Another day, another road trip...

I'd been back in Wellington for just over 36 hours when I was off again. My first road trip had taken me up the left-hand side of the North Island, and this time I was heading up to the right-hand side.

With a van-load of fellow miniaturists

(past some more beautiful scenery).

To NZAME's 2016 convention in Tauranga.

The theme was 'The 1940s', and I was impressed by the organisers' attention to detail. The usual convention goodie bag was, instead, a Red Cross parcel*, and our meal tickets came in ration books.

The venue, an aviation history museum, was also perfectly chosen for the theme (and made for great photos throughout the weekend!)

After the first evening's events (there was shopping, which I'll tell you about later) we returned to our accommodation for the weekend, changed into our PJs and opened our goodie boxes over a couple of glasses of wine.

Most of the contents fitted with the convention theme, and included knitting patterns and  khaki knitting wool, magazines and books from the time, a school satchel, a game of scrabble and a pair of stockings.

Of particular note for me was a manual toaster (courtesy of Garden City Miniatures),

a portable gramophone (by Ginny, Mike and Louise Ind of East Coast minis group),

a Brownie camera and photo wallet (W.W.W. club)

and a gas mask in its box (North Shore Miniatures Club).

(*Also very handy for getting miniatures home safely!)