A little flood

We are actually having a summer's day today. With no rain and a hot sun. It is nearly 26 degrees in the awning.  That's two days this week. Is summer really going to get here after all. 

We had really heavy rain last night. ( photos below). The awning is in a bit of a hollow, so it fills up with rain. Luckily it is sandy soil and it drains away quickly too.

The camping ground is full as from the 26^th, so we will be busy with the cleaning and any thing else that will need doing.

Eddie is finishing off the weed whacking and some lawns today. With the weather being so wet lately, he has got behind with his jobs. I think he will be caught up when he finishes today. He didn't take days off this week, so he can get finished.

Louise (she is our boss here at the camping ground) took us out to dinner on Sunday night for a Christmas shout. We had a lovely meal. It was a warm night, so we were quite happy out on the deck overlooking the boats in the Whakatane River. Eddie was in his element. He did a lot of horse trading in boats a few years ago. I think he would like to do it again given half a chance. 

The road outside the camping ground is very busy now with lots of traffic going to the reserve at the end of the road. People are on holiday already.

The pallets give us a place to stand when it is flooded, so we can put on our gum boots. I don't know how much rain we had, but it was ankle deep in the awning.

Another mower story

We have booked a trip to Aussie for next May. We are going for about 6 weeks. We have hired a camper van and we are going to head north to Cairns to catch up with friends who live in MacKay and Prosperpine. It should be a good adventure. It's something we have been thinking about for a while. Eddie's sister and her husband have bought an apartment near Cairn, so we will catch up with them too of course. They plan to be there for our winter. We will be away for 6 weeks. It's the longest trip we have ever done.

Not long until the man in red suit arrives. I hope you are already for the day. We will be on duty on Christmas Day. Louise is going to her parents place. It is a bit of a family gathering. Her mother isn't well and they aren't sure if they will have her next year. There are a few people coming in, so we have had a bit of a lesson on how the office works. I only hope I can remember when the day comes!

It is very humid here today, and the rain is back again. We are definitely over it. No doubt in January we will be saying we need it.

Eddie was a bit disappointed when the catcher for the mower arrived before Christmas and not after. It makes the job so much slower. We went and picked it up at Te Puke yesterday. Eddie's sister and her husband came down from Tauranga and we had lunch together. I think it will be the last time we see them before Christmas.

The garden is coming along slowly. I am hoping to be done before the rush, but Louise isn't so sure I will make it. It's a good thing I am fairly bendy, as I am having to get under bushes to get to some of the weeds. There is cooch grass or something like it driving me to distraction as it is so hard to get out. Where I started is already getting weedy with it again. There has not been a lot of work done in the gardens for quite a while. I am sure an hour a day would keep it in line. The weather isn't helping with my ambition either!

When the weather is better I will take some photos of the pohutukawa trees in flower.

A mower story

 

The lawn mower needed a new catcher. Somehow the order didn't get sent, so it won't be here until after Christmas now. Eddie isn't too worried as it slows now the mowing and there is more than enough to do. It takes up the biggest percentage of his time. When the rain decides to stop, I think it will dry out very quickly as the soil is very sandy and then he won't have to mow at all.

We took the mower into Whakatane for a service on Tuesday. It wasn't ready yesterday and the lady said we are waiting for new blades. Eddie said it doesn't need them as I have just put new ones on. Oh she said ok. It did seem a bit odd, but we never thought anymore about it. When he went in pick it up today, they said it's over there. What was 'over there' was a hand mower and definitely not a John Deere ride on. The name was similar to Thornton motor camp and they had got them muddled. Our ride on hadn't even been done! They said come back in 4 hours and Eddie said no I'll wait; do it now. It only took them just over an hour. I was glad I hadn't gone with him. I got quite a good amount of gardening done while he was gone.

We have rain again yesterday, but today is nice and sunny, with not a lot of wind, which makes a nice change. The Rangitaiki River is making the sea very dirty looking with all the mud it is bringing down at the moment. (we are right by the river mouth). Eddie hasn't been fishing for ages. It just hasn't been the weather for it.

Eddie is getting through his list of things to do. He washed down the cabins on Monday and cleaned off all the green on the gutterings.

The garden is coming along. I have come across a nasty weed that is a creeping grass. It is either cooch grass or twitch. Whatever it is is very well established and is going to take an age to get rid of if at all. It certainly slows down my progress. Hopefully when the weather gets dry over the summer it will slow down it's growth, but I am not holding my breathe. Weeds are very tenacious. I was trimming up one bush and discovered it was actually 4 bushes. One had been completely smothered by the others so now there are 3. I am picking not a lot of gardening has been done in the past. 

