Tag Archives: Dylan Daisy

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Taupo / Tongariro crossing / End of season!

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On our way to Taupo we met up with Lette and Tewai at a secret hot pool known only to people with google maps. It is marked as “Hot and Cold”. A hot stream joins a cold stream, hot, cold and everything in-between. We had a yummy soak. Yani came along too.

After that we drove onto Whakaipo Doc reserve and stayed there a couple of nights, exploring, schooling and carving pumice which you find on the beach.  On Wednesday we got a good view of Mt Tongariro, on Thursday it was time to do the crossing!

There were plenty of gypsies keen on the walk so we got up early, crammed into vehicles and drove to the Mangatapopo car park. The track was fantastic. Steep and barren like the moon. It was fun walking with the Gypsies. The Red crater and Emerald lakes were amazing.

We all charged across with no problems. Meanwhile Mum and the boys walked to Mangtapopo hut then drove to the end of the track to shuttle drivers back to the start. By the end of it everyone was foot sore and ready for a soak at Tokaanu hot pools. Then we had Indian in Turangi with Keanau and Julia.

After much debate followed by a vote it was decided to go ahead with the Taupo fair in-spite of a terrible weather forecast. The weather turned out to be terrible and the fair was a flop. However we did have a uproarious end of season party.  Mum and Dad presented us with trophies for all our hard work in our shows.

There were prizes for all the gypsies. The usual dancing and shenanigans took place.

Sunday was a wash out so we high tailed south, heading for Motueka and Steiner school.

That was the end of our third season on the Extravaganza. So many adventures and so much fun! I am so tired I could do with a little rest! Bye!

 

 

 

 

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Rotorua

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“Now for the daily weather report with Dylan Daisy Ashton. Rotorua; light rain, heavy showers, sunshine, clouds, hot, cold, freezing, warm and windy, changing hourly throughout the weekend!”

We had a new and brilliant location right next to the swan spotted Lake Rotorua. Unfortunately the council had double booked our spot. Instead there was a small carnival in our place and we set up nearby. On top of that the council health inspectors came in special vests with video cameras, to shut down all our food and drink stalls. Our health certificate that had worked in every other town in New Zealand, some how did not work in Rotorua. I know, right? Ich weiBes schon gut(private joke). What beardy weirdies the inspectors were(they were all bald and bearded, even the ladies). 

Saturday night we visited the Carnival. It was… garish, gaudy yet extremely fun. My favorite game was the laughing clowns. You have five ping-pong balls to put in their mouths and see which number slot the ball goes into then add up the numbers and sum is the number of the prize you get. All of the prizes broke within two days. But that didn’t matter, we still had fun.

Like a $2 shop only its $5.

Our world travels never stop. Sunday night we visited Thailand in a stunning whorl of new and delicious flavors at Wild rice Thai cuisine on Rotoruas “Eat street”.

Monday morning after a short watch of Americas got talent, our new favorite morning habit, we wandered down to a small jetty. Out of the morning mist softly shrouding the lake, swans glided gracefully towards us and our bread. Squabbling and squawking they slowly ate all the bread as we drank our morning drinks(Hot chocolate, Tea, Coffee, Milo).  Bye!

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Gisborne

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“Screech!” I skidded to a stop at a red light in the Gisborne traffic skills bike park.  It was just along the road from the new Gisborne grounds.

This year the grounds were right next to the sea, much better than last years park. The weekend was a “Meh” one, freezing cold, showers and quiet. The people of Gisborne are used to hot, sunny surfing weather. When it turns cold they hibernate and stay at home.

Playing magic with Riley, Aden and Keaneu

Saturday night Mum and Dad went out on a date, so I baby sat the boys and stayed up late watching Serena the teenage witch , my favorite episodes.

Monday morning we trucked to the mechanics so they could fit a new clutch to “Mim” our truck. Mum took us out for fish and chips on the beach. We bought some back for Dad who was underneath the truck. Poor Daddy all black and greasy! That night was spent in the mechanics yard. Tuesday morning Mum, the boys and I decided to drive to Opotiki’s Island view holiday park to meet up with some of the Gypsies. We had to stay in a cabin as Dad did not make it that night. The rest of the week we spent on school work, play time and long walks on the beach.

