Home again in Waikanae

 Most of you will already have caught up with the news that NZ has some more COVID-19 cases - I understand the link with cases of returning NZers within isolation and quarantine facilities has not been established, but it is also extremely unlikely that the virus has been underground and undetected over the 102 days we had no new cases. Another possibility that is being thoroughly investigated is that the virus may have come in on frozen imported goods - this is being investigated because, at the moment, the earliest known case in this cluster and a number of others within it, are workers at Americold, a cold storage facility.

As soon as we knew about the first 4 cases late on Tuesday night (when a loud blaring alert sounded on both of our phones - we both were asleep and there was no chance we would not hear it, given our phones were beside the bed, one each side ... Yikes, it was a rude awakening!) we started thinking about what would be most sensible to do.

At first we thought we would stay in Hokitika for another week, while I pretty much finished off the assignment I am doing. But in the course of an hour or so at work in the morning, we moved to thinking we had best head back to Waikanae asap, as a couple of the 4 people had travelled to Rotorua before they knew they had COVID-19. Given Rotorua is a tourist hub and given people from all over NZ have been holidaying there, including people from Hokitika, we thought it was likely that the country as a whole may be put in lockdown, not just the greater Auckland area. 

So I finished out the day at work on Wednesday, and on Thursday morning we headed away northwards in sunny weather. We were very sad to be leaving - we both love Hokitika and I love working in the DOC office there - they are a fabulous bunch!

We spent a very enjoyable night with Ann and Salvi again - a lovely coda to our time in the South Island - as David said they were the bookends.

The drive to Picton on Friday morning was also good - the scenery is breathtaking, and the weather was lovely until we got to the Rai Valley where the drizzle settled in. We were early at the ferry terminal, but once we were in the queue we turned on the gas, made cups of tea, had lunch, phoned Bruce and Gary and made tentative arrangements to breakfast together the following morning, depending on Cabinet's decision regarding Alert Levels for the country.

The trip on the ferry was very relaxed - don't tell anyone, in case everyone wants to do it, but the money spent on the Plus Lounge is a bargain - food and beverages are included in the entry price and the lounge is extremely comfortable with sofas and armchairs, and table service - especially now that social distancing is required (Alert Level 2: 2m distancing, no handshakes or hugs). Just as we were about to diisembark, the post-Cabinet press conference started and we were delighted to learn that while there were more cases, they were all connected with the same cluster, and therefore Auckland would stay on Alert Level 3 and the rest of NZ would stay on Alert Level 2, both for 12 more days, with an update in a week's time.

So we could have stayed on in Hokitika but, hey ho hindsight...

Yesterday, when we came back from breakfast with B&G (great to see them again after 6 weeks!), I went around the garden taking photos of the flowers we almost never see - because usually at this time of the year, we are in the UK.

I cannot remember when I last saw this rhododendron in flower!

Fabulous colour!

 

I am not sure if this bush has ever flowered before

 

Another view of it. Considering it gets a modicum of early morning sun before being shaded by the camellias, and then late afternoon sun filtered by the trellis, it is doing very well!

The three daphne bushes, with low ferns in front, in the corner between the lounge and dining room.

A late bud on Caitlin's rose

One of my camellias - a lovely creamy white

There are a range of these osteospermums below the cabbage tree

One of the camellias on the driveway

A hellabore in the garden outside the bedroom

Alstromeria - these seem to flower constantly and are great as cut flowers.

We have three of these pittosporums along the south fence between us and Jillian. Given they started as spindly little things and get only late afternoon sun, they are thriving - how big would they be in full sun, I ask?!

A couple of the carpet roses on the driveway are still flowering or flowering again - weird!

A camellia on the driveway

The tui in the cabbage tree

Today I constructed the garden wind ornament that we bought last here in Owaka in/near the Catlins, and we both erected it in the garden next to the bedroom, carefully positioned so we can see it from in bed! The thing to note though is that I started the positioning and left David to finish it as it wasn't plumb, and I lost interest and enthusiasm. I'm a driver/implementer and David is a finisher - a good combination, methinks!

The box is unpacked, the first two bits are fitted together. You can see the instructions on the floor - being consulted, have no doubt!

 

Showing my crappy haircut from this morning - not a stylist I will use again ... The tube in my hands is locktite and apparently it is required to make sure the screwed together bits stay together!

 

 

 

On its way to its new home beyond that planter box

 

Less than plumb - but don't worry, the finisher among us will sort that out ...

The finisher trying to look taller - it's not working because I can see he is on his toes!

 

We were both disappointed that we had to come home from Hokitika because apart from loving being there, we had planned a week or so of touring around on the east coast before heading back, catching up with a few friends. 

But now we are here, we are loving being back in our cosy warm house with our lovely garden. There are only two things to get used to again - that the toilet door is not one step away from the bed, and the kitchen is not two steps away from it! David has already gone the wrong way down the hallway here aiming for the kitchen and ending up in the bedroom ...