Another OZ adventure coming up... so here’s the last update from NZ.

In two weeks we will be heading over the Tasman again to Queensland.

I have recently got back from a trip to Wellington and Whangaparaoa delivering our old Toyota Coaster up to relatives near Auckland to use as accommodation, if and when they build a new house at Matakatia Bay.

First stop after going across Cook Strait was helping my brother to finish some of his house repairs and refurbishments

 (an ongoing process for some time...Bro).

This gave me the opportunity to visit the Terracotta Warriors Exhibition at Te Papa.

 I was most impressed, photos below.

This was before BC, ...  the Artistry and skill is amazing.

The whole collection was only found in 1974 when two Chinese farmers were ploughing their land.

Te Papa have only a very small part of the collection.

The whole collection includes figures, warriors, chariots and horses. Estimates from 2007 were that the three pits containing the Terracotta army held more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses.

That is some incredible work and art, all to go with the first Emperor of China, to keep him safe in the afterworld when he died, which was over 2,000 years ago.

Back to the here and now in NZ. I helped my brother finish off some more of his upmarket shed mezzanine, and we added fancy handrails. We also added wood surrounds, but I forgot to take the finished job photos .. but he was well pleased.

After a week in Otaki, I headed north up through Taranaki towards Auckland, taking the slow way up the East coast, north of the Naki and noted some lovely little spots to return to on our next northern motorhome trip. Places like Mokau, Piopio, Te Kuiti, driving through non stop past Waitomo Caves, which looked  a serious tourist trap and onto Taharoa and Kawhia. Some photos below.

The Saturday market in Hawera, had this lone Busker ... there is a good gelato Cafe in town and yes I did partake, in spite of it being a rather cold day!

Black sand beaches north of Mokia at a place called "Three Sisters" at Tongaporutu

Onward North and inland to Piopio, a nice little town where all the streets are named after NZ native birds.

Piopio is the name for the native thrush, which is now extinct.

 This sculpture set into the bank below the school is such a nice touch!

As is this local farmer’s mailbox

 I went to the Cosmopolitan Club (Pub) to chat to the locals...they didn't seem to mind my attire.

The very friendly chatty Maori barmaid had never been to the South Island and am sure she'd be a hit down here.

This is the famed King Country.....famous in my book as the home of Colin Meads.

 This is a tribute to "Pine Tree Meads" in the main street of Te Kuiti.

Legend has it that he ate barbed wire for breakfast
and I believe it!

Kawhia on such a beautiful day, I'm told it's a really jumping place in the summer.

It certainly was on this day.....

The Roadhouse cafe has an old bikes fence...incase you needed some parts!

 Auckland traffic starts looming up ahead.....

 The final destination for Clowning Around on accommodation duties

 with perhaps a few local jaunts for the rellies to escape the joys of building.

 A morning stroll around Whangaparaoa reveals this sign 

which I'm told was necessary because people were literally stripping the bay of cockles. 

This is how I got into the Shakespear Sanctury Park which has a predator proof fence.

I got in from the beach at low tide

I presume the predators can do the same???

For the more gentle folk... the recognised way in!

Oh what a Picture ...  what a picture ... stick it in the family Al...Bum

While having a family meal in Orewa I managed to juggle my way to getting the younger generation away from their iPads and tech games 

 I was so pleased to see they instantly grabbed the balls

when I stopped, and were once again back in conversation.

Well done Charlie and Oscar!

So in mid May we will return to Queensland, get our rig (car and caravan) out of park and start heading North to whereever we want. I will be installing a new Chinese diesel heater, fitting a stone guard skirt on the Ranger and other little mods and improvements, before heading up to Bundaberg for the caravan’s first service. Then it's another "Clowning Around" adventure in Oz.

Watch this space.

Stay safe, be creative, and have fun ...that's my motto!

No worries Mate!

Jimu and Christine

Otira, Westcoast Beaches and Home

We headed through Arthur's pass, after staying in Darfield at the Advanced Upholstery parking.
Pretty majestic views through the pass. At Otira we called into the Otira Hotel, as you can see the owner has a rather eclectic style.

