dump stations – The Vanninis' Manoeuvres

What goes on in a black tank

I mentioned in an earlier post from a few weeks ago that I would explain what happened with our black tank, so here goes!

WARNING: This post will discuss the maintenance and care of the black holding tank in an RV/Bus/Motorhome, that is the tank that holds human waste ie. poos and wees! DONOT read any further if the subject offends.

We had emptied the black tank before we took the van in to have a new loo installed, which highlighted not only a bit of rot in the floor but we were reliably told that our black tank was definitely not empty. Oh no, have we got the dreaded “poo pyramid”?

No, we do not have the pyramid of poo which forms when the vehicle is stationary for long periods of time and not enough water is used. There is a large resource of blogs/videos/articles available to read about this anomaly on YouTube and by asking Mr Google. In our case, on inspection, that is by looking down the toilet into the tank with a torch, it looked as though the base of the tank was covered in a layer of something that almost looked like compacted toilet paper. On further investigation and many hours of research later, I realised that this was in fact what is called Struvite.

What is Struvite? It is defined as a phosphate mineral crystal with an elemental composition of magnesium, ammonia, and phosphate that forms in water and is a completely natural process. In simple terms its the black tank equivalent of kidney stones.

Magnesium is a byproduct of hard water, Ammonia is a byproduct of urine and urea and phosphate is a major element of organic matter, food and detergents. They come together in crystal formation to form a rock like substance that then lines the tank and pipes.

Examples of struvite buildup in a pipe and other forms and colours of the deposit.

Struvite causes a scale-like formation in pipes in sewage and waste water treatment plants, heat exchangers, and many applications in the marine environment and RVs to name a few. Struvite can prove to be a major problem for Recreational Vehicle (RV) owners where hydro-flushing, mechanical cleaning, or the use of acids are needed to rid of the buildup that can clog up the pipes and systems as well as rendering those monitoring sensors as ineffective.

It can also occur in household toilets and pipework, especially in hard water areas and is noticeable in toilet bowls, it looks like there is calcification buildup in the base of the toilet bowl.

I spent many, many, hours reading, watching videos and researching the many many articles on the subject, there are a huge number of YouTube videos on the causes, treatment and removal of struvite from black tanks in particular. Most of them seemed to require the need to employ someone who specialises in basically water blasting the inside of the tanks – this seems to be more of a specific job in the USA as I’ve never heard of anyone doing this in NZ. Or we could purchase a special back flush valve attachment and the rest of the gear and do it ourselves however this is more suitable to waste systems where the pipework is in a direct line from the tank to the outlet, ours is not as it twists and turns.

In the end I contacted a company in NZ that supplies a product called Rydlyme, this to me seemed to be the best, most efficient, effective and safe method to remove struvite. Rydlyme is non-toxic, biodegradable, and can be safely disposed of in sewers. It’s not cheap but we decided to go ahead and give it a go. The company were extremely helpful and talked me through its use and effectiveness, I was most impressed with their helpfulness and efficiency.

We had 20litres of Rydlyme delivered for when we headed down to the van before returning it to the repair shop. We put the Rydlyme into the tank with a few litres of water. It’s most effective application, we were told, is to be continually pumped and cycled through, as in it would take 15-30minute to successfully complete the task, however, it would work just as well by being left to sit in the tank for at least 24hrs and as we were heading to Antony’s for the weekend, we could safely leave it standing for around 48hrs as that is just how timing worked for us.

On our return, we emptied the tank and were amazed at how much extra liquid came out, as in probably close to 80litres. Remember the tank was supposedly empty and we had only put in the 20litres of Rydlyme with a few litres of water. It did not smell nor was it offensive in any way but it certainly removed all the struvite in the tank and the pipework. A few extra litres of fresh water were put through to rinse out the tank, what an excellent result.

