Busy Busy Busy

 

The park is full and we are busy. 

I am in the shop every morning and Eddie is doing at least 2 loads of rubbish every day. He has a local boy helping him. People can't seem to tell the difference between green, brown and white bottles for the skip bins and put their rubbish in them too. 

The other mystery is how many lollies do kids need???? One boy came back 3 times yesterday for them. I don't think I have so sold many in such a short space of time.

The weather is still dry, but doesn't seem to be so warm. The other day there was a cool wind blowing. It has quite put us off going for a swim. Today is hotter and not so windy. There is now a total fire ban in Northland after a scrub fire near Arapahi today.

We had a nice few days with Abbey,( our granddaughter) even though she sat on Eddie's couch in his favourite position in the evening. We had a nice dinner one evening at the local pub. We took Nita and Helen too. Helen is working here and is Nita's sister in law.

We forgot Abbey needed a mask to wear on the bus, but luckily they had one at the information centre that opened just before the bus left. No mask no ride, so that could have been tricky. She would have had to travel with Eddie's clean hanky tied around her nose.

I hope Christmas was good for you all. We had a nice lunch with Nita and her family who are staying here and working in the takeaways. The weather was good so we sat outside and dined al fresco.

Almost ready for the campers

 

It is still sunny and hot. We get up to the mid to late 20's most days. We could so do with some rain. We had some one night about a week ago and the wind blew for the next 2 days and blew it all away.

The garden is coming along nicely. We are eating radishes, lettuce and silver beet.

I didn't jinx my plantar fasciitis by telling everyone it was getting better. I can even wear my jandals to the beach and back now without pain. Yay!!

Preparations for the influx of visitors is going full steam ahead. Three large skip bins for glass came in yesterday. Today Eddie and a local boy are emptying the bags we use through the year and putting the bottles into the bins. All the bags will be for plastic recycling over the next 6 weeks. The coke came today, so that will have to be loaded into the chillers tomorrow.

The camp is beginning to fill. Quite a few campers are here until just after Christmas or New Year. Eddie has begun doing the rubbish run in the mornings.

I did my last cleaning today. As from Wednesday I will be in only in the shop.

I have spent the week putting drinks into the chillers and ice cream into the freezers ready for our opening on the 23^rd. We are open in the afternoons 23^rd and 24^th and then from 8 to 6 or 8 I can't remember which. I will be doing the morning shifts 8 – 2, so not so bad.

We have had a few swims in the estuary and I thought it was getting a bit warmer on Sunday.

Eddie caught a couple of fish on Sunday, so fish for tea for 2 nights. We shared some with Nita.

There was a stick insect on my chair one day. I haven't seen one for ages.

A busy week

 

It is still sunny and warm. We were going to go for our first swim on Saturday. We had been trimming palm leaves, so that the lower leaves don't hit the caravans or campers and got really hot. By the time we had finished it had come over cloudy and windy, so we passed for another day. It was going to be Sunday, but I had a memory loss and had my shower. We finally got to the water on Monday. We were going to swim in the estuary, where the water is a bit warmer, but the tide was way out, so we went to the ocean beach. It was a bit cool, so it was in and out, but very refreshing.

Nita as grape vines in a paddock near the entrance. The pukeko are starting to nibble at them, so we covered them up last Saturday morning. There were lots of trailing vines in the way, so Eddie and I cut them off and Nita clipped the cover on. On Monday he went and collected up all the piles on the ground. There is always something to do.

On Sunday, Nita brought her mother out for a visit, so we got to meet her. She can't understand why she can't stay here. Nita said it was a hard drive taking her back to the home. Her mother kept asking when can I come home? She has been in the home for about 6 months. She had a fall and broke her hip. She is developing dementia too, so there is no way Nita can look after her. Quite sad for them both.

On Wednesday another lady and I sorted out all the lollies that have arrived. It took most of the day. On Thursday, started to fill the chillers up with the drinks that have arrived

There is more to come. The chillers aren't turned on yet, so it was easy to do with no cold air. I did, however, have to do the ice creams in the freezer. I had on a big coat and a hat. When I came out, my glasses steamed up and I couldn't see a thing ha ha. I didn't have to be in for long, so it wasn't too bad an experience.

