Sleepin Around New Zealand: First Trip and More!

[Sheddie]

It is time to catch up with our Teardrop Travels.
11 October 2012.
Our first trip.
The trip started off a bit hectic. We worked on the teardrop through to midnight, then had to tidy the place up a bit before we headed off to bed about 1.30AM. We were back up at 3.30AM, packed and on the road at 4.30AM.

This was the first time in the thirty years that I owned the Capri that I have ever had anything hooked on the tow bar. As we headed out the gate my wife said that if we can get up the first hill we should be ok.

First stop was the Shell service station in Kamo (or Z (pronounced zed) as they have been rebranded in New Zealand). Then it was Wellington or bust 845kms (525mls) away, to catch the Ferry we had booked for the South Island early the next morning.
The Capri is fifty years old and the engine has always been a bit fumie, but the extra load of the TD meant that when we started climbing some of the bigger hills it got really bad. Called for winding down the windows to get rid of it. We had come this far we weren't giving up now. Next stop was Warkworth for a tinkle stop and check car and TD, both ok. Still dark so pressed on to Bombay (south of Auckland) and McDonalds for breakfast. Apart from the fumes, all was going well. The TD was towing like a dream and the car was doing the job well. It is only 1500cc but with seven gears in the box there is always the right one there. Next stop was Cambridge for fuel, and called into my cousins workshop for morning tea and another rest stop. From there we went to Kinloch on Lake Taupo for lunch with my niece and a couple of hours rest.
From Kinloch we headed down the east side of the lake and fuelled at Turangi before continuing down the Desert Road.

Here we are on the Desert Road with Mount Ruapehu in the background.
Next stop was Bulls and dinner at Subway then rolled in to Porirua for fuel, with only a dribble left in the tank, and finally arrived at the camp ground in Wellington at quarter to ten and fell into the TD for our first nights sleep in it. What bliss!

[Sheddie]

12 Oct. We slept like babies and were up early to be at the ferry terminal an hour before sailing. We had not had breakfast as we thought that we could do that while waiting in the queue to board. After all we had our kitchen with us. They were having computer problems at the check in gate, so by the time we got into the marshalling line and opened the hatch, they came along and told us to drive on. We drove right up into the bow of the ship, parked and started organising breakfast, as it would be a while before loading was done and we were ready to sail.

This was fine until a fairly officious crew member came along and told us we couldn't do that down there. So after she left we sat in the car and finished our cereal.

We had a calm trip across to Picton, it takes about 3-1/2hrs. We then drove down to Blenheim and stopped for lunch. Only problem was that every time we stopped we would get mobbed by people wanting to know what the car was and all about what we were towing, every stop was a long stop.

Ohau Point Seal Colony. At the side of the road on State Highway One.

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Ohau Point Seal Colony

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We were going to head across to Nelson for a night so we could visit the Wearable Arts Museum and then on to Christchurch, via Lewis Pass, the next day. But because of the fuming issue we decided to go direct to Chch, and avoid a few extra big hills and this would also give me an extra day before the Car Rally started to check the engine situation in case anything needed doing. We arrived at the camp and set our selves up just as the weather started to deteriorate. As it turned out it was just as well we didn't come via Nelson as the next day it snowed up in the mountains and some of our friends and family that came that way only just made it through before the roads were closed. A phenomenon that that we in the upper north of our country are not used to.

[Sheddie]

13 Oct.
It had rained most of the night and by the next morning the camp site we were on, which was a bit of a hollow, had left us with about two inches of water over the floor in the gazebo. Time for action, as Dale stormed off down to the office and demanded that we move to the original site we had booked a couple of months ago. They decided in the end to let us move. There was a long term resident on the next site and the office said that they may want to spread out. We spoke to them and they were only too happy for us to camp there. We had camped on that site a few years ago, and knew it would be dry.

