|
|
|
Old Reviews
Our trip to the Van Nationals 2008 By the two Dinosaur Vanners (and you thought we were extinct!) Cruised over to Rotorua and met up with Dinosaur #2 (hereafter known as D2)… van loaded on trailer, tow wagon all hooked up and ready to go – what organization! Load my gear up and we are off! The last time we attended a van run on our own was too many years ago to remember. Make sure the chilly bin is in easy reach. (not for D2 however, he is the designated sober driver!) Steaming along at about 120 clicks just north of Taupo and – BUGGER!!! – we’ve lost a wheel off the trailer. Lucky it is a tandem. On surveying the damage, we’ve lost a mag for good…(departed across the paddocks at a great rate of knots), all the wheel nuts are gone and we’ve snapped a stud. On with the spare and pinch a nut off each of the other wheels to keep it on and we’re away again. Into Taupo where a quick call into Supercheap Auto got us all the bits we needed to make a permanent repair and we are away again!! An uneventful cruise, with a quick stop for lunch at the Cosmopolitan Club at Levin (great feed, highly recommended), all the way to Wellington. Checked into Bluebridge, parked up and retired to the nearest pub to slake our raging thirsts. Some old tart in the bar was eyeing me up with dubious intent, (D2 reckons she was trying to supplement her pension!). But I fought temptation (I am saving myself for marriage) and wandered off to play the pokies…won $10 too!! Meanwhile D2 has found some other poor bastard who comes from Ngongotaha as well and is reminiscing about people I’ve never heard of. Anyway, after a few hours of this we return to the vehicle and try to get some sleep (ferry loads at 2am and sails at 3am)….FAT CHANCE. The machinery and vehicles around us are making more noise than two skeletons screwing on a tin roof! So into the chilly bin for a calming potion and we spent the next couple of hours tossing and turning!! (D2 was tossing at first, then it was my turn!). On the boat at last and a mad stampede to find a quiet place for a kip. Managed to find a nice warm bed in this cabin and climbed in however the Captains wife was not amused and politely asked me to leave the premises, although not in those exact words and not very politely when I reflect upon it! So I ended up settling down on a sofa in a side room which rapidly filled (wall to wall on the floor) with numerous large Polynesians the majority of whom would win the World Snoring Championships, no worry!! What a night. Dawn on Thursday saw us docking in Picton, off the boat and into Blenheim for breakfast. D2 looked up a few old mates for a coffee or two and a natter and then we were away for the West Coast. You will pardon me if the narrative gets a bit disjointed at this point as the day degenerated into an alcoholic haze but I vaguely recall stopping at damn near every pub between Blenheim and Greymouth (and there are bloody heaps of them!), catching up with various vanners, who, as our condition deteriorated, became less and less inclined to acknowledge us, let alone speak to us!! Ah well, we are only trying to recreate the vanning scene of the mid 80’s when driving everywhere whilst inebriated was classed as a badge of honour…. How times have changed! Anyway, to cut a long story, but not by much, we finally found our destination after a long search (where were the signs??). Not a bad spot – good facilities, good bunks and the kitchen looks promising, (by this time we are so hungry we could eat the crotch out of a dead skunk…however, on the good side, neither of us are thirsty!). The food did not disappoint and after catching up with the others and yarning, drinking and joking until the wee hours, we finally tottered off to bed – what a long day!! (How did we survive?) Friday morning, VANZ AGM, etc, etc, so D2 and I went for a drive to check out Greymouth and then on down to Hokatika where we partook of the best meat pies I have ever tasted for lunch. Cruised around for the day visiting touristy places and working our way through the contents of the chilly bin. Back to camp by the mid afternoon and some more of the usual vanning activities….talking about the same old things, telling the same old jokes, drinking the same old beverages with the same old people – God, how I love it!!! (and I hope to go on doing it for many more years.) Went to bed pretty late and had to put up with D2, a couple of bunks along from me, having a fit of the DT’s or something, much to Garry’s and my amusement….What a performance!! I’ve never heard such moaning, groaning, dry retching (at least I think it was dry) and alcohol induced babbling since Barb went to bed after her last birthday!! Up bright and early on Saturday and a good breakfast to start the day then into Greymouth to set up the van for the show. A good indoor venue with plenty of room enabled everyone who wanted to make the effort to show off their vans to advantage. The only sour note was the weather which had produced a light drizzle that was annoying. D2 and I went on a cultural tour exploring old historic buildings in the district. (On the piss in the Blackball boozer and any other old pub we came across in our travels). We also explored some old mining sides (the Brunner site is particularly interesting if you are into the tourist bit) and generally had a good time. Then back to the show site to help with the cleanup and back to camp for a rerun of the previous evening. Another late night. Sunday morning saw a frenzied burst of activity as I discovered a large spider in my bed, then after breakfast we convoyed out to a bush park where, after a good hike through the bush, we were treated to the sight of a nice waterfall, where we all paused to get our breath back before hiking back out again. Good exercise! Convoy into Greymouth and around the streets of the metropolis before descending on a park where we were given a great barbecue lunch and an hour or so to ponder the meaning of life or whatever. Those that were inclined to go for a flight in a helicopter departed for the airport and those that didn’t make their way back to camp where Mellisa and Fish’s daughter got attacked by a swarm of wasps when she disturbed their nest and caused some drama and distress. After an excellent meal we all gathered around to hear the results of the judging at the show and watch the prize giving, plus a few other prizes to worthy recipients. D2 was please to collect a couple of trophies to add to his collection. I am at a complete loss to know why I was presented with the Stirrer Spoon, but I will bear it with pride and humility. Thank you. Another late night and an overindulgence in shooters (Black Zambucca and Purple Death being one particularly lethal one) saw me looking at the back of my eyelids by about 3am. Thank God I’m going home tomorrow! Monday and it’s thank you to Vanz Unlimited for a great run, goodbye to all and we are off on the road home. We must have drunk ourselves out because we only made one pub stop before we got to Spring Creek (between Blenheim and Picton) where we found a motel for the night. Early morning departure (after another drama with the trailer that cost $220 to fix) and into Picton in time to board the boat back to the Best Island and the drive home. Got home by late Tuesday afternoon, broke, crook in the guts and suffering from alcohol withdrawal but hey, I/We had a great time and wouldn’t have missed it for the world. See you all at the next run. Keep on Vanning….. DINOSAUR #1 Click here for photo's from the 2008 Van Nationals
Van Nationals 2007 - Ngamawahine Lodge - Tauranga Wednesday I hitched a ride with Jeff and Alley in the Bedford. As per any good van run someone always breaks down and it was us. Ray following behind in his Ute saw some good puffs of smoke from the Bedford’s exhaust and I was sure the muffler was hanging on for dear life not to be blown to bits (some very loud backfires). The problem turned out to be an intermittent +ve coil connection; this was discovered in Cheviot with the help of a friendly mechanic. On the way up Nigel phoned saying Barry and Tareena had cancelled their sailing well that’s the sorry I heard any way, so are they still coming, what happened? It turned out that Inter-Islander had phoned and left a message on their phone that they had cancelled their sailing with no other info. By the time they had got the message it was too late, they couldn’t get in touch with anyone to find out what was happening. They left early to get to Picton by twelve (midnight) thinking the earlier sailing might have space. As it turned out the boat was full the next sailing was six (guys you could of slept in). After booking the two o'clock sailing they noticed Blue-Bridge was loading and didn’t look too full. Inquiring they could get on and for less. Inter-Islander refunded the fare as they cancelled the sailing. Making sure the return tip was still all right, Wellington here they come. We meet Vaughan and Kyle in the line waiting to get on the ferry it was drizzling (it had been most of the way). The sailing was calm but the room we were in was hot and stuffy, outside it was raining. By the time we got to Wellington we, well I was glad to get some fresh air. Kane meet us (Ray, Vaughan, Kyle, Jeff, Alison and myself) at the ferry terminal. By this time it was still raining and getting dark Lower Hut here we come. Hello traffic, hello more traffic how much more can there be? It took about an hour to get to the Hutt. I don’t know is this good? Having radios made traffic navigation so much easier. Arriving at Kane and Julie’s they had put a feed on for us (thanks so much) we had a catch up, even Rymon and his Claire turned up. Thursday All ready to hit the road by nine. The next door neighbour checked out the vans before leaving. I think she’s a vanner without a van. We stopped in Palmerston to pick Guy up, meet Barry and Tareena then off to Inch and Di’s (Ohakune) where