An update

 

We have a wet and windy day today. There was a seagull trying to fly towards the beach yesterday and kept being blown backwards. It was soaring around in big loops and squawking like mad. I am not sure if it was cross because it was being blown backwards or enjoying itself.

There is a couple from Chile here at the moment. They are staying in a tent. Last night it was so windy that Louise let them stay in one of the cabins here. I am sure they found it much more comfortable.

Eddie put new blades on the mower earlier in the week. He is very happy with the results when he took it for a test drive. He mowed on Monday  and the amount of grass coming off was quite amazing. He is going to have to put the mower up a bit higher. With the sharper blades he has scarfed the grass a bit in place, which he doesn't like to do.

We like Whakatane. It's a nice town with lots of shops and always seems to be buzzing with people. We found a nice cafe that we go to on shopping days. They do a really nice cheese scone and date loaf. The first time we went, Eddie asked if they had marshmallows with the hot chocolate. He said some places don't give you one and some only give you one and not two. When the hot chocolate came he had four marshmallows. We had a good laugh. He only got two on Tuesday even though he dropped a few hints when we were ordering. It must have been a different barista on that day. He is such a cheeky boy.

There is a  pohutukawa tree beginning to come out in flower,  so perhaps summer isn't too far away in spite of the stormy weather we have been having. 

Awakeri

 We had a busy weekend, so the cleaning took a bit of time Saturday and Sunday. Eddie gave me a hand, so it wasn't as long as it might have been.  I did some time in the garden too. I have got to a really weedy patch, so it is slowing me down. I thought I was being really smart and getting along quite quickly. You just never know where things are going to get slower in a new garden. ha ha.

Eddie is quite busy around the place, as the man before us didn't do much over the last few weeks he was here. He has been weed whacking, spraying and mowing this week.

We have a blow up jumping pillow in the grounds that is very popular with the children and adults alike. On Monday, Eddie had to ask four people to leave who came in off the street to use it. We are parked by the entrance, so we get to see people coming in, park and wander off. Some people are very cheeky.

We went and had a swim at Awakeri hot pools yesterday afternoon. It was lovely and relaxing. Eddie found it good for his shoulders after his hard work during the week with the weed whacker. It can make ones arms very tired. It made us feel very relaxed. I am sure we will be going again sometime in the future. It was only $9 each plus 50c for taking the car down to the pool.

We used to go to Awakeri back in the day when we lived in Kawerau. It made a nice outing with the kids and an ice cream for on the way home.

I didn't take my phone so there are no pictures of it. Next time.

The tramping club came over this way for some walks a few years ago. We stayed at Awakeri in a cabin. We spent every evening soaking after our walk. It was rather a nice way to recover from a long walk.

I got a nice hair cut yesterday. I had asked a friend for her recommendation and she gave me the name of her hairdresser. When I rang, I asked about the price and it was going to be $68 for a dry cut. I said no thanks and found a much cheaper one via Joan who lives here, when she isn't traveling to visit family. The lady I went too works from her home, where her husband has made her a salon from what was a carport. It's construction kept them busy over the first lock down.

A Quad Bike

 Eddie decided that a quad bike would be good to have to go down the beach on, especially if he wanted to go further from the crowds in summer time to launch the drone. It's always better to be away from a lot of people.

He found one on trade me which we picked up last weekend. It has had the carburetor cleaned and a new spark plug put in. It is a 1988 model, but has been really looked after and has not rust on the body work. 

 

Eddie on the quad 

The shed to Eddie's left was a takeaway once a long time ago. Nowadays the room is used by the life guards over the summer as a sleeping hut when they are here for the summer.

Islands off Thornton Coast

 There are a few islands off the coast of Thornton Beach. 

Quite near the shore we have Whale Island. The waters around it are a marine reserve, so no fishing is allowed there. A commercial fisherman was fined just recently for fishing in the closed area. No  one is allowed to land on it either, so that it stays safe from predators. 

Whale Island

Further out to sea are the Raurimu Islands. The waters around them  are very dangerous as their are a lot of reefs.  When it is stormy, we can se the breakers smashing on to the cliffs and rocky out crop. The attached photo of the Raurimu group was taken on a sunny day, so no drama there. 

Raurimu Islands

The next island is White Island and that has its own notoriety. It is right out on the horizon, so it's too far away for me to get a photo of it. However, Google is always obliging and I found the photo below.

I found the following too.

Whakaari / White Island, also known as White Island or Whakaari, is an active andesite stratovolcano situated 48 km from the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, in the Bay of Plenty. The island covers an area of approximately 325 ha, which is just the peak of a much larger submarine volcano. Wikipedia

So now you know a little about it. It is New Zealand's most active volcano.

