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TO THE PERSON WHO MADR THID QUIZ IM IN LOVE WITH YOU AND NEED TO FIND YOU IMMEDIATELY. I NEED TO FIGHT YOU TO PROVE IM THE MOST INSANE VAN HALEN FAN SORRY. I SWEAR TO GOD I BLACKED OUT AND MADE THAT QUIZ WE HAVE THE SAME SENSE OF HUMOR AND SHIT WHAT THE FUCK. DO YOY WANT TO AHVE GAY SEX BTW
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RotT prediction: after realizing that Akiridion tech and magic alone aren't enough to defeat the Titans, Krel merges w/Gaylen's core to try and gain an edge. It has side-effects he wasn't anticipating.
(Optional Krexie Bonus: one of those side-effects is a physical change that Douxie thinks is hot. Like, he already thought Krel was very attractive before, but now Krel is even more attractive to him. Krel may or may not find the physical change distressing, though, at least before he learns Douxie finds it attractive.)
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note: obviously this is no longer a rott prediction, as this ask was sent in july. this is now a random rott au.
another note: this has a lot more focus on the latter suggestion than the first. blame my krexie brain.
Merging with Gaylen was a last ditch effort.
With Nari gone and Jim injured greatly, Earth’s survival was looking slim – and Krel took it upon himself to try and fix that.
Douxie tried to stop him. He rushed into the woods after his friend, tripping on branches and scraping his knees. But he wasn’t fast enough.
He barely made it in time to watch Krel plunge a shard of Gaylen’s core into his chest. There was a bright flash of light, and suddenly Krel was passed out on the forest floor.
Douxie had dragged him out from under the trees and onto the nearby road. He dialed Stuart’s number with sweaty palms.
And then they drove away in silence.
-
Krel sat uncomfortably in the back of Stuart’s van. His legs were crossed and two pairs of arms kept him grounded to the car floor through the bumps and turns. The other two were wrapped around himself tightly.
Douxie was in the passenger seat, but for most of the ride, he was turned around to look at Krel.
The merge had made him look…different.
The light in the middle of his chest grew brighter, but not from his own core. Purple, jagged veins sprouted from the light and spread across his body.
Krel and Stuart had assumed, if anything, he would grow extra arms or an extra pair of eyes – instead, wings sprouted out of his back. For now, were tiny nubs adorned with blue feathers. Douxie figured that they would grow larger as time passed.
The difference wasn’t bad, though. He was still undeniably Krel, as far as Douxie was concerned. But Krel himself seemed to still be on the fence about it. His eyes were glazed over as stared down at his lap quietly.
Douxie placed his chin on the chair’s headrest. “How’re you holding up?” he asked.
Krel’s head snapped up to look at Douxie. His eyes were one thing that remained the same, still black and bright blue. It was comforting.
“My head hurts,” Krel said. “It’s hard to think.”
Douxie nodded tentatively. He didn't want to rush Krel to speak, so he waited for him to continue. Krel’s eyes darted around, seemingly struggling with the thoughts in his head. As if he couldn’t focus.
He bit his lip as he struggled. It was a habit of his that Douxie had caught onto a while ago; something he did when he was nervous or trying to concentrate.
But his eyes widened when he noticed that it was a fang peeking out of Krel’s mouth and chewing on his bottom lip.
It was then Krel blurted out, “I’m sorry if I scared you.”
Douxie wasn’t sure if he means scaring him by running off, or scaring him with his new appearance. Only one of those was true.
He shook his head, “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.” The words stumbled out of his mouth.
He scolded himself in his mind. Usually, he’d be more comforting. But now he struggled to focus.
And that was so, so wrong – there were other things he should be more concerned about than Krel’s new, canine-like incisors. But he couldn’t help the curiosity building in his stomach as Krel ran his tongue over his teeth in an attempt to soothe himself.
The Akiridion seemed to notice his staring, because he paused. He glanced at Douxie’s lips and then back up to his golden eyes.
Krel opened his mouth and poked his thumb at one of his fangs, curious. Douxie felt heat rush to his cheeks. He knew he should probably look away, but he didn’t have that willpower. He was entranced by the image of Krel’s finger pushed between his blue lips.
Eventually, thankfully, Krel’s hand fell from his mouth. “…You like them?” he asked.
That was an understatement.
Douxie cleared his throat, which suddenly felt very dry. “Oh! Oh, yeah. They make you look very…”
He yelped as the van stopped abruptly. He looked at Stuart, who had his foot pressed hard against the brake. The older man glared at him in disapproval.
He would most likely run them off the road if Douxie continued.
“Um – it looks good. Doesn’t look as bad as you think.”
He noticed that Krel’s pupils dilated as he spoke. Krel was inhuman, but Douxie had never seen his eyes do anything like that before. Suddenly the heat spread from his cheeks to his ears.
He gave Krel a sheepish laugh before turning away and sinking deeper into his seat.
Stuart sighed.
#inbox#my writing#yellowmagicalgirl#krexie#i DEEPLY apologize that i am publishing this out of the blue. now. four months later.#but i haven't been able to sit down and finish it until last now since rott was a shit show#i'm also sorry that my mind decided to focus on only the latter suggestion. gaylen krel has never been my forte#either way FINALLY it is here.
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Event Report: Rock and Shock 2018
The Rock and Shock horror convention and concert series invaded the DCU Center and The Palladium in Worcester, MA last weekend, October 12-14. This year marked the 15th annual event, boasting a decade and a half of the biggest names in horror movies and alternative music descending upon New England every Halloween season.
