Painted Cows and Flowers

Two of the reasons for this trip around the lower Coromandel and Waikato were to stick close to home. But also, not too drive for hours each day between destinations. With that in mind and as we spent the last night exhausted from our tramping adventures in Te Aroha we checked out the NZMCA App, looking for somewhere nice nearby. Having found plenty to do in the two previous small towns we decided to check out the next closest one, Morrinsville. Site number 1377 the Morrinsville Recreation Ground as it had lots of positive comments. With no mention of the infamous boy racers or disturbed sleep, despite being a public carpark. So with the GPS locked and loaded we headed off in the morning for the next lot of adventures.

The most obvious sign that you have arrived in Morrinsville are the vast number of painted cows scattered mostly down the main street but also in some of the side streets. Each cow has it’s own theme as represented by the artist. Such an unusual canvas but one that reflects the rich diary farming heritage of the area. There are over fifty cows on display, most of which I managed to photograph including the giant one in the headline photo. I have chosen to publish a few select ones chosen at random. One of my favourites being the one outside the Police station painted as a constable. This because our oldest son works for the Police, I sent him the photo as soon as I saw it and got 🤣 in return. There are a couple of signboards in the town that pinpoint the locations if there is a specific one you wish to find.

The NZMCA App had shown us that the freedom camping area is the giant public car park area for the sports and recreation park. It says it’s located next to the dump station and public toilets and within easy walking distance of the main road. There was however no signage telling you where you should park or what the designated area was. Given our size we tried to squeeze into the far corner, so we didn’t obstruct too many parking spaces. I am pleased to report that the App was correct about the absence of boy racers and a very peaceful night’s sleep was had without any disturbances, which can always be a worry when you are spending the night in a public carpark.

The reserve area, adjacent to the carpark, comprises a very large green area with multiple sports fields, public swimming pool, and a pleasant walk along the nearby river. What we did find interesting is that there was once a camping ground here, although it’s located on the far side of the reserve alongside the river. It no longer appears to be operating, or doesn’t seem to be, but all the power boxes and water taps remain. We wondered if this would make a good new NZMCA Park. The only drawback appeared to be the lack of hardstand parking. Interestingly the council website states that the campground is only open on request making me wonder who has to request it and for how many campers.

One of the issues when you spend time on the road, especially if you have done a few days of tramping is that pile of dirty clothes only gets bigger. So it was time to catch up on some laundry. When we toured the South Island we visited the local laundromats or took it home on shorter trips out of Auckland. But a few years ago one of our friends put us onto the small washing machine you can see in the photo. Brought, second hand, off trade me for less than $60 it has been one of the best purchases we have made. With it’s spin function getting out most of the water, drying clothes is much faster. We are lucky to have a huge cargo area in the rear of the motorhome so storage is no problem and it’s very lightweight, overall just a great purchase.

That evening, I made the mistake of letting Sarah look at Google Map’s and she saw how close the Hamilton Gardens were to Morrinsville. She has wanted to visit ever since we first drove past many years ago and we never seem to have made it. So, this time she was determined. Getting there early we discovered that although they have a huge carpark, they don’t have any dedicated spaces for large vehicles like ours. Thankfully as we had arrived early, we managed to find somewhere unobtrusive. Or at least we thought so and nobody complained. I do wish places like this would dedicate some space to vehicles like ours and then I wouldn’t feel so guilty about where I park.

Inside the gardens they have dedicated areas, each with a different theme, flowers and plants. My favourite being the Surrealist Garden with it’s giant Wheelbarrow, Garden Fork and Wonderland Door presenting some great photo chances. It really made you think you had entered the world of Lewis Carrol to become Alice or the White Rabbit both of whom also feature around this garden.

It’s easy to lose track of time wandering around all the various gardens and being springtime we had absolutely chosen the right time to visit with a riot of colour from all the flowers on display. I read that starting in September 2024 they will be introducing a charge for non-residents and I can understand why as it must be an expensive place to maintain. That however, would not deter us from visiting again.

Rather than spend the night in Hamilton we decided to head just down the road and stay at the Cambridge Raceway for the night before heading further south. We had no sooner parked the motorhome than the commentary of a race became apparent. Wondering what was happening we wandered over to the club rooms/cafe where you also pay your camping fee to discover the final few Greyhound races underway. It’s not a sport that interests either of us but we did stay and watch a couple of races. Our wallets however remained firmly in our pockets except to pay for a meal at the bar while we watched the races.

The next and final blog in this journey covers an accident in Kinloch and some great service in Taupo. More to come…