Steamin Along

 When I lived in Taupo many moons ago, I used to drive past this village on my way north or south. It’s set back of the road, so it’s not very visible. Today I decided to stop in for a looksee, to see what I could see. It was like stepping back in time, where time is relative & the schedule starts when  the residents get up. A wee peep, looking for shot guns 😂  A school in times past? A shop of some kind Another shop with the local garage beside it, perhaps One of many houses like this Abigail hall or something similar Chickens 😍  Baby chicks 😍 Back in the days when... This didn’t thrill me, but I do see the positives of it too Ooh it’s foraging time Well worth the prickles  & stains Next minute...pie 😍

 😂 Yup I’m revisiting power stations that were once on my work run, as the supervisor of commercial cleaners for Spotless. I used to do the quality assurance checks & drop off supplies once a month. The best part of that role😉 Oh & the recruitment, training & health & safety. Also the stocktake & ordering.  This is part one of a series. I’ve always had an affinity for power stations, they’re the most fascinating places. Looking through the back of a row of those things We call them buildings, because we can go inside them, but really they’re all part of the greater machine, just incredible really. They’re So gigantic it’s hard to imagine the size, so I’ve done some perspective pics. A still day on the water Picture perfect 😍  A low cloud morning   I wanted to stay the night at one of them, but won’t stay on-site on my own, Safety first 😉

 I dropped in at the cuzzies place & dropped off the rest of Lexi’s things, for her cousin Sophie, who loved the food 🐶 thankfully. They fed me like royalty & we chatted well into the evening, until the driving caught up with me & I had to retire early. No surprises there 😂 I’m an early bird these days & hit the wall early at night. Especially after an intensive drive, like this one was. A later sunset over Tokoroa So it’s off to a couple of different places today, for some adventures into the unknown. I’m dressing more & more like a tramper as the budget allows, so I shouldn’t attract unwanted attention, which is one of the issues I’ve had to deal with, since I’ve been on the road. Kids shoes, but I loved them 🤩

 After a flying visit to Snells Beach, followed by the routine hospital appointment, it was back to Hamilton for a couple of nights, & on to Tokoroa. Tide’s out pic for a change I got to have Birthday afternoon tea with number 1 son at a dear little place on Gordonton Rd, Hamilton, named Willowglen Cafe, where they’re famous for their homemade plum tart. Think melt in your mouth shortcake with fresh preserved plums 😍 It’s Definitely worth a stopover, if you can find it!  That plum tart 🤤  Next stop Tokoroa to deliver the rest of Lexis food, vitamins etc, where I know it’ll be well used by another little cousin dog 🐶  Sunset in Tokoroa Then who knows huh? I have two weeks before a certain brothers “0” Birthday celebration, so I might go exploring in a different direction.

It’s off to see my now teenage grandson today, & thankful that I can see him. The alert levels have decreased, so I’m able to travel through Auckland again.  I’ll need to be there for a hospital appointment checkup, so I was getting systems in place for the border check. We take moving freely in our country for granted, that’s for sure. So much freedom to be had in Aotearoa (New Zealand) really.  It’s going to be interesting trying to park a Motorhome in the city at the hospital. There’s no allowance made for that, so I’m hoping to help that system be addressed, with all the baby boomers on the road full time now. I’ve seen hundreds of them while I’ve been travelling! We are the new black 

Yesterday I drove from Hamilton to Snells Beach for my eldest grandsons graduation into the teenage years. It was a very special time for us all. I stayed in my usual place in Sunburst Ave , but no parking for the truck this time. I pulled into an adjacent parking space & fingers crossed went to the celebration, & stayed the night there. 2-3yrs old 😍 In the morning I felt like I needed to leave by 8, but was a bit slow getting away. At 8,30 a council car pulled up & I thought here we go, I’m sporting & May get a ticket/fine for $200 Not me though, fast as a whistle I leaked into the cab & drove off 😂  The guy just looked at me 🤣 praying 🙏🏻 no ticket comes in the mail now. That’s a first I would rather miss out on 😂  Next stop Auckland City...gulp

