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2016 Journey Bob and Margaret Kellett
We are now without our Playtime motorhome and thus have new plans to make, based on our philosophy that we should enjoy...... "Adventure before Dementia"
1- 2 January 2016 Wonderful, sunny weather enjoyed by all our family who have gathered here during the festive season. The time comes all too soon for fond farewells; the Welburn and Turnbull families head back to their respective homes in Ottawa and Adelaide, whilst the Boyds drive to Auckland for both work plans and play. Our home feels particularly quiet and empty following their departures.
Great Day at Magnificent Ohope Beach
Last Lunch Together Until Next Time Heading Home 3 Jan 2016 Our spirits are lifted with the arrival of our good friends, Chantal and Bob, from Auckland. 9 Jan 2016 Louise and Stephen return to Melbourne, leaving Ethan, Fergus and Varick here to spend more holiday time with Grandma and Granddad. 12- 17 Jan 2016 Joel Turnbull is marrying Meg in Adelaide on 16 Jan, so with the three boys we fly to Melbourne, pick up a rental car and drive to Adelaide. Louise and Stephen fly in from Melbourne. A lovely traditional wedding at the Turnbull's church is followed by a magnificent, most generous reception at the Sunnybrae Estate. The new Mr and Mrs Turnbull depart on their honeymoon, and the next day we, together with the Boyd boys, return to Rotorua.
Joel and Meg Steal The Show The Family Join In
Sharing Their Special Day Stephen, Louise, Jojo and Paul 17- 25 Jan 2016 It is great having our grandsons with us at Mokoia Road for a further week. The Australian Open is being held at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, which means a lot of tennis watching here at home on TV, plus playing their own competitive games on our court. Roger Federer is their inspiration! Then they fly back home to Mum and Dad.
More Time At Mokoia Road Departure Time 22- 23 Jan 2016 We enjoy a visit from old friends, Jennie and Paul, who come down from Auckland. 11- 13 Mar 2016 It is 52 years since Bob and his classmates graduated from the Australian Army Officer Cadet School [at Portsea]. Earlier reunions had all been held in Australia, but it was agreed to hold this one here in Rotorua. Twentysix attendees arrive and we all enjoy tremendous cameraderie, especially at a very relaxed BBQ at our home on the Sunday in glorious early Autumn weather.
Old Friends Reunite Formal Dinner Night
52 Years Later And We're Still Okay Ross Entertains Us
Some Enjoy Tales From The Past Others Are More Energetic 27 Mar 2016 Margie's cousin Keith and his wife Margaret are celebrating 50 years of marriage and have gathered their whole family in Rotorua. We are delighted to host a lunch for all of them here at Mokoia Road. The weather is glorious, but best of all is the heart-lifting sound of friendship and laughter at our normally quiet home.
The Ryan's Golden Wedding The Ryan Clan 3- 12 April 2016 More than a decade ago we had made plans to tour Australia by caravan. We now resurrect those plans and off we go to Melbourne, to stay with Louise, Stephen and boys. First we purchase a lovely 2009 Concept Ascot caravan, followed by 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee which has the grunt for use as a tow vehicle. These purchases are from separate parties and we are extremely pleased with both deals.
New Rig Connected Great Day For A Trial Run
Bedroom Area Kitchen/Dining Area 15- 20 April 2016 Back in NZ old Army friends who live in the "winterless north" have invited us to a party to celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary. We're thrilled to reply in the affirmative, and head off to Tutukaka with a tin of golden syrup and other delights for the "bride and groom". And what a great party it is! Our road trip continuing north takes us to beautiful Cape Reinga at the very top of the North Island, then back to the Bay of Islands, calling into the Treaty House at Waitangi, where we are inspired by the magnificent museum there.
Cape Reinga, Top of NZ Signing The Treaty, 1840 24- 25 April 2016 Enjoy a fascinating stay with friends at Tairua. We'd been neighbours at The Pines in Auckland, and had last met in 2013 when our paths crossed by sheer accident whilst driving our respective motorhomes across the Kaibab Plateau in Arizona, a remote area above the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Motorhomes and caravans are hot topics of conversation! 6- 13 June 2016 Back in Melbourne to complete the various modifications to the Jeep and caravan for us to commence our Aussie Walkabout. Other news at this time is that, back in Ottawa, Tor and Colin have established their own operation, "Welburn Consulting", and thus are now self employed. They send a link to their new business website. We are most impressed and could not be more proud of their efforts. 14 June 2016 Depart Melbourne with the caravan hitched to the back of the Jeep on the start of a trip we expect will take some three months. From Melbourne we plan to drive first to Adelaide, then north up the Red Centre to Darwin, hang a left and head for Broome, down to Perth, then cross the Nullarbor back to Melbourne. in "Strine" language, we're "going around the block". This "block" involves a drive of over 14,500 km, and we can't wait to get started! First to Adelaide for a heartwarming catch up with the Turnbulls. We admire the stunning views from Paul and Sandy's lovely new home, whilst Amy and husband Joel proudly show us through the new home they are building in the nearby suburb of Virginia. The achievements of the Turnbull family continue to give us much pleasure and inspiration.
