#taihape

[rhysdarbinizedarby]

Ben from Comms here. Well… The Hoff rumours were true!

We've got more photos and videos, but we'll hold off sharing these until the show he's filming airs.

A day that Taihape will remember for a long time! (And probably one he will too in fairness)

Source: Rangitīkei District Council on instagram

[roadsconnoisseur]

New Zealand North Island Adventure day 3: Taupo -> Wellington - Explored the town next to Lake Taupo. Couldn’t do the Huka Waterfall Track due to time and energy limits. Stopped at Lake Taupo Full Moon Lookout near Motutere, Gumboot Sculpture at Taihape, Foxton and arrived Wellington early enough to get dinner. It’s very windy here. Would stay 2 days to navigate around by foot or short drives. #taupo #laketaupo #taihape #gumbootsculpture #streetart #foxton #northislandnz #newzealand #roadtrip (at Wellington, New Zealand) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqAkz-gvljI/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[violetsandshrikes]

1980s New Zealand, where being gay means hiding in plain sight and local homophobes, backed by the Far Right churches of Reagan’s America, are hell bent on destroying any liberal fantasies of change. With money and power behind them, they wage open warfare on New Zealanders fighting for their right to be different.

We know the broad political story of how homosexual law reform was won in the 1980s, but we don’t often hear the voices of the amazing men and women who lived it. The gritty activists who were spat at and reviled, who risked jail and losing their families. They fought both local and international hatred, taking to the streets in anger and in celebration. "Cynthia Bagwash" who disrupted meetings in her stylish fox-fur and white gloves, the lusty anthem singers harassing Salvation Army anti-reform petitioners, the heartbroken nurses working in the AIDS wards, and the man tasked with bringing his cousin’s body back to the marae.

Would be grateful if anyone could boost! These guys are trying to get funding for this documentary about the fight for gay rights in 1980s Aotearoa.

The director, Welby Ings (Punch 2022, Sparrow 2016, Boy 2005, long listed for the Oscars ) knows the story intimately. In the early 80s, he started his small town’s three person pressure group, Gay Rights of Taihape ( GROT ). Arrested several times and with his teaching career under threat, he threw himself into the national campaign, protesting, infiltrating and interfering as much as possible with the opposition.

[have-you-been-here]

Giant gumboot, Taihape, New Zealand

[misplacedmidlanders]

Thursday, May 9th 2024. Ohakune > Wellington.

Like my mobile phone when I'm expecting a call, today was a Ring-less day. Our planned visit to Mangawhero Falls was unfortunately cancelled due to ice on the roads (apparently it's unsafe to drive several hundred feet up a mountainside in these conditions, but that's news to me). 

Jake and I are looking at making this visit ourselves when we have the campervan in week three, so the ice better be gone by then otherwise we're wrapping chains around the tyres and Fury Road-ing our way up this goddamn mountain (we're looking for a volunteer to strap to the front of the van, please let us know if you're interested in applying).

So instead, we journeyed south towards the capital, Wellington, making stops at Ohakune (a small town), Taihape (a small town) and Levin (also a small town). Most of these towns were actually quite similar to places in the UK - in fact if you took the nice parts of Loughborough and streched these across a single road (and removed the yobs) they would look almost the same.

We'll be staying in Wellington for the next few nights, and we're visiting Weta Workshop tomorrow, so expect some more re-enactments of your favourite LOTR moments by a pair of sleep-deprived 30 year-olds.

[aonoexpat]

Road trip - day 1

07-04-2023

Getting up at 05:30 in the morning is definitely not for me, but I did it anyway because today marks the first day of our road trip up Te Ikaroa, Aotearoa's North Island! I managed to catch up on sleep in the car despite Aotearoa traffic being quite chaotic. The rolling hills left and right gave me a preview of the Shire-vibe I'm likely to get when we visit Hobbiton in a couple of days, which I'm very excited about!

Our first stop was Taihape, where we did a brief hike up to a viewpoint:

Our second stop was our campsite near Taupō-nui-a-Tia, or Lake Taupō, with its 616 square kilometre Aotearoa's largest lake by surface area.