 I love the red moss on the rocks

 I think he is hoping to pull in a younger crowd, which is perhaps why it does nothing for me!

Gollum...like never before ... Eh!

Just what you'd find lying on the porch of every pub on the West Coast

 The John Burns Contemporary Galley just down the hill from the pub however is very interesting and worth having a browse. I had a great chat with the lady on the desk about contemporary art and its definitions.

 Back to the Pub...looks  a bit forlorn ...... sort of waiting for a disaster to happen.

 There are pigs and hamsters and tame rabbits which seem to have free range from their cages to the property and hence the great outdoors.

This fine piece of machinery is a tobacco planter,..

 the very one I used to sit in and plant tobacco at our farmback in the 70s.

 His collection of oddities continues on the inside, and I leave that to your imagination.

This fine 4 wheel drive has had the stream flowing around it while parked

...tho I'm not sure it will ever move again.

Once on the Coast we spent a few days at our favourite park on the Cobden Breakwater.
Even in wild weather it's a great spot. The waves just roll past the bus window and we have restful sleeps there. The photo below is from a previous trip...but you get the picture!

Back in current time...after last year's high tides and storms the Cobden breakwater had to have the surf club grass reseeded and large rocks built up.

I may be the first ukulele player to practise on this hallowed grass.

North to Westport we parked out on the Beach surrounded by all the Jucy vans and sliders.
I don't mind that, if I can walk along these types of beaches at sunrise and hardly see a soul.

Mornings like these are so important for me to recharge my joy batteries ...
I see beauty in so many places ... it nearly turns me to tears.

Don't ya just love the carving done on this log?
The person who did it must have been all heart!

Back at camp the Jucys are not early risers,

though they have no hesitation in parking really close.

It feels rather strange to overhear a loud American guy talking for hours

 on his cell phone back to home, while parked up at the beach in Westport NZ.  
the Weka around here are not shy either!

We headed north looking for a quieter beach and found one just 8km north at Beach Rd. 

We scoped it out, secluded, with a turn around space and "Yes Camping (for self-contained)" signs,
 earmarked it, then went further north exploring, and returning at the end of the day.

We stopped at Granity and visited the Coal Mining museum.

Apparently this fine steel bucket weighs 42tonnes.
A kindly West Coaster, an ex-publican connected with the museum,
 took it upon himself to be my personal guide and showed me around.

This building was actually the coke furnaces, and this area is famous for the Denniston Incline, 

where the full wagons of coal were taken down hill which pulled up the empty wagons at the same time.

This area actually had a total of 5 inclines.

I was told they are still mining the coal today, 

the drivers of the machinery get $35 per hour and women are preferred,

 as they are easier on machinery.

 Rust is the natural colour of most things on the Coast.

I bought a few things in the craft shop and this is the method of payment (if you use plastic).

The internet signal was temporarily out and the assistant was fishing for a signal, which she managed to get just in time before we drove away.

 More sunsets.

And sunrises.

This day the mist and wind blew in from the sea and the sun didn't appear till after 9am.

 Still .....  everything looked surreal.

 Another 90 minutes walking on the beach and never seeing another soul.

From here it was a short drive back to Westport and inland to Reefton.

The last night's stay in Murchison behind Dust & Rust at the NZMCA park was one of the few really heavy rain overnights we've had in the last 3 months.

We ended this trip as we began, parked up at Jubilee Park in Richmond while we waited for our house to become vacant from our wonderful house sitters.

Recent rain has freshened up the grass, and although we are still on tight water restrictions, it feels very good to be home again.

The new motorhome preformed very well. It's a significant upgrade and the personalisation and fitting it to our ways will continue. It's much easier at home, where I have access to tools and other needed resources that are difficult to use from on the road.

So endeth another successful motorhome trip around the South Island.

We are happy to be home and planning the next trip in mid May, this time back to Queensland.

Cheers from New Zealand

Till the next adventure.

Stay safe and free..... and be creative!

Jimu & Christine.