Finally the time came early Friday to leave paradise for set up in Rotorua. Bye!

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Havelock North

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“Splish, splosh.” The water swirls down the channel. “Quick shut the gate!” I yell. Lette shuts the gate and the water comes to a standstill. We let the water build up until we think it’s high enough, then open the gate. “woosh.” It zooms down the channel and into the pool at the bottom. I love the new water park and playground on the grounds in Havelock North!

The two day weekend was hot, sunny, busy and all together enjoyable apart from the fact that we all felt exhausted from our terrible week of sickness.

Out for dinner after pack down on Sunday night.

 

After that weekend we slowly wound our way to Mahia peninsula and parked up at Stewart and Carol Bells park over property to plug into power and freeze the venison in the freezer. A storm was coming and our solar panels won’t work well in cloudy weather.

Oh. I almost forgot a very sad thing happened on our way to Mahia. We passed a goat on the side of the road that had been hit by a car. Its legs were broken. We stopped up the road and Dad put it out of its misery. R.I.P poor goat.

Mahia peninsula has one of the two Rocket Lab launch pads in the world. Awesome right?!

That night the storm kicked in and it was still going full bore when we high tailed it to Moerere hot pools the next morning. “Ahh… lovely!” After the too good to be true soak we sped to Gisborne and another park over property for the same reason.

Disaster struck Thursday afternoon on our way to the grounds. The truck clutch was slipping! Eventually we came to a standstill right when we were turning into the grounds, blocking two lanes of traffic! A random kind motorist towed us clear. How unfortunate, now we need a new clutch. This weekend Gisborne. Bye!

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Napier Easter weekend.

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“Oh! Found one!” “Here’s another!” The shiny purple wrapping gives it away in the early morning light. All the gypsy kids run frantically around the Extravaganza shouting and searching for Easter eggs. Today is Easter and April fools day, so in the end we got a few duds. Acorns aren’t that yummy!

Sunday night there was supposed to be a movie. But it turned windy all of a sudden and everyone was “Too lazy.”

The gypsy kids enjoyed a ride on the mini train which ran right past our truck.

The four day weekend at Anderson park blitzed by sunny and busy, we ended on a high note, somewhat exhausted.

On the last day Jaz got a tummy bug, no shows for him! He just lay there all day, quiet and still. It was quite nice to tell the truth.

Tuesday morning at 7.30 we sped to Haumoana to secure our spot by the sea. Dad left to go hunting with his mate Paul. Good luck! Mum the boys and I spent a lovely afternoon on mattresses in the sun. 4am saw me with my head in a pot puking my guts out. Luckily pots are plentiful in our house truck as Dallas followed soon after. We are such a sharing caring family. Thanks Jaz!

The next day was the longest most wretched day of my life. “Blurgh, yuck!” I hate puking. That night at 11pm I awoke to pumping music and yahooing. The gypsies were having a party right next door. Mama bear stormed outside enraged, yelling obscenities at them. Needless to say the party was over. I woke up the next morning to discover that Mum had “Quit the Extravaganza!”  Whatever!

Mean while up in the mountains Dad stood up stretched, ate his breakfast and lifted his leg for a good morning fart. Unfortunately and surprisingly much more than a fart came out! Poor Daddy he had caught the bug and pooped his pants! He buried his best undies in a hole in the ground, never to be seen again. The upside is he did get a Stag!

Making a stop motion Lego movie on the beach.

Friday morning we were all feeling a bit better and headed for set up in Havelock North. Bye!

 

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Cuba dupa!

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“Ring  ring ring” finally ! The call had come from Jonas to drive onto Cuba street to set up for Cuba Dupa festival.

We drove onto a street just off Cuba street. There, were all of the gypsies parked on the pavement, setting up with concrete blocks to tie the straps for their awnings onto.

