Tapawera

We decided to spend a night at 'Settle Campgrounds" in Tapawera. It's within walking distance to the township (2 minutes) and also a minute's walk to the river. We parked in the front area as the sites down the back are for smaller campers.
One of the reasons for staying away for a night was to set up the dog enclosure and check whether it actually worked. Success! It did! Plus we strung solar lights along the top so we could see the fence at night (and because I'm a sucker for fairy lights!).
The new fridge worked a treat. It got everything to temperature quickly (in fact it was so efficient Bernie had to adjust the cooling temp). We were really happy with it and it didn't draw much from the solar power.
Unfortunately, again, we had a few problems.The water suddenly stopped working. It seemed as though there was an air lock in it as when we turned on the tap, it coughed and spluttered until eventually nothing came out. Bernie checked the obvious ... yes, the fresh water tank was full, the valve was in the correct position and the water pump was switched on. Still nothing! Then, the T.V. failed, it indicated it was unprogramed. Funny, as it was working well last time. Saying we were frustrated is an understatement! So we packed up early (no point staying without water) and headed home. The last thing that failed was the satellite dish which refused to come down, so we had to drive home with it up.
To cut a long story short, we couldn't find any plumber or motorhome repair people willing to look at it. We contacted Heartland's in America and they didn't hesitate in sending us another three way valve. In fact when the package arrived they had included an extra valve, no charge.
Bernie put it on and just like that all was good again. Then the T.V. repair man came out and fixed the T.V. Everything just like new again. Phew!
Overall, we decided it wasn't a complete disaster of a weekend. These are teething problems that are happening before we are full time on the road and we have the luxury of being able to come home and stay in our house while waiting for things to get fixed. It's also taught us to go with the flow. What's the point of stressing over something that will get fixed eventually. Apparently life is all about different types of hurdles and how to respond to them.

All set up and dogs fully enclosed.

Looking down on Tadmore Valley Road from the start of the bush walk.

The sweet fragrance of hops filled the air.

A farm tractor in it's place of retirement.

Okay enjoying a walk beside the river.

Tapawera Trials

We have a few things to try out. The fridge. The truck. And the dog enclosure.

When we stayed at Tapawera for the ‘Music in the Mountains’ rally, we both agreed, it was a nice little village. Plus, being close to Nelson is a bonus. So, we chose Tapawera as the destination to test out some things.

Firstly, the fridge:

What is it like on solar power?

How long does it take to cool and freeze food items?

Is it noisy?

Secondly, the truck:

How was the temperature when towing the rig over the hills?
How well is it starting?

And thirdly, the dog enclosure:

How easy was it to put up?

How long did it take?

What is the new gate like to use?

Also … I’m about to do my first interview on a couple in Tapawera, for an article I’m writing. So, for me, I’ll be trialling my interviewing skills!

Music In The Mountains

Friday afternoon rolled around and the truck was ready to pick up. Heslops hadn't found the source of the problem but they had tinkered with a few things and taken it for a test drive. All seemed to be running smoothly. Phew!
We hitched the rig up and drove off to our very first rally, "Music in the Mountains". It's an annual event held by the NZMCA at Tapawera school. We were impressed with how organised everything was. All vehicles were parked in rows with enough space to manouvere out if needed. By 6 o'clock we were parked up, enjoying a meal that was waiting for us (thanks to Amanda, Paul, Graeme and Rob).
After dinner, we collected our chairs and set off to sit and enjoy the first performers. They were a band from the North Island called 'Legal Tender'.
The next day, Bernie wanted to fix some things on the truck, so I went for a walk around Tapawera Village. It's such a cute town and the locals obviously take pride in their properties. I came across a sign for the 'Shedwood' bush walk. I followed the directions, which led me across a paddock and into native bush. The track led uphill for 20 minutes, I had the company of a couple of black fantails who were too quick for me to photograph. After an hour I was back walking along the main road of Tapawera, where I visited an art exhibition displaying local artwork.
We had lunch at the rig and Steve called in to visit. After a shared dinner with Amanda, Paul, Rob and Graeme, we grabbed our chairs to listen to Suzanne Prentice. Although it wasn't our sort of music, she was a great performer and it was an enjoyable night.
We decided to leave on Sunday so I could spend the next day getting ready for the new term. The 'Gypsy Pickers' were playing on Sunday night, but as they are a Nelson band we thought we'd have another opportunity to listen to them during the year.
So Sunday morning started with a cooked breakfast (thanks Bernie). Then we went for a walk to check out the dump station to make sure we could get in. When we got back, some friends of Bernie's from Westport (John Lee & his wife) called to say hi and to check out the rig. After they left we visited a couple in the van beside us,Geoff & Carron Stevenson (who are members of 'Motorhoming with Pets'). It was great to meet up, Carron is taking a writers course and has had several articles published already. That's exactly what I want to do this year, learn how to write for a magazine. Just as we were leaving Colin Smith arrived along with his poodle, it was nice having a brief chat with him. Then we hitched up, and arrived back in Richmond mid afternoon. The truck went well...the perfect end to a wonderful weekend.

Dinner on our first night.

'Legal Tender'

A little 'sober driver taxi' available.

'Shedwood Bushwalk"

Lots of cicadas to be heard.

The white patch to the left is Tapawera school where the rally was held.

There were 507 cameprvans and caravans at the rally.

Suzanne Prentice

False Start

On Thursday we packed up the rig and headed to Tapawera to experience our first Motorhome Rally. We both had to work on Friday, so the plan was to take the rig to Tapawera, set it up, then drive the 4 wheel drive back to Nelson and go to the rally the next day. Amanda and Paul were holding a spot for us beside their rig.
Unfortunately, fifteen minutes down the road, at Spring Grove, the truck lost power and stopped! Fortunately we were close to the Spring Grove garage so we restarted the truck and limped it into their yard (they were closed!).
We called Heslops and they sent an after hours person out to connect the truck to their computer to find the problem. They couldn't find anything so suggested we carry on incase it was a 'one off'. The Heslop's guy said he'd follow us to the top of the Spooners Range. We didn't get that far though. On the south side of Wakefield, the truck coughed, and lost power again!
So we had to turn it around and take it back to Richmond, where we parked the rig up and then dropped the truck off at Heslops for them to look at it again the next day.

Leaving Richmond

Parked at Spring Grove garage waiting for Heslops to arrive.

Heslops to the rescue.