As the lake is a volcanic crater (currently at alert level 2 out of 3), the beach is black and glittery and riddled with pumice along the flood line of the lake: a super brittle, porous, light type of volcanic rock that floats and is apparently used as a natural exfoliation tool :)

We drove the whole road around the lake, stopping off for some spectacular views at Huka falls:

I'm currently in my tent in three layers of clothing and a sleeping bag, hoping to make it through the cold night comfortably enough. I'm excited for tomorrow!

[n0isemaker]

Anytime I see a femboy pic they always just makes me think of jack black and dave grohl music video where they go to the motel and dress up and have the time of their lives and it makes me so happy. Then my brain is like "aww man, now I want to write a really heartfelt film about like 2 guys doing that but instead of brokeback mountain its like brokeback taihape and they're super loveable hicks in a small town but like its the worst kept secret and everyone is secretly like supportive of them".

Thanks brain.

[newzealandrail]

Kiwirail DL Class, Taihape, 2023

[the-sky-is-my-palace]

Neon by night 01.04.2018

[taihapepolicenx-blog]

#taihape #taihapenz #taihapegumboot #taihaperoad #taihapechristmasparade2016 #taihapei #taihapehalfmarathon #taihapegumbootday #taihaperugby #taihapeteam #taihapeshow #taihapebound #taihapelife #taihaperron #taihapecollege #taihapegym #taihapedays #taihapeboys #taihapechristmasparade2017 #taihapenewzealand #taihapefoodbowl #taihapenapierroad #taihapetreasure #taihapetonapier #taihapewivesclub #taihaperocks #taihapesummer #taihapeicon #taihapeareaschool #taihapetimes https://www.instagram.com/p/BymB28CgwS9/?igshid=4c9e3qdm0xmv

[rhysdarbinizedarby]

Fan photo with Rhys Darby at Taihape last week!

[taihapepolice]

http://taihapepolice.com

[editfulla]

Saw plenty of snow on my travels today from Palmerston North via Taihape to Napier to visit my bro #bro #brother #napier #taihape #nz #snow #travel #4wd (at Erehwon, New Zealand)

[theninjazebra]

[heshometome]

Giant gumboot statue

[jbillinghurst]

WAIARAPA WANDERINGS.

Enough of this COVID rubbish, time to travel again, so November the 18th I set off southward. First stop Taupo, and after viewing Huka falls it was around the lake for lunch. Always nice to stop besides the lake.

Across the desert road with the mountains hiding behind a vale of cloud, then onto the Gentle Annie road that runs from north of Taihape through to Napier. Fantastic rolling country through here with deep valleys and high peaks. Stopped at the Springvale suspension bridge built in 1925 to enable farmers to cross the Rangitikei River and take their produce to Napier. Was used up until 1970 when a replacement was built.

Thought of camping here for the night but a DOC camp further on sounded more enticing. And so it turned out to be with a large area beside the river with numerous camp sites tucked in the bush.

I had planned of going into Napier to visit ex brother-in-law Val Nicholson but numerous phone calls went unanswered so I headed down the coast by as many backroads as I could find. Narrow twisty roads led over hills only to descend into valleys where the inevitable woolshed was sited. Some of these woolsheds were run down and derelict but others were new and modern with huge covered yards. The only vehicles I passed were either a Ute with dogs on the back or a four-wheel drive towing a trailer full of sheep. Definitely sheep country. Passed through this little place with a big name.

Castlepoint and it's lighthouse seemed like a good place to stay, so I booked into a camp site mainly to use their ablutions. Walked along the beach from the camp and out to the Lighthouse. It is situated on a spit of land detached from the shore but easily accessible by a and bridge. Interesting rocks around the lighthouse, look very volcanic.

There was a moon eclipse that night, blood moon they call it, so I set up on the beach with my camera. More spectacular than the moon was the lighthouse which is bathed in a series of colours from white, blue through to red which reflected off the calm sea.

Next morning I took a walk on a track that led through pines and above the the beach along to Castle Rock. The isthmus that the lighthouse sits on leads to an opening out to sea creating a nice set for surfers and boat exit to sea.

Back down to the beach and a walk back to the camper passing some who wished they hadn't ventured out onto the beach.