we also meet up with Tony, Claire, Stumpy and Di. They had put on a BBQ for us (another thank-you very much). We went through the National Park to continue the scenic tour we were on, arriving at the nationals’ venue around four. . Friday Had the AGM as per usual then had the Judging for engine bay and under-carriage which Inch and myself judged, (hope all were happy with this judging) that was my day. Many cleaned their vans for the show on Saturday. Saturday It was an early start to be at the show and set up on time. The show was held a school in Tauranga where they also had a market in the morning on the courts. We washed the vans in the School car park to get the dust off, as where we stayed had a gravel road. We set up on the grass beside the courts. There were a reasonable number of vans from memory eighteen. After the show a group of us went to see the Holden Nationals. Then Potsy took us for a cruise around the Mount. We visited the beach to see what all the fuss is about during summer. I jumped in with Barry some more cruising around the Mount then back to camp. I’ve got told you need to where shades when in Barry’s van, indeed you do. A combination of Barry’s driving, the shear noise and the uniqueness of the van definitely turns heads. It’s got me hanging out to get the Dodge done, but let’s finish the Bedford first. Sunday We cruised to McLaren Falls and around a reserve where we parked up on the grass for the Tri-van-a-thon. First up was the piston chucking where you had three throws to heave the biggest piston I’ve ever seen as far as possible. The time came when it was my go I gave this monster of a piston a good heave in the right direction, but to my surprise it went rather well. Barry standing out in the middle retrieving the monster piston was walking back completely oblivious to the on coming missile fast approaching! On his second step back the Caterpillar piston out of the biggest dozzer you ever saw landed with a thud embedding itself in the grass where he was two steps previous. Spinning around with what the, f was that look on his face. I’m like, shit that was close. The next game was hubcap throwing. It started out as who could throw it the furthest. But after only a few throws it was discovered these could go a long way and when the breeze caught it, it behaved like a random boomerang. The game was changed to who could get the hub cap the closest to a cone (much more controlled) a couple of people managed to get the hubcap touching the cone (great stuff). We had a BBQ for lunch. After lunch people went down to feed the wildlife (ducks and swans) they (0ther wild life) weren’t terribly interested so the attention turned to filling the plastic bags as water balloons. In the end Barry and Fish were playing baseball using water balloons as the ball, no need to say there were two wet ducks. On the way back we stopped at the falls for a good look we ended up jumping out over the rocks to the edge of the falls (good photo shot anyway) then back to camp The last of the Tri-van-a-thon games was pushing a spare wheel around a set of cones. I managed to sprawl myself onto the ground, tripping over an unbalance spare wheel while trying to navigate it around a tight bend (my knee still hearts from this). We had tea and prize giving then it was time for ‘The Flannels’ (the band). Party time! There was a seventies theme to the event I’m sure I saw the Biff there, a group of us South Islanders came as the Village People. Monday We had to be cleaned up and out by lunch, so it was a reasonably early start for all. We took a much more direct route back stopping in Palmerston to drop Guy off. Then back to Kane and Julie’s, stopping for some takeaways for tea. It was late when we got back. Ray left around twelve to the Ferry Terminal, deciding what little sleep he might get before boarding he might as well be ready to catch the ferry. His sailing was due to leave at three. Tuesday I am so tired. We (Vaughn, Kyle, Jeff, Alison and myself) left for the ferry. Barry rang to let us know the sailing was rough (oh no!). We watched the movie Cars on our return deciding if it was going to be rough it would be best not to be looking outside plus we were all pretty tired by now. As it turned out the sailing wasn’t too bad (or it was and watching the movie did the trick). Anyway I was starving, as I didn’t have any lunch before getting on the boat from Barry’s warning. We thought Barry must have been pulling our chain as it turned it he wasn’t their crossing was rough. We stopped in Amberly with a very noisy ticking sound from the van “Jeff did you check the oil?” “No, it should be alright.” The oil was on the bottom mark nothing to worry about. Stuff it what will happen, will happen (we all were so tired, stuff it, hope it will be all right). The noise was two and half teeth had shorn off the bottom-timing cog. We arrived back around midnight I stayed at Jeff and Alison’s (thanks guys) and drove the rest of the way home on the Wednesday. After catching up with Barry and Tareena I found out Inter-Islander had cancelled their return sailing also. Luckily there was room on the sailing. Mike.P.
Click
here for photo's from the 2007 Nationals.
Brent Hursts 50th - Awakeri Hot Springs 2006 Awakeri, in the
Bay of Plenty. At Queens Birthday weekend this meant Bay of Plenty rain, wind
and chills. That didn't spoil the fun though. Saturday didn't
start off too bad. It was a balmy 2 degrees when we left a typically foggy
Taumarunui. However the promise of a sunny day was evident as we climbed up over
the Waituhi saddle, where the sun was starting to peek through. What a shame we
couldn't have taken the weather with us though eh! By the time we got to Rotorua,
there were a few clouds gathering in the distance, and we were heading straight
for them - bugger! As we made our way
closer to Whakatane the weather worsened but that wasn't going to deter us. We
were looking forward to this weekend. We made our way into Whakatane to have a
look about - it being the first time I've really got to check out the area. What
a place. After a short pit stop to look around the shops etc we made our way
back to the camp at Awakeri and checked in. And who was there
to great us? Two gents who shall remain nameless, already 'getting in the mood'
, or perhaps we should say 'just warming up'. A few more arrived and it was time
to put up cover for the evenings festivites. Man, the old boy scouts must have
been rolling over in their graves but hey, we got there eventually. By the way,
the directions on the door of the trailer really helped - when we read them.
Hahaha. Who cares - we had fun doing it and it was up eventually. We were on
holiday - no kids, no work, no worrries. Bit by bit other
vanners arrived, some Dave and I had met before and a few new friends to meet.
The evening approached, and so did the clouds, wind and cold. Food was eaten and
the drinks began to flow - cheers for that Brent. And Happy Birthday again mate
- you don't look a day over 50. (oops!) Fish and Trevs jokes were as funny as
ever and as the evening wore on so were their antics. Trev told us (eventually
and with some help from a little birdie) about his wee trip over a giant of a
mountain (about the size of sack of spuds) but I haven't told you that ok! We
all had heaps of laughs and fun but as the evening got colder, wetter and later,
one by one or two we headed off to our warms beds. By the way Fish - if at first
a door won't close does slamming it repeatedly help? hahaha. The wind and rain
worsened over night and on Sunday morning we discovered that the poor marquee
had not survived the attack. Perhaps here we should pause for a moments silence
and a blessing from Father Fish and Sister Melissa. Hahaha! Fish a monk -
definitely not the kind with a vow of silence or prohibition eh mate! Sunday morning was
still cold and wet but most of us loaded ourselves into our vehicles for a
mystery trip with clues in hand. Not being from the area we thought this might
be a challenge but the clues were pretty good thanks Barb and Trev ... except
that there's a difference between left and right Trev. The only trouble we had
was turning the Bedford round to go back and get clues we missed, and sign posts
that couldn't be found. Hey, I've got an
idea. Lets liven this article up with a joke: Why do Fish swim
back and forth? 'Cos none of them can navigate! Sorry guys - truely. I just had
to do it. You weren't the
only ones to get lost. And while we're at it, hey Wayne, what are people dying
to get into? Once back at camp
we were able to take an hour or so to ourselves. Some went swimming, some tried
to catch a 'nana nap', watched the v8s or spent time just catching up. Sergeant
Major Barb soon had Mellisa and I in tow as 'routine reminders' or something and
hey what do you know, even after that bottle of port I still remember: 6pm tea,
7pm dress-up, 8pm cake and 9pm nibbles, but it didn't quite happen that way. Who
cares, we were having fun. What a night. Due to the tragic loss of the marquee
we sought shelter for the festivities under a firmer structure but this too
proved a downfall when the lights had to go off at 10.30. But boy we had fun
before then. The cops arrived
(inch and 5/8ths?!), the cook , the hippie, a guardian angle to watch over us
all, the colour blind, mexicans, chimney sweep, death and co, the medical
fraternity, the 'southern boys', a foxy old lady and her man, and a couple of
monks. Father fish taught
us a couple of valuable life lessons - like you can't eat beer with a knife and
fork, and you really should watch where you sit. Sorry Fish - didn't mean to
make you the butt of every joke but I'm forgiven right?! Wayne had fun scaring
little old ladies and no Trev, it wasn't me that got you drunk - who gave who
the shooters huh! We departed just before the lights went out and headed closer
to our campsites to continue the fun - or try to. Hey, who needs music anyway.
