Christmas and the laundromat

 We had  lovely weather in Taupo for Christmas. We took warmer clothing with us and didn’t need it. We spent a couple of days with Eddie's sister and her husband.

We got to there on Christmas Eve, early afternoon. After a cuppa we went for a walk. They have a walking / biking track near them, so we did a loop. They were a bit disappointed to learn it was only 1.5 km long.  

On Christmas morning we slept in until 7: 30, which is very unusual for us. We woke up at the normal time and went back to sleep.

We had so much food for Christmas lunch. We had ham and leg of lamb; cooked chickens; A roast pork; venison sausages. There were lots of salads and new potatoes too. For dessert we had ambrosia, pavlova, strawberries, cherries, watermelon and trifle.

I did some washing at the laundromat just down the road from where we are camping. I put the powder and softener into the machine and then realized it was out of order. So annoying. Luckily there is a powder etc dispenser, so I bought some more. The softener didn’t come out, so that was annoying too. As it happened when I got back from the supermarket the man was cleaning the laundry. I told him of my lost softener and he gave me one. Then he tested the machine and it worked so I don’t know what I did. He gave me the one he got out too, so that was kind. When I put the washing into the dryer, the motor went but it didn’t spin. I was really glad he was still there. He used the company card and we put my washing into another dryer and off it went. He thought the belt had come off the first one. Just before he left he found a card with $8 on it that someone had left behind and he gave it to me, so all in all not a bad outing at the laundromat. Who knew that laundromats could be so entertaining!!

I am getting back into walking as I have been a bit slack over the last few weeks. I will have to get up earlier and go before it gets too hot. I tend to lay in bed and read. The chestnut trees along Tower Rd are out in flower. The photo is a bit blurry, but you can see what they are like. They weren't really what I was expecting when I had a closer look.

The chestnuts get collected by people every year when they fall in the autumn. I think they are lovely looking trees.

Opotiki to Matamata

We left Opotiki early as we thought it might have been busy coming through Whakatane, but we got through nice and easily. We arrived at Matamata at lunchtime and set up after we had eaten. It almost feels as if we have never been away.

On Friday we went and bought 2 presents for secret Santa at our family do at Eddie's sister's house in Taupo. We bought a soft toy kakariki that gives the call when it's tummy is pushed and a 365 day calender with a joke for each day.

We haven't seen family there for a while, so we are looking forward to catching up with everyone. Eddie's great nephew's partner is expecting a baby in March, so a new twig for the tree.

It was supposed to be showery on Saturday, but it was sunny all day in the end. I did the washing down at the laundry at the end of the road. I had to load a card with the money on it, to use the machines. I was hoping it was an eftpos run one, but no, so now I have another card in my wallet. I have one from the Opotiki laundry too. Because it was supposed to be showery I used the dryer too. It didn’t quite dry, so I finished it off on the line at home.

While I waited for the washing, I went for a walk. I put it into the dryer and went off again. I ended up doing  5 ks, so I was pleased about that. It’s the longest walk I have done for a while. It made and interesting map on my Strava app.

Island View Camping Ground Opotiki

 Opape didn’t open, and we still haven’t heard from her, so we went to Island View camping ground at Opotiki. We enjoyed it last time we were here a few years ago with friends.

They have done up the toilets and kitchens since we were here. It is a very quirky decoration around the place. The showers are so nice and quite hot too. I think they are the best showers that we have ever seen in a camping ground.

When we arrived we were surprised to find Lloyd and Beth and Don and Sarah Jane from Thornton. Even more strangely we are alongside each other. There are big hedges between vans, so we can’t see them, but we know they are there. We have had a couple of social evenings before dinner over the last few days.

Eddie fished at Maraenui and caught a nice size trevally. He caught a snapper at Opotiki, so the drone is beginning to earn its keep.

I had a nice swim one day. The water was quite nice and not too cool.

It’s been a bit windy since we got here, so it was nice to have a calm day. I went for a walk along the cycle trail that runs between the dunes and the back of the camp.

These 2 totem poles are on the walk/bike trail I walked on one day. They tell the story of 2 brothers who came on the first waka. They had 2 pet taniwha which they released into a spring, O-potiki-Mai-Tawhiti, which means 2 pets from far away.

Wahau Bay and Maraehako

We stayed for 9 days at the camping ground at Waihau Bay. The only problem was that there is no wifi, data or phones as we are in a dead area. We found a spot up on a hill on the other side of Waihau Bay where we get reception. We rang Wireless nation and gave us a 5 day credit. That was the best they could do. We did hope for 9 days, but 5 is better than nothing. It is one of the areas they don’t reach. It’s the first time we haven’t been able to get services since we have been with them, so I guess that’s not too bad.

Eddie has been doing a bit of fishing, but hasn’t caught anything yet.

We have often wondered why our waste water gauge always said it was ¾  full and while we were at Omaio we found the answer. We had trouble emptying in Opotiki and in the end Eddie opened a valve under the shower and empty it that way. At Omaio he was fiddling about with a stick up the pipe and pulled out a chux multi cloth which must have been in there for ages. I don’t use them in the kitchen, but the sink doesn’t have a filter on it and the pipe goes straight to the tank. We think the man before us lost a cloth that way and it has been blocking up the system ever since. Now our gauge is accurate, so hooray for that.

I was doing a load of washing one morning at Waihau Bay and the machine stopped working, so the manager, Bub, told me to put it into her washing machine out the back. I think it’s the one they use for camp linen. It is a Haier machine and it took 2 hours!! I tried to make it just do a rinse, but I couldn’t change the settings, so that was a bit annoying. This afternoon another camper tried to use it and had the same problem as me. I saw Eric (Bub’s husband) taking her load of washing to his place on the back of his quad bike. He told me they have new machines coming. It would seem not to be a moment too soon with the summer rush about to start.

We had some nice walks along the beach. It’s nice to walk on as it’s fairly flat and the sand is hard when the tide is out.

We have so many leaves on our roof and in the gutter, so Eddie spent some time one morning pulling it all out and cleaning the gutter.

So that we didn't fill up with leaves again we moved to a site without trees around us. We were on a non powered site for the last days of our stay. 

Forgot to mention that we were having a bit of trouble with the gas water heater when we were in Opotiki. Eddie had a look and found that the bit that ignites had a bit of soot on it. With a bit of dry steelo pad he was able to fix it. 

Our TV is struggling too. There is something not right with the aerial. It goes ok for a while and then starts to freeze and the sound makes weird popping noises. Eddie thought he had fixed it in Opotiki, but it didn’t last very long. I think it might be necessary to get someone in to look at it.

We went to Te Araroa to get groceries last Sunday for the next week or so. We checked out the huge pohutukawa tree that is reputed to be 350 years old before we got the groceries. The flowers are still coming out, so it wasn’t as impressive as it will be in a week or so.

From Waihau Bay we went to Maraehako for 2 nights. Eddie was a bit disappointed he couldn't use the drone there. He did some surf casting, but no fish again.

View of the bay above and our van under the pohutukawa tree on the right.