The next thought is how can we prevent this from occurring again? The answer is water, make sure you use plenty of water when flushing to dilute the contents, especially as uric acid production is apparently increased, by men in particular, as they age, as well some medications affect uric acid production, and of course what you eat and drink. A water softener is also a good additive to use. There are plenty of recipes for what is called the Bio-Geo method of treating your waste tanks, each one slightly different in the products they use depending where in the world you may be. It is up to you to choose your own methodology and recipe. The thing to remember is that your black tank is a holding tank NOT a septic tank, therefore you need to be able to flush the tank out cleanly and effectively (ie. make it slippery) rather than be concerned about decomposition.

Why did this occur now and not before? Well, that’s a function of three major factors;

1. We haven’t been moving as much as usual in the past 18 months having been in the UK for 6 months, then at Shakespear for another 3 months and sitting still for long periods whilst housesitting.

2. We would usually let the tank get fairly full before emptying so as to create a good volume, or wooosh when emptying as this is what is recommended. But recently we have been more frequently using a tote tank to decant the tank into (to negate the need to drive the RV to a dump station) which takes around 40litres at a time and as it’s done every week the tank does not get full enough to empty completely.

3. We normally give the tank a good rinse out or back flush after emptying at the dump station but we’ve been a bit slack on this of late especially when using the tote tank. We would usually attach a hose at the dump station and pass the hose through the toilet window and flush the tank out by filling the tank through the open valve in the toilet NB. but only if there aren’t others waiting to use the dump station – we don’t want to be one of “those” people!! Note to self: use lots of water especially to rinse out the tank after emptying.

I usually always put a few litres of water into the bottom of tank after emptying, I think I may have been a bit slack in this regard as well (trying to save water and all that). This prevents any residue drying out and hardening but adding water also starts off the next lot of dilution and decomposition. Trying to save water is silly really as we don’t really use that much water particularly if you compare how much we would use in a week compared to an average household. Our water tank holds around 280litres of water and we would use around a tank full for the two of us in 10-14 days depending on how frugal we are being, whereas the average person in NZ uses between 140-170litres per day (according to Watercare Auckland).

It is a good job well done, and one we hope NOT to have to do again so long as we maintain the tanks correctly. I hope this has been of some help to some of you.

Lockdown in Feilding

Continued on from Wellington – Waikanae post…

We left Waikanae on our journey northwards with a brief stop in Foxton to fill up with LPG at the excellent Mobil garage which has brilliant access for large vehicles as well as auto LPG filling facilities, before continuing on to Feilding, our stopover for a couple of days.

We were soon parked overlooking the sports grounds at Timona Park where we will stay for a couple of days as the weather turned nasty again so we hunkered down to wait it out.

The trip to date from Koromiko to Feilding

Of course those plans were scuppered as we were surprised by a case of the Delta variant of Covid in the community. Well, not really surprised, as it had to happen at some stage, but we certainly weren’t expecting it to happen now. As was expected, a quick change of levels to full lockdown effective from 2359hrs Tuesday 17 August. Auckland and Coromandel regions were in for a 7 day lockdown with the rest of the country 3 days, however, we realised straight away that this would change as things developed.

We contemplated for a moment whether we should make a run for somewhere else as we had 48hrs in which to get “home” but we quickly made the decision to remain where we are as being in small town NZ away from masses of people is probably the best and safest place to be. So here we are, parked in a designated camping area in front of 12 football fields and 4 rugby fields.

As an aside, I wondered why Feilding is spelt with the e before i variant rather than following the i before e ‘rule’. It is because the town is named after Colonel William Feilding who settled the area in the 1870s. The town is a service centre for the surrounding farming district and with its wide main streets and Edwardian buildings it is a rather attractive town.

Back in our bubble of two, the Police constantly patrol through the park reminding lots of people who drive here for whatever reason about the rules. It is very reassuring to see the Police so visible in the community and people seem to happily comply. We just have to wait and see how long this lockdown will last as we are not expecting it to be a quick fix. This then changed to a two week full on lockdown for us with reviews each week.