By the way Barb - warm your hands next time please, but you were one heck of an
angel. And Tony, hope that rear wheel on your walker didn't fall off in the
burnouts. You and Claire will make a lovely old couple in a few years - or 20. What do you know
it - Monday dawned clear with the promise of a beautiful day. Typical though -
fines up the day we all leave. I had a great time, and so did Dave. We haven't
laughed so much or so hard since... let me see. Thats it ... Tapu. We're looking
forward to the next run. Thanks for the invite guys. Once again, Happy
Birthday Brent, loved then car, and thanks for the feast. And Happy Birthday to
you too Guy. Well, that’s it
from me. Just thought I'd leave you with some words of wisdom gathered over the
weekend. Have a good time all and hope to catch up with you at a run again soon.
Maybe the Carrot festival huh? Bron - you can't eat
beer with a knife and fork (although fish did give it a good go) -dogs will eat
anything if it’s covered in gravy -never drive past
a pub without stopping cos the next one might be burnt down - thanks for the
advice Trev -fun is always had
getting old by good friends together - and Tony looked scarily convincing. -make sure the
inner is firmly attached before emptying the contents of a travel mug - ask Inch and a lesson we
learn't on the way home... -don't paint the
bonnet of your red van black - cops love to pull you over. Apparently our poor
van looks sus, but even after reading the rego label the cop still called it a
Transit!! Horrors! Every
cop that went past after that eyed the poor girl up. That’s it. Rebel gets a
paint job
Click
here for photo's from Brent's 50th Party.
Easter
was Nationals time again back in the South Island so the ferry tickets were
booked way back in November. This got us a good rate and was rather cheep this
time due to not haulin the camper around. Unfortunately Mel couldn’t get time
off both sides of Easter so it became a boys time away with just me and Ryan
heading south. The new 4 man tent would come in handy. With
everything packed we pulled out of Auckland on Tuesday 11th and
headed south via National Park and Waiouru, spending the night in Levin. The
weather was crap and with far too many road-works en route. I had just finished
painting the van satin black the week before and the road-works returned it back
to its previous grey colour. We headed south again and caught the 2pm ferry,
spending Wednesday night in Blenheim. Managed to find a bunch of Hot Wheels that
I didn’t have during the southward trip but no treasures. At least the weather
had improved. Thursday
morning we waited for a bunch of fellow north island vanners to arrive on the
big white boat, and by the time we finally pulled out of Blenheim around 3.30pm
we had the makings of a good convoy. Myself, Kane, Fish Craig and Inch cruised
up the Wairau Valley arriving at the camp site at the Nelson Gun Club in the
Golden Downs Forest close to 5pm. There were already a number of vanners camped
up and with plenty of room it didn’t take long to set up camp. Soon it was off
to meet up with everyone, have a bit to eat and settle in for the night and
catch up with vanners we hadn’t seen for a while. Although the days were clear
and warm, once the sun went down it didn’t take long to get rather cold. Friday
is traditionally AGM day and we started the meeting around 10.30, finishing
about 2 hours later. The same committee as last year was voted in and any issues
sorted out, then it was free time to explore the area. After a great lunch I
spent the afternoon cleaning all the road crud off from under the van ready for
the show the next day. Dinner was superb and another night of great music, great
friends and copious quantities of anti-freeze made for a great night. Saturday
dawned nice and fine and we all assembled for a run into Motueka for the show.
Leaving the site around 8.30 we cruised west and after a stop for photos the
convoy pulled into the airfield at Motueka about an hour later where they were
holding the drags. We set the vans up outside the entrance where there was a
constant stream of people flowing past both entering and leaving the drags. The
thankless task of judging got underway while everyone either got together for a
chat or set up to watch the racing. Great event and site. With an awesome day we
started packing up around 3-30 and most headed off for a bit of a cruise back
via various routes. Ryan and I headed into Nelson for a look around then cruised
back to the camp site with James following behind. We collected a falcon that
decided to commit suicide by flying out of the bush about 10 feet in-front of
the van. I thought he was plastered across the front of the van until a mass of
feathers appeared in the mirrors as he went underneath. No damage to the van
apart from a few feathers in the radiator. With another great dinner put away it
was party time again with a Wild West theme. Plenty of great costumes came out
of the woodwork and an awesome time was had by all well on into the wee small
hours. Sunday
again dawned fine although there was frost on the tents and vans this time.
After breakfast we convoyed into Nelson and parked up at Tahuna Beach for a bit
of a display and lunch. From here a bunch of vanners headed off to the stockcars
for the evening and others just did their own thing. We headed off for a cruise
around Nelson then back to the camp site. Sunday night was prize giving and
after yet another great meal the gifts were handed out. Congratulations to Barry
for again taking out Super Van. We managed Best Big Van and Best Big Van
Interior. The night went well although not quite as long as the previous night. Showers
arrived sometime during the night and it was a bit damp on Monday morning. But
we managed to get the tent and everything packed away in the dry. We were
planning on heading down the West Coast and over to Christchurch but the battery
had been dying over the last few days (along with a broken door key) so I headed
into Nelson to take up an offer by Brian and Cheryl to stay at their place and
get the electrics checked out the next day. The house was packed with Cheryl’s
sister staying over and Fish and Melissa there to. However we were all sorted
and had another great night. That night it poured with rain and was raining the
next day as well. Brian
put me onto a good auto electrician just down the road so first we got a new a
door key cut then dropped the van off to get the electrics sorted. We picked the
van up again about 2.30 having had the alternator brushes sorted and a blown
fusible link replaced. By this time it was a bit late to head for Christchurch
so spent another great night with Brian and Cheryl. Many thanks guys for the
great hospitality. We
were booked on the ferry on Friday so pondered over heading to Christchurch on
Wednesday but with the price of gas at an all-time high and only being able to
be there for a day before having to head up to Picton, we decided to give it a
miss and head over to Blenheim to check out the vineyards instead. Wednesday was
again back to the fine Nelson weather and we cruised off through to Picton via
the Queen Charlotte Sound road and eventually arrived at Blenheim later that
afternoon. We booked into Bings Motel and sorted dinner out and had an early
night. Thursday we took in the sites of Blenheim and went to the movies that
evening to check out Ice Age 2. Great movie. Friday
we cruised through to Picton and met up with Kane and Craig. Craig was on the
same crossing as us and Kane was staying another day. The crossing was good and
we headed out of Wellington and stayed the night at Plimmerton before heading
off on Saturday morning for Napier. We spent Saturday and Sunday at my sisters
ranch and even managed to get some trout fishing in on Sunday evening. Ryan
managed to land a minnow but his cousin Haydn and I didn’t have much luck.
Monday we departed Napier and spent the day cruising back up the island,
eventually arriving back in Auckland around 3.30 that afternoon. All
up a great couple of weeks away. Apart from the alternator problem the van went
like a dream. I just love cruising in that machine. Managed to chew up $640 on
gas which was less than I had budgeted on and had a ball doing it. I must thank
Vanz Unlimited for putting on a great event and especially Brian and Cheryl who
did a fantastic job all weekend and putting up with us and the Fishes after the
event. Awesome guys and thank you. Roll
on the next Nationals, North Island, somewhere in the Bay of Plenty next Easter.
Being the 30th Nationals it will be one not to be missed. See
you there. Garry and Ryan
Click
here for photo's from the 2006 Van Nationals
Barbs 50th Birthday Party - Edgecumbe 2005 Well what an excuse to get on the piss, Barb turning 50.
This was one not to miss so Saturday morning we packed up the Largo with a huge
overnight bag and headed south. We stopped off at the BP motorway fuelstop to
await Mal and Lynda’s arrival then headed for the Bombay’s to meet up with
Fish. With a convoy of three we set off for Edgcumbe via Matamata. We had a
pretty uneventful trip south stopping off at the Matamata Red Shed looking for
toy cars before a lunch break at Ronnie’s Cafe. Fully fed and watered we headed off over the Kaimai’s,
bypassed Tauranga and stopped off for another toy stop at Papamoa and took the
opportunity to check out the local real estate as well. We headed east again and
were overwhelmed at the destruction we saw at Matata in the floods a few months
back. What a mess. Boulders the size of cars and houses still in ruins.