Castlepoint done it was back inland to Masterton where I got a few supplies. Here also I found a large, like 43 hectares large, wetland with cycle trails through it. Having brought my bike all this way it was time to put it to use. Lots of bird life and good trails.

Finding a camp for the night before my assault on Cape Palliser my trusty app suggested Lake Wairarapa. Looked nice from afar but closer inspection showed a shallow muddy lake. Still it was a pleasant spot to camp for the night with only a coup[le of other campervans.

TO BE CONTINUED

And so down to the south of the North Island which is further south than Picton and Nelson. First stop the Pinnacles formed by rain washing away the ground under large rocks leaving these large rocks balanced precariously on top of, well pinnacles. And they are hundreds of meters high. The tramp up the valley took around an hour over a rock strewn water way. Glad I had my tramping boots. 

Parts of Lord of the Rings were filmed here and it certainly had that middle earth feeling. 

You get an idea of the size by the people in the bottom of the picture. 

One hopes when walking under them that there is enough solid ground left to stop that rock on top falling down on you. Onto Cape Palliser its self and the lighthouse. The road is mainly sealed except for the last little bit where it goes around a headland and there is no road so to speak but  a track cut into the rock, twisting and turning. A sign indicating unsuitable for long vehicles was no deterrent. The lighthouse itself is perched on a rocky outcrop up high, like 262 steps high and they are straight up.

By now it was raining but having come this far those steps had to be climbed. What a workout, I was completely shattered on reaching the top.

Comments on the app suggested that one could often see seals along this coast so at a likely spot I pulled over and explored. I saw two bull seals settling an argument and having won that battle the big fellow decided to check me out.

I retreated to my van and it was then that I realized that I had nearly parked on top of a mother seal feeding her pup. I had not seen them when I parked being more taken by the big bull seals.

The settlement of Ngawi along this coast is world famous in New Zealand for its collection of tractors for launching boats into the sea. 

There were some pretty impressive machines and some that had seen better days and were just left to die in peace where they had finally come to a stop. 

The weather was turning to...... getting worse so I thought I would head back to my tranquil campsite on Lake Wairarapa. This time I traveled around the western side of the lake hoping for a better view of the lake but the weather put paid to that.

My tranquil campsite was anything but tranquil that night as the wind picked up and at one stage I thought the wind may pick my van up. I shifted to a more sheltered spot by a hedge. Checking out the met service website it informed me that there was a gale warning for this area expecting 100 k not winds. Yep right on.

By morning the rain had eased so I pointed the van north. Stopped at Featherston as there was a museum I had read about that sounded interesting. It contained some of the Fell engines, these were the engines that pulled the train over the Rimutaka  hill before the tunnel was built. Unfortunately said museum was closed so I carried on. Next stop Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre or as its called now Pukaha etc. etc. Into the gloom of the kiwi house where two little kiwis were strutting around doing their thing. One of them was named Tia, a full blooded kiwi, not like the one I know who is part Aussy. There was also a Tuatara near by.

There were a number of aviary's spread through the bush walk, one of which you could walk in to. Peaking into these aviary's one could sometimes get lucky and see one of the inhabitants. I caught up with a group having a guided tour and was lucky to see the eel feeding frenzy.

One aviary had a Kokako  in it that flitted back and forward at the front of the cage. Trying to get a photo proved rather trying as he didn’t stay still. I got a few out of focus shots then moved on. This Kokako followed me and actually sat still for a moment, but as soon as I pointed the camera, flit flit back and forwards. He followed right to the end of hi aviary where he came and clung to the wire in front of me as if to say, “that was fun”

North again and lunch time found me passing through Mangatainoka home of the famous Tui Brewery. Nothing like a couple of cold Tui’s and a pulled pork lunch thankyou very much.

Over the hill past all the giant wind turbines and into Palmerston North where I called in and visited and old Airforce mate and his wife, Pete and Anne Russel. I decided to spend the night in my birth town, Marton. Had changed a tad since then.  I camped at the NZMCA park for $5 a night and had the local fish and chip tea. Next morning it was home via National park side of the mountains which were still covered in cloud. So an interesting jaunt of 1819 kms which I thoroughly enjoyed.