We just have to look across the Tasman to Australia and to our Pacific neighbours in Fiji to see what a devastating effect the lack of lockdowns can have on the population.

We are staying at home as much as possible although I did venture out to the supermarket to restock the fresh fruit and veg, and there was also a trip to the laundromat, all undertaken with mask, sanitiser and contact tracing with Bluetooth turned on.

The weather has been a good mix of typical spring-like days, rain and wind then a few days of glorious sunshine, followed by a few days of gloomy, grey cloudy days, however the sunsets have been spectacular

There is a dump station and water available here at the park just around the exit road. When trying to load up with water one day, an entitled, rude local came and yelled at me for being “out during Covid”…this is whilst they had driven to the park to walk their fluffy handbag dogs and parked directly blocking access to anyone getting in to the dump station and right next to the no parking sign.

There is no reasoning with some people, and it’s difficult to argue with ignorance so it’s best to just walk away and leave them to argue with themselves.

In speaking with lots of friends around the country we have all come to the conclusion that this lockdown has been very different and at times difficult for most people. We are not sure why, perhaps because we have been without constant lockdowns we are not used to life this way? Have we become complacent? Tolerance levels seems to be very short, people seem to be less likely to call out a cheery “hi” as they walk past, people appear to be less “kind”. There have been a couple, of other motorhomes parked in the park area here, and although we’ve tried to engage with people by calling out a cheery hello, how are you?, most people have disengaged. We are not alone in thinking this, one neighbour, a woman travelling on her own, has also said she has found this lockdown particularly difficult as people have not wanted to engage…even from a safe distance and masked….she said she had found it very lonely this time. In fact she said we were the only ones to talk to her apart from one person who said hello to her as they walked past the other day. How sad is that?

Update: We drop to Level 2+ Wednesday 8 September and we can get underway again as we have things to do and people to see.

Be safe out there folks.

Christchurch – Rakaia – Ashburton

It was supposed to be a quick and easy travel day today, well, the planned trip was a short one distance wise but it was to take us most of the day.

We were ready to move by 9am, but first we had to dump the waste tanks and fill with water. There is a great dump station at Weedons so it was a quick trip around the park to the dump station. Then it was a wait in line to be able to fill with water as it seems that a few others had a similar plan. Filled with fresh water then it was time to hook up the car and we were off. A short 35 minute drive to Rakaia where we were meeting up with sister Sue & her husband Jeff for a coffee at a cafe.

Yep, another of my failed selfie attempts!

Time to be on our way again, but first a walk down to the Mobil petrol station to check out the access for the RV and to see if they had auto LPG. It was a yes to both, but we would have to unhook the car to get in and out easily. Plus it seemed as though every vehicle that was able to be was actually on the road with heavy traffic in both directions, oh of course it was the start of the school holidays.

We filled with LPG then it was time for us to rendezvous somewhere along the road to hook on the car again. Again a short drive to Ashburton, where we did a slight detour to fill with petrol. I can hear you all asking…now why didn’t they refuel when they stopped for LPG? That is because the LPG and petrol fill points are on opposite sides of the van, so to fill both would mean fill one side, move off drive around the block, wait in line for the pump to come free on the side we can fit in and probably block other vehicles access. It’s just easier to do one then the other further down the line.

Once filled with fuel we then had some groceries to pick up in Ashburton before we finally got to Jason’s in Eiffelton at around 3pm.

What should have been about and hour and 30minutes of travel took us most of the day! Just as well we aren’t on a tight timetable.

Moving on to Kaikoura

Did I say that we were only driving short distances now we were in the south? That’ll teach me to speak too soon!

We left the lovely parking spot at Koromiko and headed just a short distance down the main highway to empty the waste tanks and to fill with fuel as we’ve discovered that many NPD fuels are also providing dump stations at their fuel stations, which is very handy.