On Tuesday we went into Whangarei and finished off a bit of Christmas shopping. We parked by the war memorial. I thought it was rather pretty with the gardens to one side. The four flags are (from left to right) New Zealand's. the navy, army and the air force.

The park name that I managed to cut off is the Laurie Hall park. I don't know who Laurie was, but the park is pretty.

Meet The Dogs

 

We have been keeping busy with our little tasks around the place. I told Eddie there was a leaking tap in the kitchen, so he went off to change the washer, but it turned into a major operation. Some one had cranked it off so hard a bit of the tap had broken and water was dripping into the wall cavity. So after a lot of muttering and cursing, it was fixed with a nice modern tap on it. Which looks very odd with the old fashion one that is the hot tap. Nita was pleased she didn't need to call out a plumber.

Nita went to Auckland on Sunday and then stayed the night at her sister's in Warkworth, so we were in charge. The dogs were a bit confused and after Eddie had feed them, they came back down to us. They did go home eventually at some stage of the night. They came down to see us just after 7 to say good morning. They are like having grandchildren. All the fun and no responsibility.

This is Benny. He came for a visit one day. They aren't allowed to go inside at home, but this time he came in quite happily. He has a bit of a hard time from Chaka who thinks Minty his his and Benny isn't allowed anywhere near her.

This is Chaka.  He's a big dog, but very gentle and loves pats and cuddles. It's not the best photo of him. I will have to take another.

This is Minty. Also needs a better photo. She is the spitting image of the jack russell we had, called Xena.  Which is a bit disconcerting. She is Benny's sister.

I have had planter fasciitis since about March and it seems to be getting better. At last. I haven't had any pain for 3 days, so fingers crossed. I stopped doing the exercises, as they seemed to be hurting my Achilles tendon and my foot stopped being sore at the same time. I don't know what helped what really, but it is nice to be pain free. I hope I haven't jinxed it by telling everyone! It's still feels a bit stiff when I stretch my foot.

There are lots of quails here. The babies are so cute They make me smile when I watch them run around. I think they must have 2 lots of babies in a season. I saw some really tiny ones yesterday with no feathers, just fluff. They look a bit like a fluffy walnut on legs. They can run really fast too for such little legs. I would take a picture of them, but they move too quickly for me.

The carrots and radishes are starting to pop through the ground. Always exciting when seeds appear. I was able to pick 2 radishes from my first planting today for our salad tonight.

Our granddaughter is coming up to see us from Dunedin on the 23^rd December. She will be with us for a few days and then going to Matamata to visit her other Grandma,. We are looking forward to catching up with her. Her mother's loss is our gain. Under normal circumstances she would have gone back to Australia for Christmas. 

Another Week in Paradise

 

We are enjoying our new life up here in Northland.

On Monday, Nita (She's our boss) and I went to get the groceries for the shop that she opens during December and January. We were in PaknSave for 4 hours! I have never been in a supermarket for that long before. I was really tired when we got home again.

Eddie and another regular camper here, have painted the toilet block this week and it looks really nice now. Nice and fresh for the new season.

We have noticed helicopters a lot lately and we wondered what they were doing. On the radio today we heard the explanation. They are checking the high tension power lines for damage. Who knew they did that.

The weather has been very sunny, but it is raining today, which we can really do with. There are about 14 citrus trees here and they are really struggling with the dry weather and dropping their fruit. I am going to get them some fertilizer this week and get them mulched before the summer really hits. This nice rain is just what we needed.  

Nita bought 4 more bags of compost for it last week. It wasn't until I opened the 3^rd one that I realized it was potting mix. Too funny. The radishes are starting to pop through the ground. Always exciting when seeds appear.

The drinks arrived today for the shop. Nita wasn't expecting them until 2 30, but they arrived at 12 30. Eddie and I went down and helped them unload. We got back to the caravan just as the heavy rain started. 

This week's update

 

Here we are trucking along in our new life and enjoying ourselves, thank you very much. I think that because we don't work all day, but do bits here and there, it isn't too much of an effort.

It rained most of last Thursday, so Eddie didn't get the lawns started. He started them on Saturday and did some on Sunday. I know! A Sunday! He got them finished on Monday, before the thunder storms later in the afternoon. I was in the gardens listening to it rolling around the hills. The birds kept singing, so I decided it wasn't going to rain at that time and kept working. It did rain, but not until all the outside jobs were done. This week was lovely and sunny, so the lawns were finished in 2 days. 