I had the honor of hosting two panels on Friday night. The first featured New England Horror Writers members Jack Haringa, Rob Smales, Trisha Wooldridge, and Steve Van Samson. Their discussions of their writing careers, their approach, and their experiences with small press provided invaluable insight to the aspiring writers in the audience. For my second panel I was joined by Dawn of the Dead with stars Scott Reiniger and Gaylen Ross to celebrate the film's 40th anniversary. The old friends reflected on the landmark zombie movie and working with the late, great George A. Romero.
Saturday kicked off with a panel with the charismatic Ted Raimi (Evil Dead II). He opened with what was essentially a 10-minute standup routine about the Worcester/Boston area before answering questions. Fittingly, he even received a special microphone so he could stand up to address the crowd rather than sit behind the table. The actor spoke highly of Deadwax, the Shudder original series on which he recently worked, stating that he didn't want it to end. He also revealed that Lunatics: A Love Story, the 1991 comedy/romance film in which he stars, is finally coming to DVD for the first time soon.
Raimi's panel was followed by an equally entertaining but entirely different session with author Joe Knetter. It was billed as a reading from I, Survivor, the new Victor Crowley tie-in novel that he co-wrote with filmmaker Adam Green, but he only read a brief passage. The rest of the time was filled by Knetter - who admitted he was “floating on an edible” - musing from collaborating with Green to playing the killer in the upcoming Hanukkah alongside horror icons Sid Haig, Caroline Williams, and P.J. Soles. His raunchy and self-deprecating humor extended to his longtime girlfriend, indie scream queen Sarah French, who watched from the audience. It was a unique and hilarious experience.
Later in the day, Malcolm McDowell took the stage to answer fan questions. He discussed his seminal roles in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange and Rob Zombie's Halloween films. (After admitting that he his still never seen John Carpenter's original Halloween, a fan gifted him with a VHS copy the next day.) The gregarious Brit spoke about some of his less publicized performances as well, including the recent fun he had doing Lunchables commercials. "Thank God they paid me a shit load of money," he mused.
On Sunday, Bill Moseley (The Devil’s Rejects), Andrew Divoff (Wishmaster),and R.A. Mihailoff (Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III) took over the panel room to discuss their legacies as icons of horror in a Q&A, which you can watch in its entirety here. Moseley was unfortunately unable to disclose any details on Rob Zombie’s Three From Hell, but it was a fun chat nonetheless. Divoff shared a particularly enlightening story about being an action figure.
For various reasons, several beloved Rock and Shock traditions were absent this year: the costume contest, the film festival, and the supergroup cover band The Rocking Dead. I hope to see them all reinstated in the future, but Sunday saw the launch of a new favorite tradition: a children's costume contest, hosted by Fiona's Fright Shoppe. A gaggle of adorable children dressed as killers from movies they've (hopefully) never seen proudly showed off their cosplay. Chucky took home first prize, with Dani from Hocus Pocus and IT's Pennywise placing second and third, respectively. It was truly heartwarming.
Next door at The Palladium, concerts took place throughout the weekend, beginning with a sold-out kick-off show from Ice Nine Kills on Thursday. Horrorcore hip-hop duo Twiztid headlined on Friday. Saturday offered a night of Swedish/Finnish metal featuring Amorphis, Dark Tranquility, and Wintersun. Two different shows took place on Sunday: downstairs was headlined by heavy metal titans Trivium, while hardcore stalwarts Terror brought the mosh upstairs.
In addition to the aforementioned names, other celebrity guests who met with fans throughout the weekend included Linda Blair (The Exorcist), making her Rock and Shock debut, along with Derek Mears (Friday the 13th), James Marshall (Twin Peaks), Dana Ashbrook (Twin Peaks), Jeremy Davies (Justified), William Forsythe (The Devil's Rejects), and Kelli Maroney (Chopping Mall), among others.
Per usual, the vendor room was loaded with horror DVDs, Blu-rays, toys, shirts, collectibles, artwork, handmade goods, tattoo artists, and more, but it was laid out differently this year. The floor space itself was smaller, but the configuration of the booths made it feel just as full. In addition the regulars, I was happy to find quite a few new faces and products among the vendors. I hope to see the Rock and Shock family to continue to grow in future years.
Click here to see all of my Rock and Shock 2018 photos.
#rock and shock#ted raimi#derek mears#bill moseley#cosplay#halloween#halloween costumes#dawn of the dead#freddy krueger#hocus pocus#pennywise#malcolm mcdowell#linda blair#event report#article
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Derek Andrews and Laurie Loving
Robert and Mavis Loving of Albert City are pleased to announce the upcoming wedding of their daughter Laurie Loving to Derek Andrews of Jewell. Derek is the son of Dennis and Gaylene Andrews of Stratford. Laurie works as a physical therapist at Van Diest Medical Center in Webster City. Derek ...
from Google Alert - Physical Therapist https://ift.tt/2IsfmIb
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Last year we had been invited by our friends John and Gaylene to join them and others for an informal get together known as the 5th Wheel Shuffle. A loose collection of people who have a common interest in playing or performing music. We didn’t make it last year as I had a really heavy cold. So when the invitation was again extended this year (prior to the second lockdown) we accepted hoping that I wouldn’t be unwell from the chemo this year. Making excuses two years in a row probably wouldn’t go down well.
