Plenty of stars in campers' eyes
While the Dannevirke Holiday Park hasn't been as busy as last year, there have been some happy campers making the most of the picturesque setting.
"Things have picked up in the past couple of weeks and we had a couple of busy nights, with 40 staying, mostly overseas tourists," Basil Durrant said. "If it wasn't for the tourists who make up 75 per cent of our campers, I don't know what would happen."
Mr Durrant said many of the tourists had come from Germany and Belgium, staying just one night.
However, one Eketahuna couple have stayed longer, enjoying the peace and quiet of the camping ground, as well as party time in Dannevirke on New Year's Eve.
Ross and Denise Rowden decided to go camping in Dannevirke as a New Year get-away-from-it-all treat and managed to take in the New Year festivities at the Services and Citizens Club as well.
"It was a delightful night. I even managed the Tennessee Waltz," Mrs Rowden said.
"This camping ground is a picturesque spot, apart from the morning chorus of the roosters."
Mr and Mrs Rowden called into the holiday park last year on their way back to Eketahuna from Waipukurau and opted to spend New Year here, away from the crowds at the beach.
Mr Rowden, a life member of the Eketahuna Rugby Club and president of the Wairarapa Bush Union, is keen on the outdoors.
"What we like to do is to go to where the road ends. It's just so neat to get away from it all," he said.
"It's a simple life and, as we get older, we don't need so many material things, we just like living life in the quiet lane.
"We've done so much overseas travel and, yes, there's more to come, but jeez, you can't beat what we've got here."
Mrs Rowden says: "We enjoy camping, especially if the weather is okay.
"We should be so grateful for what we've got here [in the Tararua] and, on a nice night in Eketahuna, you can see so many stars, it's wonderful.
"I've hosted girl guides from New York who couldn't believe how many stars they could see in our night sky. Even some of our relatives can't believe we've got such crystal-clear skies."