Nita ( our boss) bought 4 more bags of compost for the vegie garden. I have been putting our scraps into it and also seaweed from the beach. I hope to get some plants in next week.

 Nita has 3 dogs. 2 Jack Russells called Minty and Benny. They are brother and sister. The German Shepard is called Shaka. (Not too sure of the spelling). They have adopted us as an Aunty and Uncle. When Nita goes out, they come and hang out with us. It's like having grandchildren, all the fun and no responsibility. 

We took Shaka to the beach on Saturday, when we went to feed the crabs. Not a single nibble from a fish, but the bait all disappeared, so I guess the crabs were happy. Eddie threw a stick into the sea for Shaka to retrieve, which he did. Then he wouldn't give it back, but dug a hole and buried it. Funny dog.  

On Sunday we went to Urquhart Bay, which is on the way to Ocean Beach at the Whangarei heads. Ocean beach was busy and as Eddie wanted to fish, we went back a bit to a quieter bay with a little wharf. No fish again, but a pleasant day out.

There are lots of quails here. They all have their babies just now. They are like large, fluffy walnuts on legs. They can run pretty fast for such short legs. Nita has put out some old bread for them, but no one has told the sparrows who it is for. The quails are going to be lucky to get any. In the end the seagulls got the lot. greedy lot.

The photos are of Urquhart bay; a logging ship that came in while we were there and Mt Manaia with it's amazing cliff faces, which I think must be the result of volcanic activity back in the early days on New Zealand's development.

Getting into work

 

It's funny how you can be busy and relaxed all at the same time, but that is how we feel working here. Our boss is so easy to work for. It's nice not needing an alarm to get up to as well.

Eddie worked on Saturday (practically unheard of) and we had Sunday off. We went to the estuary and collected some cockles. Eddie couldn't find any pipi which is what he really went for. He is going to have to find a local to talk too.

Eddie found a vege garden near to where we are parked. It belonged to Nita's mother. Nita  is our boss and her mother lived in a cabin here in the park. She must have been a keen gardener,  as it is quite big. It was quite weedy. I have never seen so much parsley in one place. Most of it has gone now. There is a lot of mint too. We had some rhubarb for dessert a couple of nights ago and that was rather nice. We haven't had any for ages.

There is also a passion fruit vine growing and some garlic that someone planted. It is in need of a lot of compost as the soil is very sandy. There was not a worm in sight. On Tuesday we bought 4 bags of compost and I spread it out yesterday. The garlic is very small, as it hasn't had a lot of feeding. I don't expect it will be a good crop as it is getting close to it's harvest time. It is pouring with rain today, so getting the compost on was good timing. Next week I hope to get some veges going. 

Nita's sister and her family are here this week cleaning up the takeaway kitchen ready for when they do takeaways over the summer holiday. 

Next week Nita is going to get the groceries for the shop and I will go in to town with her to help. Then it will be putting it on the shelf and pricing it all.

Eddie got all the lawns done on Monday and Tuesday. He quite enjoyed himself. zipping about on the mower.  His old Swap work shirts have come in handy as work clothes here ha ha.

On Monday, I worked in the gardens at the top of the park. As you can see by the view, it is a very popular place for campers to park up their tents and caravans. 

The start of our new life

 

We have settled into our new home and jobs very easily. Our boss is very easy going and tells us not to overdo things. We started work after the long weekend. I learnt to book people in last week and Eddie has learnt about the rubbish collection. He did it over the long weekend, so he has the hang of it now. He goes around the camping ground and picks up people's rubbish from their camp site. It seems to work very well doing it that way and rubbish doesn't end up in the recycling.

I have also been doing the gardening and learnt how to do the cleaning. At the moment we aren't busy, so I am just getting the gardens caught up. I have just about got right around. Not a lot had set seeds, so with any luck it will be easier next time around.

The big hedge cutter came in on Tuesday and trimmed all the hedges It took him all day. Eddie has been picking up the trimmings. There is quite a bit to be collected and it is quite hard work, so Eddie's back and arms are feeling it. He has another man working with him and Nita too, when she has a chance. They should get it done today.