Thankfully that dreaded feeling from the chemo had passed allowing us to escape Auckland and head south. We had spent Friday exploring Hobbiton not wanting to turn up at the venue too early. This year like last the event was being held at the Timber Museum in Putaruru. For those that don’t know it, it’s just out of town heading south on SH1.
Although it has the sign out the front as a Park Over Property it’s actually not in the NZMCA directory or on the App. You can stay here at $10 per night per van with plenty of space to stretch out on the large grassed area. Although we were a little concerned about becoming stuck as it had been very wet making the ground soft in places. That didn’t happen to us but one camper had to be helped out of a spot after they tried to maneuver through a dip in the ground. Seven or eight of us put our backs into it and pushed them out.
With 20 or so, other vans there for the weekend, most of whom had arrived earlier than us. We found ourselves a park overlooking the farm and gully below and hopefully far enough away from SH1 to sleep through the night. It’s another of those places that you have probably driven past many times thinking one day I must stop there and have a look.
After getting the motorhome settled we wandered to the hall to find our friends limbering up their vocal cords ahead of the festivities. Although we have stayed alongside them many times we haven’t ever heard them perform as they tend not to sing or play in a camp situation. Gaylene and John also have an extensive Karaoke set that they set up here, containing a massive songbook. They have in the past also been at many NZMCA events so you may even recognise them.
We set off for a wander around the museum grounds. At the rear of the buildings, they have a number of pieces of machinery that are sadly looking rather neglected. I realise that it must be difficult to house and maintain such large beasts as these. I wonder what can be done to stop them from just rusting away. You would imagine that even with a large injection of capital to provide buildings it would still need a dedicated team to try and restore these beasts.
The plan for both Friday and Saturday nights were very similar. Have those who want to play do so followed by Karaoke for those who had the voice. Or those who had drunk sufficient that they felt they could keep a tune. It was very pleasant sitting there being able to listen without the music being so loud that you had to shout at each other to be heard. It was good to see that a lady who had come along on her own, for the first time at an event like this was brave enough to bash out a few songs. The festivities finished around 11pm on Friday night not that we were still up.
Instead, I was trying to use my pillow to drown out the sounds coming from SH1 as what seemed like a never-ending stream of trucks thundered past the museum. To add to that the train line runs past on the other side of the road creating its own special rumble. To say that sleep was elusive would be a small understatement.
We woke the following morning (assuming I actually did get some sleep) to very heavy fog. The wonderful view that yesterday had stretched over the farmland below us had been swallowed up. They do say that a fine day follows the fog and so it was on this day. As it slowly lifted, campers started to appear from their motorhomes. Either socialising or wandering around the museum for a look. I took advantage of the power in the hall to write our blog about our visit to the Firth Tower in Matamata.
It also provided a quiet time for Sarah to check the mails at home and check up on the latest news. All this before the crowds started to wander back into the hall to warm up their vocal cords for the night ahead.
With the news caught up, it was time for another explore of the museum. Which offers all sorts of fascinating insights into the timber industry in New Zealand. We also managed to find the kitchen where that night’s meal was to be prepared. A Hangi that was steamed above ground, rather than buried as is traditional.
Mid-afternoon it was time for the gifting of the secret Santa presents. Each person attending had purchased a gift of no more than $10 in value. Gifts had to be labelled for either sex or gender non-specific. The two “present fairies” called everyone up to pick a number and then as your number was called, you could make your way to the table and select a present. I thought that this would all be over fairly quickly. What I didn’t know was the surprise element to the gift-giving. Once you had selected your present and unwrapped it in front of everyone you could then chose to keep it or swap it.
Swap it? You might ask. Well here is where it gets interesting you can choose to swap it for any other present that had already been unwrapped. Each person was required to keep their present on display on top of the table. Some more popular gifts, such as scorched almonds, a can of CRC, a box of chocolate liquors, and a couple of bottles of wine, were swapped multiple times. Others like the unfortunate person who ended up with a tin of baked beans (after a swap) had no chance of their present being claimed by someone else. Much hilarity ensued, and it was a great lead into the Hangi.
Not forgetting of, course that the main reason for the weekend was the music. A chance for a very informal group of musicians to get together and perform. Not even so much for a crowd, since there were only around 50 of us, but for themselves. So if you can see yourself getting in-front of a group of like-minded people and belting out a few numbers maybe check out the group’s Facebook page. Membership is open to all who have an interest in this.
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A Weekend Of Merriment. Last year we had been invited by our friends John and Gaylene to join them and others for an informal get together known as the 5th Wheel Shuffle.
#campervan blog New Zealand#campervan holiday New Zealand#Motorhome Blog New Zealand#Motorhome Holiday New Zealand#Museum visit#RV Blog
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The Politics of the Gallery Display
The Politics of the Gallery Display
Gaylen Gerber, “Support” (n.d.), oil paint on liquor bottle (200 mL) with paper bag, United States, 21st century, 7 ¾ x 4 ½ x 2 ¼ inches (© The artist and Tom Van Eynde)
CHICAGO — What, exactly, does the space that surrounds an artwork do? Gaylen Gerber has been posing this question for years, notably in his series Backdrops,which consists of gray-painted gallery walls upon which he hung the work…
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Holy shit
I didn't realize that Steel Panther was a satire band, I thought they were just being shitheads, but the whole band is just "haha, van GAYlen" and Poontang Boomerang is actually about Cherry Pie etc Wow, what a wonderful world
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i WILL do a pookie wookie birthday post mark my words !!!!