Dining With The Turnbulls Paul Fixes Our Cupboard Door
Amy and Dakota Show Their New Home Joel's Classroom at Port Pirie Three hours north of Adelaide is Port Pirie, where newly-weds Joel and Meg now reside. Joel teaches German and English at John Pirie Secondary School. After a delicious lunch they tiki tour us around the town, plus the massive smelter [lead and zinc] that is the town's raison d'etre. In their cosy apartment we enjoy interesting conversation - old meets young, but we're in great accord. Next day we drive to Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges National Park, where our outback experience really commences. On hikes through the National Park we're up close and personal with numerous kangaroos, emus and echidnas. The wide open spaces feel so fresh and healthy! At the historic town of Quorn we refill our coffee mugs, take in the beautiful old buildings and railway station. Onwards to Woomera, the site of rocketry testing and atomic bomb tests in the 50's and 60's. During that time Woomera had significant military and scientific installations and the area was totally restricted. However now there is little to see in what is almost a ghost town, albeit very neat and tidy. We continue 372 kms on to the gritty, masculine town of Coober Pedy, famous for its opal mining, plus the fact that many residents live underground [to escape the searing heat in summer]. Nevertheless, the campground is immaculate, with excellent amenities, so we are very comfortable as we experience the various unique features of this unusual place.
Moonscape of Coober Pedy Margie Takes A Wider View Next stop overnight is Kulgera Roadhouse, then on to Uluru [previously called Ayers Rock]. This huge monolith is an extremely popular attraction, even though the rock does nothing but sit there! Sunset is a significant event, as the rock changes colour very dramatically, going an unbelievable deep red. We see a number of dingoes in the vicinity, which brings to mind the tragic, terrible treatment Lindy Chamberlain received after her baby had been snatched and killed by a dingo at Uluru.
Uluru Before Sunset At Sunset We reach Alice Springs, in the red centre of the heart of the Australian continent. Settle in at MacDonnell Range Holiday Park. We're ecstatic to host our three grandsons from Melbourne who have flown up for a week. Although Alice Springs is quite a small town, there is a great deal to do and see here, including: 1, A fascinating reptile centre, where the guide takes pains to emphasise that saltwater crocodiles are not at all interested in eating us, they just want to kill us! 2. The famous School of the Air, established many years ago so dedicated teachers could communicate by radio with children in distant, remote locations, some of whom lived up to 1600 km away. The locations of their pupils were displayed on a large map of Australia, highlighting the huge distances and isolation the School of the Air has dealt with. 3. Historic settlement called Hermannsburg, established by German Lutherans as an Aboriginal Mission in 1877. The famous Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira was educated here. 4. The Flying Doctor Service, which originated in Alice Springs but now is a very significant operation providing medical and humanitarian support for most of rural and outback Australia.
Varick Cuddles an Olive Python Fergus Learns to Throw a Boomerang
Burke and Wills Ride Again Dinnertime at the Caravan We all enjoy a fascinating time together in Alice Springs. All too soon we're back at the Alice Springs Airport seeing Ethan, Fergus and Varick board their flight home to Melbourne. We continue driving north, cross the Tropic of Capricorn and, although it is officially mid-winter, the average daytime temperature is 33 degrees C. Winter temperatures are now far behind us! Stop one night at the legendary Daly Waters pub, where the facilities are very basic, but the "Crocodile Dundee" style of outback entertainment is memorable! A large group of grey nomads [and one "medium ash brown nomad", Margie] sing along to all those old songs....."A White Sports Coat", "Running Bear", "C'mon Baby, Let's Do The Twist", etc, etc!! 19 July 2016 Five weeks since leaving Melbourne, we have driven through the GAFA and now reached the Top End. On the road we have encountered many, many caravans and RVs, plus massive road trains thundering along in both directions. Most road trains tow either two or three huge trailers, but sometimes four. To pass a road train one needs a good 2 km straight ahead, with excellent visibility and plenty of revs. It's all a great experience.
