Thursday 14th & Friday 15th December: Raglan & Napier
Never be put off by first impressions, how I should have heeded my own thoughts. I had the first impression that Raglan was a bit of "a one horse town" and I am sad to admit this. We stayed here for a second night, giving us the opportunity to enjoy all that is on offer here for one full day and a second night.
After a lazy morning on the site, we walked over the estuary's foot bridge where children were jumping off and into the freezing water below. Children and parents were busy on the beaches black sand, school summer holidays for the children had just begun.
Raglan, is a quaint and to quote the Supermarket employee: "A town run by the town for the town". The vast, if not all, the majority of shops are independent: shoe maker, dressmaker, artisan crafts, tiny bakery and Radio station, to name a few. We had a humorous encounter at a general stores where we were looking to purchase a postal tube. The shop was full to bursting with all manner of random stock; jigsaws, random glass, knitting wool, gift cards, board games and to be polite stuff that looked like it had come from a house clearance. The proprietor wasn't the most genial urging us to "put our money down so she could see it".
After a great day we headed back to the site to make our evening meal in the site's communal kitchen. Watching folk arrive on site we found to be good spectator sport - none more so than the couple who were trying to decide which way to park their camper van according to the sunrise and sunset. Also the Chinese group of around 14 who pitched in a big rectangle with a communal kitchen/eating area in the middle.
On the Friday we were up by 7.30am and away by 9.15 for our drive to Napier. This proved to be a long journey passing snow capped mountains in the distance, dense areas of trees, cattle and Agapanthus - growing as prolific as stubborn weeds. We journeyed on and arrived at some ex-neighbours who had emigrated to Napier around 6 years ago - our overnight stop.
Our overnight visit proved to be brief, but action packed. We were welcomed with open arms and seemed to have much to catch up on. We were immediately invited to a "New Neighbour" party where we freely chatted with a handful of immediate neighbours two of whom had emigrated some years ago from Leicester. The host, a lively lady spends 6 months in Napier and 6 months in Toronto. Magic, we thought, never having a Winter!!
We learned that all the houses are set on a uniform 1/4Acre land.
A fabulous welcoming evening - all too short,.
After a lazy morning on the site, we walked over the estuary's foot bridge where children were jumping off and into the freezing water below. Children and parents were busy on the beaches black sand, school summer holidays for the children had just begun.
Raglan, is a quaint and to quote the Supermarket employee: "A town run by the town for the town". The vast, if not all, the majority of shops are independent: shoe maker, dressmaker, artisan crafts, tiny bakery and Radio station, to name a few. We had a humorous encounter at a general stores where we were looking to purchase a postal tube. The shop was full to bursting with all manner of random stock; jigsaws, random glass, knitting wool, gift cards, board games and to be polite stuff that looked like it had come from a house clearance. The proprietor wasn't the most genial urging us to "put our money down so she could see it".
After a great day we headed back to the site to make our evening meal in the site's communal kitchen. Watching folk arrive on site we found to be good spectator sport - none more so than the couple who were trying to decide which way to park their camper van according to the sunrise and sunset. Also the Chinese group of around 14 who pitched in a big rectangle with a communal kitchen/eating area in the middle.
On the Friday we were up by 7.30am and away by 9.15 for our drive to Napier. This proved to be a long journey passing snow capped mountains in the distance, dense areas of trees, cattle and Agapanthus - growing as prolific as stubborn weeds. We journeyed on and arrived at some ex-neighbours who had emigrated to Napier around 6 years ago - our overnight stop.
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| Roadside stop |
We learned that all the houses are set on a uniform 1/4Acre land.
A fabulous welcoming evening - all too short,.
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| Prolific flowering Jacaranda trees |
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