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opening up the new year with the Iconic, Showstopping, Never Replicated, Highly Questionable van halen holiday photoset because 1984 is gonna be our year 🤞🤩🥳
#i know the photoset is supposedly from 1979 but let’s pretend for the bit#god every time i come back to this photoset i have more questions#so alex is santa. edward is a christmas tree. david is an elf. why is michael a baby ??? did they run out of holiday-themed outfits ?????#van gaylen
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Derek Andrews and Laurie Loving
Robert and Mavis Loving of Albert City are pleased to announce the upcoming wedding of their daughter Laurie Loving to Derek Andrews of Jewell. Derek is the son of Dennis and Gaylene Andrews of Stratford. Laurie works as a physical therapist at Van Diest Medical Center in Webster City.
from Google Alert - Physical Therapist https://ift.tt/2GQo1ah
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As I mentioned in my previous blog, we had spent a few days at our new happy place Ramp Road on the Karikari peninsula. Now it was time to continue the trip north. With the chance to explore some of the more remote parts of the tip of the country. Our friends John and Gaylene had heard about a camping area at Paua. Tucked away up in the Parengerenga Harbour just south of Cape Reinga.
A bit of research on the various Facebook pages shows a few visits by fellow motorhomers, but not much info about the site. So between ourselves, John and Gaylene and John’s sister, Jenny, with her husband Willie, we decided to head away to discover parts unknown.
Of course, the golden rule of reading the instructions applies here. A check of Google Maps shows Paua at the left-hand end of the road, so off we went. Only to discover that road leads nowhere, and not enough space to turn around. So we had to back up the 500 metres back to the intersection. Turns out that if you read the instructions, you will find that the camp is actually called Te Pau Reserve. Which surprisingly is located at the end of Te Pau Road. The turn off to the right!
So, after the slight detour, we arrived at the camping ground to find the gate padlocked. Not to be deterred we called Ted the camp manager on his mobile, to be told that the camp was shut for two weeks.
This is a really remote spot. 12 km’s from the main road without any signage telling you that there is a camp there. So unless you know it’s there, you wouldn’t drive down this road. With this in mind, I asked Ted if it would be alright for us to park outside the gate just for one night. Telling him that we would be more than happy to pay if he came down to collect.
There is a huge parking area in front of what is probably an old fertiliser storage shed. These days it is a fenced-off ruin with signs warning of the dangers of entering due to asbestos.
While we waited for the others to arrive, we decided to head off for an explore of this enormous camp. Ted had explained that the field was closed as they were going to let the cattle graze the land for two weeks to get the grass down before Labour weekend. They hadn’t, however, introduced the cows into the camp yet, so we had no fear of stepping into something we would rather not have.
There is space here for hundreds of campers both near the water and set back into the paddock. Access to the sea is another matter entirely with a small cliff running right around the campsite. Other than the boat ramp in the middle of the camp, we only found a few safe places to descend to the water.
Just recently the camp has installed a couple of new long drop toilets. With one at each end of the camp, I don’t know what happened before this if you were staying in a non self contained vehicle or tent and don’t really want to know either. I guess you had a Porta Potti or similar.
We spotted the others coming down the road as we wandered back. As you can see, there was plenty of room in front of the shed for us and many others if needed.
Willie and his wife Jenny live full time on the road in their Toyota Coaster. Despite using a wheelchair since a car accident when he was 19 Willie is out there doing it, more than many motorhomers we have met. Last year he added this unique adaption to his wheelchair, turning it into an E Trike.
The front-drive unit simply clips onto his lightweight wheelchair and away you go. Initially, there were a couple of accidents including a rollover backwards down a hill, but now it’s sorted he can get most places. Together with his wife Jenny they have been able to ride parts of the Otago Rail Trail and lots of other cycle trails.
We had heard rumours that there were so many fish in this harbour you could see them under the wharf. With this in mind, John and Gaylene decided to try their luck both with a handline and rod. Neither caught anything except a couple of snags, so the attempt was abandoned shortly after that.
If you do turn up here with your boat the camp make a charge of $30 per boat to recover the cost of putting in the boat ramp. This is on top of $10 per person per night. So if you were only here for a couple of days it might be a bit of an expensive stay.
After the usual happy hour, we all retired to our vans for the evening. As the sun began to set, it was time to get out for another walk and grab some more photos.
With the sky light up with a full moon and the setting sun behind the hills. It makes you realise how lucky we can be in the country to have such a beautiful place all to ourselves.
We weren’t quite so lucky that night. We had known that the forecast was for it to get a bit windy. What we didn’t expect was quite how windy it got. At around 2am, the motorhome started shaking, and the groaning from the wind whipping around the back of the van got louder and louder. It’s fair to say that I didn’t sleep much for the rest of the night. I did wonder if the old shed behind us was going to blow down or lose part of its roof.
In the morning, on opening the front blinds, we were greeted to the sight of all the birds tucked into the wind. Much better than being out on the water or trying to fly, I guess.
We had planned on driving to the DOC camp at Tapotupotu, just south of Cape Reinga that morning. However, knowing how exposed that place is to a gale force Easterly wind, it was time to make other plans. John and Gaylene decided that they would head south to the DOC camp at Rarawa beach instead departing shortly after breakfast. Not long after that, Willie and Jenny also headed south.
