FESTIVAL OF CHRISTMAS 2023

We drove through the rain early Thursday morning for our Northern Explorer Train journey to Palmerston North. With a bit of dizziness around which way the train was moving, we headed off for a fabulous experience. I drive down to Ohakune a lot over the ski season and I am very familiar with the roads, so I thoroughly enjoyed taking in the rural landscapes from a different perspective. The Raurimu Spiral was an absolute highlight – I grew up holidaying in the small train settlement of Raurimu and spent countless hours grooming the horses in the paddock in front of the train station, pulling tadpoles out of the retired school pool and waving at the trains as they passed by. I had never experienced the spiral from the inside out and with its circles and tunnels, I can now understand why it was revered as one of the engineering wonders of the world. 

The next day we set out over the wind farm to Woodville. Liz’ spontaneous visit to the Reed Organ Museum was fascinating. Rosemarie was a passionate person with a very unusual collection… I wonder how many people in NZ have a similar collection? We then stretched our legs at the property of Paul Gregg who made international headlines as ‘Grandfather of the Year’.  Being a retired Boeing aerospace engineer, I imagine Paul has a very high IQ and he clearly put that intelligence to good use when he built the rollercoaster and planted the maze for his grandkids. Quite bewildering. We then visited Pukaha Wildlife Park and met the only Kokako kept in captivity, and what a happy little girl she was. 

The weather treated us well as we escaped the storms around the country, and we were very fortunate to have been able to make it up the driveway of Margaret and Mike Hanson of Blue Earth Wine and Olive Oil. Their story was wonderful and their products delicious. Moy Hall provided a beautiful, shared lunch which was the perfect accompaniment to a day in one of NZ’s top wine regions, Martinborough. 

Then the festival… WOW this town knows how to dial up the volume! The retailers, craft people, restaurants and cafes all go to such amazing efforts to make this festival a true success. I’m not sure I’ve witnessed this anywhere else in New Zealand before. The number of people in the community and visitors alike who gathered together for the opening festival was astonishing. 

I missed out on the visit to Ngawai Seal Colony and Cape Palliser, but I won’t miss out next time! It sounded like Stuart’s commentary was fabulous and so many of you picked this excursion as a highlight. I also missed the trip out to Castlepoint, but I was very excited to be at Brancepeth Homestead to greet you all and introduce you to Edward Beetham. His historic home has witnessed a lot of our countries history and to have dinner in the same dining room as his ancestors, Māori Chiefs, and other notables of the 1800 and 1900s was quite the experience. My mouth still waters at the thought of the delectable, steamed pudding with toffee sauce and whipped cream!

And finally, we learnt a few things about Featherston on our way out of town before making it to Wellington Airport for our flights home. 

If you like the sound of this tour, then get in touch as we will be running this again in 2024!