Incredible. We eventually hauled into Trev & Barbs place around
3.00 and there were already a bunch of old friends gathered for the fun. The
back yard was turned into party central with a nice cobbled area and gazebo over
the BBQ. With accommodation in Edgcumbe scarce us and Mal had decided to stay at
Awakeri Hot Springs about 10 minutes away so after a quick meet and greet we
headed of the Springs to book in and have a dip in the pools. Very nice it was
too.
We headed back to Trev & Barbs around 5.30 and
quickly got stuck into the festivities. The brazier was lit and the BBQ fired up
and the music was streaming through the outdoor speakers from the sky music
channels. The food was great, the music great, the company was great and the
entertainment was great. We even got to watch the AB’s demolish South Africa.
Shooters were soon flowing which only increased the entertainment value and lets
not even mention Barb’s brother the better. All up an awesome night was had by
all attending. We bugged out early at around 11.30 due to the kids.
The next morning we had breakfast and headed into
Whakatane for a look around. Found a neat little cottage to buy but baulked at
the $1.5M price tag. Some people must be dreaming. We arrived back the party
central about 10.30 and chewed the fat with everyone ‘till lunchtime. The BBQ
was fired up again and everyone was fed and watered yet again.
About 1.30 we headed off back to the big smoke taking the
picturesque route through Rotorua and Cambridge. After another uneventful trip
we arrived home at about 5.30. All up a great weekend away and one we’ll have
to repeat sometime soon.
Happy Birthday Barb, thanks for the invite and look
forward to many more.
Click
here for photo's from Barb's Party.
Kai Iwi Lakes (Bras Monkey) 2005 Queens Birthday weekend was shaping up to be a great time
for vanners to congregate at Kai Iwi Lakes for the Brass Monkey 05 Custom Van
Run. Up to 12 vans and 45 people had indicated they would attend the van display
in Whangarei on Saturday morning and then the 2 nights at Kai Iwi Lakes north of
Dargaville. Then the weather turned to crap.
The week leading up to Queens Birthday weekend turned cold, wet and
windy. By Friday roads were closing down the central North Island and a number
of vanners were snowed in down the island and couldn’t get through. A few of
us left Auckland just after 8 am on Saturday morning and had a good run through
to Whangarei with a few showers and a cold wind for company. At 10.30 we had 6
vans and a pickup truck on display at the Repco carpark with another two vans
turning up later in the morning. One of these was a cool little 100E prefect
running on genuine hotwire wheels.
A few showers swept through during the display but a good flow of people
passed through and at 2pm we pulled out and headed for Kai Iwi Lakes to set up
before it got too dark. More showers followed by heavy rain were encountered on
the trip across but when we arrived at the western side of the lake the sun was
out and we set up camp in the dry. Northern Knights, the local custom van club
and hosts for the weekend had set up three bar-b-ques, sound system and a couple
of huge braziers ready for the weekend. With everyone fed, the fires roaring,
stars out and great music we all settled in for a great nights partying.
A few prizes were up for grabs, the main one being a trophy for Peoples
Choice. These were handed out during the evening. Peoples Choice was a nice
silver cup sponsored by Winstone Glass in Kaitia and went to Mal Bain from
Parlour Vans in Auckland with his chopped Transit. Long Distance sponsored by
Northern Knights went to Trev and Barb from Edgecumb who run with Bay Kustom
Cruisers. Hard Luck went to Regan and Justine Richards form Parlour Vans who had
to leave the display early with a rather sick baby daughter, and the Hardest
Helper went to Fish MacKay from Dargaville.
Around 10pm Tony and Clair arrived from Wanganui having finally got away
at mid day after the road between Wanganui and Ohakune was cleared of slips and
snow. The party continued into the wee small hours of Sunday morning and the
showers stayed away.
Sunday dawned fine and relatively warm with a number of sore heads
emerging form tents and vans. It took a while to get the bodies moving and with
a late breakfast of bacon and eggs and a bunch of chewing the fat it was soon
lunchtime. A number of people went off sightseeing around the area, while others
just lounged around talking, drinking and just enjoying the sun and the holiday
atmosphere. A high swing was set up for the kids from a pine tree branch and a
few brave soles even hit the lake for a swim. The water was surprisingly warm.
Around 3 pm a trivia quiz was held for those who wanted to partake with a
number of prizes sponsored by Super Cheep Autos in Whakatane. Fish Mackay took
out the winning prize with a number of others getting consolation prizes. All up
an interesting afternoon.
A few showers returned late afternoon but with the barbies fired up and a
fresh stock of wood ready to go we were in for another great night partying. A
continuous supply of shooters made from various cocktails mixes got things off
to a great start that continued through the night. With the braziers pumping out
the heat and the music blasting the night, the party continued into Monday
morning with some rather interesting adult music thrown in for good measure.
Monday again dawned fine and a bunch more sore heads emerged. With
breakfast out of the way everyone packed up for the trip home. However things
were interrupted when Simon (Blobby) launched his jet ski and undertook some
naked jet skiing. We cruised out with the camper in tow about 1030 and ended up
back in Auckland about 1.30 after a stop for lunch. The 25 adults and 12
children had an excellent weekend, despite the less than great weather. Thanks
to the various sponsors and Northern Knights for a great time and roll on Brass
Monkey 06.
Click
here for photo's from the Kai Iwi Lakes run.
Van Nationals 2005 - Albany, Auckland - New Year
2004/05 Well,
what can I say; If you didn’t make it or just couldn’t be bothered, you
missed a great Nationals. The idea of holding the 28th Nationals in
Auckland started when the original plan for Nationals to be held at the Snow Run
campsite near Ohakune fell over due to the logistics involved. This was decided
at the ’04 Nationals in Christchurch and a quick call to Auckland revealed
that a possible site at Albany in Auckland was available over New Year. With the site booked it was time to organize the
event and a working group of Parlour Vans members was formed to get the ball
rolling. The usual T-shirts, trophies, plaques, food, entertainment, show had to
be sorted and with only 6 months to do it, we needed to get a move on. It all
came together and the gates opened at mid-day on Thursday 30th
December with about 38 pre entries and an indication of around 50 vanners
attending. As usual for Auckland the weather turned to crap a
day before the event and Thursday was rather wet. However we managed to get the
camper set, the halls set up and everything ready without too much hassle.
Vanners started arriving mid afternoon, and by dinner time there were quite a
group at the site. Dinner was a simple affair with mince, stew and chilly with
toast, rice etc. Most people sat around talking, drinking and catching up with
everyone, usual first night stuff. Friday was basically a please yourself day. The
weather had cleared somewhat and with discounts available at the local mini golf
and indoor go cart track a number of Vanners headed off to have a play. Others
headed off and took in the sights of Auckland and some just hang around the site
chatting and relaxing. With Friday night being New Years Eve, we had decided to
have a Karaoke and fancy dress night just for a laugh. The karaoke arrived late
afternoon and didn’t take long to set up. With an awesome dinner of roast
chicken and turkey with all the trimmings followed by a great desert, is was
party time with a “P” theme. What a great night. Everyone got into the
spirit and the costumes were awesome Check out the pics to see what we all got
up to. Midnight arrived all to early and was celebrated in the usual manor and
the party rolled on. By about 4 am it was pretty much time to call it a night,
or was it day. Who knows, but a great time was had by all. Saturday
morning was going to be a champagne breakfast but there weren’t too many
people interested in breakfast so those that were, were sorted out. The morning
got off to a very slow start and it was decided to have a poker run through
Auckland in the afternoon. The convoy departed after lunch with the first cards
handed out at the gate and we headed out through the Upper Harbour drive to
Henderson and down the North Western motorway to Auckland City. We cruised
through the city and out along Tamaki Drive to St Helliers. We stopped off at a
park for a bit of a catch up and play the cruised back through town again, over
the bridge and up the Northern motorway back to the site. Good cruise and by the
time we got back 5 cards had been handed out. After an awesome BBQ dinner care of Clint and his rod
clubs great BBQ trailer, we headed back to the top hall for some more party
time. A bit more subdued this night given the hard time we gave ourselves the
night before but still another great night. Sunday was show day and we convoyed down to the
Village Green in Browns Bay ans set up the vans for display. 20 vans, 2 pickup
trucks and the flamed BBQ trailer with another couple of vans out on the road.
