Next Rally: Takapau

September 2,3 &4

Rally captains: Val & Brian O’Leary

If undelivered, please return to : 54 Kawiu Rd Levin

EXECUTIVE Committee

2011-2012

Position Address Contact

President George Marlow 68 Gray Ave Paraparaumu

04 9047407

Secretary/Treasurer Adrian Kealey 54 Kawiu Rd Levin

06 367 2500

Vice President Kevin O’Leary 04 9052722

Past President Brian O’Leary 06 357 5251

Committee Jan Saunders 06 3636669

Ruth Turner 06 368 5576

Glenda White 06 3637427

Trevor Hill 06 3268377

Fire Officers

Raffles/Lucky Van Ivy Marlow

Photo Album Bev Craig

Newsletter Editors Avril Cairns 06 3672500

Email: adrian_avril@msn.com

Rally Recorder Anne Greig

PRESIDENT’S REPORT AUGUST 2011

Hello everyone I am looking forward to being your Caravan Club President for the next 2 years. The AGM was well attended and matters raised will be discussed at the next committee meeting. The Ashley Park rally was a great success 16 vans attended. Visitors were Thea Artz, Shirley and Brian Tong. First time rally captains Leighanne, Tom and their boys together with Marj and Bert’s assistance did a fantastic job! Their enthusiasm was tremendous. They fed us hot yummy soup Friday night and had plenty of games to play on Saturday. Congratulations and thank you to you all for such a fun weekend. I was pleased to hear that Bruce Turner is now out of hospital. Best wishes for a very speedy recovery Bruce. Ivy and I will be going to Takapau so see you all there. Kind regards George

Ashley Park Rally

5th – 8th August 2011

Three caravans arrived on Thursday Night, and they were joined on Friday by another seven caravans, four Motor Homes and one bus. There was supposed to be one tent as well, however our illustrious Rally Captain Tom managed to leave some of the tent poles behind. Luckily Ashley Park has cabins so we at least had a place to sleep. Friday night Happy Hour was followed by a barbeque dinner for some, soup for others. A cake was presented to Larry to celebrate his birthday, and he started singing “he’s a Jolly good Fellow” to himself, then everyone joined in. Later Bert ran a quiz, which challenged many and led to Larry looking up the recipe for snickerdoodles. Saturday morning was fine but cold. There were no planned activities as Ashley Park has a lot of attractions. A few ladies went for the farm walk, others just blobbed or looked around and feed the animals. Some people ventured into Wanganui for a look around the shops and Market. Six of the Gentlemen went golfing, or that they told us, sounded more like an episode of last of the summer wine. At 2pm the campers brave enough to venture out in the cold windy conditions assembled on the Homestead front lawn for a Croquet Challenge; the Golfers were still MIA, we suspected they had got lost at the nineteenth hole, turns out it was the eleventh. Hayden took charge of this activity coaching and adjudicating. He did a fantastic job and the activity was enjoyed by all who participated. John and Bev Craig, their grand-daughter Emily along with Eileen won the team challenge. Shirley and Eleanor won the Friendly match that followed. Happy hour was followed by a pot luck dinner, the food was varied and fantastic. After dinner many returned to their vans to watch the rugby. Those not watching the rugby played a variety of games. At morning tea during the misdemeanors we finally found out what actually happened during the golf. Kevin was having a day of calamities, firstly he lost his new leather glove, and after searching all around for it, he realised he was wearing it all along. His woes did not stop there, he was sharing a trundler with Trevor and they managed to leave it behind on one of the holes, having to go back over a hill to retrieve it. Needless to say he received the wooden spoon. Tom awarded the wooden fork to himself for not bringing all the tent poles, after trying to blame me for not being there to organise him. We were incredibly impressed with the turn out for this rally, and for the fantastic attitude shown by all on such a cold weekend.

A hole was found in the nudist camp wall The police are still looking into it!!