I was so excited . I stayed up till midnight, then fell asleep exhausted. I woke up early and peeped out my window. Yep, we were still way down town in wellington setting up!  “Oh my gosh, Eeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!” I was so excited!

The Extravaganza and Cuba dupa kicked off at 12pm, for 12 hours we sold our crystals, performed, danced, played and explored. Thousands of people thronged the streets, 4 stages pumped out music and shows. It was massive.

I fell asleep exhausted at midnight again, and woke up on Sunday to do it all again. This time from noon to 6pm.

We packed down on Sunday night and high tailed it to Lyle bay, happy and full of festival.

The next day we passed through Masterton briefly stopping at Nana and Pa’s to gather some firewood (Dads crazy about firewood, its’s his thing) and have a cup of tea.  After that we trucked on to Anzac park in Norsewood.

The next morning at 4am Dad left to go Deer hunting. We got up at a much more respectable hour. I spent a lovely morning baking a three layer lemon cake which was ready just in time for when Dad came home. It was Delicious!

Unfortunately Dad failed to catch anything.

Late that afternoon we drove to Haumoana, where we spent the rest of the short week before our four day Easter weekend in Anderson park Napier. Bye!

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Palmerston North

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Friday afternoon Yani gathered all the gypsy kids together and took us to the science museum. There, to our utter delight was a Lego exhibition! I made a stop motion movie with Lego people. We all ran around crazily laughing exploring the exhibition.

Saturday night all the gypsies went down to the Ten pin bowling alley and bowled for best winner and best loser. It was super entertaining.

Palmy fair was not as good as last year but still lots of happy people.

On Sunday night we dragged our hungry selves to an Indian restaurant with the peculiar name “Arranged marriage” Dads jokes were not funny!

We hauled over the hill to Masterton, parking at the Moata park over property. Dad had the Flu so he was horribly grumpy. Mum and him had a huge row, she chased him around the paddock hitting him with her skirt. It was hilarious yet terrible at the same time.

We had a lovely sleep over with Nana and Pa while Mum and Dad had a date and cooled down a bit.

Down came the rain and our plans for going to Kaitoki regional park were splattered. Instead we sped to Lyle bay, Wellington and the new Te papa art exhibition. The Toi art exhibition was varied, colourful and interactive. My favorite exhibit had hundreds of colourful ribbons from dark to light like a rainbow hanging from the ceiling. At the end of every ribbon was attached a teardrop shaped glass bottle. Inside each one, matching the colour of the ribbon was a crystal, spice or some other natural substance. The exhibit signified hope and new beginnings. It smelt wonderful.

Friday morning was a stormy one, grey and hostile. We schooled then headed down to the marina to wait for the call to go and set up for Cuba Dupa. Bye!

 

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Granddads Funeral

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We covered him in crystals to sooth his soul and let him go peacefully.

Saturday and Sunday were a frenzy of preparations for Granddads funeral. Friends and relatives started arriving, patting me on the head and saying “so sorry”. I didn’t know who any of them were.

We woke up early Monday morning, the day of the funeral and drove to Napier to buy savories for 200 people. Then made haste for the church in Puketapu.

The funeral was held; long, sad and heavy on godly talk which was to be honest a bit irritating. Charlotte, Renae (cousins) and I recited a poem. He was carried out of the church to the melancholy strains of Leonard Cohens Hallelujah

Mum was one of the pall bearers. Granddad was very heavy but Mum is very strong. She carried him gallantly all the way out to the cemetery where he was laid to rest on top of Grandma.

Granddads graveside.

That night we drove, exhausted to Haumoana where we slept long and deep, lulled by the crashing waves. We woke up, spent some time on the beach, then I made apple pies for lunch. Yum! The rest of the day was spent relaxing, playing and more relaxing in the shade at the beach. Wednesday we fitted a new lock to Granddads shed, we had to force our way in since he had lost the key ages ago. We then made our way out of town to a reserve in Norsewood.