Here we are camped there in 2008 with the caravan we had sold when we decided to build the Tear Drop. At 13' long it wasn't all that big but even with the pop top, at 8' wide with the aerodynamics of a brick wall it could take a bit of pulling, especially if the wind was blowing in the Wairarapa. Also it was almost twice the weight of the TD, weighing in at 1000kg (2240lbs), so you can see why I wasn't going to tow it with the little Capri. The Car with the van is a 1967 Humber Supersnipe. My father had baught it when it was 3yrs old and only done 8000mls.
Back to 2012.
Now it was all hands on deck and move the TD down the lane. An easy job with a TD as you just push them.

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[Shadow Catcher]

Thanks very much for sharing always fun to see others trips.
The Capri has the Ford V4 and something like 75 HP if I remember correctly.

[Sheddie]

Thanks very much for sharing always fun to see others trips.

Thanks for that. It is nice to here that some one is reading and enjoying.

The Capri has the Ford V4 and something like 75 HP if I remember correctly.

Close, but no banana this time.
The V4 didn't appear in the Capri, until the (so called) MK1 appeared in 1969. These ones were a different car all together, being built in England from late '61, to mid '64. At first using a 1340cc 54hp in line 4, and from late '62 a 1500cc 64hp in line 4 and an up rated 83.5hp GT version. My one was an early 1340 but I had repowered it with a used 1500 about 25 years ago. Unfortunately over the years the fences haven't been well maintained and some of the horses have escaped. So after we got home from this trip I gave it a full recon, it is now 1540cc with a mild road cam (next stage up from the GT). I already had the GT carb and extractors. The motor in your SAAB is the V4 that was used in some of the German Capri and Taunus models.
Frank

[Sheddie]

13th/14th Oct 2012.
We were now parked on a dry camp site and the weather was clearing, although there was a cold south westerly coming across from the Southern Alps. I decided that the car was running ok for now and there was nothing that we could do with it until we got home. It was mainly only fuming bad when we were towing up hills, so we could enjoy the car rally that we were here for, and we could take it a lot easier when heading home the following week.
This was our first time back in Christchurch since the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. The area we were camped in had not suffered much damage. The Church opposite the camp, like quite a few around the city, had its steeple removed and placed on the ground where it would cause less damage in future quakes.

[sctrooperretired]

Love all the photos....A very beautiful country way downnnnnn there. Glad y'all had a nice time, despite the rain.

[pchast]

Thanks for the photo's.

Its the only way I get to travel to
many places.

[Sheddie]

Thanks guys for stopping by.

Thanks for the photo's.

Its the only way I get to travel to
many places.

I have to agree with you there. It's good to see all your photos too. Been a bit pre-occupied this week but will get some more up soon.

[Sheddie]

14th Oct 2012.
Late afternoon it was time to head off to the Rally Head Quarters, to sign in and catch up with some of the people that we had met up with over the last 17 years that the event had been taking place. The event was the New Zealand National Classic Car Rally. It had first been held in Christchurch in 1995, then held in various cities every second year, alternating between the North and South Islands (except for one extra event that was held on the Kapiti Coast, just north of Wellington in 2007). This was the tenth, and unfortunately the final time it would be held.
The Rally was held over a week, with three rally tour days and free days between for enjoying the areas, and at the end of the week a public display and concourse, then a final dinner and prize giving. On the rally tour days the cars would leave from HQ in the morning and take a drive, usually the longest way possible through areas of interest to eventually arrive at another town in the early afternoon. The rest of the day was yours to sight see and explore the area before returning to Chch. It is not a speed event, you just follow the clues for direction and answer a load of questions along the way. Eligibility for your car was quite simple, if you think it is classic you are in.

[Sheddie]

Mondays tour took us across the Canterbury plains toward the Southern Alps, then south along an inland tourist highway, to eventually end up in Geraldine. On the way we passed through all sorts of interesting little places. In one small settlement there was an old chap with a row of small sheds under some large trees which housed a small collection of old Austin cars.