At our AGM held in Ju ly 2011, Don & Anne Greig were

presented with a certificate by outgoing President Brian

O’Leary celebrating 100 CCNZ rallies.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Glad to hear that you are back home again after a stay at Palmerston North

Hospital Bruce, we all hope that you will soon be back in good health and

be able to participate in future rallies very soon.

Silverbeet Salad

Finely chop as much Silverbeet as required. Add 1 sliced red onion.

Keep these aside until required.

Sauce

1/2 cup BBQ sauce

1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup sugar

2tbsp Worcester sauce

2tbsp vinegar

Mix these together and pour over silverbeet and onions, top with cashew nuts or

nuts of your choice, just before serving up.

Thank you Sandra for this recipe.

South Island Trip with Dave, Sue, Bob & Eileen Part 2

Sunday 13th March – Drove into Queenstown. It was a beautiful day and there were lots of

people milling around and eating brunch alfresco. Stopped to listen to a group from

Vanuatu playing their home made instruments. Very tuneful and lovely to listen to. We

had already seen them at the the Farmers Market at Cromwell. I found it hard to drag

myself away. Drove to Arrowtown and it was just as I remember it from 30 years ago, but

of course more touristy. Left Queenstown Monday morning and drove to Wanaka over the

Cadrona Hill. An amazing road with steep hairpin bends. It is the highest sealed road in

NZ. Had lunch at the Cadrona Hotel. A lot of h istory there from goldmining days. Arrived

at Wanaka in galeforce winds. Not very pleasant. Stayed at a council owned camp at

Albert Town, about 5ks from town. Left the next morning and headed for Haast – very

scenic drive. Had morning tea overlooking Lake Hawea. A lso stopped at Thunder Creek

Falls. Didn’t stay long, because again the sandflies were bad. Drove to Jackson Point but

nowhere suitable to stay there so drove back to a POP at Hannahs Clearing. Were made

very welcome by the owners Sally & Bruce Sims. Joined them, and the other 4 couples

who were staying there, for happy hour. Bought whitebait from a friend of Bruce.

Yummy! Wednesday morning went for a walk before breakfast, first along the b each and

then around the 4 streets of Hannahs Clearing! We would have liked to stay another night

here but the sandflies were very bad. They attacked the minute you walked out the door, so

after breakfast we packed up and drove to Franz Josef. The weather turned really bad as

we drove over Haast Pass. Stayed at NZMCA Park at Franz. Bob & I went fo r a drive back

to Fox Glacier but visibility was not good because of the heavy rain. Dave & Bob were

planning to go on a helicopter flight over the glacier the next morning, but all cancelled

because of the weather. We decided to move on and headed for Hokitika. Stayed at motor

camp at Hokitika because it was washing time again. Spent 2 nights there. Had a look

round and drove to Hokit ika Gorge where we walked through the bush to the swing bridge.

Saturday morn ing we headed for Greymouth. Stopped at Shantytown on the way. Spent

three and a half hours there. I thought it was well worth the $28.50 to get in. Dave & Sue

had been before but came again with us. In Greymouth we parked behind the Challenge

Service Station. $15 a n ight for powered sight with toilets, shower and Laundry. Sunday

morn ing we all went in Daves car for a drive. First stop the site of the Brunner Coal Mine

disaster (1896) where 65 men and boys lost their lives. We viewed a very comprehensive

display of the history of that disaster. We then drove to Blackball, an old min ing town.

This was where the first trade union was formed following a 4 month strike because of

poor working conditions. There was a very full history of that time depicted by photos and

printed material. We then drove to Moana, which is on the shores of Lake Brunner. Had a

very nice lunch at the Station Café. After lunch we drove back to Greymouth and had a

look at the wharf and treacherous sand bar area. There was a memorial stone and plaques

for the 14 fisherman who have lost their lives there. Left Greymouth about 9am the next

morn ing and drove to Punakaiki. A real tourist attraction not to be missed, with the sea

rushing in on huge layered rocks, otherwise called pancake rocks. From there to Westport.

