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.