Ubiquitous Road Trains We first visited Darwin almost 50 years ago [November 1967] when we stopped there overnight whilst, as a newly married couple. "enjoying" a three day RNZAF flight from Auckland to Malaysia, where Bob and his Infantry platoon would train for several months before being posted on active service to South Vietnam. Darwin has been almost totally rebuilt since the massive damage it suffered from Cyclone Tracy in 1974. The people are laidback and friendly, and the scenery is magnificent. The beaches are absolutely postcard perfect, except one cannot swim in them because of saltwater crocodiles, which are a constant threat whenever one is near any water in this region. The Darwin Museum tells the harrowing story of Japanese bombing of Darwin during WW2. Cahill's Crossing, near Jabiru on the East Alligator River [despite there being NO alligators in Australia] is famous for its many crocodiles. We watch them from the safety of the high river bank, however are amazed when several tourists, blithely ignoring the many large warning signs, stroll down to the water's edge for a closer look. We are informed that, on average, one person a year at Cahill's Crossing gets a real close look... Chomp! These are the individuals who improve the nation's gene pool by leaving it! One large crocodile, named Eric, had been having great fun attacking vehicles on the concrete crossing, so he was captured and "deployed" further up river. However Eric had been enjoying what he was doing before, so he swam straight back to Cahill's Crossing and continued trying to kill people in their cars! Captured again and placed in a wildlife park in Darwin called Crocodylus, where we saw this poor chap in his new, restricted enclosure, obviously a shadow of his former self, the wind right out of his sails and feeling very sorry for himself. And we felt a little sorry for him too! The Kakadu National Park has a huge range of wildlife. One day whilst hiking on a track in the Park, Margie almost stepped on a large Olive Python coiled up on the track lying in wait for his dinner. He said to himself, "well, if it isn't the Kelletts from Rotorua, I'll just slide out and scare the living daylights out of them"! After checking us out and deciding we weren't dinner material, he calmly slid away, giving us a great view of his three metre length. A pretty thrilling encounter!
We Meet Paul the Python Cahill's Crossing, East Alligator River
Friendly Goanna, a Metre Long Shopping For A Handbag? Spend a fascinating week in Darwin, NT, and surrounds then we're on the road again, point our nose west at Katherine, on to Kununurra, WA, and into the Kimberley region. European settlement in this remote area began around 1850, but it is believed that Aboriginies have lived in the Kimberley for some 40-60,000 years, having arrived during the Last Glacial Maximum, when the sea level was 135 metres lower than present. Although sparsely populated, agriculture is the predominant commercial activity in this region. The roads are excellent with relatively little traffic, though across the NW of Australia the long distances between anything means extra fuel must always be carried. The outback scenery is big, bold, brash and constantly changing. The striking boab trees, which grow only in this region, are amazing. After reading about the Bungle Bungle Mountains in Bill Bryson's book. "Down Under", Margie coined the phrase, "take me to the Bungle Bungles," as shorthand for "lets go on a grand tour of Australia". Therefore it is awesome to arrive at the wildly scenic Bungle Bungles! These mountains were formed 360 million years ago, and erosion since has formed a series of banded domes, creating the world's most exceptional example of cone karst formations. Margie has great fun driving the Jeep on the 200 km round trip over a rough 4x4 track into this attractive site. Foot trails allow us to hike through the Bungle Bungles and enjoy the spectacular red rock walls up close. Cathedral Gorge is gorgeous, with perfect acoustics. A young friend told us of hiking there with a group of people when, out of the blue, a woman started singing "How Great Thou Art" in a beautiful voice. He said it was a profound moment that raised the hairs on the back of his neck!
The Bungle Bungles At Last Cathedral Gorge
Banded Beehive Bungle Bungles Strolling Through Next stop Fitzroy Crossing having now driven 6,864 km. We hike through the Geike Gorge. A limestone barrier reef carved out by an ancient sea formed this gorge through which flows the Fitzroy River. When this river is in flood in the Wet season it reputedly carries a greater volume of water than any of the great rivers such as the Amazon, Nile or Mississippi. From here we head to Broome, known as the Pearl Capital of the World. Spend a week in this lovely town which offers a host of wonderful pearl and jewellry shops, art galleries and excellent cafes. Each evening Cable Beach is thronged with people admiring the kaleidoscope of colours as the sun sets over the Indian Ocean.
Amazing Boab Trees Sunset at Broome We are now leaving the Kimberley region and entering the Pilbara. Often described as the mineral powerhouse of Australia, there are vast petroleum, natural gas and iron ore reserves in the Pilbara, but we did not really appreciate the size and scale of these vast operations until we visit Port Hedland and Karratha. What we see there is truly enlightening, and we consider our tours of these facilities a major highlight of our whole trip. Fortescue Mining, Rio Tinto, BHP and Gina Rhinehart's Hancock Mining, etc, are big names in this region. A totally "Ore-some" experience!
Loading Facility for Fortescue Mining Karratha Gas Plant, NW Shelf At Exmouth we have a whale of a time watching Humpbacks cavorting in the turquoise blue sea! Other travellers had told us that Coral Bay, just south of Exmouth, was a "must see", and so it proved to be. Startling white sandy beaches with sea colours ranging from aquamarine to turquoise to deep blue, it is picturesque in the extreme. Also, it has the best bakery imaginable!
