Akatarawa Valley Hill Road, Taking the Hard Way Home…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

At this point in our travel diary we are travelling south on New Zealand’s North Island east coast and have reached the town of Waikanae which is just opposite Kapiti Island.

Now there are several routes to Wellington and you know us… So why not pick the most difficult one?, one that takes us quite literally up hills, and down dales. Yep, sounds like us!

The Akatarawa Valley Hill Road is a narrow twisting route that’s not for the faint hearted, there are hairpin bends, I-think-I’d-rather-close-my-eyes-than-look steep drops and the road is stupidly narrow in many places so edging past an oncoming vehicle requires caution, nerves of steel and a stiff drink at the end of the trip.

After years of flat-as-a-pancake Dutch roads Himself adores this kind of driving so was in his element. Kiwi Daughter and I pressed hard on our anti-car sickness armbands and stared a little fixedly out of the front window.

The Akatarawa Valley Hill Road is the type of road that is weather dependant on being open. There’s a big sign to tell you if the road is currently open or closed and we were lucky that it was open. (or in the case of the carsick-prone-two, should that be unlucky?)

I probably wouldn’t recommend this road for a tourist type camper vehicle or a heavy loaded vehicle as many parts of the road are both narrow and steep, but if you are an experienced driver, have a suitable vehicle (our van is 4-wheel drive) like a route that’s well off the beaten track, then this one’s for you.

On the photo I snapped of our New Zealand map you will see Kapiti Island in the top left corner and the town of Waikanae on the mainland close to it. Now follow the yellow wiggly line that descends from Waikanae down the centre of the photo and comes out by Birchville, slightly north of Upper Hutt …That’s the yellow road we are following today!

There are a few black squares dotted along the length of the road… they are the farms, and apart for a few very small settlements habitations are few and far between.

We did stop for a breather near one of the summits where there was a clearing, the views were extensive and I’m not sure but can I even see the Pacific Ocean in the distance when I zoom in? I’m not one hundred percent certain but I think it might be.

The road begins innocently enough, let’s see what it’s like further in…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Are We There Yet?

Now we are back on the road heading down New Zealand’s North Island  east coast towards Wellington… some scenic photographs taken from the van at between 80-100 kms per hour to give you an idea of this stage of the  journey… (btw I said they were scenic, I didn’t say they were brilliant  LOL!)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

I’m a Bit Confused as to Where We Are, …But it’s Fun Anyway.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

It’s not usual for me, but this is the point in our New Zealand trip where I get rather geographically confused.

The camera numbers on these photos are later than the Foxton photos, I’m certain we went here after Foxton since we are travelling south, but when I looked at the map I found the name of this beach (Himatangi Beach) on the north side of Foxton!  Did we travel backwards unwittingly?

I think not, we certainly didn’t  go through Foxton twice (I mean you couldn’t miss the windmill and the murals could you?)

Probably what happened is that I  accidently mislabelled some photographs.  Oops.. sorry.

It was Himself who swung us out on a detour off the main road on this occasion:  it was overcast but hot, the air-co in the van was brilliant but all of a sudden he saw a sign leading to a beach and next minute the indicators were on and we were turning right down a side road with the kids cheering in the back seat.

Who am I to complain?  I’m all for an unexpected detour as long as it doesn’t involve steep cliffs and plunges into anything.

After a short rural stretch of road we go past rows and rows of typical Kiwi beach “Batches” (holiday homes), many with boat trailers and signs of summer holiday inhabitation and end up in a small car park at the very end of the road. There’s a take-a-way outfit with an attached small shop but that’s about it.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Kiwi Daughter takes my point-and-shoot camera to the beach and  I stay in the van and catch up on writing postcards.

The kids have fun playing in the sand and take  photos of their artwork to show me.

Kiwi Daughter’s consists of a life-sized portrait that she lays down next to for scale, Little Mr. just prints out his name several times in a row and then indulges himself in adding to the collection of sticks he wants us to carry around in the van.

Just in case anyone doesn’t recognise Kiwi Daughter from her portrait she helpfully labelled it “this is  me” and included an arrow  pointing to her sketch.

This is hardly necessary of course, isn’t it obvious that she’s the little Dutch girl?  I mean the portrait even comes with wooden shoes!

Meantime back at the van, a car draws into the car park with a funny little box hanging off the back tow-ball.

I wonder what on earth it is for and it’s not until they reverse and turn around later to leave that I see that it’s a dog box and that the other side consists of a mesh grill, behind which the cutest little doggy face is parked.  (…at that exact point in time I had a postcard in my hand and not a camera and as you can imagine postcard’s don’t  take photographs, so I missed snapping this lovely little canine face)

If you are wondering why the dog wasn’t travelling in the car, it may possibly be because it was a family with three large male teenagers in the back seat.  I dare say the dog had twice the leg-room they did.