Morning tea stop was at Jim and Louise Deans' historic Home Bush Station. The old farm buildings pictured here, which house a museum of early NZ farming, survived the earth quakes unscathed, but unfortunately the homestead did not do so well. View the link below the photo.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/image.cfm?c_id=1&gal_objectid=10672219&gallery_id=113785#7080186

We then continued on to Geraldine for lunch.

This was the end of the run for the day so we had time to look around the area before heading back to Christchurch.

The next day was a lay day, but included a visit to a property in Chch with lovely grounds and gardens where they do weddings,

but most important have a large private car collection. For more http://www.tnttt.com/gallery/album.php?album_id=3720

[Sheddie]

The other rally tour days included a trip to,
1), Mount Lyford, a ski resort in the winter and camping, tramping, rivers and mountains in the summer. This was quite a long drive out through the town of Rangiora and the back roads of north Canterbury to finish at Lyford Lodge for lunch.

2), Akaroa, a harbour settlement on Banks Peninsula. This run took us through Christchurch, then over the Port Hills and around the back of Littleton Harbour. After a stop at Little River we headed into the hills of Banks Peninsula, where we stopper at the Hill top Tavern for lunch. Nice food and fabulous view down on Akaroa Harbour.

Then instead of taking the main road, the rally instructions took us even higher into the hills to give us the most magnificent views of the area, and then descend in to the town. The cars all parked on the cricket oval and every one wandered off for a good look around.

Back in Chch on the lay days we had time to have a good look around the city at the changes since the earthquakes. In the CBD there were a lot of buildings that had completely gone and it was just level ground.

There were still a lot of large buildings in the process of coming down and a lot fenced off, some of which may get repaired.
One area we went to was thriving with markets under tents, and shipping containers had been used to create Banks, Shops and Cafe's.
Despite their troubles there was a positive attitude.
The sad part was driving through the suburbs and seeing all the abandoned homes. Christchurch is known as "The Garden City" and instead of seeing all the wonderful gardens in front of the houses, they were behind mesh security fences, knee deep in weeds and long grass. It is heart breaking for the owners.
Another use they have put the containers to, is along the side of the road below the cliffs to stop the falling rubble getting on to the road.

The Red Cliffs area, at the top of the cliff, was one of the areas badly effected with houses left hanging over the edge.
The issues in some of the lower lying areas is liquefaction, where every time they get a bit of a shake, a grey silt comes up from the ground and covers it all over. In other parts of the city there is not a sign that anything has ever happened, apart from the odd missing chimney.

One evening a BBQ was put on at the Ruapuna Raceway, and we were given the opportunity to take our cars out for a few laps of the circuit. What petrol head could resist that!!!

Friday night was the final dinner and prize giving. Having won the event twice before and just missing out at the previous one, I had told my wife that it would be great if we could bring home the trophy from the final Rally.

Saturday was a public display of the cars at the local Hot Rod club grounds. Then it was time to say goodbye to the friends from all over the country that we had got to know over the last 17 years.
For more photos of the trip http://www.tnttt.com/gallery/album.php?album_id=3720

This is the group that had travelled down from Whangarei to Christchurch for the rally.

[Sheddie]

Sunday 21 Oct 2012
The trip home went well, as long as we remembered to wind down the windows when going up hills to get rid of the engine fumes.
We left Chch and drove through to Picton (330km) to catch the evening sailing of the Interislander ferry. We stopped at Cheviot for lunch at a café and felt very proud as we looked across the road to the car and TD parked in the shade of some big trees. People were walking and driving past, peering back at it, stopping to take photos and looking all around it. And we had built it from scratch. We continued on to Picton, arriving not long before our check in time, but ended up with quite a long wait as the ferry was running late. We finally arrived in Wellington about midnight then dove around to the Top10 holiday park, crawled in to the TD and flake out. It had been a big day after a busy week.
Monday 22 Oct 2012
This morning we set off at a more leisurely pace with the aim to stop for the night somewhere south of Auckland.