We have begun work here this week. The first morning seemed to take me for ever to do the cleaning. Both bbq's had been used and it took ages to scrub them clean again. They had been left in a very dirty condition. I am getting my routine organized now, so it is getting quicker and easier. I will be a smooth, well  oiled machine by the time the holidays start.

Thornton Beach

 

A lovely day here today. We have had cloudy days with cool winds last week, so it is nice to see the sunshine today, although we still have some wind, which not too conducive with drone flying.

We have settled in well here at Thornton. We start work officially on the 27^th. Tuesday and Wednesday's are our days off, so we are starting after them. We chose those days so we can do our shopping and what ever else is to be done in town.

We went to the Awakaponga evening market on Sunday afternoon. It's the first time they have held it since covid. I think they have it 3 or 4 times over the summer. There were lots of interesting things to buy, including Christmas decorations. We just bought some honey and fish and chips on the way home.

A couple called, Mike and Linda  were there serving devonshire teas. They were our first farm job bosses way back in the late 70's. We went to catch up with them properly on Monday afternoon. They live across the river from us now. I think one of their sons runs the farm at Matata. They haven't changed a bit. We had sore cheeks when we left their place after laughing pretty much non stop from 2 30 until 6 pm.

EstThere are about 8 permanent houses here in the park, which are privately owned. They own the house and pay a lease for the section. One of the owners, (also called Mike, so a bit confusing. We will have to be sure which Mike we mean) has a garden here and he said I can use a bit of it. He's only going to grow tomatoes this year. He planted them out yesterday morning. I bought a  few plants this morning. Quite exciting, as I didn't think I would be able to have a garden this year.

Rangitaiki river mouth

Looking up the river

Thornton is by the river mouth of the Rangitaiki River.  The island off the coast is Whale Island. It is a marine reserve. 

Further out are the Raurimu Islands. They are surrounded by a reef and sometimes we can see the breakers from the beach when the sea is really pounding.

Little Waihi to Papamoa

 We came to Papamoa on Monday. We like it here and I think this is our fourth visit. It is school holidays at the moment so their are a few families in. There are lots of children bouncing on the big rubber trampoline all day. Yesterday there were people in swimming, which was very brave. The wind is cold and the water is too. There is a cold snap coming up from the south, with snow already falling in the South Island. 

When we had dinner at Ohope, we noticed the wall that the wall looked as if it had barn wood under the windows. On closer inspection, we realized it was wall paper. That gave Eddie an idea. A trip into Guthrie Bowron in Whakatane was required. We found a wall paper that is very similar and so we bought a roll to use like a back splash behind the stove. We will also put it behind the basin in the bathroom at some stage. We are very pleased with the effect.

Before the wall paper

After the wall paper

We had a bit of a disaster when we got to Papamoa. There are 2 drawers in the bedroom that are behind the slide out. As far as we are aware, they have never come out when we are traveling, so we never go and check that they shut. Unfortunately, this time we weren't so lucky. The bedroom  slide out jammed and when we went to look, there were the drawers all bent and buckled. Eddie managed to get them unstuck and repaired. One needs a new runner, but we couldn't get one the right length today at Mitre 10. We will have to try at Bunnings. It works, but it is a bit stiff. Luckily the slide out was ok. Today we bought some  little bungy cords to attach so it can't happen again. We have them on the kitchen drawers when one of them started to come open in transit.

Ohope to Little Waihi

 Last Saturday, we came to Ohope, where we are settled for about 10 days. It's a very big camp and covers about 7 hectares. They have a pool, mini golf and a huge trampoline that is filled with air and gets blown up each morning. There are always children on it. There is a big movie screen too, but that would only be used in the summer.

The fish cleaning station is one of the best we have ever seen. It even has a bucket for the scraps that gets emptied every day.

Eddie went fishing on the Sunday and caught 2 fish. We shared 1 with some people on the beach, who were watching what we were doing. The man was very interested in the drone and his wife told me that her husband would probably want one now. We should get a commission ha ha.

We went out to dinner on Sunday for our wedding anniversary at a little cafe down the road from here. 51 years! Who would have thought!

Monday morning Eddie went down before breakfast and caught another nice size snapper.

Last Tuesday morning, we found a water hose had come loose underneath in the night and there was a flood under there. We were attached to a tap, so the water just kept flowing. We don't know when it started, but there was a lot of water. It was pouring and windy too, so Eddie wasn't happy. ( as you could imagine).Wednesday we bought a hose clamp, so it can't happen again. Fingers crossed ha ha.

We like Whakatane. It's a nice town with a good array of shops. We had a good walk around on Wednesday to check out where is what. The supermarket is huge. It took ages to do the shopping, so we could find everything.

Apart from the first 2 days, we didn't have a lot of luck with fishing at Ohope. The weather wasn't the best, but when it was the fish weren't there either. I guess that's why it's called fishing and not catching.