Stayed the first night at Les Anderson Park, a large free parking area by the beach. Seemed

a bit deserted at first but by nightfall there were 12 other vans and motorhomes there. PTO

Tuesday, another lovely fine day, moved our vehicles to behind the Working Mens

Club, and then Dave drove us to Karamea, a long drive, and when we got to within

23ks of Karamea the road was closed due to bridge being repaired. Apparently it had

been notified in the local paper but of course we hadn’t seen that. However after a 45

minute wait we were able to get over the bridge, but were advised that to return we

would need to be there at either 2pm or 4pm. We had lunch of whitebait fritters at the

Karamea Hotel, and got back to the bridge at 1.50 just as it was closing again. If we

had been 5 minutes later we would have had to wait until 4pm. On the way back we

stopped at Granity and collected stones from the beach and also went to the old

Denniston Coalmine

. Wednesday, another lovely day, drove to Murchison and parked at NZMCA park.

Met Bev & Trevor there, who were visit ing their friends, Jenny & Peter, who were also

staying at the park. Thursday morning drove to Motueka and booked into motor camp.

Not very nice, so while Sue & I d id the washing, Dave & Bob went looking for

somewhere else to stay. Friday morning we moved to McKees Reserve, a lovely spot

right by the beach, with toilets and water for $6 a night. Stayed there 3 nights.

Saturday morning went to the Nelson Market and had a look around the Nelson area.

Sunday morning raining, so had a bit of a sleep in. In the afternoon Dave & Sue

visited friends in Nelson and we visited my friend at Stoke. Monday, another nice day.

Drove over the Takaka Hill and to the Pohara Boat Club at Tarakohe Harbour.

Another lovely spot. We stayed 2 nights. On Tuesday Bob & I went on the Farewell

Spit trip, which was well worth doing. Dave & Sue had don it before so decided not to

go again. Wednesday, left Pohara Boat Club and drove back over the hill and booked

in at the Kaiteriteri Motor Camp. A very good camp with excellent facilities. Went on

the Abel Tasman Sea Shuttle for a 4 hour cru ise around the Abel Tasman Park. Got off

the boat for a short time at Totaranui Beach where there is a very large doc camp.

Thursday, another lovely day. Didn’t do a lot. Dave & Sue’s friends came out in the

evening for a barbeque.

Drove to Nelson Friday morn ing and booked into the Tahunanui Camp. Had a look

around Nelson and also the Nelson Cathedral. Saturday morn ing Bob & Dave went out

for a while and when they came back we all went and looked at some motorhomes.

Didn’t do much else. My friends came and had dinner with us and we had a great catch

up!. Left Nelson Sunday morning, drove to a lovely Doc Camp Momorangi Bay, about

30k from Picton . Thought we would stay there for a couple of days before heading

home. However, after lunch we heard the weather was going to get pretty rough so we

drove into Picton to see when we would be able to get a ferry crossing, an d found we

could get the last places available on the 6.30 crossing, so went back to Momorangi

Bay, hooked up vehicles and drove back to Picton. A rather sudden end to our holiday,

but we had a very calm crossing. The bad weather really h it as we were driving back

to Levin at 11 O’clock that night.

We all agreed that it was a great holiday.

August Bob Saunders 4th Larry Cotter 5th Alan Green 25th Owen Fargher 31st

September Marj Empson 6th Bob Byers 18th Allan Jones 29th

October Jan Saunders 9th Ivy Marlow 10th Leighanne Signal 10th John Robinson 18th Barbara Green 21st

If my body were a car… If my body were a car, this is the time I would be thinking about trading it in for a new

model. I’ve got bumps and dents and scratches in my fin ish and my paint job is getting a

litt le dull… but that’s not the worst of it, my headlights are out of focus and it’s

especially hard to see things up close.

