but with a good dose of dried sheep poo (unlike the last time though, when I reckon the sheep were the size of cows going by the large and wet poo piles!) We managed to shovel most of it under the van so we didn't inadvertently walk it over the mat or inside when 'someone who shall remain nameless' forgets to remove their shoes.

There was plenty of space as we formed a big U shape- 59 vans at the last count but I know a few more arrived later in the evening and early on Saturday morning. 

The plateau overlooked Millsbrook Resort and part of the golf course, and across the Arrowtown Basin to the Remarkable Mountains behind which formed a beautiful backdrop to a stunning location. Behind us Coronet Peak rose above the pine forest; paragliders, having launched of the peak, drifted down on the thermals to land close by.  And all for $15- who needs one of those $3-4 million homes below!

There was no mucking about after 'Happy Hour' on the first night, once the sun dropped below the range a cold chill set in. Most retired to their vans for the night, with just a hardy few trying to keep warm below the gas heaters.

Heavy rain was forecast for Saturday but the weather Gods looked down on us. It rained hard for a few hours in the early hours and the morning dawned overcast, cold and wet underfoot, but rain free. And it stayed that way all day, brightening up by lunch time.

Our 'shuttle buses' were the same ones that transported us to the festival two years ago. They have quite a bit of local history attached to them; they were brought to New Zealand in 1942 and were part of a fleet of 6 that belonged to Routeburn Valley Motors, one of the first tourist operators in the region. They were taken to Kinloch at the head of Lake Wakatipu by the steamer SS Earnslaw where they transported trampers and visitors to the Routeburn Track (now a Great Walk).

The buses pulled out on their first round trip just after 9am, with just a short 3km trip into Arrowtown village.  

Two buses, three trips each and we were all delivered and ready to explore by the time the festival started at 10am. 

We were off-loaded in the dead centre of town. And promised a special surprise if we walked up the short path ahead of us- having been before I knew what to expect.

This was the view that awaited us at the top of the hill and beside the cenotaph (which must be the most scenic site in all NZ for the ANZAC service in 2 days time). Overlooking the tiny, historic village of Arrowtown in all its autumnal beauty. (The next blog will be on the the festival)

Many of the NZMCA members attending the rally had their pets (fur babies) with them. Alot of them live full time on the road with their masters too.

Here are photos of a few pets that were near our van- all well behaved and adorable to boot! The first two are cabin mates as are the last two...along with two cats!

I take my hat off to you Robyn & Ross, travelling with four pets takes dedication and a special kind of person. 

After the festival and the buses had delivered us all safety back to the site, we gathered for 'happy hour'...

...and the Clutha Valley guys cooked us BBQ sausages and chops. It was a pity the sun had gone down by the time everything was cooked, it was only a hardy few that stayed and ate their dinner outdoors. The rest scurried back to their toasty warm vans.

Many of the vans left on Sunday with just a few staying on until Monday, us included. We had a great evening with Amanda & Paul on Sunday night; polishing off another Pedros House of Lamb takeaway (we'd both already had one during the week prior, while waiting to shift to the Arrowtown site) It was just as delicious, if not a little more so, because we were sharing it with friends. No leftovers this time though!

By the time we had decided 'where to next' on Monday morning, there were just a couple of buses, a caravan and us left up on the plateau. 

We were both in two minds about where to head to after we left the rally. We had tentative plans to finish exploring down Lake Wakatipu to Glenorchy before heading west to the lower West Coast.

It's a first for us, because even though David always says "Ask me tomorrow" when anyone asks where we're heading, we usually have a sketchy plan or place we have to be within a certain time which can dictate in which direction we need to head. After a bit of debating, and too-ing and fro-ing, we headed off down the track...

And south across the rickety one way bridge over the Kawarau River, with the Remarkables behind...

...stopping for lunch on the shores of Lake Wakatipu just south of the Devils Staircase...

...before pulling into a windy and bleak Lumsden NZMCA Park for the night.

We pulled out the next morning...

...stopping briefly to collect doughnuts and pies for lunch (from Lumsden's award winning bakery), and continued on heading south...

And that is how we found ourselves parked in our Winton family's driveway once again! Well, it is school holidays, and we were only a couple hours away, and once we leave this time, we might not see them for quite some time. 

Camera-phone shot- blurry! 

So much for heading north for winter!