Great setup and created plenty of interest. Judging got underway and was sorted
pretty quick and the BBQ was fired up for the sausage sizzle. The weather was
great and a number of Vanners took the opportunity to check out the shops, bars
and beach at Browns Bay. We packed up at around 3-30 and cruised back to the
camp. Dinner was another great affair with roast chicken and turkey rolls and
heaps of veges and spuds followed by another awesome desert. We adjourned to the
top hall for prize-giving. A great bunch of trophies were on offer including
although we were trying a somewhat different approach this time around by
reducing the number of classes and introducing a top 5 group. Seemed to work
well although time will tell. A list of prize winners is published elsewhere in
this magazine. A new idea was also tried and we gave out laminated A4 colour
photos of every vehicle entered in the show. This went down well and was a great
idea. After prize-giving it was party time again. The
champagne that we were going to have on New Years Day for breakfast was given
out and rapidly consumed. A number of drinking sessions erupted with the
numerous shooters and mixers that were around. We carried on partying into the
wee small hours and a great time was had by all. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and
so it is with the Nationals. A huge breakfast we brewed up on the BBQ using up
as much of the breakfast food as we could. After a prolonged succession of
goodbye’s it was time to clean up the site and head off. By about 2pm all was
done and it was back to everyday life. I’d like to put out a huge thanks to Mal and
Lynda, Clint and Glenys, Mike and Jude and everyone else who helped out to make
this a great event. Well done team and roll on the next Nationals, Nelson I
hear, Easter 2006.
Van Nationals 2004 - Christchurch Easter 2004 Well
flying to a van run, what a tosser. The bloody chief judge couldn’t bring a
van. Pretty piss poor effort that. Well I suppose at least he could be bothered
turning up. Where’s ya van!!! Flying to Christchurch was something I had to
do, because work said I had to be back on Tuesday morning, bit rough on driving.
Leave Sunday, get home Monday night, to be at work on Tuesday “I don’t think
so Tim!!” The nats this year was
my 10th nats in a row (11 counting Aussie last Easter), so I
couldn’t miss it. $100 each way on the plane was ok by me, cheaper than
anything else, and 1hr, 20 mins each way. Jeff, Nigel, T.P and Bob and kids
picked me up in a limo, so after a bottle store visit we went trolling for
hookers down Manchester St. Some of them were more manly than a man!! After the
tour we went to Jeff & Alison’s for a shit talk and had a few quiet ales.
Some more VANZ Unlimited members also turned up and a bit of a do got going. At
some ridiculous hour I fell into bed, with Alison having put some hot water
bottles in there previously, I was toastie warm, cheers, cold as hell outside
tho!’
The
nats proper got under was on Thursday arvo, after Nigel, Jeff and I spent time
putting up signs, getting stuff ready and generally fecking around. We arrived
at camp with Nigel’s caravan and Tony in tow, but hang on, what happened to
the caravan wheel? But hang on, what happened to Tony? Oh here he is, carrying
the wheel for the caravan!! Nearly hit it. A bit of a grin and greetings to all
who were there and as the arvo wore on more vanners from all over were starting
to arrive. A quick duck into town for the 3 esses _ _ _, and back to camp to
find the hall full of smoke and more smoke outside. After folding and putting
away of the Double Booked Campers Clothes, (No fault of VANZ Unlimited) they
refused us entry to the hall with the other fire place in it. I bet they
regretted that!! I bet they never use that camp again either! Someone who shall
remain nameless dragged the other fireplace outside and it was used as a
brazier, bloody good job it did too!! Cheers to all, Fish
New
Years Run - Ohakune 2003/4 A suggestion from a couple of
vanners was for a New Year bash at the Karioi Domain (usual site for the Snow
Run). What a great idea. With the camper packed, a full
tank of gas and the new cooling system installed in the van we headed off from
Auckland at around 9 am on a nice fine Tuesday for a leasurely cruise down to
Ohakune for 3 nights of relaxed vanning. By the time we got to Morrinsville for
a compulsory hotwheels stop it was spitting with rain. As we closed in on Taupo
the wind was up and rain quite steady. Bugger, not another wet van run? A big
surprise was that the gas gauge was also getting mighty low. As we approached
Wairake the engine died but with enough momentum and a gap in the traffic we
coasted into the gas station and proceeded to gas up in the rain. Did we have a
leak or was the 20% increase in consumption due to something else? As we left Wairake we plowed
into the back of a 5 km cue into Taupo so a quick u turn and detour around Taupo
saw us cruising down the eastern side of the lake. The weather broke and around
Turangi the sun was out and the wind non existent however as we approached the
Desert road it turned to crap again. The cloud base was about 150ft above the
Desert road and it was cool to see a Cessna cruising south about 50ft above the
road just under the clouds. As we turned off at Waiouru and headed for Ohakune
the weather was clearing again and when we pulled into the domain the rain had
gone, still cloudy but bloody cold for late December. Trev and Barb and Toot were
already en-camped and had been there for a couple of days. Ariel and James had
been and gone as they were heading down the line for New Year. We set the camper
up and got some dinner sorted and it wasn’t long before Fish and Chips and
Fritter arrived, followed by Mike and Sam. The clouds covering Ruepehu looked
awesome and something cold was going on up there. We settled in for the night
with a fire roaring and the alcohol and bullshit flowing freely. New Years eve dawned fine and
cloudless and although it started off cool, it didn’t take long for the
temperature to clime into the high 20’s. The mountain looked brilliant and the
snow line was well down the mountain. Worth a trip up we thought so off we went
to the ski field. The snow line was about at the top chair lift but there were
pockets of snow around top car park. We checked out the sites including some of
the Lord of the Rings spots then headed back down the mountain for lunch. With
the tar starting to melt on the roads, we had lunch and did one of the bush
walks behind the Ohakune shops. Back at camp Jude had arrived
and not long after Clint and Glenys also arrived along with Tony and Co. Inch,
an ex vanner in Ohakune turned up for a look, promptly went home, packed the
family and the tent and returned for the night. Doug had delivered the juke box
but couldn’t stay and headed back to Wanganui. We had just settled down with
a few drinks and some collecting fire wood for the nights blaze when Trev went
down with scream from Barb. Toot was extracting a tree trunk with his ute at 30
mph when it swung around and caught him on the side of the knee. Ouch. Dropped
him like a stone. Out came the first aid kit, ice and all the advice in the
world. Trev eventually managed to hobble around but his knee didn’t look good.
Maybe a rum will fix it. With dinner out of the way, the juke box fired up and
the fire roaring with the aid of the resident pyromaniacs it was time to get
into the cocktails. With enough mixers to stock a large bar and the cocktail
cook books out it didn’t take long before we had tried plenty of variation
both out of the books and self concocted. We should publish our own book. New
Year was soon upon us and a bunch of fireworks were set free. Great night. New Years day was again hot,
sunny and cloudless. Trev decided it was time to get his knee checked out so he
and Barb headed off to Wanganui hospital to check out the damage. Ligament and
tendon damage, strap it up, take these crutches, have a few weeks off work,
she’ll be right, maybe. That took most of the day to sort out. Some of us
headed off for a bush walk to some lakes not far from the camp. Really nice
spot. Others just chilled out as best you could in the sun. The day soon passed
into evening and the usual drinks, food and chat, music and a great game of
spotlight with the kids. All too soon it was Friday and
time to pack up. With everything packed, the hall cleaned up and everything
sorted most departed by mid morning. Mike Farrelly stayed on an extra night then
headed north. We headed south through to Palmerston then swung east, through the
gorge and on up to Napier to spend a week with my family. We eventually made it
back home on the 9th after a great break. The weather was great with
most days getting into the 30’s and the only rain on the first day. For those
of you that missed this New Years run, shame. We had a great time, apart from
Trev who hopefully has recovered well.