 Our body clocks have adjusted to daylight saving time. Strangely,  we woke up at the normal time, it was really an hour later. I thought we would have slept in a bit until our body clocks adjusted, but no. I did feel a bit sleep deprived for a few days this week, but I am ok now.

As a result of the long weekend, there are a lot more campers in Ohope than there were. I really like watching the kids playing on the big trampoline. There is someone on it all day. It is big rubber thing that they blow up with air in the mornings and let down at night. It had repairs done to it on Sunday, so there was no jumping that day. 

On Monday, this week, we came to Little Waihi. The camping ground is on a small peninsular that goes out into an estuary that empties out at low tide. We are surrounded with water on 3 sides at high tide. There are a lot of oyster catchers, black back gulls and seagulls living here. Across the estuary is Pukehina, which we can see out of our back window.

The weather has been cool and cloudy with a cold north easterly wind since we have been here. It is a bit of a trek to the beach and at high tide you can't get there. Today we went to a beach called Newdicks Beach. It is access through a farm and costs $5 for a car to go down. Fair enough when he maintains it. There were two men on bobcats when we went down working on the track. A load of metal came down while we were there. We put out one set and caught a good size snapper that we will get two feeds out of, so we were pleased about that.  Eddie put out another set, but it began to rain, so it wasn't out for very long and came in empty.

The showers here are a bit odd. The shower head is up high and points at the back wall, so I nearly drown as the water is pouring straight onto my head. I don't find it hot enough either and there is no taps to do any adjustments. You put in your coin and away it goes and stops about three minutes later. It's just enough time to get clean and wash your hair if you want too. 

The photos below were taken at Newdicks Beach. There was even a long drop loo

Looking back towards Little Waihi

Looking towards Waihi

Matata

We left Matamata on Monday afternoon. We arrived at Matata at about 3 and got set up just before the rain came down very heavily. Great timing. We used to live nearby on our first farming job many years ago. The place hasn't changed much at all. 

Last Tuesday, we had what is our first frost for the winter in Matamata. We didn't have any up north of course; just a lot of rain. The water pipe froze, but we were prepared with the jug full and some bottles of water ready for the morning. It was defrosted before it was time for showers and washing.

We got our electrical and self containment certificates while we were in Matamata, so we are set for another 4 years.

The camp here is nice and quiet. There are lots of pukekos and rabbits around the place. The rabbits aren't the least bit scared of people. Walking in barefoot is a bit fraught with all the poo about. So I don't ha ha

We went for a walk along the beach yesterday morning. The tide was in, so we were walking on a steep beach with soft sand, so it was quite a work out for our legs. It might be easier at low tide.

The camp ground looks across the lagoon towards the village, which is  bigger than I thought it was. They had a stream turn into a river a few years ago and a lot of homes were damaged or washed away with big rocks. The north end hasn't been built on since.

We are off grid while we are here. It is working very well, so we are very happy with it.

It's been a bit windy  for fishing with the drone. Perhaps tomorrow will be better. It has improved this afternoon.

Today we went for a walk along a track that runs between the lagoon and the swamp. Below are the photos I took.

The lagoon at Matata

Eddie on the track

Looking back towards the camp. The white blob is our van.

Across the lagoon to the village

 

Matata has a Nessie and a pub.

A few doings

 

It was wet and cold on Monday morning. It was only 10 degrees at 1pm. We were snuggled up in our caravan with the heater on and the computers working hard. We had such a lovely sunny week last week, it's hard to believe how different it was.

Today we had what is our first frost for the winter. We didn't have any up north; just a lot of rain. The water pipe froze, but we were prepared with the jug full and some bottles of water ready for the morning. It was defrosted before it was time for showers and washing.

My cousin Adele and her husband Russell, came and stayed for 3 nights here in Matamata. We went out on our bikes twice. Once out towards Te Aroha and the second time around Matamata.

Her brother, David and his wife Stephanie came to visit us last Thursday. We haven't seen them for ages, so we had a good catch up with what everyone is doing.

Adele and Russell are heading south now, so we won't see them again for a while.

We were going to see friends on Saturday afternoon, but Valmae had a cold, so we are hoping to catch up next weekend.

On Monday morning I had morning tea with some tramping friends. We had lovely catch up. Swaps have built a new huge building with mechanics, COF area, offices and a lovely cafe, which is where we went. Very nice too. A lot of the staff use it instead of going into town to buy their morning tea or lunch.

We have had air springs put into the dodge. They get pumped up with air when we are towing, so the back of the truck has a bit more support to tow the caravan and it's nose isn't pointing skyward. We are looking forward to towing it on Tuesday, so we can see the difference.