Once the chores are completed, it was on to our next destination Marfells Beach, a DOC camp along the seafront near Lake Grassmere. The drive through Blenheim was beautiful with the lush green vines contrasting with the extremely dry hills.

Vines along the roadside contrasting with the very dry hills

This now disused bridge was a combination road rail bridge, with the rail on the top level and road beneath. The new bridge is road only and two lanes.

We turn off State Highway 1, past Lake Grassmere (not to be confused with Lake Grasmere, different spelling, different location). This lake is used to produce salt.

According to Wikipedia Lake Grassmere ;

Covering an area of 17 square kilometres (6.6 sq mi), it has no natural inflow and is prone to strong warm winds. Close to the sea, it also has a very high salinity.

Because of these geographical characteristics, it is ideal for natural salt extraction. Grassmere has been divided into solar evaporation ponds. Seawater is pumped in, and moved between ponds over several months, increasing in salinity with each successive evaporation period. As salinity increases, crystallised salt forms and is extracted.

The pink hues of salt drying in the sun as we pass Lake Grassmere

Arriving at the DOC camp, we quickly decided that we would continue on our travels. The camp is looking rather scruffy and uninviting, it’s changed quite a bit since we were last here therefore plan B was put into effect and we continued our journey southwards.

A glimpse of the sea as we pass though some of the roadworks along this route. We have to say that the work done on the roads after the Kaikoura earthquakes in 2016 are outstanding.

The road hugs the coastline, this road was basically destroyed after the earthquake

The newly completed road is a feat of engineering as well as testament to the hard work by all involved to get it all done, and done so well.

Top; before (taken in 2012), and below; now

You will see in the above current photo that there is also a wide pathway which completes the new roadworks. There is currently 3km of pathway of a planned 22km. However, local iwi halted the construction of any more of the planned cycleway/pathway due to concerns. Let’s hope they resolve the issues soon.

There are plenty of beautifully landscaped areas to stop and admire the views, or walk to see seals basking in the sun or playing in rock pools, or to just have a break. Including a couple of parking areas near cafes and the famous Crayfish shops.

Nins Bin – Famous crayfish (rock lobster) caravan on the roadside north of Kaikoura

We plan to stay here in Kaikoura for a while and do some day trips from here before moving on.

The next move will definitely not cover quite so many kms.

Turangi to Wellington

We left Turangi once the sun had warmed things up a little, brrr, we are not used to this chilly weather but at least a chilly start to the day means we are in for a cracker of a day. The drive along the desert road is always interesting, so interesting that I become so absorbed in my surroundings that I forget to take any photos. However, I did manage to take a quick one of the naked mountains of the central plateau. It won’t be long before they are covered in their winter cloaks of snow ready to welcome skiers.

Further south past Waiouru where the NZ Army have a large presence, we were surprised to come along these vehicles travelling quite quickly along the road

It was an easy and pleasant drive and we soon arrived at our destination, Timona Park in Fielding.

We took a drive one afternoon through to Sanson, a small town about 15minutes away which is famous for an establishment called Viv’s Kitchen.

We just had to try one, purely for research purposes as you see my Mum used to make cream horns, something I haven’t had since forever ago and these would have to be pretty damn good to come anywhere close to how I remember Mums.

They were quite delicious, of course not as delicious as mums but a very close runner up.

From a days respite in Fielding we left to continue our journey this time as far as Plimmerton where there is an NZMCA park. But first a trip to the dump station to empty the waste tanks. That taken care of I went to get back into the van but the door wouldn’t open.