After a good break and having given the kids some time to run off some energy we are ready to get back to the main road again.

(photograph © Kiwi Daughter)

(photograph © Kiwi Daughter)

(photograph © Kiwi Daughter)

(photograph © Kiwi Daughter)

(photograph © Himself)

(photograph © Kiwi Daughter)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

The Sign Says It All (…Whatever That Is!)

Ok, Now we are just a few kilometres from the location in my last post.  I grab two shots of signs within a few minutes of each other. The first photograph is a the “standard” road sign for bicycles… but the second road sign?

Is it a motorbike? Are there possibly bumps in the road ahead and this is a warning that riders may be thrown clean off their seats and into the air?  Might it advertise an unusual race between man and machine?  Or is the cycleway dual purpose and doubles as a jogging track?

I have no clue what this second sign means…  does anyone else have any ideas?

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

 

Children! …Run Through Here! (Or Maybe Not!)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

We have travelled a decent distance from Foxton,  and Little Mr. suddenly decides that he needs an urgent  pee-pee stop.

Whilst Himself helps him negotiate a good spot in the bushes that meets with Little Mr’s approval as far as privacy from passing traffic is concerned, I spy something in the next paddock that makes me laugh.

Clearly, if you had a bird’s eye view  it would be clear that there is a fenced path behind the paddock , but from this angle it looks all too much like the Bull has an open invitation for children to visit  and is waiting so that he can chase them.

Of course it’s safe for children to use the path, but from this angle it just looks wrong on too many levels.

Needless to say, Himself and Little Mr steered well clear of this paddock when looking for a suitable place to take care of natures call.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Paying My Respects to the 28th Maori Battalion.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Directly next to the Tram Station Café in Foxton is a little room that serves as a memorial to New Zealand’s 28th Maori Battalion .

The Battalion has it’s own website that shows many photographs and tells the story of their fighting efforts:

http://www.28maoribattalion.org.nz/
.

I followed the interactive map on the site and whilst I knew that the Maori Battalion had seen active service in Italy and Greece, I was unaware that they had also been active in the Middle East and North Africa, in an area that stretched from Syria to Tebaga Gap in Tunisia.

I see at there are many New Zealand War Graves in Italy and found this site to be so moving that one day when we visit Italy I would like to incorporate a visit to at least one of these grave sites to pay my respects.

Having had members of my Dutch family caught up and  involved in the Second World War,  I have an idea of how hard it must be for many families who’s friends and loved ones lie buried in a county far away on the other side of the world.

Even after all these years, actually especially  after all these years, we should show respect for the freedom they gave their lives to give us and show that we have firstly: not forgotten them, and secondly: that we appreciate their efforts.

I live a half day’s drive away from the fields of Flanders, so aim to visit graves there too in the future.

In the meantime I am reminded of everything that the Maori Battalion (and all Kiwi’s in the Armed Services) have done as I read some of the newspaper clippings and gaze at the faces in  the photographs.  I like that all of  this is accessible to the public ad very much enjoy my time looking around.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Hey! …Look What I Found Hiding Out the Back!!!

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

If you look a little bit closer in yesterday’s series of post about the Tram Station Café you may have noticed that there is something hiding out the back.

Well, hiding in plain sight that is, but once it got my attention it really grabbed my attention.. and my children were not too far behind me in the excitement of the discovery.

There’s a real  TRAM  on the other side of this café, and when she saw us pressed up to the glass looking in glee, the lady behind the counter came out and assured us that we were welcome to open the partition doors in the wall and go inside the next room for a closer look. In fact we could even get on board!

At this news both Kiwi Daughter and Little Mr were bouncing like Tigger in their enthusiasm to get on board, so I needed to remind them that it was a beautiful antique vehicle and not a playground fixture so please calm down a little. The space between the wall and the Tram was rather small so it was difficult to get photographs of the tram in it’s entirety, and the steps up were not for me today on crutches so I made do with shots within reach.

However there were some display photographs of the tram out and about in the town, and it fascinated us that unlike our electric trams at home, that this one runs on wheels and is horse drawn. The only disappointment about this fabulous find is that we don’t get to see it with horses hitched up and running. Still, even just looking at it here,  it’s hard to prise my children out of the carriage.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Tram Station Café: Great Food, the Egg and Bacon Pie is Recommended!

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

You are flicking though the pages of my retro tour of New Zealand:   you know me, …can’t let any detail slip by, so the pages of this trip have bulked up with all the sights, sounds, and tastes of our trip.  Luckily it’s all electronic because if this were all on paper a small rainforest would be suffering.

Speaking of tastes… Most of  family Kiwidutch are now experiencing stomach rumbles so we look around or lunch.