Today a man is coming to do our self containment certificate that has to be done every 3 years. On Friday the electrical man is coming to do the same for our electrical certificate. We don't expect it to be a problem.

 We enjoyed our stay at Miranda hot pools. It is a very nice camping ground with a hot pool. We had a soak every afternoon after lunch and felt very relaxed for the rest of the day. They had a 40 foot container that had been converted into a family shower with toilet and 3 showers and toilets. It was brand new and very nice. The best part there was no control button on the showers, so we could have a long as we liked. Usually you press a button and get 5 or 6 minutes. Some cost up to a dollar too.  Eddie really enjoyed his time in the shower just soaking in the hot water.

Miranda is on what is called the seabird coast. It runs along the coast of the Firth of  Thames opposite from Thames township. It is one of the areas that the godwits come and go from when they migrate to the Artic for breeding. 

It was very wet under foot though, so we were back to wearing our gumboots where ever we went. The van was parked on gravel, but the grass along side was very soggy. It had water lying on the top even after there had been no rain for 24 hours

We came back to Matamata on Monday. Jim has laid metal where we park, so there is no mud here. Rather good after the past few days and at Pataua too of course.

The van is going for its COF on Thursday at Swaps yard. They do their own trucks twice a week and we are able to get in there too. It saves going off to Putaruru or Hamilton.

The cabins at Miranda

Hot Pools

Off to Miranda

We went to see Janice on Thursday. We haven't seen them for ages, so it was good to have a catch up. They are off to Australia on the 17^th for 6 weeks. Eddie's cousin, Meryn came for tea too. I was able to pick his brain for family stories too, which was great. I will be able to add them to my Davies story.

On Friday morning we went and saw Peter and Josie. (Old friends from way back). They have both had covid. Peter was really ill and Josie was debating whether to call the ambulance on day. He is well now, but he has lost weight that he can't put back on. We had a lovely soup for lunch that Josie had made. After lunch we went on to Thornton motor camp. We had a formalish interview on Saturday evening with Louise and her daughter Kayla who run the park together. We will be starting about Labour weekend at the end of October. It will depend on when the people doing the job leave. We will be there until Easter. It is near Edgecumbe and Whakatane, so we will be back to the old stamping ground. We lived in the area back in the 70's and 80's. We will be doing the same as at Pataua; mowing, maintenance, cleaning and office. We are looking forward to our new place.

Eddie put the drone out on Saturday and the bait wasn't even nibbled, so we didn't bother with that again.

Earlier on Saturday we were walking along the beach and came across a man who had got himself really bogged in the sand. Right up to the diff. Another ute was trying to pull him out and he was stuck too. Eddie took pity on them and went and got the dodge and pulled them both out together. Louise said that it happens all the time in the summer. We might be able to make a bit of cash pulling people out ha ha.

It's a nice beach with the mouth of the Rangitaiki River to the right and then it just goes for miles to the left of the camp.

We had lovely weather the whole time we were away. We got back to Pataua on Monday afternoon. Adele and Russell are leaving tomorrow. They are going to Taupo to have their annual service. They are going to go to Te Aroha to see Adele's brother David after that. I'm not sure where they are going then. I don't think they do either.

We will be going to Matamata soon for two or three weeks. We will catch up with friends and getting a ball joint done at Baigent motors. It needs doing even though VTNZ didn't pick it up.

The weather continues to be fairly warm and Eddie is in his shorts for most days. When we were at Thornton, he said to me, put your shorts on and we'll go to the beach. I said I didn't bring any. I don't wear them in Whangarei why would I wear them here. He said well you're a dick. Off we went to the beach and there was a cold southerly blowing. He was finding it rather cold. I said well whose the dick now. We had a chuckle.

We have booked ourselves in to a camping ground at Miranda for 5 nights. They have hot pools, so we are looking forward to them. We will go  there on our way to Matamata.

Our daughter, husband and son came for a quick visit from Australia last weekend. They are here for their daughter's graduation in Dunedin. They came on Saturday and went on Monday morning. It was lovely to see them after nearly 3 years. We stayed at a motel in Parua while they were here. We went out to Pataua for lunch on Sunday. They met Nita the dogs and we had a walk around the park. 

We had a nice dinner at  the tavern at Parua on Sunday night.  

The family at Pataua

New place to go

 

It was a sunny day last Wednesday, which made a nice change when we went shopping.

I had a phone consultation with the doctor last Thursday and I am now on a 10 day course of antibiotics for the UTI. I am beginning to feel much more like myself and I felt hungry at morning tea time last Sunday for the first time in ages. I would have like to have gone for a walk, but the weather was atrocious. It started to rain on Sunday and it didn't stopped until late Monday night. We are well over it.