Here we are stopped for a cupper beside Lake Taupo, in the middle of the North Island. With a keen westerly blowing the lake was quite choppy, but we parked the TD with the galley sheltered and boiled up the billy.
We headed on north then left SH1 and went across to Matamata, and the Opal Hot Springs and Holiday Park for the night. I had said earlier that this was going to be a more leisurely trip today, but we had done 500km

After dinner we had a nice long soak in the thermal pools, then off to bed and slept like babies.
Tuesday 23 Oct 2012
Today was our last leg to home (343km) and pick up the children from the Animotel.

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Now it was back to work, and planning our next trip.
Also we needed to finish off the TD and investigate the engine issues in the Capri, before the next big trip back to Christchurch in February 2013.

[Sheddie]

4th-6th Jan 2013. Taipa Auto Spectacular.
Our next trip was a couple of nights at Cable Bay and a day at Taipa for the Far North Vintage Car Club "Auto Spectacular".
I had spent the time since we got back from our Christchurch trip doing a full recondition on the Capri engine. It was not as bad as it could have been and I could have got away with a set of rings and bearings, but decided in the end to give it the works, with re-bore, shaft grind, new higher performance cam, etc. etc. etc. It has now gone from 1498cc to 1540cc, the original engine in it was only 1340cc. A lot of the parts had to come from England and the stupid part with that was that it took 4 days for them to come from England to Auckland and then another 9 days to travel the 160kms from Auckland to here. I finally got all the bits back from the re-conditioners on Christmas eve and spent the xmas new year holidays putting it all back together and fitting it back in the car.
The trip to Taipa (about 400kms return) was going to be a good trip to start running it in. I needed to do at least 500kms then do an oil change before our trip to Christchurch in Feb.
This trip Dale could tow the TD with our 1967 Humber Supersnipe.
We had been talking to the display organisers about camp sites and he offered us his drive way. We headed up on the Friday night after work and parked in front of his shed where he has a caravan power connection.

Saturday morning we woke as the sun was coming up, putting a pale pink glow in the sky and over the water. The view over Doubtless Bay was like heaven and the water was like glass as we sat at the back of the TD having breakfast.
We took both cars and the TD along for the show.

Our car club had been invited as the feature club this year and we were parked centre field. We had a good turnout of our members that made the trip up and the adjoining football field was full of other clubs, with vintage and classic cars, hot rods, trucks and motorcycles.


We didn't get much chance to look around the cars as we were overwhelmed by people wanting to look at and ask all about the TD.

Our members also found the gazebo was the ideal place to hide from the sun.

It was a fabulous show and that night we went back to the driveway overlooking the ocean. The next morning, after another fabulous sunrise we packed up and headed for home.

[Sheddie]

Sunday 17th February 2013. The Great British Car Rally.
This was the second big trip that we had planned. It was this trip and the previous Christchurch Rally that had given us the reason to build a TD in the first place.
In 1997 the British High Commission held an All British Car Rally. They called it the Link Rally, as it was to celebrate the "Link" between Britain and New Zealand and travelled from Auckland (our largest city) to Christchurch (our most English city).
As in 1997 The Great British Car Rally followed SH2 down the North Islands east coast, across the Cook Straight then continued on to finish in Christchurch. Entrants could join in or leave the rally at any point, ie, doing one or two days or the full week. We had chosen to do the full trip.
Sunday 17 Feb 2013
We started at the Auckland Domain with morning tea and scones and official speeches, then somewhere around a couple of hundred British cars, both old and new, headed off in convoy.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvP-WdUiibY

One of the largest.

Definitely the smalest
Next stop Waihi, a small gold mining town, where we had a lunch break before continuing on to Tauranga to fill one of the waterfront streets for a car display and speeches.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgU6WtJub-I
This was our overnight stop, we camped at the Top 10 at Papamoa Beach.

Our new side awning. We left the gazebo at home this trip as we were only going to be one night in each place.