Beautiful Coral Bay We are now heading south and once again cross the Tropic of Capricorn. The weather is now cooler and we get the first rain since leaving Melbourne. Stop at Monkey Mia and see the dolphins frolic amongst the bathers, then visit the Hamlin Pool to view the Stromatolites, one of the World's earliest life forms that originated in the primordial soup some 3.5 billion years ago. Every town or settlement in Western Australia is more or less out in the wop wops, so we feel like we are coming back into civilisation as we approach Carnarvon and settle in for a few days at Big 4 Plantation Caravan Park. Of interest here is the Space and Technology Museum, site of the OTC Dish which was used in the 1960's to support the NASA Moon Landing. It's a fabulous, inspiring place to visit. Buzz Aldrin himself opened the Museum in June 2012 - "We come in peace for all Mankind"! Stay a week in Geraldton, whose museum has an excellent presentation on the extraordinary and terrible story of the 1629 shipwreck of the "Batavia" on the Houtman Abrolhos Islands offshore from Geraldton. The outstanding Australian author Peter Fitzsimon's book "Batavia" had first raised our interest in this event, and it is fascinating to see actual artifacts from that long-ago tragedy.
Cargo Recovered From "Batavia" Memorial for HMAS Sydney Arrive in Perth, 10,297 km since leaving Melbourne. a mini-reunion in Perth is organised with three of Bob"s old classmates from Portsea, plus wives. We share great cameraderie over lunch at a lovely beachside restaurant. Lunch extends into dinner plus a glorious sunset over the Indian Ocean.
Old Classmates Reunion, Perth We Watched Sunset Over Indian Ocean From Perth we set course SE to Katanning. Here we are warmly welcomed and enjoy the generous hospitality of Terry and Joan Barritt at Monalta, their most substantial sheep and cropping farm. Margie's cousin Alan Niederer had arranged for this fascinating meet up with these friendly, interesting people. Next morning we're on the road again for the 640 km drive to Norseman WA. Crossing the mighty Nullarbor Plain is a fascinating journey as we keep careful watch out for the kangaroos, camels and wombats that numerous signs along the way warn us about. Of course Nullarbor means 'no trees' and this is exactly how it is for the next 714 km. Flat, flat, flat! Adelaide comes into view just five days since we left Perth. The Gawler Gateway Tourist Park is very conveniently located near the Turnbulls with whom we share stories over a most convivial family dinner. Next day we drive towards Melbourne where the caravan will go into storage until next year, whilst Louise and Stephen will take care of the Jeep for us. We've enjoyed 14,500 km of fascinating travel 'around the block' and now time to head back to New Zealand.
Crossing The Mighty Nullarbor Again in Adelaide with the Turnbulls 27 Sep 2016 Arrive home to Mokoia Road. The weather is chilly and wet, however we are pleased that, despite four month's absence our property is in excellent order. Spring has arrived and we are delighted with the vistas it brings.
The Rhododendrons Are Brilliant And The Trees Are Greening Up Next year will be our own Golden Wedding Anniversary, so we start thinking about how we wish to celebrate such a special, once-only occasion. We had enjoyed our 630 km cycle trip down the Danube in 2015, so it is decided that in 2017 we'll take on the 1,350 km Rhine Cycle Trail. No cycle touring operations in Europe cover the whole length of the Rhine, so we have to arrange bikes, accommodation,etc,ourselves. Meanwhile we keep in training with our early morning bike rides into Rotorua for coffee at our favourite cafe. Our daughters inform us that, with their families, they'll meet us in Paris after our cycle trip. How exciting is that?! December 2016 This month Margie's late sister, Cherrie, is remembered with great love and affection at an immensely touching unveiling ceremony that Evie had organised. We know that Cherrie would have been both pleased and proud that Evie had arranged such an appropriate, unique and striking headstone for her mother.
Remembering Cherrie We See Her In The Sunrise The house rings with fun and laughter again when the Boyds arrive to spend Christmas/New Year with us. Much of Christmas Day is spent getting ready for a "cousins reunion" luncheon we will host on Boxing Day. 26 Dec 2016 Extended family members have gathered from far and wide for the festive season, so this is an excellent opportunity to renew familial bonds. The sun shines brightly as we welcome our 55 guests, and we all enjoy a fabulous happy day.
Cousins Bonding Boxing Day 2016 Family Reunion
Margie and Ella Imogen and Ada with Evie
Gareth, Samantha, Sharon, Imogen Fiona, Eileen, Leah and Louise 31 Dec 2016 Louise, Stephen and Ethan fly back to Melbourne, whilst Fergus and Varick stay with us for a further week or so more, which of course is wonderful for Grandma and Grandad! And so ends another year of family, fun and adventure, which is what life should be all about. We must remember: "The wonder of the force of life is within us all. This force is a precious, precious thing, and we must not waste a moment of it"! |
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