Room 3 Camp March 2012 - Day Two

The day dawned grey but not raining!!  Whew!!!

We got the kids packed up, fed them breakfast, got lunch made and distributed.... meanwhile I popped down to the District Nurse's office and had my final IV antibiotic and the lure removed.  Freedom!!!

And off we went for the day.

First stop was the awesome Goldfields Railways.  We went to the station in Waihi town, paid and hopped on.  I love going on this train as it shows its history and goes through some great landscape out to Waikino in the Karangahake Gorge.

The lady conductor gave us a history of the train and the kids we able to either sit inside or go out onto the open truck (carriage).

After morning tea and toilet stops at the Waikino Station (and coffee for the teacher and grown ups), we trekked across the carpark, under the road and over the river to the derelict site of the Victoria Battery.

          

 

It is amazing to think that this battery was responsible for processing most of the rock from Waihi and parts of the Gorge to get to the gold, silver and other salvagable minerals.... and was also responsible for a fair amount of pollution.  The battery was huge in its day, probably very noisy and functioned until the early 1950s.  We wandered around the battery and had set a time to meet up by the Victoria Battery museum... which we were fortunate to find open. 

           

    

After a quick trip up to the pits, we came back down to the museum to have a guided tour.  It was a real eye opener, and after our guessing at explaining to the kids how the battery worked, this old gem of a museum volunteer rounded out our best guesses, demonstrating how it works.

As we marched back over to the Waikino Station to catch the Goldfields Train back to Waihi, it began to rain lightly.  So lucky it wasn't earlier!!  This rain got a bit heavier while we were on the train, and by the time we got back to Waihi to hop in our cars it was very steady.

Luckily our next visit was (mostly) an indoor one.  We were off to Martha Mine to their Education Classroom to learn from their educator Phil Salmon (former University classmate!).  Phil did take us out in the rain to the Martha Mine pit rim to talk about what they do.... but then we went back into the classroom to learn more before Phil set the children to activities. 

The kids loved the variety of activities.

There were creative activities.....

.... making a movie on the computer....

        

and using I-Pods to find out more information to solve a puzzle and unlock a secret treasure!

At the end of the time, the rain was pelting down!!  We then set off to Whitianga (via Whangamata).  It was not a fun drive in the driving rain, and I was a little worried about the fact that high tide was at 7pm and that brings a risk of flooding either side of it over roads leading to Whitianga.  I was also a teeny bit stressed about the fact that all but one of our activities the next day were out of doors!

When we arrived in Whiti City (as those of us who have lived there call it), the rain was raining like it rains in Whitianga - hard out!!  The area outside of the cabins we were staying in at Mercury Bay Holiday Park was flooded to our ankles, meaning it was bare feet or jandals to get everything in and out of the cars and cabins.

Once we had got as much out of the cars as we could, got the kids and ourselves reasonably presented, we scrambled through the rain to the cars to drive into town to go to Dinos Pizza and Pasta Restaurant for dinner.  This was a god send as it would have been a nightmare to cook and feed kids in that rain!!

Luke, the proprietor, is a karaoke mate, and he did a great deal for us.

My main ambition for taking the kids out to a restaurant was for them to use their manners, use good table manners and order from a menu.  I really got a tickle out of watching the kids read the menus intently and discuss their options.  And then I had to laugh as each one of them told the waitress their order:  MVP (Most Vital Pizza), essentially a meatlovers pizza.  It cracked me up how they practically all ordered the same thing!!

At this point, if you asked the kids what their favourite part of camp was so far.... they said Dinos!  The tummies rule!!!

Then we bundled back into the car and went back to the camp ground - the rain meant that my plan of going to play at the park was drowned.  The dads took the kids down to the tv room to watch a bit of tv while the ladies sorted some kids and food out.  I went to the supermarket and got us some fresh buns and ham and stuff for the next day.

And it was early to bed for the kids that night.  All settled in before 9:00pm to listen to the rhythm of the pouring rain.... and hear the fire station horn go off to tell us that someone had lost control of their car in the flooding on the way into town!!!

Room 3 Camp March 2012 - Day One

OK, so....

Packed the car - tick.

Stuffed up the IV lure, been back to the doctor and had a new IV lure installed and had the antibiotics injected  -  tick.

Gone home and picked up the stuff I've forgotten and released a silly young cat  -  tick.


Ritchie McClaw, the silly young cat!!!


Picked up the non-driving parent  -  tick.

On the road again (think bad country song by Willie Nelson I think).

First stop:  meet all the kids and their parent drivers at the L&P Bottle in Paeroa.

The great thing about this stop is that it is free!!!   Unfortunately, it needs a little maintenance.... some of the information signs have things missing and what looked so flash back in 2004 is looking a tad tatty now.  So this does make it a little tricky for the children to find the answers to the worksheet in their camp books. 



The L&P Bottle worksheet from my
camp book.  I always do the camp
book too.

 Being the fussy teacher that I am, I have to have them do a camp book to answer questions and record experiences and draw and glue in pictures. 

But the kids were happy having their photos taken with the bottle, and we went to Albert Park (I think that what it's called where the rugby and netball courts and croquet pitch is) to eat lunch at the band rotunda and play on the playground.

Second stop:  Karangahake Gorge, and specifically to do the Karangahake Tunnel Loop and the Windows Walk.

Unfortunately, due to my cellulitis, I had to stay in the car and put my leg up.  A shame really, because this is a walk I've done at least three or four times, and I really enjoy it every time.  Also I had never done the Windows Walk part, so I was disappointed not to do that, as I keep hearing how good it is.

Heading over the bridge and into the Karangahake Rail Tunnel

So while I sat in the car with another parent's NZ Fishing magazine, off the kids and parents tramped without me.  It was a tad wet (so one advantage to being invalided off the activity) but I think the kids really enjoyed it.

In a later post I will come back to the activities associated with this walk.

After a couple of hours (and a catnap or two for me and learning about the benefits of soft baits when fishing), the children and their parents were back, slightly damp, hungry and ready to go.  We decided to flag the Heritage Walk in the CBD of Waihi, and headed straight for our accommodation, the Waihi Motor Camp.  The kids were keen for a swim, and the dads were happy to oblige with the supervision, while the ladies began making nachos in the kitchen and I went to the supermarket to get fresh buns for lunch, toast for breakfast and a few other bits and pieces.

Here is a tip for anyone who gets sent on camp with pre-signed cheques and no BOT member or principal with signing rights:  it is a nightmare!!!  Supermarkets do not want to accept a cheque without their special signature approval card.  Waihi Countdown will not be getting any business from me in future.  Waihi New World were more accommodating.  This is why having the school credit card was supposed to be a good idea - until that did not work.

The nachos (mince and mexican chips) were a big hit at dinner time.  There was also avacado, cheese and sour cream to go with it.  And salad - lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, cucumber.  One child went back for four helpings.  And we finished with ice cream in a cone.

After dinner we did our camp books, had a good old fashioned sing along, and had the kids in bed by 9:00pm.