The week that was - days 3 and 4

On our second day at Tongaporutu, Ian and Irene went up to Mokau looking to buy milk but found that it was in short supply. Fortunately they found some, as I had used most of both theirs and ours for making cheese scones.

While they were away we re-positioned our motorhome so that we were side-on to the bank, and when they returned they too parked side on - it meant we had grass to set out the tables and chairs on and we could sit there looking out to the river mouth. As I have mentioned before, I never tire of that view!

The CROW with Ian and Irene's Red Peril behind after the milk run

And the river mouth.

So breakfast was a batch of cheese scones that we all shared. I cooked them slightly higher in the oven this time, so at least I didn't have to grate the burned bits off the bottom as I did at Waitara a few days before!

A walk along Clifton Road and then around the baches was required to reduce the impact of the scones ... Of course I had to provide a personal history of the place as you do when you're in the midst of nostalgia 😛😙😚😘

These notices are on the Fire Station - which is actually a shed that holds the fire pump trailer. The locals are the volunteer firefighters. Someone has to bring a vehicle with a towbar and then they suck water out of the river to fight the fire - hopefully at high tide so they don't sink in the mud heading for the channel!

This is the notice that informed me about the pied oyster catchers nesting - yay!!

Here they are waiting for the water to recede to make their dinner easier to retrieve!

We did stop in to visit Lee and Gordon who live in Howell's old place.They call their verandah the Royal Enclosure ...

In the Royal Enclosure. Lee and Gordon are closest to the doors.

And then it was back to the motorhome to wait until the tide was out enough to make the trek around to the front beach with most of the others who were staying there. We filled the time till 4.30 by playing cards again - this time outside though ...

Single file please people ...

Beautiful, but it is scary how much of that cliff has been washed away in very recent years.

New Plymouth is that way, Ian. Australia is behind us, but we are NOT looking!

Patangata Island, a fortified pa site at the mouth of the river - used to watch for war parties coming from the north (Waikato) or the south other Taranaki tribes or from even further south, I seem to remember reading somewhere once long ago.

Irene at the end of the island

I think it is safe to say that Irene and Ian were very impressed with the scenery.

And when we got back to the camp - after Irene had taken 532 photos, mind you, so we were the last of the group back - a party took place.

Such a lovely bunch of people! It had a similar feel to meeting up with a bunch of boaters and setting up on the towpath to swap experiences and stories. The differences are of course that there was much more space to spread out, and NZers expect as a matter of course that it is fine to get together

David retired early - he said he retired hurt, but not really. He'd had too much of Irene's chateau cardboard, the diminishing level of which cannot be seen. So he quietly headed back to the motorhome and cooked dinner for himself - if I'd known he was going to do that I would have leg-roped him to his chair! He was hardly the safest state in which to be combining gas, heat and food!

In the morning a fair few of the team came over to say goodbye, so there was an obligatory group photo, as well as the swapping of addresses and invitations to park up on each other's properties - well, by those of us who have houses as well as constantly mobile residences!

From the left: Dave, Ian, Joy (with cup, married to Dave - now permanently on the road) David and me, Alison and Paul (I'm a farmer - now retired and based between Midhurt and Tariki), Teresa and Mike from Edgecumbe, Irene. Missing are Cindy and Ray. Surprisingly, everyone looks happy and healthy and not at all hungover!

Most of us were leaving that day - we headed off south again and called in to see Dee and Murray - and to get a shower and empty toilet cassettes at the Waitara Holiday Park. We couldn't stay long as we were on a mission though to get Irene and Ian to Chaddy's Charters at Ngamotu Beach in New Plymouth.

While they went out in Chaddy's lifeboat from Bridlington around the back of Paritutu and the Sugarloaves, we had planned to hire bikes. However it was far too hot for exercise, so we drove down to the beach area and had lunch in the shade of the Norfolk Pines. A very nostalgic place for me, as we used to come down to that beach often when I was a kid. It is much smaller now that the port has expanded and the businesses have taken up much of the space. But the Norfolk pines are still there - and some evenings Mum would make up a picnic dinner (tea, we called it) and we'd meet Dad down there after work. Tea, then a swim and then home. We were lucky kids.

When Ian and Irene came back, we fed them too (hardboiled eggs and fresh homemade bread), and then we headed for Hawera via SH45 - it's the road around the coast with the mountain always on the left, and it has some stunning views.

We had intended to stay at Wai-iti Reserve but were too late - while there is plentyy of space and probably about 6 or 7 marked out spaces, the sign says there is a limit of 3 motorhomes per night and there were already 5 in situ ... 😏😒 The wink is because that is what people do, i.e. ignore the instructions, and the grumpy face is for the same reason, but reframed to 'the rules don't apply to us'.

So we headed into town to the South Taranaki Club. Yay! A free overnight stop, with a dump station and fresh water, plus it was quiet, even though near the middle of town. And very importantly, it had a restaurant with very good food.

Lambshanks for David ... Huge! Forget being vegetarian that night!

Burgers of different types for the rest of us, and I also had pavlova. cream and icecream for dessert - I did build a barricade of salt and pepper shakers, glasses etc around my plate to stop the marauding lamb shank consumer. However, as a kindness (and because it was too much for me) I let him have the icecream when my tummy was full.See, I am kind really, even though everyone keeps saying 'Poor David!'