Driving rough!
February 2, 2009
Who needs a boat?!!
Our bus arrived and we piled out to find our accommodation for the next three nights.
Due to my injured ankle I was a slow starter and ended up at the far end of the driveway in the bunk house with most of the guys. Thanks to my injury I was given the use of the Lodge van to make my way to and from the bunkhouse as required.
The instructors stayed in a separate house on the grounds and I met them all again as three of the four were the same guys who'd trained me 13 months earlier.
Evenings around the brazier
We started the lessons with safety lectures and some information that the United Nations required all potential drivers to know about their driving policies.
The next day, after breakfast, we started with some training for parade. Parades are not something NZ Police do a lot of, except when attending Police College or a member's funeral. Our new boss would be required to know how to form us up and we needed to know how to behave for inspection. There were plenty of laughs to be had but we got there after a couple of goes and then we were split into 4 groups and started the business of what we were really there for.
My group went first to the 4 wheel drive proving ground where we drove a variety of vehicles over purpose built terrains.
Walking wedgies!
After lunch we went down to the river and spent the afternoon practising river crossing and vehicle recovery. I'd enjoyed this very much the first time, this time the thrill of creating huge bow waves off the front of the trucks was just as satisfying.
We were starting to get to know the 25 members of our team and the evenings around the campfire, with a few drinks and some good sounds went a long way to helping the process along.
One of the great things about being out here in the middle of nowhere is that you have time to sit and chat.
The third day my group started in the morning with map reading and GPS navigation.
Let the good times roll!
We did river crossing after lunch and once again, without being able to see the rocks on the bottom of the river, I was not going to risk rolling my ankle so I sat and watched them all freeze their bo***cks off in the mountain stream.
The final day we looked at winching, basic mechanics and then qualified in ATV bikes before piling back on the bus and heading back to college in time for dinner.
Apiti was again a great place to learn 4 wheel driving and our team were now starting to really come together. I could come back to this place every year!
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Who needs a boat?!!
Evenings around the brazier
Walking wedgies!
Let the good times roll!
Four!
Not the best parking in the world
Easy does it over the see-saw
Chillin' out front of the Lodge
Just playing in the shallows
Rural Kiwi experience
I first spent a week at Makoura Lodge at the end of 2007 when my work group had our annual conference here.
We were here to learn of course but this place combines learning with the thrill and excitement of New Zealand's great outdoors. Makoura Lodge is the home of the Toyota NZ 4 wheel drive course but it's not just Toyota that use this place, more and more companies, like the NZ Police, are finding the facilities here are top rate!
I returned for the same course in February 2009 when I had to undergo more 4WD training prior to my deployment to Timor Leste and the Lodge was just as accomodating as it had been 14 months before.
Situated 7km from the small village of Apiti, Makoura Lodge is a well built farm homestead that has been developed to cater for the needs of those wanting the rugged NZ experience but like the compforts of a nice motel and a great restaurant. It lays on 350 acres of farmland owned by the family since 1896.
You must book to get in here as the lodge can only sleep about 30 people but has a constant flow of groups pouring through. It may not be a place where you would stop on your way to anywhere as it's out in the middle of pretty much no-where, but if you wanted to have a conference, as we did, do a team building course, or thought about finally getting hitched to that special someone then I think this would be the place to do it.
The main dining room/lounge of the lodge is very nice. It has a huge fireplace and a bar for the end of the day. We did all our lectures here and also eagerly awaited the meals to be served as the cooking smells filtered from the kitchen just off to the side.
The meals are fantastic. A terrific selection of wild NZ fare. Most of the cuts of meat; lamb, beef, pork or venison came from animals right here on the working farm. Breakfasts, lunches, or dinners were all as good as we could hope them to be and the great thing about the Lodge is that they are able to take casual diners if you do happen to be lost in the area and feeling a bit peckish.
Obviously we were here for the driving but the lodge caters for most adventures; tramping, fishing, farm tours, clay bird shooting, horse trekking, mountain biking or of course quad biking if you don't want to peddle.
For those who like the slower pace there is a fine selection of historical literature in the lodge library so relax by the fire with a good book after an easy day of petanque or lawn golf.
We were here to learn of course but this place combines learning with the thrill and excitement of New Zealand's great outdoors. Makoura Lodge is the home of the Toyota NZ 4 wheel drive course but it's not just Toyota that use this place, more and more companies, like the NZ Police, are finding the facilities here are top rate!
I returned for the same course in February 2009 when I had to undergo more 4WD training prior to my deployment to Timor Leste and the Lodge was just as accomodating as it had been 14 months before.
Situated 7km from the small village of Apiti, Makoura Lodge is a well built farm homestead that has been developed to cater for the needs of those wanting the rugged NZ experience but like the compforts of a nice motel and a great restaurant. It lays on 350 acres of farmland owned by the family since 1896.
You must book to get in here as the lodge can only sleep about 30 people but has a constant flow of groups pouring through. It may not be a place where you would stop on your way to anywhere as it's out in the middle of pretty much no-where, but if you wanted to have a conference, as we did, do a team building course, or thought about finally getting hitched to that special someone then I think this would be the place to do it.
The main dining room/lounge of the lodge is very nice. It has a huge fireplace and a bar for the end of the day. We did all our lectures here and also eagerly awaited the meals to be served as the cooking smells filtered from the kitchen just off to the side.
The meals are fantastic. A terrific selection of wild NZ fare. Most of the cuts of meat; lamb, beef, pork or venison came from animals right here on the working farm. Breakfasts, lunches, or dinners were all as good as we could hope them to be and the great thing about the Lodge is that they are able to take casual diners if you do happen to be lost in the area and feeling a bit peckish.
Obviously we were here for the driving but the lodge caters for most adventures; tramping, fishing, farm tours, clay bird shooting, horse trekking, mountain biking or of course quad biking if you don't want to peddle.
For those who like the slower pace there is a fine selection of historical literature in the lodge library so relax by the fire with a good book after an easy day of petanque or lawn golf.
Makoura Lodge entrance
The bar
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