At almost 9 metres long with the flat sides of on A-Class motorhome I have found that driving our motorhome in strong winds can be a bit of a challenge. So although I was somewhat reluctant to leave we also really needed to find a more sheltered spot. With this in mind, we also departed for Rarawa Beach. More about this to follow in the next blog.
We enjoyed the camp here and will come back again another day.
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Te Pua Reserve – Remote Northland As I mentioned in my previous blog, we had spent a few days at our new happy place Ramp Road on the Karikari peninsula.
#campervan blog New Zealand#campervan holiday New Zealand#Freedom camping#Motorhome Blog New Zealand#Motorhome Holiday New Zealand#Northland
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During the time we were in Taupo we were debating about going left or right. Left to Napier – Hastings or right to Whanganui. In the end, we chose left, giving us the chance to catch up with some fellow motorhomers who we hadn’t seen since earlier this year. It also allowed Sarah to visit one of the local tree nurseries intending to add some fruit trees to our son’s garden.
The Napier-Taupo Road is my least favourite road in the country. Not because there is anything wrong with the road. It just holds terrible memories from the days of our old business with the rental car company and breakdowns. I think at one particularly lousy point we went there and back again 4 times in the space of 2 months. Each time driving from Auckland to Napier and home again within the same day.
There are several freedom parking spots in town, we decided on Te Awanga a very popular place but one that at this time of the year has plenty of space. Located on the foreshore, it is an area that is seeing severe coastal erosion. On the day of our arrival, large swells were crashing onto the shore. At least the rain, that had caused the large puddles abated. Allowing us to get out of the van for a wander.
Just down the road from the camping area, the local takeaway drew us in with the smell of fresh fish and chips. We decided they would make the perfect lunch, taking them back to the motorhome, so that lemon’s and Sarah’s required tomato sauce could accompany them. These would rate as an 11 out of 10 indeed some of the best F&C’s we have eaten.
Not the greatest video (it will play the correct way) but while we waited for the fish and chips, I wandered across the road to look at the waves breaking against the old sea walls. The small settlement here of Haumoana is fighting a losing battle against raging seas as back gardens and houses are being swept away. Of course, the waves in my video don’t look anything like those when a massive storm rolls in.
A few weeks ago we brought ourselves a new toy. With clear instructions from fellow motorhomer and national authority on the said machine, Gaylene, AKA Mrs Wishy Washy. Sarah was keen to give it a whirl, so to speak. As it’s so lightweight, we carry it in the boot area then bring it into the shower. Where it fits perfectly, so it can drain straight into the grey tank. It does just a beautiful job spinning, So good in fact that the clothes are almost dry before you hang them up. Perfect for Sarah with arthritis in her hands, making manual wringing very difficult. Not long now till there will be Mrs Wishy Washy MK2.
You can see behind the washing machine a couple of fruit trees. We purchased these from Green Leaf Nurseries. It’s not really a place I would recommend that you visit in a 9-metre motorhome. Access to the nursery is down a one-lane access road, which is fine as long as you don’t meet anyone coming the other way. Anyway mission accomplished 2 trees for our sons garden.
The following morning it appeared that the rain of the last few days was going to hold off long enough for the two of us to get a bike ride in. For those that don’t know the area, the Hastings and Napier councils have invested a fortune in building cycleways. In fact, there are over 200 kilometres of trails around the two cities. The one we were going to ride part of today runs from Clifton to Bayview all along the coast. We had decided to cycle through to Clive and then return a ride of around 22 km’s.
To keep motorbikes and other motorised vehicles, there are places along the route where you need to squeeze through barriers or manoeuvre your bike through a stock gate. I guess it all add’s to the fun and makes the trail safer for those who ride it. Getting our bikes through the stock gate took a bit of practice.
There might not have been any rain that morning, but the wind had decided to come to play. Parts of the cycleway are like a large U shape so going one way with the wind behind was a breeze. Then a very strong crosswind across the top or bottom. Finally, the struggle into the wind for the next leg. Makes me glad that we have electric bikes when you encounter wind like that.
We arrived in Clive where we have stayed previously at the Evers Swindell Reserve although I don’t know if I would have been brave enough to stay there this time. With the river in flood from all the rain and the heavy sea swell, I would have been worried about the water lapping around the van during high tide.
After a short comfort stop and a quick bite, it was back on the bikes for the return journey. If anything, the wind was getting stronger as well as a little colder. Making us both pleased to have worn our coats.
Sometimes it’s like I ride with my eyes closed. I could hear Sarah yelling at me but had no idea what it was about. Turning around, I went to investigate seeing the signage for Pedersen Rd, the first time I have ever seen that even though we have ridden past a few times.
After the bike ride, we were joined by our friend Sally while her partner Adrian played in a bowls tournament at the Taradale Club. Where they had been staying, You can stay there for a small donation. Later in the day, a very familiar sight rolled into the camping area. When Adrian drove in, in their Bedford Bus. With him as always was Zac, their very old Border Collie. We spent a great evening having a shared meal and an excellent catch-up. Some people you meet on the road don’t seem to even want to give you the time of day, so it’s really special when you meet a couple like this who offer you their genuine friendship.
You can only stay here at Te Awanga for 2 nights before the council get ansty handing out $200 fines like confetti. So for us, it was time to move on the following day.
But before we got on our way, it was out to the Cafe located in Clifton for a cup of coffee in front of a blazing fire an enjoyable way to spend some time although they were swamped on a Sunday morning.