“Roy, did you lock the door?” I asked. No, was the reply. Luckily, the keys were in the ignition of the car, once I had retrieved them I tried to unlock the door. No luck. B*#@*r. As we have two locks, we thought it may just be the other lock that was stuck therefore we needed the other set of keys that were hanging on the hook inside the van! Onto plan B. Get the ladder out of the car and try all the windows to see if we can get in to reach the keys. Nope. That wasn’t going to work. A van pulled up alongside us and the occupants said “need a hand, mate?”. Troy and his dad came to our rescue, both being mechanics and dad being a Motorhomer, they had us sorted in no time. Unfortunately the lock was broken with the main tongue of the lock mechanism having a break in it. After much discussion the lock and door handle were put back in place, we can now either lock the door closed or have it wide open i.e. we cannot close the door with it staying closed without locking it as only the deadlock still works, which will be fine until we can get a replacement.

This whole saga brought about a sense of déjà vu….something very similar happened way back in 2013 when we were at Otamure with Pat & Sue, you can read about that episode here.

We called in to Gipsy Caravans in Levin to get a replacement, they didn’t have one in stock however, they are arranging for one to be sent to us further along in our travels…guess where we are having it sent to? Care of Pat & Sue in Christchurch of course. Something about things going full circle come to mind!

We decided to stay a night in Levin at the Cosmopolitan Club whilst we sorted out the lock, again, not a simple exercise as we need to be members of the Affiliated Clubs to stay. So we join the Club and become members of the Levin chapter, it will allow us access into other clubs around the country as part of our membership. It’s something we have been meaning to do for sometime so there’s no time like the present.

A day later than anticipated we arrive at Plimmerton NZMCA park, where we ring to make a ferry booking. Hmmmm, the only bookings they have available for our length of vehicle until after Easter is the 2.30am crossing. Instant decision made, we shall cross tonight and get to the mainland where we can then relax a little more and take our time.

We take the opportunity to catch up with my niece Natalie and her family as they live not too far from where we are parked. My goodness, my great nieces Renee and Michelle have sprouted and what delightful young girls they are too. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with them and look forward to a much longer catch up on our return journey. After we had dinner, we bade farewell to Natalie and family before heading back to the van where we pack up and drive to the ferry terminal to wait until we are loaded.

The view from inside the van when we are loaded onto the ferry along with all the other vehicles.

I write this at some stupid hour of the morning whilst we are on the ferry crossing to the other side, sleep is really what’s on my mind at the moment but I’m afraid that eludes me. We could not get a cabin as they were all booked therefore we are in one of the lounges where we are surrounded by lots of people who can sleep as attested by the very very loud snoring. I’ll have to wait until we land in the South Island and get to our park up.

Waiotahe

It’s not far over the hill and through the gorge to Waiotahe Beach, apparently Waiotahe is the correct spelling, it was officially changed from Waiotahi in 2015.

John & Jude moved to Jude’s place in Waiotahe last year after John sold the farm on the outskirts of Whakatane. He bought a lovely big boat in Brisbane at the end of last year which they intend to live aboard for most of the year, however, that thing called Covid arrived and has got in the way of bringing the boat across the Tasman. So the boat remains in Brisbane and a very frustrated John is in Waiotahe. But its not a bad place to wait.

Waiotahe (blue dot), not too far from Opotiki

The beach is just lovely with a long stretch of sandy beach.

Looking up to the carved poles at the entrance to the beach access

These lovely clear days only mean one thing, it’s freezing overnight! Thank goodness for a warm van, just a flick of the switch and we have the central heating fired up (powered by gas). Just set the temperature gauge to the required temperature and it cycles on and off and keeps us toasty warm.

John gave me a big tin of buttons to add to my collection. They were sorted into colours before being put away on my button box.

The buttons were his late wife’s collection and added to Mum’s buttons and a few of my own, I think i have enough buttons now to last a very long time!

Whilst we were at Waiotahe, the guttering was being replaced on the house which meant the boards where the guttering was attached had to be sanded and repainted. If only I had access to my photo albums (they’re in storage), where I have photos from 36 years ago of most if my family at Johns house in Tokoroa helping him paint his house, a little bit of history repeating itself. How do I know that it was 36years ago? Because I was pregnant with Antony therefore I was relieved of painting duties up the ladders! This time I was also relieved of painting duties, not as you would think because of recent knee and hip replacements but because even standing on scaffolding I am vertically challenged and I cannot reach, not that I tried.