We had rain yesterday, which was nice. It is very dry and we needed it.

This was the garden I was working in on Wednesday. The white building is the kitchen. It has a great view out over the estuary. I meant to get a photo from the balcony and forgot, so that will be another day now.

Our New Adventure

 We left Matamata last Tuesday about 7 30 am. We had a cup of tea stop in Cambridge with Eddie's sister. She has just moved into a brand new house, so we had to see that before we moved north.

 We had a good run up from there, as we were on dual carriage highway all the way to Puhoi, so Eddie had no worries about traffic behind us. We had a lunch stop at Wellsford and got here about 3 30, so we were pleased with out time.

Our set up at the Pataua Caravan park

 

 

Our view of the pa site from our door

The pa site is now tapu, so no one is allowed to climb up it. It's a shame that some people abuse things, so the rest of us miss out. The view from the top must be pretty spectacular.  It would have been a great place to keep an eye out for any enemies that may have been around. 

 On Thursday, we went for a bike ride to the foot bridge that goes over the estuary to Pataua North. We biked all around Pataua  North. There are some very nice modern homes over that side. By the time we got home we had done 7.3 kilometres.

These are 2 views from the Pataua North looking across to Pataua South

On Thursday, Eddie took the drone fishing and caught 2 snapper, which were very tasty. Unfortunately, the drone had some sort of a hissy fit. He released his line and pressed the home button and the drone went up, down, left, right. Repeat. He pressed the buttons again and the darn thing set off for the Poor Knight Islands, that are just off the coast here. Luckily it is still under warranty and he is able to get a new one. It seems the gyro went very wrong. 

Yesterday, I went and learnt how to book people in and today Eddie is going to learn how she likes the rubbish to be collected from the campsites then he is going to go out in the kayak for a spot of fishing.

Here are more pictures of the beach at Pataua North.  The Poor Knight Islands are on the horizon of the first photo.

Last week at work

 

Another week has gone by. We have 6 days before we head north. Eddie is working his last day today.

We had a nice dinner on Saturday night with friends from work. We went Italian, but Eddie and I both had beef cheeks, which were really yummy. There was no sticky date pudding for Eddie, so he had a limoncello tart and I had a chocolate dish called lava pie, but I am not too sure why. It was yummy though, so the name doesn't really matter. Our daughter told me that it should have had a runny chocolate sauce come out when I cut it open. It did have a soft centre, but no lava flow. Eddie did ask the waitress if she would go across the road to buy a sticky date pudding for him at the opposition restaurant, but she declined. We don't think she really had her mind on the job as she kept giving the meals to the wrong person.

Eddie and I went and voted on Saturday morning, so now we have to wait until Saturday night to see what the results will be. I hope you all go and exercise your right to vote. 

A new Adventure

 

Here I am after a long break. There didn't seem to be much to tell you about, but now we have news.

After Eddie's op (which he as recovered from really well) he didn't think he wanted to go back driving. As I mentioned in my last post, we have redone the brakes on the van, so we want to put the money back into the bank, so not working wasn't really an option.

When we got back from our travels to Papamoa and Maraenui, Eddie had an idea and  rang around a few camping grounds in Northland. As a result we have a job at a camping ground on the Whangarei heads in Northland. The place is called Treasure Island Caravan Park at Pataua. We are starting at Labour Weekend. Eddie is working out his notice at the moment. He finishes on the 14th October, so not long to go now, although it has been a  tedious time to him. We are going to Wellington on the 16th for my Mum and Dad's 70th wedding anniversary. Back to Matamata on the 18th and then we leave on the 20th.

 Eddie is going to be the camp handyman and I will be in the office, shop and cleaning. Pretty much where ever we are needed really. There are 160 sites and it is fully booked from the 26th December until the end of January, so we will be busy over that 6 weeks. We will be there until the end of  February and then we will see what happens after that. We are looking forward to our new adventure.

Our granddaughter is at uni in Otago and can't go back to Aussie for Christmas, because of covid. Her parents loss is our gain, as she is coming up to stay with us for a few days and then going back to Matamata to stay with her other Grandma there. We are looking forward to the catch up. We haven't seen her for quite a while now. 

Below are 2 photos I took at Papamoa after a stormy day. The colours were really purple. I am very pleased with the way it came out. A friend said I had taken it on world photograph day. Who know there was such a thing!

