Towing Test Drives & Relocating to Tai Tapu

Wednesday 1 July

It was a chilly night even in the spare bed at Ella & Josh’s place - mainly because we hadn’t worked out how to switch on the heater! Dogs were curled up tight to keep themselves warm too and the towels drying on the line outside were frozen solid - so solid that Josh could knock on them! ❄️. Shadow looked a bit sad that we were leaving, or perhaps he just wanted to be taken on a walk - Jessie just remained snuggled amongst the sofa cushions.

We packed up and headed out into the frosty morning, said farewell to Ella and drove back to Vanari Caravans to collect Banjo - but before we did that, Mike let us test drive his Triton whilst towing the caravan so we could get a feel for how that went. Banjo looked fab all branded & hitched up behind the Vanari Triton with its matchy matchy Snowy River teal branding! Sadly we didn't love the ride - the Triton was quite a bumpy ride, but perhaps we are too used to the smoother ride of the Pajero Sport SUV versus a ute. Next stop was GMC to do the same with the GW Cannon which was a slightly smoother ride and a bit more luxurious inside. Now to make some decisions based on all the pros & cons and price options.

After that we cruised the back streets of Addington seeking a parking space big enough for Banjo & the Pajero so that Louis could go & donate plasma at the NZ Blood Service. I had a stroll to the Sallies while that was happening (loved the knitting needle pockeets made of old woollen blankets there!) Louis is our Gold Donor - giving plasma whenever he can. Sadly, just before the UK blood donor ban got lifted I went onto immuno-suppressant drugs and can’t give blood 🩸 so Louis does it for both of us. ⭐️ Strolled over to Tower Junction and grabbed a quick sushi lunch.

From here we rescued Banjo from the side street and drove out to Tai Tapu to stay at the Westoby Farm POP. A lovely warm welcome from Carol & Geoff and curious stares from the neighbouring ostriches. Sadly the ostrich popped his head down as I took the pic - hopefully there’ll be better images to come!

We settled in for a quiet evening of blogging, admin and further vehicle research and finished off the last tense episodes of The Night Manager after cheese & crackers and Gilmours prosciutto for pickety dinner!