Happy to leave the painting to these two.

It didn’t take too long before it was all done and the new guttering was put up by the roofing contractor.

A few too many games of 5 Crowns were played over the next week before it was time for us to depart. John put the score sheets through the document shredder otherwise I would have proof that I won the majority of the games played!

The drive from Waiotahe towards Whakatane would have to be one of the best scenic pieces of road in New Zealand, particularly when the Pohutakawa’s are in full bloom.

There is a very good dump station along the road, and as any motorhomer will tell you, never go past a dump station as you don’t know when the next opportunity will arise.

Plenty of room to comfortably pull off the road, do what you have to do and have good clear vision to pull back onto the road.

We have the power

It was a leisurely start to the day, besides, it was freezing cold so the option to stay rugged up in bed was the best choice. However, once the sun came up we were ready to leave AJ’s Park at Horahora and make our way back to Hamilton. But first a visit to the dump station in Cambridge to empty the tanks and what an easy dump station to access it was with plenty of room for us to turn around with the car hitched on the back as well.

It was only another 30minute drive through to Hamilton. Again we spent the night at the Classics museum before the van went into Wayne at Motorhome Solar to get some extra solar put on the roof and new batteries. Our batteries are just over 9 years old and although still doing a fine job, we know that they will probably need to be replaced, and it’s not a cheap exercise either. But as most people only get 3-5 years of use out of a set of batteries, then 9 years of continual use is pretty damn impressive so we cannot complain. We have looked after them and we are not huge users of power although over the summer months we do go through a lot more use when we offer the charging facility to campers at Shakespear.

We arrived at Motorhome Solar just after 8am which was after we scraped the ice off the car and the van as well as running the engines to warm things up a little. Brrrr, we are not used to this sort of cold. A discussion took place about what we are after and the best way to achieve this then we left the van in Wayne’s good care and headed off to find somewhere nice for breakfast. A quick google search and we found a place called Cinnamon not too far away. We had just arrived ready for a good breakfast when Wayne messaged to say that our batteries are fine and in great condition so there is no need to replace them. Woohoo.

Back to breakfast, we perused the menu and made our choices.

Eggs Benedict with crispy bacon for Bernice

They were both utterly delicious and our timing was perfect as we had just received our breakfast when the power went off. So no more coffees although some breakfasts could still be cooked as they had gas hobs. The power was only out for about 15minutes before normality resumed. After our leisurely breakfast it was off to the shops and laundromat to attend to domestic duties before we got the call to say the van was finished. Oh and if you are looking for a laundromat in Hamilton then we can recommend Crystal laundromat in Avalon drive, everything was constantly being cleaned and scrubbed, it was spotless.

Previously we had done quite well with our solar panels, we had a 95W panel which was on the van when we bought it, and then we had put on a further two 135W panels. Now all of those panels were coming off and four 200W panels were being put on.

I didn’t get a picture of the new panels in situ when we picked up the van as we were keen to get on the road, and I haven’t persuaded Roy to climb up on the roof as yet. With no new batteries required, Wayne did upgrade our MPPT controller, which we only had put in late last year however he generously gave us a good credit. We also had our Electric Warrant of Fitness renewed as that had expired. We can highly recommend Wayne and his great friendly team at Motorhome Solar, they do a great job, they don’t feed you any ¥§€$#* and they do a very neat and tidy job all at a reasonable cost. And what we really like is the fact that you are kept up with the play with messages letting you know what is happening.

We left Hamilton just on 3pm, and what should have been a comfortable 50min trip took us just over 2hours. School holidays have started and lots of people seemed to be trying to get away for the weekend, compound that with road works continually along the route and it became a very slow trip. However, we arrived safely and in daylight (just) which is one of our “rules” I.e. always arrive at your destination well before the sun goes down.

