Monday January 27  and Tuesday January 28, 2014

(Public Transport)

We should be heading north today.  However, after spending the bus trip updating the text for the blog, picking and sizing the photos on the ferry crossing. I asked Ralf if we could have another rest day so that I could update everything.  We needed to do some washing and I need to clean the bikes.  There is an automotive museum in this Town, the biggest one in the Southern Hemisphere.  I have sent Ralf off to the museum and I am catching up on mundane things – the washing is done, the blog is updated and now I am going to clean my bicycle.

This campsite is a very small site, each site has its own toilet and shower room.  Something I have never seen at any other site.  It has been in this location for 80 years – Resort is a term used loosely.

When Ralf gets back he can add a bit about the museum and we are now up to date.

The car museum started as a private collection, it had six vintage cars.  It now has over 350 cars, motorbikes, bicycles and a Gypsy Moth airplane. A very few items have been donated by local car enthusiasts.  Therefore the bulk of the collection was bought during his lifetime.  Before the owner died he set up a trust fund to ensure the collection continued to be maintained.  One of the curators I was talking to offered to drop the rope on any car that I fancied being photographed with for our blog.  I happened to be standing in front of a German Mercedes staff car, it seemed very appropriate.

There are so many vintage/classic cars in New Zealand and this is how they get here.  I found out from the museum curator that most car enthusiasts will go to the United States and purchase a vintage/classic car for $4,000 to $6,000 ship it to New Zealand for about $6,000 restore the car and the selling value can be anywhere from $35,000 and $40,000.  The old classic/vintage cars do not need to be converted to a right-hand side drive.  However a new vehicle must be converted. Buying a Dodge Ram 2013, shipping it to NZ for $6,000, paying $30,000 to convert the truck to a right-hand drive still makes the truck cheaper than buying it in New Zealand. I have only seen one Dodge Ram truck in New Zealand! Lots of Toyotas.