From Papamoa to Maraenui

 

We have left Papamoa and spent 2 nights in Opotiki. Eddie launched his new drone and caught a kahawai with it. He has given up on big Bertha as it was quite cumbersome and took up more than it's fair share of room in the front locker. The drone fits under the table in it's box really nicely.

We are now at Maraenui, which is near the mouth of the Motu River. It is a really nice place and the people that run it are a lovely couple. They are away for a few days, so I am camp mother until their return on Friday.

The wifi is a bit off and on here. Today is quite a good day and I have been able to catch up with the mail and hopefully get this done before it goes off again.

Eddie spoke to the surgeon last Friday and has got a good report. None of the tissue they took has cancer in it, which was our biggest worry. He has to have blood tests every 6 months over the next 2 years to keep a check on it, otherwise life as normal .

We have had the brakes done last week and Eddie is wondering why he waited so long to have it done! He found the trip here so much easier.

We have had some lovely fish meals here. Our friend Peter has a kontiki, so with that the drone and going out in the kayak and a little blow up boat, that belongs to Peter's brother, (who is also here with his wife) we have been well provided for

Launching the  kayak

This is the fish cleaning station. It is very well set up to clean the fish for the table. Eddie is holding the biggest catch of the day.

As you can see the beach at Maraenui is very stony. Eddie and I went for a drive one day and almost got stuck in the stones. We had to use four wheel drive to get ourselves out.

We were set up very nice at this camp. The weather was beautiful the whole time  we were there.

Healing well

Things are going along very well.

Eddie is feeling really good. He just has a bit of discomfort when his trousers dig into his scar.

We have just confirmed that it is all go for next week to have the brakes done on the caravan. As mentioned in an earlier post, we have had trouble getting the COF (certificate of fitness), because of the brakes. They are electric magnetic brakes. We have put on bigger magnets, had the wheels skimmed where the magnets run and put new brake shoes on. All to no avail. We have booked into a nice little unit  for the week the caravan will be away.

The weather has been very sunny over the last few days, but a cold wind has been blowing. There was a light frost last Saturday too. Today, however, it is blowing a gale and raining. The sea is roaring on to the beach. We are nice and cosy in our caravan.

Below is a photo I took in the evening of the storm. It was just before six and the rain had finally stopped. It was only the second time I had stepped outside all day. It was a very strange light. The photo came out really well. It's exactly as the sea looked.

Papamoa Beach after a storm

A walk in the Papamoa Hills

Last Sunday, a blustery and squally day, the tramping club came over for a walk in Papamoa They picked me up at the Papamoa Camping ground and we went up into the Papamoa hills, which are close by. It's not a long walk, but quite steep. On such a blustery day, it was probably just as well it wasn't a long walk! We had put our coats on in preparation for the rain that was likely to come, but half way up most of us took them off as we had got too hot. It did rain eventually, so coats back on and on up we went.

It used to be a pine forest, but the trees have all gone and it is farmed now. Native trees are being planted on the slopes. The first time I went was in the summer and it was very hot with no shade. This time of the year is a good time to go.

From the top we could see Domain Rd and the trees that are at the entrance of the camping ground. We can see the tree at the top on the hill from our camp site. Some of us took a longer route down a different path. The sheep we past weren't

the least bit disturbed by people walking by. Some of the time we were out of the wind, which made a pleasant change.

We ate our lunch in the domain next to the camping ground and then went for a walk on the beach. It wasn't too bad going as the wind was behind us. Coming back the wind and rain were in our faces. Back at the van, I left the group and went home to get dry and have a nice cup of tea.

A view from the top of the hill

We can see these trees from the camp ground

Just as an aside. Eddie is doing well and has had the catheter out. No leakage, so we are very pleased about that.

residing at Papamoa

We are set up in Papamoa for about 8 weeks while Eddie is recuperating from his operation which he had 2 weeks ago. 

When he was discharged I took him down to the parking area and left him in his wheel chair while I got the truck. I loaded in his gear and then said you get in while I put the wheel chair away. When I got back guess who was in the driving seat. He was so exhausted when we got back to Papamoa. Apart from that he has been good patient.