We are here at AJs for a night or two before heading off again on our travels, meanwhile the power is pouring into the batteries even though it’s a very overcast and dull day. We are happy customers.

When Sh*# happens

Sometimes you just wonder when will it ever end. This entry is all about the realities of living in a motorhome/RV so skip this one if you are of a delicate disposition.

We were in the sh#*. Literally! The valve that we open to empty the black tank had developed a leak, just a drip drip drip, but nevertheless a drip, and a smelly one at that because we are under no illusion that our crap does not stink!

Luckily we had a valve to replace the said leaky one, we’ve been carrying it around for years….just in case.

The new pieces, the black tank valve is 3 inch diameter valve (the picture shows the smaller grey tank valve).

This is where it all happens, inside the locker is the two handles to pull, one for the grey waste one for the black. By the time I took this picture we had managed to get the black valve out before the harrowing task of trying to get it all back together. How does it all work I hear you ask? You go to a dump station, place the evacuation hose into the dump station, pull the handle to open the valve and it all magically disappears down the pipes though the red hose you can see at the bottom left of the picture into the dump station, never to be seen. It is usually a no mess easy to perform task but not when there is a leak. Ewwww.

I researched how to replace the valve on YouTube, we watched the videos, it looked oh so simple, yeah right. Roy and I spent nearly a whole day trying to get the said goddam valve removed, it is in an awkward position and we had to both try to get our hands in there to undo nuts, wiggle around pipe work and other bits and generally become more and more frustrated with the whole process.

Roy contemplating the next move.

We finally got the valve removed but it was no easy task as two of the nuts and bolts were at the back of the locker behind the pipe work, almost flush against the rear of the locker. It did not help that also in this locker is the panel holding the outdoor shower and light panel which quite frankly was just a damn nuisance and got in the way.

In the end we gave up and waited for reinforcements.

Gary and Keith to the rescue. Not everyone would be ok dealing with someone else waste outlets, but in saying that we did make sure they were well and truly emptied and left empty for a couple of days to dry out.

Not only did they have to get the replacement valve in place, but it was critical that the two rubber washers were perfectly lined up so as not to create another leak and with little or no wiggle room to move the pipes apart, patience and determination were the key elements as you no sooner got the valve into position then one of the rubber washers would either fall out or be in the wrong position. Grrrrr.

three heads are better than one to nut out the problem, right? The easiest way it seems, was to also remove the grey waste valve giving a little more room to move and then replace the grey valve last as it is smaller and with less other pipe work around it. After a little while it was all done, great team work between the guys and it was time to test. I poured a bucket of water down the toilet to test for any leaks. Holding our breath we waited…..success, no leaks. Then the grey, hooray, it’s all working as it should, no leaks and all cleaned up.

all back together, handles labelled, pipes reinstated, we are now good to go.

A HUGE thank you to Gary and Keith for coming to our aid, it’s times like this that you get to know who your friends are!!!

Te Arai and Uretiti

Time to leave Shakespear, we do love this place and of course the people too but it won’t be long before December rolls around and we will be back to take up our role as summer camp hosts. We first headed to Hatfields Beach, probably best known in New Zealand as Rob Muldoon’s summer holiday retreat. Muldoon was Prime Minister from 1974 – 1982 and known as one of our most polarising PMs. To supporters he was the voice of ‘the ordinary bloke’; to critics he was a dictatorial bully. But we were here for a different reason, there is a new dump station here so we decided to check it out before heading north.the new dump station at Hatfields Beach

From there is was another 75kms, with some of these kms over very twisty and dusty metal road, to Te Arai Point which is another Auckland Council managed park, with this one a very recently acquired managed park. Here we are allowed to stay for just three nights in the Self Contained Area – for non motorhome people this means that your vehicle must have toilet and waste water contained to a certified level.