We moved down to where we were parked when we first arrived by the office. We came down on Saturday, before there was anymore rain. It had been fairly dry for 3 days, so Eddie decided that if he could get the truck up to the van, then we would have a go at moving it. Well that worked, so off we went. In our haste we completely forgot about the tv aerial, and it got caught up in a tree that he went under. He couldn't stop as he may have got stuck. Eddie got it back up, but it wasn't able to receive a signal. It was so wet and windy on Sunday, he couldn't  go up and see if he can do a better panel beating job on it,. 

He went back up on Monday when it was fine and now we have a signal again. So that was one thing we didn't have to buy.

My  computer wouldn't go on Sunday morning.  I had a blank screen and the arrow for the mouse, but that was all. Very annoying. Ever the optimist, I turned it back on again on Monday morning  and it went. Go figure. I spent Monday I put my genealogy on to sticks, so if it happens again at least they aren't lost. I just have to deal to the photos on it now. Technology defeats me so I was very pleased it came back to life. Perhaps it just needed a PJ day

We have had 2 fine days which has been lovely to enjoy. It is still flooding down in the South Island in places.

Eddie found an ad in the latest caravanner magazine today for a job over Christmas at Thornton Beach holiday park. He rang the lady, Louise and we have the job. We are going down to see her next weekend. We were going to go tomorrow, but she won't be there this weekend. We are quite excited and looking forward to a new place. It's good to have a place to park at Christmas time as it is expensive parking at the peak time.

We bought a new vacuum cleaner today. My old one wasn't very sucky. The new one lifts the carpet in the bedroom. I have found there is a switch I can lessen the suck, so that will be useful in the bedroom.

Crazy Drone and a long walk

 

Russell finally got his drone back to the shop and they sent it away to be looked at. They said it needed a new dome on the top where the GPS components live.. He got it back on Tuesday and it was not any better. It chased Eddie a bit when it was going every where. It crashed into the sand several times. He going to get a new one when they get more in the country; late July early August.

It was a beautiful day on Saturday, so Adele and I went for a walk. It was lovely to have no rain for a whole day. It hasn't happened a lot lately. 

On Sunday, I went for a walk by myself. I mentioned to Adele I would like to walk to the end of Pataua North beach as I haven't done that yet. She didn't seem to be too keen, so I went by myself. It was hard work walking on the sand, as there weren't very many hard patches down at the low water mark. I took my sneakers off and walked in bare feet. Some of the sand was quite coarse, so that was a bit hard on the soles of my feet. My right foot got tired too. That is the one I had the plantar fasciitis in.

At the end of the beach there is a little stream and a rocky peninsular. I saw a pair of dotterels too.

I didn't take a picture of the dotterels as I didn't think it would come out very well.

When I came back I went up the first stairway to the road, so that I didn't have walk along the beach for so long. My foot were much happier in my shoes. A short distance is ok, but not a long one. When I got back home I had done 9.1 ks, so I was very pleased with my effort. Adele said she didn't think she was ready for such a long walk yet, so I will have to do that one on my own.

Eddie took the truck in to have the muffler done for the COF on Friday. They picked up a small hole in the exhaust pipe, but when the mechanic got underneath to have a look there were 6 more in the muffler. So $1000 later we are all hunky dory underneath. It went to the garage to have some bushes done for the COF too.

 The new buyer was here for a meeting with Nita on Saturday. He was here all afternoon. We thought he was going to come and talk to us, but he didn't come near. We don't think we want to work for him anyway now. We might look for something over the summer as it is harder to get somewhere to stay over the summer break when everyone is on holiday and the prices are a lot more. Working for Nita here is fine, but it will be odd being here with someone else in charge.

We booked our accommodation at the Blue Heron at Parua today for when Katrina is here. Only a month to go yay! We were going to go to the POP at Parua, but we may not be able to get out of here, if the weather doesn't improve soon and they are all camping on a hard area there at the moment for the same reason, so we might not be able to fit in anyway. It is easier to go to the motel. It will make a nice change too. Just like a holiday ha ha.

It has rained all day yesterday, without a break. That doesn't happen very often. We usually have a bit of a break in the weather. I didn't  even go outside. I hope it is better tomorrow. We are really over the rain. There is so much mud around the place.

I remember a poem I learnt a long time ago.

Whether the weather be cold,

or whether the weather be hot

whether the weather be fine

or whether the weather be not

We must whether the weather

what ever the weather

whether we like it or not.

Eddie caught 2 snapper on Wednesday. He is trying his luck again today. It is so nice and sunny, it's hard to believe how wet it was yesterday. That is until you walk outside and squelch across the lawn.

I went to the doctor on Tuesday. He thinks the UTI infection was a bit resistant to the antibiotics, which is why it kept coming back. He did blood tests and another urine test. So far so good.

