Alexandra again

 On our previous stay in Alexandra a week or so prior, I had made an arrangement to meet up with Allanah, a lovely woman I worked with at DOC in Hokitika. Allanah and I were the scone team: Allanah made lemondade scones and I made cheese ones. The staffroom was always full on those days...

So we planned two more nights in Alex on our way down to Frankton/Queenstown and Te Anau.

We decided (well, probably it was me) that it was time for a night in a motel, so we booked a studio unit the Alexandra Heights Motel, which is on the main street and handy to everything - whereas the motorcamp was a fair hike out of town.

Allanah and I caught up at a local coffee shop and it was so lovely to see her. And while we were doing that David was on dinner duty - chopping onions and mushrooms and sauteing them, so we could finish the prep of a sauce with coconut milk, soy sauce and veg stock powder. Easy, quick, served with rice this time as I couldn't find any pasta in the mh pantry - what's that about? It needs to go on the shopping list!

It was lovely in the motel to have a bit more room and not be restricted to short showers as we are in the motorhome. And the bed felt enormous! Only queen sized but much bigger than in the mh. We still brought some cooking implements inside from our cupboards because we are better equipped than most motels - not surprising as people tend to eat out rather than cook from scratch in motels.

The next day we drove to The Shaky Bridge which I was determined to walk across this time - when we were here on a trip back in 2001, I just couldn't do it. But since then I have walked the swing bridges at the Hokitika Gorge. However I knew the guys who built them, my fabulous colleagues from DOC. But this one, I didn't know who had done it, and again my legs just said no. I felt really useless, but chastising myself didn't help.

Instead I chatted with an Australian couple over here on holiday. We exchanged addresses because it'll be lovely if they come to visit when they make their way to the North Island on their next NZ holiday. Leonie and Trevor live in Yarrawonga in Victoria. They showed me a photo of the view from their deck - it looks beautiful.

After the abortive Shaky Bridge visit we decided to head for the Park Over Property (POP) that I had found in the NZMCA app - it gets great reviews. We thought we'd empty the cassette at at the local dump station but firstly we couldn't find it and then there was a queue... Then we tried to fill with diesel at the self service pumps - I was too slow getting the fair distance from the prepay kiosk back to the pump. Bugger. So we left it for another day...

Then out to the POP. We had parked up and David had gone to register and came back and reminded me we hadn't got any cash ... So I left him there sitting in the sunshine while I drove back in to town to the supermarket for a cash-back to pay a donation - when I returned, I read the notice and we could have donated online ...  But I had bought treats for lunch, so it wasn't a wasted trip! Sushi, lamingtons and chocolate mousse. What's to regret about that!?

Lunching in the sunshine at the POP

This is Peter's mh in the sunshine, before Geoff and Ricky arrived.

I don't know what this is but the berries are a radiant orange. Probably intensely poisonous...

 

In the early afternoon a couple arrived and the guy expertly reversed their caravan a few metres over from us - I was very impressed and told him so. I am always impressed with people who can reverse caravans, trailers, boats on trailers and trucks with trailers - it is a skill that has evaded me!

After they were set up, the same man came around the back of their caravan and said 'Happy hour at 4.30?' Yes, I said. But by about 3.45pm I was ready, so I went over and said how about now? And I invited the guy next door to them as well. 

So happy hour started early and continued on until pretty late - and it was non-stop laughter and fun. Geoff and Peter came in for just a wee bit of a hard time. But seriously, they did leave themselves wide open for teasing. 

We all went inside after (well after) it had got cold, and the sun had gone in. Geoff and Ricky went off to BBQ their dinner - Ricky, as a good woman, was going to prep potatoes and squash, and Geoff was on the chicken. Peter was having leftovers. David and I had had nibbles during the happy hour session and sushi and lamingtons for lunch, so we didn't need dinner.

Peter's wife Barb was away for a bit, so he was on a mission to put away the stuff he had got out of the garage - replacing it wasn't the issue; it was doing it tidily and in an order that things could be found easily. He wasn't sure he'd succeed but had a few days to get it done...

5 Crowns - I lost, convincingly!

Geoff and Ricky's rig in the morning fog - it burned off but it was chilly! G&R are living in their caravan at the moment. We discussed size of living quarters and they had chosen this one deliberately because of space. I know we would never cope living long-term in the mh. We were fine in the boat which had 45 feet of internal space with a separate galley, dining area, bedroom and saloon. But about 21 feet all in one bedsit is definitely not enough! Peter and Barb are in their motorhome for about a year, IIRC; however they are interspersing it with housesitting. That would be a good break. David and I are doing the occasional motel night to be able to spread out a bit and break the state of squash!

In the morning, there was a lot of chat and laughter before Peter headed away - he and Ricky and Geoff were meeting up at the pub somewhere for lunch - all biking. And I think they were intending to stay at the POP again that night.

We had to get to Frankton; but first: shirt shopping! There is a lovely clothes shop in Alexandra which I had walked past on my way to coffee with Allanah. She vouched for it. So that's where we headed. Having declared that only a cheap shirt was required, David ended up with 2 rather costly shirts and a possum and merino jersey. I had 4 pairs of socks and a pair of sandals. So we did our best to support the Alexandra economy, didn't we?

Advertising crocs ... David remembers Lesley wearing a large pair of clogs at the tulip gardens at Keukenhof, outside of Amsterdam. I am sure we have a photo somewhere ...

Our drive from Alexandra to Frankton was pretty interesting - not the most relaxing drive, I have to say. But certainly spectacular.

We stopped at Roaring Meg - a few people were a bit anxious as I reversed into this parking space...

Interp re Roaring Mefg

When I was doing the MacKenzie Country piece of work a few years back, one of the things that was of concern and needed to be addressed was wilding pines. The windborne seeds of a variety of non-native plants are a problem even here in this inhospitable terrain.

A little power station at Roaring Meg

Arriving in Frankton was a revelation - this area has grown so fast. Not a place to buy a home unless you have heaps of money. But the Driftaway Holiday Park is great. It's not cheap, but the sites are lovely with wonderful views and the amenities are really swish. One thing I loved was that the laundry facilities operate by eftpos only - no coins! Yay!!

The view in the daylight. Later that afternoon there were more campers and motorhomes parked down in front of us. Around that headland and to the right is Queenstown. Accessible by car, bus or boat.

Our view from the Frankton site in the evening - beautiful place.