Actually it doesn’t take long because whilst I was dawdling at the back, bewitched by the amazing artworks, Himself and the kids had found the café on the other side of the courtyard from the entrance of  Foxton’s windmill and made themselves comfortable sorting out their menu choices.

It’s called the Tram Station Café and the food looks excellent.

My slice of bacon and egg pie looks (and tastes)  amazing and the kids demolish their toasted sandwiches. Most members of my family are fully trained by now in the gentle art of “you may eat as soon as your food has been photographed by your demented Foodie Mama for her Blog”, but on this occasion Little Mr. lacks both willpower and motivation to keep his grubby little paws off his toasted sandwich during the photography session.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(Sigh) Yes, his hands are still that dirty after  the hand wash! I suppose it’s testament to his immune system that he’s so very rarely sick.

As a concession in obtaining at least half a photo, I agree to take a photo of a very curly piece of dried grass that he’s taken a shine to and declared that it is “ so beautiful that he wants to keep it  forever!”

Unluckily for him it got sucked out of the van in a good gust of wind when we stopped down a coast at a beach a little while later and his love for it can’t have run too deep because he didn’t even mourn it’s loss for a single second.

Himself opts for coffee only,  since he stocked up on the bacon and eggs back in Wanganui at breakfast time.

The weather might look overcast and dull but don’t be deceived , it’s a very hot day today and we decide to eat al fresco  under a parasol at one of the outdoor tables. There are just enough puffs of wind to make it perfectly comfortable.  Let’s dine!

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Foxton Gets it’s Glamour Paint On AGAIN!

There’s a small clue in one of the photographs of yesterday’s post as to what we found around the corner as we came out of the Foxton Windmill… even this town full of murals has time to run a Mural Festival! Since the festival had recently ended, many of the ‘exhibition” spaces where mural had hung were now empty,  returned to artists or sold to buyers, but there are enough left over for me to investigate further.

Therefore yet another  arty post!!!  Who would have suspected that this rural stretch of coastal highway would boast such a massive percentage of creative talent!? Enjoy!

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Surely We MUST Be Seeing Things!….

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Family Kiwidutch were driving down the main street of Foxton, when all of a sudden Himself starts to laugh.

I’m taking photos out of the front window but was distracted by the general view so didn’t  at first see what he had seen: a strange but familiar spike-like shape behind the chemist shop on the right hand side of the street.

I keep clicking as we advance, unaware until I saw the photos on the computer screen why Himself was laughing so hard, until the van reached a point where the  object of Himself’s mirth was simply unmissable: there’s a massive windmill right in the heart of  this small New Zealand town!

For Dutch people to find something like this so far from The Netherlands is a little surreal… did we really  sit on a plane for twenty-four hours to see something so kitchly Dutch staring at us in the New Zealand landscape? Apparently so… the whole family are now laughing as we pull into a side street and then a car parking area next door so that we can take  a closer look.

Sure enough, it’s a real windmill… and totally Dutch in a rather over-the-top kind of way.

The sign on the door says “de Molen” ( the mill) and inside there is a small shop that sells an array of Dutch sweets, baked goods and a few general Dutch groceries as well as flour milled by this, a working  flour mill. There is some blue and white porcelain and rather touristic figurines of the Dutch boy and girl kissing (does anyone actually ever  buy these?) and books on wooden shoes and windmills.

Himself and I joke about buying relatives some of the items for sale…  but decide that would just be a little too weird, so  instead ask the lady behind the counter  questions about how this rather severely transplanted windmill  came to be so far from home.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

We learn that the Mill’s first stone was laid in 2000 but it was officially opened in 2003. That said, planning, fundraising and construction had been taking place over the ten years prior to this.

There were some local émigré Dutchmen who had this idea on their wishlist for many years, since they felt like it would be a good tourist attraction for the town and because the area of drained and stop-banked pasture land just down the road  reminded them strongly of the drained and dyked polders they had left behind in their homeland.

It’s possible to go upstairs and see the working parts of the mills, but the kids are getting restless and hungry.

Himself doesn’t think it’s a good idea to let Little Mr. see it because he’s terrible at listening and can’t keep his fingers off machinery, and I have no intention of negotiating stairs on crutches of the type I know are found in windmills. We have fun looking around and can’t stop smiling at just how ludicrous this feels, but mind you, it does bring in tourists!

The biggest laugh of them all came when we were on our way out of the door and came face to face with a Dutch couple coming in!  They were speaking Dutch as they arrived and were rather taken aback when we started speaking to them in Dutch as well (greetings).

A quick chat revealed that they were a retired couple who were combining a tour of  New Zealand with visits to  relatives who had emigrated in the 1960′s and that they too were so taken aback by the presence of a windmill here, that like us they pulled over to investigate.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)