Garry, Mel, Shelley & Ryan
Guy Fawkes Weekend - Tirau 2003 Guy Fawkes went off with a bang this year with a few
of us invited to Mike and Jude’s farm near Okoroire. We headed off from
Auckland at around 8-30 on Saturday morning with great weather and the promise
of a great weekend. As we left Morrinsville after a compulsory Hotwheels stop it
started to rain. At Matamata it was still raining and by the time we got to the
farm not far from Tirau it had eased to showers. Mike was found putting up
enough fairy lights to suck half the power from the National grid and doing a
fine job of cooking soup for lunch at the same time. We decided to put up the
storm awning instead of the usual with Ryan sleeping in the camper and Shelley
opting to sleep in the Largo. This was only the second time we had used the
small awning in 14 years and the first time we had used the Largo for sleeping. With the camper and awning up it was time for pumpkin
soup and as it was well past “Rum O'clock” the bottle was cracked. It
wasn’t long before Trev, Barb, Bruce and Ilene arrived. Not long after them
the rain was back, heavier and coming in more horizontal than vertical and for a
while it seemed that the bonfire and fireworks would be a washout. After a couple of hours it eased off and started
clearing. Jude headed off to milk the cows and the rest of us decided to take up
Mikes offer of an 18-hole frizzbie golf match around the farm. We headed off on
the par 79 course and what a laugh that was with frizzbies flying every which
way. Apart form the long grass, water hazards, bogs and cow pats, the biggest
hazard was collecting a frizzbie in the back of the head. At the half way mark
Jude had left a chilly bin with a great mix of alcoholic refreshments. With the weather getting better by the minute it was
a short walk up to the milking shed to check out the best way to extract milk
for the 300+ cows. Barb couldn’t resist the urge to get back to her roots and
before you could say cow shit, she had donned the overalls and was in the pit
with Jude and a whole bunch of lethal looking penis enlargers. So milk doesn’t
really come from plastic bottles. After about half an hour of seeing how it was
done, and watching the antics of Jude and Barb avoiding the cow pee and poo, the
rest of us headed off to complete the back 9 of the frizzbie course. It didn’t
take too long to get back to the house and if you have never tried frizzbie
golf, give it a go, it’s great fun. With the evening closing in the BBQ was fired up and
a great feed of sausages, steak, salads etc was enjoyed by all. With the alcohol
flowing freely, including a good dosing of my special “Moose’s Milk” the
darkness closed in and somewhere along the line we forgot all about desert. A
huge bonfire around the back of the house was liberally dosed with diesel and
was soon roaring into life despite being drenched earlier in the day. A great
range of fireworks were deployed into the sky in an attempt to re create the
anti aircraft fire of WW2. With the fire still going most of us headed off to
bed by around midnight, the afternoons golf having done the trick. Sunday morning dawned fine without a cloud in sight
and the BBQ was fired up for bacon, eggs, hash browns and what ever anyone else
wanted for breakfast. The fire was still smoldering away and Bruce was seen
trying to stoke it back into life. After breakfast the camper was pulled down
and everything packed away for the trip home. Trev and Barb were heading off to
Arapuni to check out where Trev was working and the section on offer for them to
buy. We decided to follow them over as did Bruce and Ilene, so with everything
packed, we bid Mike a fond farewell (Jude had headed off to inseminate some cows
again) and pointed the van west to Arapuni. When we arrived about half an hour
later we checked out the section and had the plans and house sorted by the time
we left. We then headed for the power station and great swing bridge that was
definitely worth checking out. Then it was off to Trevs work site to check out
the new fertilizer shed. Would make a nice garage for building 57 vans in. Trev and Bruce headed east for home and we took the
back road towards Lake Karapiro and Cambridge. With a quick stop off at the lake
to check out the camp for future van runs, we arrived at Cambridge about 12-30
for lunch. They were celebrating Armistice Day and had markets, parades and best
of all, the Warbirds doing aerobatics over the tone including some great stuff
by the P51 Mustang. What a bonus to a great weekend. After lunch it was a
leisurely cruise back to Auckland, arriving home about 3-30. Thanks to Mike and
Jude for a great time which really needs to be repeated. Garry,
Mel, Shelley and Ryan
Click
here for photo's from the Guy Fawkes Weekend.
Well for the three of us, Labour
weekend started after the nationals in ChCh 18 mths ago! All wedding plans went
very well, with a couple of minor but quite humerous situations occurring. Like
Brent and Tony producing seagull traps when the rings were to be produced, but
everyone in the crowd thought they were condoms!! We were then pronounced Mr and
Mrs Cossey (Mellisa’s last name) by the celebrant. Then when she said you may
kiss the bride, we shook hands!! At the reception hall, the food was awesome, a
big BBQ with salads etc… & beer and wine. At around 12.30 – 1.00 am we
closed the hall and went back to the motorcamp with a few bottles of wine and
the last of the beer, and proceeded to get a bit merry! Mellisa and I went to
bed around 3.30am after the best wedding I’ve ever had. The hall clean up the
next day was a bit of an ask, but thanks to all who helped!! Special thanks to
Tony, Mike Goodwin, Trevor and Chris. While cleaning up, the Falcon was parked
across the road, we could only look on in horror as a car and boat combo hooned
down the road at about 70 km/h, dragging a 4 hook grapple anchor on about 40m of
chain behind it, bouncing around, it missed by about ½ an inch, FAAARK! After
calming down from that, we witnessed a very near accident by the pub – but
after a huge 25 metre skid (and on the road too!) a lucky kid carried on like a
mad prick, after some abuse tho’. All things wedding aside, all
vanners and other friends were invited back to mum & dad’s for a BBQ
lunch, which was very nice. Walking back to camp, we spoke to several fisher
people “caught anything?” same result at Toot tho’ “not much” or
something like that anyway! We dragged down to the camp, a heap
of left over food, and the vanners had a good scoff. There was actually a food
crowd at the camp, come to think of it, all the Tapu runs I have attended over
the years have had a good attendance. If you weren’t there, you missed another
good run. As the sun started to set, we started to tell the usual tall tales,
Trev telling the tallest, Mike laughing the hardest, all of us having a great
time. The weather though, was reminding me of Hawaii’s Pearl Harbour. There
was a nasty nip in the air, so we had the brazier cranked up and yours truly was
sitting down wind. Talk about smoked Fish!! We laughed, talked, partied hard
again, but most still had an early night. I went to be the earliest I had ever
at a van run, before 10!! The next day we all said our
goodbyes to the 18 or so vanners, of course the weather was fine, so Mike was
putting on a bit of a barby for lunch, we didn’t show but I’ll bet more
humor and shenanigans tho’. Cheers to all The Takeaways!
Van Nationals - Tauranga 2002/03
December 29 to January
02 was the time to be at Tauranga for the 2003 Custom Van Nationals.
Traditionally held at Easter, the date was changed to provide more stable warm
weather and to allow the Aussies a chance to come over and participate. The host
club, Bay Kustom Cruisers (BKC) found a great venue at the Ngamuwahine Lodge up
in the Kaimai Ranges about 10 minutes from Tauranga. With fine weather booked
and all the catering and accommodation provided in the $100 entry fee, it was
time to settle in for a great 4 days. The
venue was superb with great facilities including accommodation for up to 90,
huge kitchen and 2 halls, covered outdoor BBQ area, plenty of hot water for
showers and even boasted a laundry. The climbing wall and high level ropewalks
were not challenged although the flying fox did get a heavy workout. With bush
walks and a not so warm river at the bottom of the driveway we were set for a
great time. By
Sunday evening 29th about 30 or so vanners had arrived at the site
after negotiating a rather dustier than normal road in, including 2 Aussie
vanners all the way from Sydney. Dinner was an ongoing affair to cater for the
late arrivals and everyone settled in for a night of catching up with old
friends. Monday
was a fairly laid back day with judging of undercarriage done in the morning and
club games in the afternoon. The weather was typical Bay of Plenty hot so some,
especially the kids, elected to hit the river either swimming or canoeing to
cool off. Others just relaxed with a beer or two in the BBQ area or took on the
flying fox. A few also checked out the bush walks and the campers at the DOC
camp down by the river. With some heading into town to check out the action and
a few more vanners arriving, the day passed by in a very relaxing way. With a
great dinner under our belts it was down to some serious socializing. Tuesday,
New Years Eve, was show day and three convoys headed into Tauranga to wash the
vans at BKC members houses then onto the Mount for the free outdoor show and the
rest of the judging. During the show a number of vanners took the opportunity to
go into the Mount for a bit of a look around. The show packed up around 3 pm and
it was time for a cruise around and re-stock the essential supplies for New
Years Eve. Back at the camp it was soon time for dinner then into a mystery
auction and the Mad Hatters New Years Eve Party which was a roaring success.
