The Christmas Holidays have started, Rosie and the Operator have two weeks off work, let the good times roll, literally, we packed up the camper van and off we went…a 60 minute drive up the road to our favourite campground Belt Road Seaside Holiday Park.
Fine early summer weather is lingering over the whole country boding for a beautiful Christmas day nationwide, the sky was blue and our gorgeous Mount Taranaki had shown her face and most of her winter snow covering was gone. The region looked crisp and clean in the bright sunlight, the farmers were in the fields taking advantage of the fine run of weather and were cutting, turning and bailing hay all along the road to New Plymouth. The smell of freshly mown grass hung in the air and permeated the car, man, this province is beautiful, its good to be alive!
We arrived at the campground, 3km from New Plymouth’s main shopping street, nestled in amongst residential houses on the hilltop overlooking Port Taranaki. http://www.beltroad.co.nz/default.asp We had booked out hilltop front row site a month in advance and we were lucky to get a view as the holidays had nearly booked it solid. We parked the camper, opened the windows and doors to let the cool sea breeze in and that was the hard work done, it was all about relaxing from then on in.
Here is a picture of our camper on its site and then the view from the back of it…beautiful. You never tire of watching the movements in the Port, boats, people and tide come and go there is always something to see. This campground has got to have one of the best 180 degree views in the world, we rented a powered site for $40 per night which gives us full access to the campgrounds amenity blocks, this include toilets and showers plus kitchens, TV rooms and there is a fish filleting area as this is a campground that is a favourite with the fisherman. The park has a real family atmosphere and caters for the more discerning camper who enjoys easy access for what the city has to offer. If you are looking for a more bohemian pet friendly younger party crowd…go to Fitzroy on the other side of town.
Being self contained in the camper there isn’t much to set up, roll out the awning from the side of the camper to give a bit of shade and unfold the outdoor table and camp chairs, pop the top off a bottle of bubbles and pull open a bag of crackers…its a tough life alright. The waves of relaxation wash over you, time is irrelevant and life outside this spot fades into non existance. You are on holiday and so is everyone else in the confines of the camp….you can be as social or as private as you like in the campground, there is always someone open to a chat if you fancy one, the beauty of the camp is everyone there is like minded and after the same relaxing experience. Rosie and The Operator enjoyed the balmy evening, sipping a tipple and watching the sun go down and the lights reflect in the water from the boats, streetlights and wharves….sublime.
The downside of camping, the light always wakes you nice and early as their are plenty of entry hatches in the camper…there are no ‘slug abeds’ in a campground everyone is up early. Plus it is the coolest time of the day for a stroll….this is not something Rosie would normally do with out a couple of cups of coffee first and having read the paper, but with persistant prodding from The Operator, we were dressed and out the door at 6.30 am…man that is early…but look, the car park was full already of boaties taking advantage of the
beautiful weather and doing a spot of fishing around the marine parks. We did a quick walk out to the end of the breakwater and back, Rosie really did need that coffee, The Operator on the other hand was jumping to get in his kayak and get out on the high sea and bag us a couple of fish for our Christmas dinner. So car loaded with fishing gear and the kayak on the roof The Operator headed for Ngamotu beach just down the road, a quiet stretch of beach with direct access to the breakwater and the open sea.
The Operator loaded up his kayak and pushed off with great enthusiasm, Rosie waved from the shore praying to Tangaroa, god of the sea, to spare him at least one fish…The Operator isn’t blessed with being the luckiest or most skillful of fisherman…
Rosie walked home to the campground, did the meagre housekeeping, put the coffee pot on and went to the camphouse, had a shower and bought a newspaper. I sat having breakfast and watching The Operator through binoculars do his thing through the back window of the camper. Bliss. After a couple of hours
bobbing on the sea and braving the wakes of dumb arse fisherman who found it funny to swerve a wake at a dude in a fishing kayak 30cm off the surface of the sea, Rosie’s prayers were answered ( next time you don’t have to be so literal Tangaroa) The Operator caught ‘a’ fish, a small, but perfectly legal sized gurnard….four small fillets….according to other fisherman, The Operator needed to be abit further out to sea as the water was still abit too cold for the fish….sooo, off to the Hunting and Fishing shop conveniently located 50 metres away to by a longer anchor rope so he can go out further…Rosie will meet you in Melbourne next time…save a plane ticket.
There are many things to see and do in New Plymouth, it is a great place to spend a couple of days (or longer) as it is so close to where we live and we would spend a couple of days a month there I cant give away all the secrets of the city all at once. Rosie and The Operator will keep you posted with things to see and do. One of the local attractions and a legend in his own making is Happy Chaddy and his Old English
Life Boat. He takes tours out to the marine park and sugar loaf islands, he has lines off the back of the boat and trolls for fish as he is sailing, if you are lucky enough you can take a fresh fish home with you if you want….
He is a charactor alright, larger than life and corny jokes abound in between a historical guide of the area. You have to check out the YouTube clip on his website…he is certainly not misrepresenting himself, on a nice sunny day you will have an excellent time. http://www.chaddyscharters.co.nz/ The tour takes 1 hour tour and costs $35 per adult, there is plenty to see as the seals are on the islands having their pups at this time of the year…Chaddy and the rocking rolling lifeboat are a quality duo, well worth the laughs in his self enforced ‘no moan zone’. After all that salty air Rosie needed a wee siesta in the camper…then another wee stroll before dinner up the Coastal Walkway, the gem in New Plymouths Crown.
The Coastal Walkway is an 11km promenade along the sea edge from the Port of Taranaki to Bell Block, it is accessible to all walkers, bikers and you are able to ride mobility scooters on it. It showcases the beautiful Tasman Sea and the wildness of the West Coast. There are plenty of points of interest and art works
http://www.newplymouthnz.com/OurDistrict/Attractions/Walkways/CoastalWalkway.htm
that adorn the route and the walkway coincides with the city centre and beautiful open air green spaces.
This is a path of discovery, you do not have to walk or bike it in its entirety in one go, there are sections that can be explored as and when you feel like it. This path is an asset to the people of new Plymouth and a true marvel, around every corner is a new scene or sight depending on the weather. The sign to the left is by John Reynolds and is one of the latest art installations along the path, it is made out of the same reflective material as our NZ road signs and tells the story of Taranaki and the locality. For a more in depth explanation as to the references on the sign apparently the local information has the details…Rosie needs to look this up herself….
The next day Rosie and The Operator were lucky to observe history in the making for little ole Taranaki, our first ever cruise liner came to port for 12 hours and unleashed 720 tourists on the province for a flying visit. The weather could have been abit better, the mountain was lost in cloud but a fun time was had by all from the Volendam as reported in the Taranaki Daily News, and you know what, we watched it all from the comfort of our camper perched on the hilltop at Belt Road Seaside Holiday Park…we will be back to introduce you further to the delights of the Taranaki Capital on later occasions.
thanks God, nothing was said about those disturbing and loud clowns visited you on 26th…