It is a lovely beach and we had only just parked up when we were on the beach with the kite out and hooks in the water. We tried a couple more times over the next few days but all fish are safe and well somewhere out there in the ocean, not a one on our lines but never mind, it’s a lovely way to spend the day.

Here we are parked in the parking are along with Pat & Sue, the other motorhome is parked outside the gated area.

View of the vans and the beach from the point

We took took a sightseeing trip around the area including a visit to see friends eho live at Mangawhai Heads and will definitely come back here for another stay and hopefully better fishing too.

From Te Arai it was a short drive through to Uretiti DoC camp just south of Whangarei where we are for two weeks. Ok, so one of those weeks has already passed and we have just one week left here until the van goes into hibernation mode as we head to Whakapirau to hosuesit for Jacky & Chris until the end of September. The kites have been out a few times at Uretiti, but unfortunately nothing has been caught, apparently no one is catching anything much at the moment which is some consolation.

Improvments have been made, a new trace rack for holding all the hooks has been made and a new trolley has been purchased for carting all the gear to the beach….photos of those to follow in another blog post.

Fishing off Uretiti beach, look carefully and you can see the kite and skyhook in the sky, with the flag and bottle in the surf.

Roy and Pat baiting the hooks whilst Sue holds the dropper line.

Onwards

Thank you to all of you who have commented on our blog or emailed us to encourage us to continue blogging, we knew we had a reasonable number of people reading the blog from our stats but it is nice to put names to faceless numbers. So onwards, and upwards.

I returned to Auckland last week after my trip to Oamaru. Roy and the van were parked up at Ambury as it is very handy to the city as well as the airport. We moved across to Ardmore on Friday, we had to pack up and move as the van was due for its 6monthly COF (certificate of fitness), we thought it was an opportune time to continue on, fuel up, fill up with water and empty the waste tanks and with all that available at our favourite dump station at Bruce Pullman Park which is very close to Ardmore. With that all achieved, Friday afternoon we headed over to Torbay to have dinner with, and spend the night with, Steve and Les, to have a bit of a debrief of the last weeks happenings and time to chill out and relax. As well, Steve and Leslie got a new kitten on Friday, her name is Lola and it was hilarious watching Lola and their 5 month old kitten Lucy size each other up. There was much hissing, stand offs, back arching and general eyeing each other from a respectable distance. The kittens provided welcome entertainment for the evening.

Then it was back to Ardmore for a night before we headed off down to Waharau where we knew Pat & Sue were parked. This time however, we were to park in a different part of the park, not at Blackberry Flat camp area this time but at the Tainui camp which is near the main park entrance.

matching pair parked up in the sun.

This camp area is rather special, and I am not sure whether we should tell you about it as if too many people may find out about it we would not be able to have it to ourselves, but if you promise not to tell, shhhhh ………………..It has flush toilets, hot running water, powered sites, showers, dish washing sinks and food prep area! John will be delighted to know that we even took our washing machine out of the van to hook up to the running water and the waste!!! And yes, Pat & Sue are also now proud owners of the same type of washing machine.

Another matching pair

Once settled in, my first job was to bottle the beetroot that Steve had kindly given us fresh from his garden, then it was time to make and bottle up a Passata or Italian style tomato pasta sauce with the beautiful beefsteak tomatoes we purchased from a market garden in Mangere. The recipe used was one Steve gave me, and it has proved to be a real winner. We now have plenty of preserves to keep us going over the winter months, although I did go out yesterday foraging along fence lines looking for blackberries. But it has been far too dry up here for blackberries, they were dry, wizened up excuses for blackberries so we gave up on that idea. Hopefully we may be able to find some nice ones somewhere along our travels over the next week or two.

Next week we will head over to Whangamata as it will be our son Antony’s 30th birthday and we will be helping him and a few friends celebrate over the weekend. Although it is hard for us to believe that he will be 30, where did those years fly by?;