I Met Some More Old Bedfords...

 While I was parked at Vinegar Hill I met two old Bedfords...

This is Belisama... A 1981 Bedford VAS... 8.5 meters 

So named because Belisama in Celtic polytheisim is 

connected with lakes, rivers, fire, crafts and light. 

 And the caravan, which is Garry's workshop 
is attached behind.

 
It belongs to Joss & Garry

And Charlie Brown... Lying under the bus to keep cool

Joss and Garry are members of the Gypsy Fair... a group

of very talented people who make a variety of art and 

crafts and travel round New Zealand for eight

months of the year setting up stalls and the fair

in different places each weekend.  

Garry is a jeweller who works with Jade, Paua, Sterling

Silver, Bone and Mother of Pearl.

Joss is the business administrator... She also makes

4 strand plait cords... used to hang Garry's bone 
and jade carving necklaces on.

Garry is passionate about Jade or Greenstone...

As they travel he said he is educating New Zealand

about Greenstone... One town at a time.

Vinegar Hill... Putai Ngahere Domain

 After my long drive south I reached my destination

in the late afternoon. What a delightful place.

Here I am right by the Rangitikei River...

My table and chair waiting while I pour a glass of wine.

 From a distance... The huge white cliffs and towering

poplar trees... Very peaceful in the sun the river

noisily running over the stones.

 The tall cliffs and beautiful willows...

 The clear shingle river and white cliffs...

More like the big South Island rivers.

 The river was deep in places, beautiful for swimming

but not for me just yet as my leg is not strong enough.

There are trout in the river as a fisherman proved

by catching one just fifteen minutes after 

first casting his rod. That might be the

next sort of fishing I try!

 Tents all round the edge of the river...

 And plenty of room for more.

 At the top of the cliffs is a fence and this

gate... No idea what is on the other side

or what might fall over the edge.

 I spent three nights by the river... Enjoying the sun, reading, 

going for short walks and visiting the other Bedford's 

that were parked nearby. The morning I left

was a thick fog... Eerie and beautiful.

 Can hardly see the bridge over the river...

Everything is shrouded and mysterious...

Until the sun emerged.

Is That Snow?... I Can't Believe My Eyes...

 As I left Turangi behind and drove south towards

the Desert Road, Waiouru and Mangaweka I was most

surprised to see what looked like snow on the
distant Mt Tongariro... A compound volcano in the

Taupo Volcanic Zone. Its elevation is 1,978 meters

But I was sure it was snow I was looking at.

 Behind the sprawling mass of Tongariro

was the composite cone of Mt Ngauruhoe with

its elevation of 2291 meters. From my viewpoint

it looks like a separate mountain but  is actually

part of the Tongariro Volcano complex.

 The mountains were continually in view...

Growing in size as I got closer and further south. 

Here a lot of logging has been done... There were

numerous logging trucks on the road.

 It's a good road... In the summer. In winter more

treacherous with ice on the road with plenty

of warning signs.

 It's quite isolated...

 Long straight roads...

 Because of volcanic ash when the various volcanoes

have erupted the countryside is very barren.

Nothing much grows on the hard dry ground... 

Snow and ice covered in the winter.

 The perfect cone of Ngauruhoe... Made of

alternating layers of ash, scoria and andesite

lave flows. The sides of the cone are steep, loose

scree slopes covered in material from recent eruptions.

Fumaroles exist in the inner crater and on the rim of the

eastern and northern  outer crater but steam is seldom

visible above the crater rim.

The cone started to build up at least 2500 years ago

although recent research suggests it may be up to

4500 years old.

 The road continued on... Easy driving but it

was my longest days driving since I have been

on the road again.

I eventually left the volcanoes and scrub

of the Desert Road behind as I continued

south to my next destination at Vinegar Hill.

 My next stop as I headed south was

A small DoC reserve

 It was deserted when I arrived  but

another bus joined me  later in the day.

             Here I am parked on the edge of the 
                  southern end of Lake Taupo

 It was a bit dry and dusty but a great

overnight stop. Plenty of space...

 Because, I found out from the local
people who visited... I shouldn't have been
parked there. The information in the
NZMCA travel book I have is incorrect.

Beautiful views of this large lake

All along the edge of the water was

an abundance of pumice. For those not

in New Zealand, pumice is a volcanic

rock that is thrown out of errupting volcano's.

It's smoothness denotes how old it is.

The pumice I picked up is totally smooth...

It's been buffeted for a long, long time.

Lake Taupo is the crater of a dormant

volcano that first errupted 26,500

years ago

An overview of the area...

Lots of room for buses, motor homes

and tents... It's a great base for
swimming, kayaking, boating, fishing,
walking and tramping. Also not far
from the hot pools at Turangi. 

This is the DoC  sign... Presumably the

correct information... Apart from spelling mistake...
For those thinking of parking here.

 Parked at Reid's Farm. It's a Lake Taupo Council Reserve

where freedom parking and camping is permitted.

I found a spot by the river and facing the willow trees.

 My chair and a glass of cool white wine waiting for me...

And a place to eat dinner watching the water glide past.

The river is the mighty Waikato, the longest river in New Zealand.
 It runs for 425 kilometers  through the North Island. 
It rises in the eastern slopes of Mt Ruapehu, joins the Tongariro 
River system and empties into Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest 
lake. It then flows from Lake Taupo, north, to the east 
coast at Port Waikato... For 425 km!

 It was  nice place to park. I stayed two nights as a friend arrived.

 It got very crowded. It was a  long holiday weekend...

 And everybody had escaped the cities... Or so it seemed!

 I would go back... It's just off SH 1, 3 km north of Taupo town...

But not when it's so busy.

Here I am... In the driver's seat again...

Off on my travels. I'm heading south...

Slowly... discovering new places and meeting

new people on the way. It's wonderful!

See you somewhere...

Dinner From The Garden...

 I left my friend's house with my fridge full of veges and salad

from her garden... An abundance of all sorts of things.

Another friend had recently put a recipe on Facebook - What to

do with the glut of courgettes in the garden. It's really quick

and easy... Served with salad. This is a bit or a variation!

Slice courgettes into a little oil or butter in a pan.

Cook briefly till golden on both sides. Pour over 1 egg

whisked with a fork. Mix grated Parmesan cheese with some fresh

rosemary and thyme. Sprinkle over the top of the courgettes

cook till egg set and cheese melted.

And here's dinner with a glass of cold white wine.

Fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate for desert...

All eaten sitting outside round the lake watching the sunset.