My traction is not as graceful as it once was. I slip and slide and skid and bump into

things even in the best of weather.

My whitewalls are stained with varicose veins. It takes me hours to reach my maximum

speed. My fuel rate burns inefficiently.

But here’s the worst of it……

Almost every time I sneeze, cough or splutter…..either my radiator leaks or my exhaust

backfires!

A handy hint

To avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables, get

someone else to hold them while you chop!

NZMCA CAMP Nancy Street Takapau 2, 3, 4 September 2011 This is a draft plan for the weekend. Friday 2nd 4.30pm - Happy Hour

6.30pm - Sausage Sizzle & Bread (Please bring the quantity you would eat) (or arrange your own tea)

Saturday 3rd Free morning - shop till you drop at Waipukurau!

Afternoon - we are hoping to organise w ine tasting at Junction Wines

4.30pm - Happy Hour Come join the fun wearing a mask and hat or some sort

of disguise

6.30pm - PEA - PIE and - SPUD MEAL AND followed by a small platter of sweets

Use your imagination for the peas, a pie of some sort

and your fave potato dish. Your choice how you put your culinary skills to use (esp the PEA challenge)

Raffles and misdeamenours w ill probably take place on

Saturday night Sunday 4th 10.00amish - morning tea Fees will differ as NZMCA Members get discounted rates. However it is not an expensive camp to stay at. Can you please let us know by Friday 26th August if you are attending. Home 06-3575251 Brian 0275 044336 Val 021 2300933 Hope to see you there and many thanks. Brian & Val Rally Captains

Ashley Park Rally August 2011

A few laughs!

A rubber-band pistol was confiscated from the algebra class because it was a weapon

Of math destruction!

A guy walks into the psychiatrist wearing only cling film for shorts. The Shrink says, “well, I

can clearly see you’re nuts!!!”

A Lawyer boarded a Jetstar flight in Perth with a box of frozen crabs and asked a blonde

stewardess to take care of them for h im. She took the box and put them in the crews

refrigerator. The Lawyer advised her that he was holding her personally responsible for them

staying frozen, mentioning in a very haughty manner that he was a Lawyer and proceeded to

rant at her about what would happen if she let them thaw out. Needless to say, she was

annoyed by his behaviour. Just before landing, she announced on the intercom to the entire

cabin, “Would the lawyer who gave me the crabs in Perth, p lease raise your hand.” Not one

hand went up….so she took them home and ate them.

Two lessons here….

Lawyers aren't as smart as they think they are &Blondes aren't as dumb as most people

think!

FUTURE RALLIES September 2,3 & 4 Takapau Rally Captains Brian & Val O’Leary September/October 30,1 & 2 Castlecliff Rally Captains Trevor & Bev Hill October 21, 22, 23 & 24 Te Awanga Rally Captains John & Bev Craig November 11,12 & 13 Ekatahuna Rally Captains Kevin & Eleanor O’Leary December 2, 3 & 4 Himatangi Rally Captains Committee

Canvasland Levin

Address: 37 Oxford Street, Levin Telephone No: +64 6 368 7930 Fax: +64 6 368 0134 Email: canvasland@xtra.co.nz Web Site: www.canvasland.co.nz

Check out our website @ www.levincaravanclub.blogspot.com

We wish to take this opportunity to thank all our Sponsors, Levin club members please support them!!

She was only a whiskey maker but he loved her still

Phone 06 368 3549 Fax 06 368 3159 Email: info@levinmotorcamp@xtra.co.nz

Clearly sign posted off all highways into Levin

Individually hedged van sites on firm ground.

Spacious grounds for group activities and get togethers

Close to shopping center and numerous leisure activities

BASIC CABINS * TOILET CABINS *

SELF CONTAINED UNITS * PARK MOTELS

# Spacious new kitchen # new roomy shower # Gas BBQ # TV Room # New laundry # Play ground # Hall/Games room for

meetings

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Your hosts: David & Diane Goodin