It was also amazing to see the new sea wall they have constructed that takes you to the small campground at the end of the road. Last year when we visited, we would have been too scared to have driven our motorhome down the severely eroded piece of land. It looked like the rest of the road was ready to fall into the sea at any time. Now with the new construction, it seems safe and secure.
A few years ago, we walked out to the gannet colony. A great walk and very rewarding to see the gannets, although rather smelly and very noisy. The track is currently closed after the rockfall at the beginning of this year. A quick check online shows that the company conducting the tractor tours down the beach hopes to restart operations late October early November. Let’s hope, for their sake, it’s all sorted in time for the summer season.
A quick stop on the way out of town at the Pump Track dump station which also serves as a convenient freedom camping place. While I emptied the waste, Sarah got chatting to a couple who had been parked next to us in Taupo. Disturbingly they had been awakened both by the trains during the night. But also by someone trying to steal their bikes from the back of the caravan. Thankfully they had a decent chain holding them in place.
We hadn’t planned on staying in town long, in fact, we only really came here so that Sarah could visit the tree wholesaler. Like our previous visits, though we took advantage of the local cycle trails again, leaving thinking how lucky the locals are who live here.
We had to be back in Auckland for another of my mum’s hospital visits, but it’s always nice to escape Auckland, even if it’s only for a few days. Driving back to Taupo for the night to break the journey we were accompanied by a light dusting of snow almost the whole way once we had crossed that first significant hill out of Napier. It wasn’t snowing hard, but the drop in temperature was undoubtedly noticeable. Made us glad we have a decent heater on board.
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Te Awanga – A Popular Spot During the time we were in Taupo we were debating about going left or right. Left to Napier - Hastings or right to Whanganui.
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Having moved on from the camping area at Pahi and choosing not to visit the Kauri Museum at Matakohe we decided to take advantage of the deal the NZMCA has put together with a number of camping grounds and spend the night at Tinopai one of only three Camp Saver campgrounds in Northland with the others located at Poutu and Kai Iwi further west.
We have stayed here once before when taking the old Mitsubishi Canter on it’s farewell tour (after 16 years faithful service) before purchasing the Dethleffs Globetrotter we have these days. I couldn’t find a shot of it at Tinopai except for the one above showing part of the rear side window so the shot of the old motorhome was taken at Kellys Bay another really nice place to stay on the shores of this huge harbour.
We ended up parking in almost exactly the same place as last time. You can see the palm tree behind Mr Blobby in the photo. The only difference this time was that with the very mild autumn we have been having we were able to park on the grass whereas last time we had to park on the gravel to avoid the mud. I am not sure if Mr Blobby approved of this place as he usually looks outwards from the van so this is rather a rare shot of him actually looking at the camera.
Of course it wouldn’t be motorhoming without something going wrong and so it was with the water heater. We have an Alde system that operates both the hot water as well as the internal heater for the motorhome operated by the touch screen above. Sadly no matter which button we pushed or how many times we turned it on and off it failed to respond to any touch meaning no hot water and no heater on this trip.
It’s never just one thing that goes wrong though is it. Our fridge is meant to switch from gas to electricity once the motorhome is plugged into power but after I had stepped out of the van to do something I heard the gas firing up for the fridge when I was re-entering it. Turns out that it wasn’t switching over but thankfully the fridge still works otherwise we would be heading home. Double thankful that both of these are warranty items and we can have them sorted without cost to ourselves.
We decided that with the motorhome sort of settled or at least as good as we were going to get it that we would get the bikes out the rear and head off for an explore of the area. For those of you who know Tinopai you will know it’s not a very big place. In fact there are only 287 permanent residents (according to one of the locals we spoke to) so the ride from one end of the village to the other didn’t take long but it was a chance to blow the cobwebs out and have a bit of an explore.
At the point where you enter the village and next door to the camping ground is the small inlet that’s used as the local marina. Not sure if I approve of the low tide access but it looks like a safe place to park the boat. New to the area since our last visit was the marine rescue/fire station for which the local community successfully raised $200,000 towards the build. A very impressive effort in such a small place $673 per full time resident.
At the other end of the village is the wharf also rebuilt with donations from the local community with little brass plaques on many of the boards alongst it acknowledging who had paid for that plank of wood. Last time we visited we fished of the end of this wharf during high tide but you would just about have required a 10 kilo sinker when we visited mid tide with the current raging past the wharf. For those who don’t know the tidal rip in this harbour is the strongest in New Zealand and amongst the strongest in the world.
In between the two ends of the village as we explored the back streets we came across this garden with the numerous colourful pukeko’s. It can be really interesting what you can spot sometimes when you aren’t speeding past in the motorhome.
We returned to the motorhome to find the campground a little fuller. Last time we where here we were the only ones this time many more obvious proof that the camp saver scheme is working. Another pleasant surprise on our return we discovered someone had left a fresh snapper at the door. I checked with Bill another camper, he told me that one of the locals had come through the camp after catching more fish than they needed offering them around so he secured one for us. So many thanks to the unknown local. After my usual butchering job filleting it we had lovely snapper for dinner that night.
Talking about fishing you definitely would want to make sure you got the tides right as it’s a long way to the beach when the tide is out.
With the hot water out of action in the motorhome it was great to be able to have a good shower in the facilities provided by the campground, at $1 for a 5 minute shower (2 X 50C coins) the water pressure was good and steaming hot. The toilets whilst a little dated were clean tidy and well maintained. It’s a very quaint country campground and well worth the $20 invested for the nights stay.