Midnight soon came and went and a few hardy soles were still going as the sun
came up. New
Years Day saw a number of sore heads. The kids were back at the river swimming
and canoeing while a bunch of more enthusiastic vanners decided to head up the
hill for a couple of hours bush walk, arriving back about 5 hours later. Early
afternoon saw the night’s entertainment, the Blarney Boys, arrived to set up
their gear and give us a taste of what was to come later that night. Prize
giving was held around 5-30 with about 15 trophies up for grabs. Garry
Armstrong’s Bedford Jumbo, “Genesis” took a number of prizes including
Peoples Choice, Vanners Choice and Super Van. Congratulations also to Mal Bain
who after a long absence returned to the Van Nationals with his recently top
chopped Transit to claim a number of prizes including Best Unfinished. With
prize giving over, an invite went out to those camped down by the river at the
DOC campsite to join us for the night with about 30 or so coming up to join us.
With another great dinner safely stowed away the Blarney Boys fired up for what
could only be called a brilliant night of Irish rock, blues, pop, country and
any other music you can think of. These two guys play a heap of instruments and
put on one of the best shows we’ve seen for a while. Everyone rocked on into
the wee small hours which was a surprise given the effort of some the night
before. Thursday
Arrived all too soon and it was time to say goodbye to one of the best Van
Nationals for a long time. Well done BKC for a supurb effort and a great way to
ring in 2003. From Garry Armstrong It was decided a while ago that with Fish and
Melissa moving to Dargaville, we
should look at having run back to Kai Iwi Lakes to revisit the site of the
annual Lakes runs that stopped around six or seven years ago. Fish set the ball
in motion and it looked as though there would be around 18 to 20 vanners
attending. Was it the threat of bad weather or apathy that reduced the numbers?
Who knows, who cares. We
left Auckland with the camper in tow at 8-45 on Saturday morning and made Fish's
place in Dargaville at 11-00. By a little after 12-00 Fish, Melissa and us were
at the camp site on the west side of the lake. The day was quite windy and this
side had all the shelter and it wasn't long before we had 2 camp sites set up
and the bar in full swing. Tony arrived from Whanganui around 5-30 with Sandra
and her two kids and we all settled in for the night with the BBQ fired up and
the booze and bull shit flowing. The night sky was a mass of stars and we spent
a bit of time having fun with the kids chasing wild cats and possums. We
had planned to head up to the Giant Kauri Forrest on Sunday however after
breakfast and a bit of a walk around the place, Terry and Sue from Northern
Knights in Whangarei turned up with their two kids for a flying visit. Hadn't
seen them for years so after a bit of a chat we talked them into staying the
night. They left the kids with us and shot off back home to pick up a tent and
supplies for the night. Thought they may have stayed home with the kids away for
a bit of R @ R but were back in a couple of hours and set up camp as well. With
a few games with the kids and a bit of a stroll around the place collecting fire
wood it was soon time to fire up the BBQ again for dinner. Around
5-30 Mal Bain and Lynda from Auckland rolled up with long lost ex Parlour Vanner
from years back, Wayne Cresswell. What a suprise. I hadn't seen Wayne for at
least 15 years so it was great to catch up with him again after all these years.
With dinner out of the way and the bar well and truly open we all settled in for
a pleasant night. The possums and cats were out in force (knew I should have
bought the gun) which provided heaps of entertainment especially when the girls
had to go to the loo. Fish also provided plenty of entertainment with his
impersonations of getting firewood with your face. We managed to get the
incinerator glowing and eventually crawled off to bed sometime in the early
hours of Monday morning. All
good things must come to an end and Monday soon arrived. With no one in any
hurry to pack up it was a mix of pack a bit, chat a bit, check out photos, pack
a bit more etc. After goodbyes all round, we eventually hit the road at around
12-30 and trucked off back towards the big smoke. With a stop off at the Kauri
Museum at Matakohe it was on to Wellsford for lunch at MacDonalds at about 4-00.
With the traffic quite heavy coming into Auckland we eventually made it home
just after 6-00 after what could only be describes as another great weekend away
with good weather, good site and great mates. Roll on the next Kai Iwi Lakes
run. From Garry Armstrong
Tapu Run - Labour Weekend 2002 In
typical Labour Weekend fashion the weather for the weekend didn't look good.
Showers on and off with rain on Sunday. Still what's a little rain on a
van run. We headed of to Tapu, a small town about 20 Km north of Thames on the
Coromandel Peninsular on Saturday morning. The weather was good and as we had
extra passengers, we took the #2 van with the camper in tow. We arrived at the
camp at Tapu around lunch time and set up the camper. Fish, Melissa, Rikki_Leigh,
Mike Goodwin, some friends of Fish's were already there along with Chris
Sherwood who was up on holiday from Wellington.
While Mel was prepping lunch I decided to put up a large
tarp next to the camper to keep the sun out. The kids were off to play in the
stream and we settled in to chat and have a rum or three. It wasn't long before
Bruce and Ilene arrived from Tauranga, followed shortly after by Trev and Barb.
Dinner time soon rolled around so it was over to the Tapu Fire Station for a
B-B-Q, drinks and another great quiz night. Auckland vs Waikato for the NPC
final was also on as a bonus. Tony and Doug arrived in time for dinner as did
the showers. We headed back to camp around 9-30 ish and settled in for the night
with plenty of alcohol to keep the cool out.
The overnight showers turned to rain in the morning but reverted back to showers
later in the morning as we headed into Thames to check out the movies and lunch.
Not much on at the movies so McDonalds was the call for lunch. With the sun back
out Mel and I decided to truck on up the coast to Coromandel township to check
the place out. Shops were good but the wallet stayed closed. We headed back
around 4-30 as the rain arrived back with vengeance. The sun shade proved to be
a god send and with the barbies under cover as well, it was sausages, chops,
bacon, eggs and salads for dinner. Another night with some good people and
goooood alcohol and it was off to bed with a glow.
Monday morning dawned fine and the pack-up went well. Just as we hooked the
camper on the rain showers returned. Brilliant timing. From Tapu it was south to
Morrinsville to pick up some vanning video tapes then a quiet cruise back to
Auckland.
Another great Labour Weekend run is over for another year and we look forward to
another one next year.
From Garry and Mel This year the 22nd Van Association of New Zealand (VANZ) Custom
Van Nationals was held at Birch Hill Camp near Rangiora, Christchurch over
Easter weekend. Host club, Vanz Unlimited of Christchurch had spoken to the man
upstairs and with great weather ordered vanners started arriving at the campsite
on Thursday afternoon. The site featured great facilities with bunkrooms,
hall/dining room, kitchen, toilets and showers with endless gas fed hot water.
The biggest problem, South Island sandflies, big as a horse and arriving in
squadrons to feast on fresh North Island fare. Even the insect repellant had a
hard job keeping them off. With all the meals included in the entry fee, the goodie bags
were handed out and arriving vanners settled in for a superb home made bacon and
egg pie dinner. The 45 or so vanners spent the night renewing friendships and
partying. Friday dawned fine and clear and with breakfast consumed it was
time for the delegates from the various member clubs present to meet for the
22nd Annual General Meeting of VANZ. With business complete and a lovely lunch
disposed of, some vanners trucked off into town to take in the sites while the
rest of us kicked up a baseball game with the kids, complete with the worst
cheerleaders around. After a great evening meal it was into party mode again
with the more foolhardy partying into the wee small hours. Saturday was show day with 2 convoys of vans heading into the
Rangiora Showgrounds. With the vans washed and set up the doors opened at 10am.
There was a slow but steady stream of people through the free show and judges
were busy checking out the vans to see who would take away the 20 or so trophies
up for grabs. With the show over at around 4pm it was back to the camp for
dinner and some serious partying. Sunday again dawned fine and the vans lined up for a poker run
into Christchurch. The run went via Rangiora through to Brighton beach for a
visit to the pier. From here it was a tour through town where CB radios proved
invaluable as traffic lights and a few mechanical problems split up the convoy.
Everyone finally joined up again and we ended up at a place called the Groynes
for a B-B-Q lunch and some R & R. With rain finally threatening, the vanners headed back to the
showgrounds at Rangiora for a grass khana. With the course set up it was beat
the clock time around the cones. A number of vanners found their right foot full
of lead and couldn't resist giving it heaps, attempting to creating the biggest
dust storm around. A vanner we came across on the run into Christchurch also
turned up and gave it heaps. 2 up drag racing was also undertaken with a 180
degree turn at half track, which on grass proves rather entertaining. After a
couple of hours of pure adrenaline fun and donuts galore it was back to camp for
dinner and prize giving. The rain finally arrived and you guessed it, party time
soon followed. Monday arrived all too soon and with showers coming and going
it was time to pack up and head for home. Well done Vanz Unlimited for a great
Nationals, and roll on the next one, this time to be held at New Year in
Tauranga. Click
here for photo's from the 2002 Nats. From Garry Armstrong
Crap! The weather is like last year. Fish, Melissa and Rikki-Leigh set off to Taupo on Saturday 30th of December to catch up with a friend, and check out the carnival and Taupo Domain and to stay at the Taupo Motor Camp in the family caravan. We had to queue for 1 ½ hour just to get to the office at the camp, finally getting set up in the
caravan and finding 2000 pissed people already camping.