Thursday we schooled, played and relaxed before moving on to Pahiatua where we arrived late at a dilapidated netball court and playground that served as a campground.

The next day we drove to Palmy (Palmerston North) for setup. Bye!

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Papamoa

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The week started out like any other, shows , fun , hot, Busy etc… We had no idea of the disaster about to strike.

This year Riley’s (RJ) birthday theme was superheroes! Everyone dressed up (except Riley, he doesn’t like dressing up) and watched the new Wonder woman movie. It was super! (ha,ha!)

On Monday we checked into Opal hot springs. That day we all walked up to the top of Wairere falls. See last years blog for info and views of this waterfall, North islands highest. I was very proud of my brothers because last time they only walked half way to the top. Well done boys! Dad and I stayed the night up there under the stars.

I love tramping, it always makes me feel peaceful. We walked back down to the car park the next morning. Mum and the boys picked us up and took us to the hot pools.

Here’s just a couple of the insects I found in the pool.

I had been looking forwards to soaking in the hot pools and was enraged when I found out that the pools had not been cleaned and was filled from side to side with all manner of insects. From Wasps to Crickets to Beetles. I stormed up to the office and asked the lady at the desk for someone to clean the pool. She said “Sorry honey but there’s no one available.”  “Well do you at least have a net so I can clean it myself?” I fumed “No sweet-pea we have nothing.” Sweet-pea yourself I thought as I stormed back to the pools, and there sitting in the corner was a net on a long pole! I picked it up and started cleaning the pool. Soon my arms got tired and there was still millions of insects in the pool. I ran back home crying, to lie in bed and read my book.

The next morning we got up excitedly to go have a hot soak before breakfast. When we got there the pools were empty, and being cleaned! More fuming and cursing the lady at the desk.

We headed for New Plymouth and just as we were nearing Otrahonga a hideous hissing sound and lots of steam erupted in the cab of the truck! I tiny air hose had burst! Dad fixed it and an hour later we were on our way again.

It was pouring with rain and we were just about to hit the west coast when Mum got a phone call from her sister Ellie saying that her Dad Rod had died of a heart attack on his farm. She was very sad and cried a lot, we all did. It was such a shock! We turned around and set out for Taupo arriving at dinner time. We spent a stormy night in Taupo only to wake up and find the road to Napier was closed with flooding. It opened at 3pm. We then sped to Roz’s (Rods partner) house in Hastings.

Mum, Dad the Boys and I went to see Granddad in his room, he looked so peaceful and comfortable in his silken coffin. I miss him.

On Friday all the cousins played while the adults prepared for the funeral.

A very eventful and sad week. Bye.

 

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Ohope

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Ohope beach is abundant with soft sand, views of White island and a fun playground.

Mum was not there, so I helped Dad in the shop a lot. That weekend I did two magic shows a day since we weren’t doing our family circus.

On the Saturday night the grounds flooded and six inches of water went flowing through our shop and the rest of the Extravaganza. It had all soaked away by the time I had woken up.

Mels , Jonas and the Ducklings (the nick name for the crew that travel with Mels and Jonas) were away at Splore festival. With them was the stage ,cafe and ice cream shop, so since there was a spare slot, a local real fruit ice cream truck joined us for the weekend. Yay!

On Monday we walked to a beach north of Ohope, We took a rotten watermellon.

Later we went to Pikowai campground (one of our favorite spots) and waited for Mum to come back. She arrived laden with chocolate mice, ducks and frogs, my favorite! At Pikowai there is a sand bank which we played on for hours, pushing each other off and sliding down.

Tuesday saw us on our way to Madame Feathers tea party in Te puke. We sat and drank dainty cups of tea, ate delicate slices and remembered Madame Feather whilst listening to Leonard Cohen, her favorite singer. Madame Feather was a well loved Gypsy, rest in peace Madame Feather.

I took some beautiful close up shots at Madame Feathers tea party.

Thursday we stayed at Motiti reserve in Papamoa.

Early the next morning we setup on the grounds. That was a nice family week. Bye!