 Arriving in Hamilton for a splendid day with my brother & his wife, was such a treat for me. I was going to give my birthday a miss, but my dear sister in law had other plans for me. We shopped & ate & had childish fun in a playground, practising our poses.  It was hilarious & I thoroughly enjoyed embracing my inner child for a change. People were laughing & smiling around us. I’m betting they were living vicariously through us 😉 I wish I’d thought to go to the surrealist garden at Hamilton Gardens, that’s always a fun photo shoot location. And watch Mortal Engines again! Still, we had a marvellous day & I felt truly loved 🥰  Speaking of posing for photos... After ladies lunching we went home & spent a quiet evening with deep space nine 😂 & a wine. We tried wraps for dinner, with sliced schnitzel, coleslaw, tomato, cucumber & Brie cheese.  The result was lovely & light, after a heavy lunch of bacon & eggs with a sour do...

 After a wonderful weekend, staying at a very busy place with other creatives it’s time to go visit Waihi, for another steampunk event. A picnic by a lake today, thankfully. Yesterday was a huge day for me, with sewing right up to the event, a first & hopefully last, then a 12 hour day out, followed by somehaggis & a neat  cinnamon whiskey 🥃 😋 I got to discover some of my clan tartans, & a whole lot of history about my roots, that I didn’t know. My family are a major clan with septs I discovered. (Sub clans) My sporran with clan badge 😂 And Steampunk in tartan badge above People had all the history of their clans, with books & memorabilia from their past. It was an awesome thing to be a part of. I didn’t take pics, as it wasn’t appropriate, & I forgot in my eagerness to discover some tangible history. Next year I hope to be wearing one of my tartan to the games.

 I came back through this way, to visit a friend who I’d missed seeing on my way down. We spent some time together & I saw a new perspective on living rurally out on the plains. A clear crisp night & a cold wind. It’s definitely feeling like Autumn in the evenings & mornings! Karangahake Gorge The next day was my birthday & I was gifted a beautiful necklace & earrings that’ll do nicely for steampunk, with sparkle & shine. Also a cushion with sparkle & shine & a sun catcher crystal. I’ll be needing my sunnies for this year I think, looks like it’s my year to sparkle & shine 😂 I received some lovely heart warming messages too 🥰   Karangahake Gorge Then it was off to Hamilton to see my brother & his wife, via all the back roads. I had to make a nature stop on one of the long straight roads through farmland, so I took the opportunity to take a quick pic. So many beautiful things to see along the way! I wished I’d been able to take pics whi...

I wish I’d had a chance in good weather to look around this place, but it looks like it’s not to be, this time around anyway. Today the rain continues, but thankfully it’s easing off. Funny how the weather apps & even my iPhone can get it so wrong sometimes. Partly cloudy with a high of 27oC 😂  There was so much water forming on the grass yesterday, that I was concerned about flooding, & very thankful to the local council for providing the tar sealed freedom camping area, where I’m parked up to wait out the weather, & lockdown. It’s a long strip with 15 Motorhome overnight parking spaces, a smart toilet that told me to leave the premises immediately yesterday, after I exceeded its time limit 😂 a rubbish bin, fresh water & a dump station. Winning! 🤩 That’s almost all I need to survive actually 😂 that and fuel, food & laundry facilities. And People, I’m missing people.  Today I’ve fixed all my ailing hats & the other broken things I had set aside to f...

 From Greenlane to Narrow Neck Beach in Devonport, to Whangaparaoa to Army Bay... in two days 😂  Sometimes I need to find a place to park up for the night, & need to travel to achieve that. So I went to a place where I was assured that there are always vans parked up. Well there was last night... mine 😂  I lived in Devonport when I was 15yrs old & had a really happy year there, for the most part. I used to work in our shop after school, payment one peanut slab please 😆 I think half of Tonga was there when I got there, but thankfully they packed up & left by just after 9pm. So I locked the door & went to bed, after a bit of exploring in the late afternoon. Funniest moment... when I found a historic site that was a working naval base when I was 15 🤣 so I went for a looksee...fascinating! I had to take a few... dozen pics 😂 it was a stunning day, so I stayed out for quite a while, having moved the truck to the other end of the carpark, where it was a bit...