We set out for dinner (KFC and Macca's) and visit Brent (Purvy) and Lisa. We returned to the camp around 8.30pm finding all parties in full swing. At about 10pm Rikki-Leigh said "Mum, I've never seen so many drunk people". 11.30ish all parties
died away as all car batteries started going flat. So we all slept OK.
Up and out by 11am, Subway for brunch still cold as hell, we made our way to Napier. Just
cruising along, saw two accidents though. As we got through Esk Valley and turned right to Napier the weather had cleared up nicely. We got to Funt's place
around 5pm, hot and thirsty and ready to party!!! The Liquor store was the first call. The others at Funt's - Tony,
Steve, Heath needed some ice to I drove "The Limo" down town letting the guys and
Melissa Leer out through the tinted windows at people. After picking up some more people, booze and ice we returned to Funt's where a few of the 8-9 kids had a warm swim in the paddling pool, while the blokes got the
BBQ fired up. Everybody had their blood pressure taken (to make sure we could hack another van run I guess) and Paid $5 for a sweepstake to see who had the closest blood pressure at midnight, to the first reading earlier.
With nice salads, BBQ Meat and booze an excellent night set in. the stereo was thrashed, we partied hard, dancing, bullshitting and more of both!! Me and Tony were helping the kids dance, doing the Bop and some other unusual and definitely unique moves. One of the young boys did a neat head spin which looked to hard for us to do. While some of the guys went to check out the Limo the rest of us had a cork spitting contest organised by Fish (Who Else) Wait till the Nationals, You'll see it.
Oi! Outside! Fight! Someone yelled! We ran outside to see a bloody battle going on! Funt hit Tony and Tony hit Funt - all by mistake. Then after a rumble in the back of the Limo there was a sparring match involving the locals and vanners. After seeing the offenders off the party partied on, with bruises here and there most of us stayed until the sun, birds and hangovers came up! The kids were all
cosy in the double bed, we weren't cosy at all.
After an excellent breakfast of spud, bacon, eggs and salad we were feeling much better. So it was time for thanks and goodbyes again, and we rounded up toys, gear and Rikki-Leigh and set off back to Taupo, still fine weather in Napier but back over the hills to Taupo and it was crap again! We had a swim at the local pools (AC Baths - very enjoyable).
We stayed another night at the caravan and I got back on the booze, this time with Purvy, while
Melissa and Rikki-Leigh had a quiet night. I scored a free sunhat off our motor camp neighbours who had heaps for sale, couldn't sell them so they gave them away. It's truly stunning I tell you. Back to Pukekohe on Tuesday afternoon, just a quiet trip, uneventful, arriving tired but happy and safe.
Thanks Funt, Sandra and All who partied with us. See you either BKC Anniversary or at the Nationals!!
From Fish, Melissa & Ricky-Leigh
We are off then, leaving Pukekohe at 5.30pm to pick up the caravan at Taupo, then onto the 2001 Van Nationals.
Well, what an unbelievable amount of traffic, all seem to be going 60-70kph!!! 2 hours later (usually 1 hour) we finally hit Hamilton. Then finally losing the traffic we got a fairly good run to Taupo, to coffee and tea with Purvy and Lisa's place. With the
caravan in tow, we set off, with the weather getting worse and worse. We were run off the road twice before the Desert Road, following trucks 20-30kph, pissing down with rain, and feeling a little uncomfortable about the whole deal. Knowing we were heading south, destination Colyton with friends was a good thought. Rikki-Leigh was sleeping through it all, Good on her aye?!
We eventually arrive at Fielding 2.15am and got confused, but a call on the bat phone sorted us out. 2.30am at the hall, we sorted out the caravan, put Rikki-Leigh to bed and stayed up until 5.30am quietly drinking and bullshitting with familiar and unfamiliar (Australian ) faces. Nice to be Chris and Fres (Peter).
On Friday morning we slept in a bit, but got up and had a large strong coffee. We just bummed around camp most of the day. Just a couple of trips to Fielding for ice and supplies. As afternoon rolled around the under carriage and suspension judging was done with the "Red Herring" putting in it's first appearance.
Dinner on Friday night was excellent (as were all the meals). I think everyone was nosing through vanning photos and paper cutouts, talking of old and new vans, and the stories old and new, before Fish and Tony ruined some perfectly good songs with some sort of drunken gargling on the Karaoke. Knowing that everyone had to get up early, we all went to bed early too - Not!
Up at 7am for breakfast, a small man with a big hammer WANTED OUT OF MY HEAD!! We headed into Palmerston North for the
show, and realised we had no drink and no car clean stuff so I hitched a ride with Doug to K-Mart, and spent some $$. Back at the show, the vehicles were nearly set up, so a quick whip around the wheels and
mud-flaps to spruce things up and we were set.
Toni Curtis and I judged the paint areas, while Bruce Yule and I judged the Engine Bay. (So no I didn't take 6 hours to do one category as usual).
Clint and Glenys turned up, as did Murray Holdaway. Good to see you guys, Long time no see!!
After judging was finished we all headed over to the railway bar for lunch. 2 hours later some people were still waiting. Nice food though. After shutting down the show, we had to stop for beers and ice and some supplies. Then back to camp to try and fix Jeff and Ali's
Bedford brakes. Dinner then torches and advice on brakes from everyone, cylinder was shot, so one was obtained down the road the next day.
Partying away, we had to stop all things while the kids tried to put on a show, but they got stage fright and , and got boo-ed off stage by Trevor BULLY!! Then Fish licked his toes and had a tummy wrestle with Trevor - on stage. Beers followed and Jeffs video camera came out. (He should have some good footage by now.) Peter and I discussed van , vanning and van interiors and tried to check out the Aussie Van Nats over the net, but couldn't get on line properly. My arm got sore holding the cell phone up though. After a few more beers and a few more hours, we all called it a draw and went to bed.
Sunday morning came to quickly, and we got set to trip around the Wairarapa area on a "Poker run". The big park was nice, the steam museum was shut but the winery was open. So a great BBQ lunch, and a warm sunny afternoon rolled on, with Fish, Brian, TP and Phil all looking after the kids at the fun park next door.
Melissa, Barb, Ali, Cheryl, and Toni talked all about sex, while Trevor looked on in enthrallment. (Word for the day). Anyway, we had to go on to the Go-Karts, (All booked up), so back to the big park, (Brian in Fish's van, Fish took the kids in Brian's Car). Brian and kids,
Melissa, Fish and Rikki-Leigh, plus shelly Armstrong and Phil's son went Go-Karting and Mini-Golfing. After a bit of a train ride, we all got told off by the conductor for being childish.
Back at camp, the Bedford had better brakes, but not great brakes, but I took Jeff's Bedford for a drive anyway. My first time - I'm no longer a Bedford Virgin!!!
Dinner was a nice roast, with pudding too!!
Prize-giving started off, and all the trophies going to the right places, with a few donated to the Nationals for the next year at Christchurch (Vans Unlimited). The Poker prize was up for grabs, but with all the skull duggery an buggery going on, everybody had the wrong order of cards, so the lowest hand won, not the highest - congratulations Shane. Bruce tried to steal Brents Ice, then everybody back on the booze again, we railroaded T.P. into a 3man lift against the Aussies. So he was keen as. Fish and Tony Impressed (and depressed) Chris and Pete with the flaming asshole race.
We went to bed at some silly time, but still managed to get up before most people had gone. Rikki-Leigh and Brittany spent about half and hour hugging each other goodbye, so we
got to pack up, and picked up and left, waving and tooting and see you next time!
Thanks Vanawatu Custom Vans, thanks for the show, BBQ's food and all the other events and organisations. Thanks to all who helped.
Cheers - Home Safe, Late and Tired. See you next year - 2002 in Christchurch
From Fish, Melissa & Ricky-Leigh | |