The following day we drove up the road to visit some friends we have met through motorhoming John and Gaylene. John had offered that if we were ever in the area we could clean the motorhome at his place since we don’t have facilities to wash it where it’s stored, it was well overdue for a clean. So while Sarah and Gaylene had a good catch up John and I got stuck into giving the van a much needed wash.
John and Gaylene were actually due to hit the road that morning but had stuck around to help us get the van sorted so many thanks for your assistance John it looks so much better now and I hope the fish are biting wherever you are currently parked!
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Tinopai $20 Well Spent Having moved on from the camping area at Pahi and choosing not to visit the Kauri Museum at Matakohe we decided to take advantage of the deal the NZMCA has put together with a number of camping grounds and spend the night at Tinopai one of only three Camp Saver campgrounds in Northland with the others located at Poutu and Kai Iwi further west.
#campervan holiday New Zealand#Motorhome Blog New Zealand#motorhome fishing trip#Motorhome Holiday New Zealand#Motorhome Touring Blog#Northland#NZMCA Camps
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Three times now we have stayed at the freedom camping area, Ramp Road, on the Karikari Peninsula and each time we have heard other campers talk of the spot on the other side of the peninsula at Rangiputa as also being a great place to stay. So when it was suggested that we make the move there it wasn’t hard to say yes.
First a visit to the local dump station located outside the fire station at Whatuwhiwhi where for a $2 donation you can take advantage of the facilities and top up with water taken from a local bore. It’s not much to pay and it feels good to be able to support the local volunteer firefighters.
From there we decided to pop down to the recently opened NZMCA Park as it’s one of the few that we haven’t visited (we have 6 left to visit). According to the gentleman in the caravan there were 5 campers staying there the previous night. I must say that as it’s set back from the beach a couple of hundred metres and lacks the views that the freedom camping area at Ramp Road offers it’s hard to see us staying there. It does also appear from the ground that this is also rather flood prone so probably not such a great option during winter. The local area have sealed a driveway that leads to an elevated piece of ground so that will probably assist but I would certainly walk it first after heavy rain.
There is one really strange sign in the Park. Apparently the resource consent only allows for 50 vehicles movements each day (25 in and 25 out) Which makes me wonder if you are arriving late on a busy summers day how you know how many people have already come and gone before you.
So the word is that this place is not on any of the App’s and doesn’t show in the travel bible so it’s secret and don’t tell anyone about it. I think to myself that this will be great a nice quiet spot at the beach free from the masses. Adrian had asked us to stop at the fishing tackle store and pick up some more bait and while we were there we watched a large caravan turn down the road, Oh well plenty of space I am sure.
As we arrived at the the entrance to the camping area (a very narrow roadway) we saw the caravan pulled over on the side with the people having walked up to inspect the site first. Snooze and you lose turns out it’s not so secret with almost every space taken in fact there was only one space left that a motorhome of our size could squeeze into. There is space here for a total of around 12 vans and with the caravan it’s fair to say it was full.
What made it even better is that although the spot we tucked ourselves into was one back from the water, once we got chatting to the people next to us it turned out that they were just leaving and so we moved over into the waterfront position.
The beach is just like you see in the postcards of old from tropical islands with white sand and blue water just a magic place. I am also pleased to report that after some effort the caravan also managed to find a place to park up, just not a very level one and one that wouldn’t have suited us but at least they had somewhere to stay.
I’ve always had a problem getting hats to fit (yes I have a large head) so I tend not to wear them but the sun had really played havoc with me and Sarah insisted that I wear one. The first day she gave me the old Bunnings hat she wears when we are fishing. As you can see one size really does not fit all! The following day our friends John and Gaylene lent me one of John’s hats a much better fit. Will have to go and buy one of these.
Not long after getting settled in it was back to Puheke Beach to get the kontiki back out and collect another batch of pipi’s to share at happy hour. As you can see we obtained a decent haul of snapper, with a couple of quite decent fish. We had a bit of fun actually getting the line back in though as it was heavily coated with seaweed. Making it too heavy for the motorised reel with Adrian and myself grabbing the line to walk it up the beach, quite the effort.
Rangiputa is famous for it’s sunsets and so it was to be again that night with what was just an amazing display of colours.
The following morning we went for a wander to explore the area. Close to the entrance of the freedom camping spot there is a reserve named after local identity Dave Wilkinson. We found Dave in his enormous garden next to the reserve where he grows such exotic things as pineapples and bananas, as well as all the usual things you would find in a garden.
Dave has spent a lifetime here planting and looking after the local reserve areas including installing picnic tables along the waterfront. He is strongly in favour of controlled freedom camping here believing that the beauty of the area should be available for all.
At the top of the hill above the beach we took the above shot where you can just see our motorhome (closest to the hill). Had we not talked to Dave we wouldn’t have known that there is also a rather pleasant short walk down the hill here through the bush.
We spent a very pleasant evening that night enjoying yet another bite of John’s smoked fish with a feed of pipi’s to go with it. I didn’t take any photos of the happy hour (other than the fish) but we were joined by some of the other campers were a discussion was held about this beautiful place. I was again reminded that this was a secret place and shouldn’t be sharing about it on my blog. I then reminded all of them that others have written about this already and if it was so secret why was it so full here!
There aren’t that many places where there is a sign at the entrance to the area telling you to “relax you are at the beach” and nothing sums up this place better than that so Sssh don’t tell anyone!!!