Of Wet Weather and Illness

 

The ground is very wet here at the moment because of all the rain. Nita got bogged, a camper got bogged and Eddie almost did. He parked where we always park and when we went to do our shopping we could hardly get out. It was very slow and steady backwards. We didn't get stuck, but it was a close thing. He ploughed a couple of nice furrows we could have planted potatoes in.

We had a little Lake Pataua on the grounds after some rain earlier in the week. The drain had blocked and so the water couldn't drain away. A bit of a shovel work fixed the problem and the lake drained away very nicely. There has been no rain today, so we are drying out quite well, until later in the weekend of course.

I mentioned in my last post that I had a urinary infection. It  seemed to be gone, but it came back 3 days after I had finished the antibiotics. I was quite sick. The doctor made me sit up and take notice when she said if you get the shivers, can't quench your thirst and feel light headed, take yourself to hospital. I had had a case of the shivers the afternoon before and the nurse told me to take Panadol and a nurofen. I was very glad when they stopped it. Eddie had to do the cooking for 3 days, so I knew I was sick. The damn thing came back again on Wednesday. Not a happy girl. I am not as bad this time, so fingers crossed it goes. I have made a doctor's appointment to make sure there isn't anything going on. They are down to 2 doctors at our surgery at the moment, so getting an appointment is a bit of a mission. There were about 5 when we were here last time. They are hoping to get at least 1 more soon. It is a bit like that all over the country at the moment. I am not sure what the new system they have just brought in will do to increase the number of staff that we need so badly. I guess time will tell.

The drone is going well and Eddie nearly always catches a fish or two when he puts it out. We have a nice little stash in the freezer at the moment, so he isn't going to fish for a few days until we catch up. We bought a little vacuum sealer to seal bags that go into the freezer. It is really good and the fish come out very nice and just as tasty as if they were fresh. It's been a good investment.

Stormy weather

 

We have had a wet and windy night on Sunday night. Eddie had to hammer back in some of the pegs around the awning in the morning, otherwise all was well.

Nita is away for a couple of days in Auckland, so we were looking after the dogs.

Eddie took them up to the house for their tea on Sunday night and to put them to bed just as the rain was starting. As soon as the bike stopped, Minty was off and running back down the hill. He got very wet and cross looking for her. In the end he gave up, so she didn't have her tea. He found her hiding under the dodge later and took pity on her. He got her bed from the shed by us and let her sleep inside. We covered the chairs and couch with stuff, so she couldn't sleep on them. I got up the night and found her squeezed on the edge of the couch beside a stool. I put her back in her bed and moved the stool closer to the edge. A bit later there was a clatter. She was all innocence in her bed in the morning and the stool was lying on the floor. Ha ha.

To add to the excitement of my life, I have had a urinary this week and the antibiotics have given me indigestion. It's not one I have had before so I will try to avoid it in the future! I don't seem to be able to win at the moment. My leg is healing well though, so that's a win.

Last night we had another storm with stronger winds than the one on Sunday. Everything stayed in place though so that was good. There was thunder and lightening in the night, but we never heard a thing. Today is lovely, but a bit windy for drone fishing. The boys are going to try with their surf casting rods this afternoon.

A new Water pump

The days are drawing in, but it seems lighter in the evenings here than in Matamata. It's either my imagination or because we are a bit further north. 

It is still warm up here and we are still in t shirts and shorts most of the time. It's a bit cooler in the morning, so I wear a jersey for an hour or two. I don't think we will get frosts being so close to the sea.

The drone is working well and  we have had no more dramas. Every time it goes out we get at least 1  fish, so that's not too bad odds We are having gurnard for tea tonight. 

Our water pump was playing up, so Eddie had to go out and hit it with a spanner every now and then. Very hi tech ha ha. Katrina, our daughter, called it percussion maintenance ha ha. It started to do it during the week ,when I was in the shower and all soapy with no water. That was a cooling experience. He went into town on Monday morning to get a new one. We didn't want to wait until shopping day on Wednesday.

My cousin and her husband are staying here at Pataua. Russell saw how well Eddie's drone was going, so he bought one too. He is doing a bit of flying practice with it this afternoon before he launches it out over the ocean.  

agapanthus danger

 

The weather continues to be mild up here and we are still in our shorts and t shirts. The mornings are cooler now though, so jerseys on for a while to start the day. It is raining today which is needed. It is just a gentle rain that will soak in nicely

Eddie went fishing just after 6 on Monday morning. I got a text for coffee at 8 30, so I took him down a cup. He caught a kahawai while I was there. We had snapper for tea on Saturday night. He is down at the beach this afternoon, to see what he can catch. He is wearing his wet suit and his raincoat, so he is prepared for the weather. 

