By the numbers
1 car
1 museum
7,142 steps
4.93 kms
I was nice and comfortable in a nice bed at my grandparents
place. It could be due to the fact I really needed some sleep after waking up
just after 4am the day before or after 2am back in Australia, which just screws
with the mind when you look at it. I wanted to stay in bed just a little bit
longer, but I wanted to visit the Hikurangi museum that was only open between
10am and 1130am. I think it is mostly on volunteer basis, but we never rang up
to make absolutely certain they would be open and would just turn up not long
after having breakfast. The weather was looking really nice as the weather the day
before turned into a wet time. Hikurangi is located just north of Whangarei and
isn’t the same place as some of the others like down within the Gisborne /
Poverty Bay area where there is a Mount Hikurangi. I am sure there are other
places with similar names down south.
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| Hikurangi Library |
Once we were ready to visit the museum, both Claude and I
drove out there and we were taking it on a whim that the Hikorangi Museum would
be open as there were times when it was not. The museum had the sign out the
front saying they were and the door was shut, but I thought the main building
was open. Turns out after one of the people ran out was that they were having
their monthly meeting, but were happy to let us into the original building we
were looking at. We could enter the other building once their meeting was
concluded, which did bother me. Inside was a treasure trove of information,
pictures and artefacts that had been collected over the years. I found heaps of
information about the Gum digging in the area from newspapers, but there was
plenty about the coal mining in the Hikurangi area including the strikes they
has as well. Hikorangi had began when the land was bought in 1862 and
everything went from there. It was interesting going through the scrap books of
newspaper articles as there did seem to be plenty going on like the coal mines
that finished around the 1940s, dairy industry that grew and there seemed to be
a bit of trouble within the town law wise, but I wasn’t reading about that. I
even found out about the accident that had the memorial in the Kauri cemetery
of the young people who were killed when a train hit the bus ‘quite hard’,
which were the words used by the paper.
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| Sandy Bay |
Once we could visit the main building as the meeting had
concluded both Claude and I went in and began looking at all the photos that
were to do with the sporting clubs and other organisations within the area. I
spotted two Delaneys who were in WWII out the back and while looking through
the photos in the main room and came across several Gabolinscy’s. There was Frank
a manager to a footy club with Les and Maurice in several photos scattered
around. I did take pictures for personal use. It was funny how the stories I
hear as there were several who were in the police force and then you find one
of them being pictured in the local boxing club, which puts a bigger spin on
things that make you think. I am sure there would be more pictures hidden
elsewhere if I had asked, but I came across a book for sale that was oral
history tales of Northland. As I tend to do, I look in the index and the
contents pages to see if there is anything interesting. There was actually
about mining in Puhipuhi, but I had missed the bit about Don until Claude found
it as it all relates to the farm. I did buy the book and got caught chatting to
the lady about the local area and she was at one stage a teacher. I gave her my
surname of Watson, although I doubt she would have remembered that name from
the 80s if she was there. She explained by signing the visitors book that it
would give the local council an indication of visitor numbers and then get
funding. We were actually the only ones in the hour and half on the Saturday
that were there. She wanted to show us the old washing room before we left. We
were shown the old wash tub thing that she had carted from the local area that
was heavy and then several other things that came from Bulls.
By the time we had left, Claude went to shout me some coffee
and a bite to eat, which included a mussel fritter that I was not too sure on
at all. I also had my usual coffee that
went well with the extra hot water I seem to get at some places. Once we both
had finished a wander through the next door antique shop meant we found some
interesting items, but the owner didn’t seem to hang around and if you needed
him, he had his number left at the counter. It was a different arrangement and
it seemed to work as access was through the cafe. Claude let me wander around
while he went back to the car. I wandered down to George Street and found the
old kindergarten that I think I went to along with the bowling club that was
further down the street. I was doing my aimless wandering thing so I could end
up anywhere. I ended up walking to the other end of Hikurangi where I visited
and walked around the grounds of the old school. I would not have done so on a
week day at all. I am pretty sure I remembered a few of the classes, but hoped
no one was watching security cameras and getting ready to crash tackle me for
visiting a school that I had been to in the late 1980s. I did return to Claude
after a little while and the day seemed to be heating up so I needed to get rid
of my jumper.
Since we had plenty of time before heading back, Claude took
me for a drive out to Sandy Bay that was near Matapouri another seaside town.
The roads out to these areas were narrow and windy that could make anyone who
were not used to them sick, but I was enjoying them even though I was taking a
video of a windy part. i wanted to show people online what the roads could be
like. Maybe I should be doing that with short videos. After Sandy Bay we
stopped at Matapouri for a drink and then headed to the beach that looked
really inviting while drinking our drinks. Several Harleys turned up to enjoy
the beach weather after their rides. Our next stop was at the marine at
Tutukaka where I realised I had been there last time I went to the Poor
Kinights Islands, which are just off the coast from Whangarei and another tourist
attraction. Further up the hill there was a lookout that I remembered from the
last time, but I am sure there was a compass built in to show the locations of
points of interest. By this time we decided it would be time to head back and
all the while the GPS kept telling us to head back the way we came or informed
use we had to turn right on a certain road even though we were on that road. It
was a nice day for a car ride and I am always happy to get a ride out to places
that I had not been to before. Places that are not the usual touristy type
places like Ngunguru just to confuse people. It was a great day out and the
weather was clear, which meant the beach would look really spectacular too.
Link
Hikurangi Museum
http://hikurangi.co.nz/hikurangi-museum/
Link
Hikurangi Museum
http://hikurangi.co.nz/hikurangi-museum/
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