KENSINGTON PARK DAY TRIP

Written By - Liz Bosley

A happy busload of residents left Kensington Park for a day “out West”, on Wednesday, June 17. We were bound for Swanson’s Crystal Mountain— a place many of us had never heard of—on a fine, sunny day. (Thank you Lyn for arranging this!).

We discovered Crystal Mountain includes a cafe, gallery, crystal mine museum and a theme park. After morning tea we wandered through the gallery to a lift which took us down into a series of cave-like cellars and what a glittering magic world awaited us. Crystals of every size, colour and shape. From tiny, to some bigger than a grown man; all were fascinating. These crystals come from all over the world and this collection must be as good as anywhere in the world.

We saw an impressive collection of fossils and two complete skeletons of small dinosaurs. There are even dinosaur eggs which have been verified by the British Museum. There is a section on New Zealand crystals and fossils too, mostly from the Coromandel.

I think most people associate crystals with gypsies in scarves gazing into a crystal ball telling your fortune. While there were some crystal balls no fortune tellers were to be seen and no tall dark strangers are going to come into our lives!

We headed further west, to Soljan’sVineyard and restaurant in Kumeu. The vineyard is the third oldest in the Auckland region. We were welcomed by Chris Soljan and his father Tony. Tony gave us a brief but interesting history on his family, who arrived in New Zealand from Croatia in 1927.

The family have been producing and selling wines on this site since 1935.

Wine tasting completed, lunch began and a very substantial two course meal was consumed, washed down with the local wines of course.

An especially nice touch was when the staff presented me and my husband with our desserts, complete with candles to celebrate a special day for us – our 53rd wedding anniversary!

A happy, contented and satiated bunch boarded the bus, wending our way home through the back roads to Silverdale, through beautiful rural countryside. An extremely pleasant day out. Thanks to our driver and a huge thank you to Lyn Hodgkiss for all her organisation.

An important note: As a KP resident - if you wish to go on the “Outing list”, email lynhodgkiss@hotmail.com and let her know.

There are already 190 folk on the list who get to hear about outings first.

The zoo trip in July is sold out, as is the Hobbiton coach trip in September. Lyn is planning to repeat the “sold out” ventures.

Wine tasting completed, lunch began and a very substantial two course meal was consumed, washed down with the local wines of course.