Well it is only about 5 weeks to the shortest day. Whoop Whoop. The weather might get colder, but the days will be getting lighter and I like that.

I stuck a bit of a dried agapanthus stalk into my leg when I was gardening last Thursday and now I have a nasty hole in my leg. We went into the 7 days a week doctor on Sunday and got some antibiotics for it. I thought there was a little bit still in the wound and yesterday afternoon it came out, so I probably didn't need to go to the doctors after all, but better safe than sorry. Who knew agapanthus could be so dangerous.

the piece of agapanthus from my leg

The vege garden is going well. We are eating spinach, lettuces, cabbage, radishes and the carrots are nearly ready.

A trip to Ngunguru

 

We have had a few campers in over ANZAC weekend. The weather was cooler and a bit damp at times, but they all seem happy. A few went swimming too. We haven't been for a while, but apparently it is quite nice still. A hardy lot.

There are still a few monarch butterflies flitting about the place.

The rafter that goes from the caravan to the edge of the awning keeps falling down, so Eddie did his best “MacGyver” act and fixed it. Now it will stay in place.

We have lots of wasps nests around the place at the moment. With help of some campers Eddie found one of them and poured in some diesel. There was one in the eaves at the office, so Nita and Eddie dealt to that one a couple of nights ago. The next day they sealed up the holes, so they couldn't get out or in. There are still a few trying to go home 3 days later. We hope they will give up soon and go away. It is tricky to find the entrance to the nest. Sometimes it is in the ground and other times inside something. We would like to get them all before next summer.

The photo is of a kereru on a power line. Not a sight that we see too often. There are 2 of them. I think they might be a pair. They have been enjoying the guavas from the trees in the park. We have been eating them too. They are a bit like lollies and nice to snack on, but with more health benefits than a lolly.

Kereru (wood pigeon) 

It is very wet today, so Eddie's lawnmowing has been put on hold for the day. He got half way through yesterday afternoon. With luck he will get them done tomorrow. The grass is s growing well, so they still have to be mowed regularly.

On Tuesday we went to Ngunguru, which is about 26 Ks east of Whangarei. We followed the GPS, over Mt Tiger Rd, which was lovely drive with great views out towards the sea and the hills. We came to a road that was closed due to a culvert repair. We kept going, expecting to see another left hand turn to take, but no. In the end we turned around and went back the way we had come. We drove into Whangarei and went to Ngunguru from there. My cousin and her husband are staying there in their van for a while. Eddie and Russell went fishing, but they didn't catch anything. Adele and I had a nice walk around the village. 

It was a quicker trip coming home than going, but not such an adventure.

Ngunguru Estuary

Busy Easter

 We are good and keeping busy at the camping ground. Easter weekend was busy of course. The weather deteriorated on Thursday. We had a heavy rain warning for Northland for Thursday and they weren't wrong. It started in the afternoon and has finally stopped on Saturday. It was very windy too, so there are lots of tree branches for Eddie to pick up over the next few days. There is always something to do around the place.

The weather is still a bit wet and windy, but not as bad as it was over Easter. We have a few hardy campers coming for the school holidays.

Eddie had to go to a campsite 3 times on Easter Saturday as a  group of young campers were causing a disturbance. At one point they were riding around on a little motor scooter, after quite a few drinks. Not that good an idea! After the 3rd time, Eddie told them if he has to come back again, they would be packing up there and then. At least one of them came and apologized to Eddie in the morning, so that was nice.

We have a new booking in system, that we had to learn in time for Easter. It nearly drove us to distraction, but we have pretty much mastered it and not to many mistakes were made over the weekend.

Vege garden is going well and we are eating lettuces and spinach. I pulled the first beetroot yesterday. I think the quails are partaking of my spring onions as they aren't growing very well and have a nibbled look about them. I am going to see if coffee grounds put them off. Luckily they have coffee here on long weekends, so I have spread the grounds around today and we will see what happens.

I had to go to Wellington the weekend before Easter. My parents have moved from their apartment to the hospital wing of the rest home they are in. My brothers and I cleaned out the apartment and organized the hospice people to come and take it all away. They were supposed to come last Tuesday, but came on Monday instead, so my brother wasn't there to meet them. Now the serviced apartment area is closed due to covid, so no visitors. I guess they will get there eventually. Hopefully Saturday.

Dad got taken to hospital to have a blood transfusion. They put him and Mum into isolation when he got back and the day before they were due to be released they tested positive to covid. Fancy going to hospital and coming home sicker than when you went! They haven't been very sick and will be pleased to be out of their room tomorrow, if all goes well. Dad has cabin fever. He likes to go for walkabouts around the place. I'm afraid his memory isn't what it was and he doesn't always know who is who, but he knows he likes going for a walk.