Wet Wairarapa

On Wellington Anniversary weekend we packed the camping gear and the family (no wait, get up off the floor) and headed over to Martinborough for a weekend of camping with the Cakebreads.

On the Friday night we drove over the hill and stuck up the tents and got stuck into refreshments. On Saturday it was a little overcast but otherwise fine. So we found ourselves driving over to Masterton to take in the Wings of Wairarapa at a distance. I blog with pictures so here are some long range shots with the new 55 – 250mm lens.

All the girls, young and old, were doing really well with the whole tenting thing, it must be said. But they where to be truly tested. After a great dinner at the local Thai we returned for further refreshments around the tent. About 5am the rain began. It was the same rain storm that was flooding Auckland but we stuck it out for the morning. Both the tents were dry but we zippered them up and headed off for some wet weather entertainment. Tour de cafe then off to the Masterton pool with the kids. Oh well. We managed the wet weather until about 2pm before we returned to the camp site. The tents we doing a fantastic job of being water tight but unfortunately the persistent downpour was seeping uncontrollable under the tents though the earth.

Well the pin was pulled and we all spent a wet and soggy hour packing the car and putting down some sodden tents before heading back to Wellington. It takes some rapid maneuvers to pack a wet family, tent and camping gear into the car. But we worked it through in record time. No need thought – the trip over the Rimutaka Hill was a wet, slow grind. Driving back it was still surreal that we had actually gone camping on such a thoroughly torrentially wet weekend. We could not of planned the weather worse. Are we going again? Of course we are!