The district nurse came a couple of times to change the dressing. It came off in the night a couple of nights ago. The wound is almost healed, so we won't need to put it back on.

He has done a bit of fishing and fed the crabs, so they will be a good size soon. We went to Otamarakau earlier in the week to try our luck there, but the result was the same. It was a lovely day out in the fresh air though. The wind was cool and we were glad that we had our swandris with us to keep the wind out. They are a most marvellous garment. 

Otamarakau Beach is very long. It is south of Pukehina going towards Whakatane. Looking northward we could see the seaward side of the Motiti Island. From Papamoa we can see the land ward side. In front of us was White Island, steaming away in the distance. To the south we could see Whale Island, which is just off the coast of Whakatane. When we first arrived we could see the hills that go to East cape, but the disappeared in the haze that developed over the morning. 

Waiting for a fish

Otamarakau looking northwards

Where are they?

Tramping on Mt Maungatautari

This week is our last week of work for a few weeks. We just wish there wasn't an operation soon.

I have had a sore foot, so I took it too the doctor to find I have plantar fasciitis. The plantar fascia is on the sole of the foot and are the weight bearing part. If they get damaged in some way, they cause quite a lot of pain. I  have been to physio and have been given some exercises and I was taught how to strap it properly. It is getting better slowly. The physio thought my walk on Sunday would be ok with strapping and my new boots.

For our walk, we went up Mt Maungatautari near Cambridge. It is a fenced off area, so that the pests that destroy the native flora and fauna can't get in and do harm. We decided not to go up to the top. Partly because it was our first big walk since lock down and we haven't done a lot of hill work and also, there is no view at the top because the trees are growing with out interference from possums and now the view is blocked by trees. Which is a good thing, but a bit frustrating after all the work getting up to the top and there is no view. 

There is a corner with a view not too far from the top and that was our goal. From it, on a clear day you can see all the way to Mt Ruapehu. Two ladies gave up about ¾ of the way and another lady and I decided to stop not long after. My foot was needing a rest. The other 4 went on and did get to the corner with the view, unfortunately the clouds had come down and they didn't see the volcanoes.

After my lunch and a bit of a rest, my foot was feeling better, so we set off back down again. It was sore near the bottom, but all in all I was happy that I was able to do the tramp. It feels ok this morning too, but my thighs are feeling a bit tight.

A walk to Cambridge

My right foot has been sore for a while, and so I finally took it to the doctor on Friday. I have plantar fasciitis in it. It is the ligament that goes from heel to toe and is a weight bearing ligament. Sometimes it gets damaged and causes pain! Quite sore when I have been sitting and first thing in the morning, as I can hardly put my weight on it then. So I am on anti inflammatory drugs and I am going to physio too.

On Sunday, the tramping club had its first outing after covid. We just had a walk in Cambridge. We started at Lake Te Hoo Utu. The lake was created when Lake Taupo erupted 1800 years ago with a dam of debris from the volcano. It was used by the local Maori for food and flax in pre European days. It was a bit wet at the start of the walk, but it didn't last long. From the lake we went out to a new subdivision, where there is a nice cafe that we had lunch in. On the way we went past an out door exercise area, which we all had a go on. A bit of fun. Then back to the lake and the car park. It was nice to be out and about with the club members again. Next tramp is up Mt Maungatautari, which is up, up, up. We aren't sure how we are going to go with that, as we haven't had a lot of hill work lately, as Matamata is so flat.

Last of the autumn leaves at the lake

Lake views

lake views

Not sure what this memorial was for, but it is quite cool.

Another view

Band Rotunda 

There is a wetland area in the middle of the subdivision

On Sunday, the tramping club had its first outing after covid. We just had a walk in Cambridge. We started at Lake Te Hoo Utu. The lake was created when Lake Taupo erupted 1800 years ago with a dam of debris from the volcano. It was used by the local Maori for food and flax in pre European days. It was a bit wet at the start of the walk, but it didn't last long. From the lake we went out to a new subdivision, where there is a nice cafe that we had lunch in. On the way we went past an out door exercise area, which we all had a go on. A bit of fun. Then back to the lake and the car park. It was nice to be out and about with the club members again. Next tramp is up Mt Maungatautari, which is up, up, up. We aren't sure how we are going to go with that, as we haven't had a lot of hill work lately, as Matamata is so flat.