Waiau with Ann and Salvi

 We have just had a fabulous 3 days with Ann and Salvi at the motorcamp in Waiau. It is a lovely camp and definitely worth going to. David and I were in the motorhome and A&S had a double room in what used to be workmen's quarters. The kitchen (where David and Salvi did all of the dishes), dining room and lounge were a really good size, the facilities were wonderfully clean, and the campgrounds were lovely - every powered site had a hedge in between. There was a children's play area including a trampoline. Lots of bench seat tables, and the staff were really friendly and helpful. We didn't try it, but the owner has a food truck cafe that is open Fri, Sat, Sun evenings.

David and I drove down from Kaikoura and were absolutely sure we had never been on the particular road before. Wrong! I have hunted through the blog but cannot find reference to it (not using a search function  - as advised by the IT Help Desk fundi on board ...) We know we must have been along the road because we remember calling in to Mt Lyford Lodge at some point. But not to worry.

The road was extremely interesting - we crossed large ranges and went down into deep but very open valleys with huge braided rivers. Just beautiful! And it was so intense that we didn't stop to take any photos, sorry! I understand that road was the one travelled by all traffic when SH1 was closed after the 2016 earthquake - those truckies are champs!

Ann and Salvi drove from Nelson so they had a journey of 5 hours. It was great to see them arrive. I had cooked dinner for us all so it was a big catch up time. Cards after dinner - 5 Crowns. Not sure who won but I do know it wasn't me!

On Saturday morning Ann and I went out for a walk together, re-establishing our 3 x a week walks that we usually do remotely. We just wandered around the streets following any turning that we felt like. 

The notice board (interp) outside the camp gates.

The Catholic Church was badly damaged in the 2016 earthquake - while the earthquake is known as the Kaikoura earthquake, its first large jolt was actually centred in Waiau. If you look closely, you can see the tower has lurched away from the rest of the building. Some of the shingles on the eaves of the large part of the building have fallen off. Amazingly, the stained glass windows are still intact.

 

A 1939 Plymouth beautifully restored. The guy in the cap found it in an old chook shed and has done the restoration himself. He has owned the car for about 30 years.

We found the Waiau Tavern and went in to find out about dinner - I had checked out the menu on their facebook page and it was impressive. So that decision was made!

Later in the morning we all went out walking and followed the Waiau Memorial Track - the town is little, but has great facilities and is well served by its local community groups who make the place really attractive. 

The interp Ann is studying in the photo below. She had to take the photo for me because she is tall and statuesque and can take the photos from a higher altitude!

 

It was warm after the walk up the hill, so jerseys around the waist were the go! Ann is reading the interp about the war memorial. The ball and the bell-shaped plinth it is on both fell off during the 2016 quake.

The ubiquitous war memorial. We noticed that there were several names common to both world wars - fathers/uncles and sons/nephews. Such a huge waste and enormous sorrow.

The view over the town to the ranges beyond. This plain is surrounded by mountains and has its own little microclimate.

I'm not sure why they needed a sit down when we had come down the hill!! The tennis club is well maintained and is also used for netball.

Ann and David and I stopped at a gate where 3 dogs came racing up barking hello. Their owner came out and said they were probably protecting the 4 foxy/jack russell puppies inside. So we arranged to go back and see the puppies on our way out to dinner. Heart melting moment - fortunately they were all spoken for or I am sure we would have been talking one home ...

Aren't they just beautiful?

Nana naps in the afternoon, if I remember correctly, then out for dinner at the Waiau Tavern. Dinner was yum. 

The tavern is in a prefab building on the grounds next to the wreckage of the old historic Waiau Hotel that was badly damaged in the 2016 earthquake (a bit of a theme here for the old stone and concrete buildings), and as the owner was deciding about renovating and restoring it, it burned down - arson is suspected but not proven. The owner says she is fairly sure she knows who did it, but as it cannot be proven, there is nothing to be done.

Michelle runs a good bar and her food is good, and all cooked in a very small kitchen. So it was a bonus for us that we were the only diners that early on a Saturday evening. Best chips I have had for some time, I have to say!

David's blue cod burger and Salvi's seafood platter. Ann and I both had burgers -blue cod for me and chicken for Ann. Just yummy. The woman who runs the Waiau Tavern was inordinately grateful that we had come for dinner.

 Dinner was followed by Memphis Meltdown chocolate-covered icecreams from the dairy. I yelled in the door for David to put his mask on, and then I very cheekily ordered two young men out of the dairy as they weren't wearing masks - they sheepishly but graciously went and got them from their truck. It is amazing what being short, grey haired, and loud with a laugh-y voice allows a person to get away with...

I carried my Memphis Meltdown home to the freezer - I knew that if I had eaten it then I would have repeated my Paekakariki VVV experience which was not a desired outcome...

However when I woke up the next morning at 5.30am, I ate it then. A Gooey Caramel Memphis Meltdown is just the thing for a pre-breakfast snack, I find!

Breakfast outside in the sunshine on Sunday.

See that cloudless blue sky, and David's hat on already? Tamarillos, yoghurt and home made muesli for Ann and me, toast for David and Salvi. Of course Ann and I had toast afterwards!

 Then the Riverside walk which finished up with yet another Memphis Meltdown - 2 in one day for me, but Ann and Salvi were only on their first that day and David was abstemious - such a goody two shoes.

VERY APT, I RECKON!!!

 

OK, which way should we be going?

The road bridge out of town towards Hanmer Springs. You can get some idea of the scale of the river bed from down there - but not its full range.

Yet another decision point ...

Under the bridge

Cards, sparkling rose and sparkling grape juice under the awning, followed by another nana nap.

Dealing the cards was a test for Salvi and me because we had been drinking rose. Avoiding those gaps between planks was tricky ...

My hand on Queens, the penultimate round - I was out after one card drawn, if I remember correctly. Much howling and swearing from the others but I still didn't win the game, dammit!

 

Cards after dinner too - we had started playing Up and Down the River this time as a change from 5 Crowns. As far as I remember, I didn't win any of those games either, dammit! We were all early to bed - even Ann who is notorious for staying up late.

Today we travelled together (convoy) to Hanmer Springs. 

The view upstream from the single lane bridge out of Waiau. The bridge is really really long and spans the whole of the braided riverbed. I did stop to take the photos, you'll be pleased to know.

We made a nostalgia stop off at Rotherham because Ann was born there in the maternity home which is now a private home. It is for sale currently, if you want to buy it. See the link here

We stopped in the main street and were going to walk there but Ann realised it was almost a kilometre down the highway. The guys wanted to walk, so Ann and I drove. Ann kindly went back to collect them - I would have done so but best that she did it in the car rather than my doing a U-turn on the main highway!

The house/former maternity home is down that long drive. We were not cheeky enough to ask if we could have a look around. Although I was tempted. However I knew David and Salvi would have had kittens if I'd suggested it ...

Beautifully scented roses at the gate

David and I are in a lovely large site at the Top10 Hanmer Springs - shaded by the trees, view of the mountains out the front windows, close to the facilities. 

Lunch was at The Fire and Ice cafe - very good food, and it was great that they had 2 vegetarian options on the lunch menu. I had the samosas and David had the blackbean burger. Ann and Salvi went all carnivorous of course: lamb salad and ribs ... Then, nortee nortee, David and I shared a warm chocolate brownie for dessert. Very delicious indeed!

Dinner was baked beans on sourdough toast back in the motorhome; and Ann and Salvi are back in Nelson now and their daughter Gina was cooking their dinner - probably something much more exciting! Note: Ann reported that she and Salvi weren't hungry so saved their dinner for the following day. They are much better behaved than we are obviously!