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Sssh Don’t Tell Anyone! Three times now we have stayed at the freedom camping area, Ramp Road, on the Karikari Peninsula and each time we have heard other campers talk of the spot on the other side of the peninsula at Rangiputa as also being a great place to stay.
#campervan holiday New Zealand#Fishing#Freedom camping#Motorhome Blog New Zealand#Motorhome Holiday New Zealand#Northland
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Some places in the world like Australia they treat a 5 hour drive like you are visiting your neighbours. It’s not like that here but sometimes a journey of this magnitude is worth taking when you know that at the end the place and the people make the journey worthwhile. So it was when we were summoned back to the far north to spend some recovery time with a couple of good motorhome mates.
Still suffering from the effects of the chest biopsy I had been back to visit the surgeon at Auckland hospital to be told that they had to remove parts of my rib cartilage to get to the suspect lymph node and that I should have been told that pain may continue for another couple of months. I did mention that he was the one who signed my discharge notes, but in one ear and out the other.
From left to right John and Gaylene, Adrian and Sally and Chalky.
Waiting for us in the far north are friends Adrian and Sally together with John and Gaylene and Chalky on his own. John was still recovering from a triple bypass so between us we decided that this trip would be the recovery ward. Not knowing at this stage that there were a couple of injuries still to come.
On a brighter note Adrian had promised us that this visit was all about slaughtering some fine snapper with the Predator (kontiki) he had acquired last year. With the wind blowing onshore on the Ramp Road side of the Karikari Peninsula we decided to head over to the Pouheke Reserve on the otherside. To shelter from the wind and launch the kontiki in friendlier conditions.
This beach is a long stretch of white silica sand that was almost deserted allowing us the freedom to choose our fishing spot. Whilst Adrian and Sally got things ready I wandered down to the water, with the water washing the sand from under my feet I could feel shellfish underneath. A quick check with the hand revealed pipi’s everywhere.
With the line into the water it was time to collect some shellfish and within minutes we had enough for a good feed but well under the quota of 150 per person although it would have been easy to achieve that. 90 minutes later it was time to wind in the kontiki, the line certainly felt heavy and with 8 decent snapper coming back it was an excellent result.
As I mentioned earlier this trip was also about injuries and with Adrian set to dispatch the fish and fillet them he picked up the knife only to fillet the end of his thumb instead. A really nasty cut. Fish filleting and I have never gone together particularly well, I can do it, just not very well. So when Chalky volunteered to take over from Adrian I wasn’t going to stop him. Fresh snapper for dinner that night very tasty.
Chalky had offered to cook the pipi’s for happy hour borrowing a heavy large pot of Sally who rolled her ankle getting it out of the cupboard. She managed to put up with the pain for almost 2 days before Adrian took her into Kaitaia to get it checked out. Although not broken it was badly sprained and a moon boot was in order.
It was at this point during the happy hour discussions that we decided this really was the recovery ward. Me from the biopsy, John from his triple bypass and Adrian and Sally from the injuries sustained here. Although I must say that with the fresh smoked snapper (thanks John) fresh cooked pipi’s and glass or three at happy hour and we all started to feel better.
Someone who was also feeling better after his big adventure the previous week was our 20 year old cat Mr Blobby who was accompanying us on his first ever motorhome trip. It must have been the sea air as he barely made a sound the whole trip whereas he is really vocal at home these days. Given his aged state and the fact he can no longer manage more than a slow walk it was nice to be able to let him out for a stroll although he seemed much more interested in getting back in the van and going back to sleep rather than getting out.
I’ve written a blog previously about people and the lengths they go to catching fish so it was really interesting to see someone use a drone close up for the first time. Larry, who has only recently started life on the road used to use his drone for photography. He has since discovered that you can buy an attachment that would take his fishing line out. Using an electric reel that measures line distance he is able to see how far out the line is and then remotely drop it. This small drone will take up to 8 hooks although Larry only uses 4 and when wound in 45 minutes later dinner was on the other end of the line with a decent snapper.
As part of my own recovery we went walking through the dunes behind the beach every day a really pleasant place for a stroll. It was amazing to see the huge piles of shells in various places a testimony to the abundant sealife in the area.
Even though we only spent a few days here before moving onto the next place it’s amazing how quickly a place like this can recharge your batteries making you feel ready to take on the world again. It’s just amazing what good company, great weather, fresh fish and a beautiful place can do making the perfect recovery ward, even if it is outdoors.
One good initiative from the local council is they have set up patrols to police the freedom camping here. The people in the tent behind our van arrived at midnight so only got moved on in the morning but the rangers were turning up 2 or 3 times a day a physically checking that all CSC vehicles actually were. They went so far as to actually ask to see the toilet in the van if there was any doubt. If the toilet was still wrapped or in the box it was either make it useable or leave.
Whilst I agree that this sort of patrol should help the native fauna from being used as the local toilet I do feel rather sorry for the people in the tent who had only been in the country 2 days as if they are driven from places like this where there is actually a toilet that they can use what chance do they have of experiencing the real New Zealand without staying at overpriced campgrounds. An area set aside close to the toilets in a place like this would surely benefit all without putting to much pressure on local resources. (just my personal opinion)
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The Recovery Ward. (Or getting better in the motorhome.) Some places in the world like Australia they treat a 5 hour drive like you are visiting your neighbours. 1,223 more words
#campervan holiday New Zealand#Doc camps#Fishing#Freedom camping#Living in your motorhome#Motorhome Blog New Zealand#Motorhome Holiday New Zealand#Northland
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