Kerikeri. And then Awanui a week ago

Why am I so far behind in blogging?

 We had had intel from Bernice that we needed to be in Kerikeri on a Saturday because the Saturday market featured excellent sourdough bread. And Kerikeri has a lovely NZMCA campsite right next to Rainbow Falls and a 5km walk to the Stone Store.

So from Opua we headed for Kerikeri, only stopping at Haruru Falls on the way. We knew Irene would never forgive us if we neglected to take a photo of any waterfall en route ...

The chickens had to be herded away from the wheels of the moving motorhome - fearless, they were.

Haruru Falls, aka Horseshoe Falls I think. Probably would be more impressive now we've had lots of rain ...

Getting to the NZMCA site involves skirting around Kerikeri (I think) which was fine - we didn't need to shop and blobbing for the rest of the day was on the agreed schedule.

We were warmly greeted by a bunch of Dethleff owners, and one gave me stick about where I had parked and suggested I move a bit one way or another. I asked him to stand where I should aim for ... General laughter from the group. Their advice was helpful though - the ground was a bit up and down, so moving to take advantage of the well-placed hillocks was sensible. Fortuitously, I ended up with the motorhome perfectly level. I do love it when it works out well!

David went out for a short walk which turned into a very long walk as he didn't so much get lost as misjudged where he was going... I blobbed, as planned.

The next day we went to see Rainbow Falls. Stunning.

From the look out right next to the NZMCA park

 

The rainbow through the spray.

Before we could get down to the bottom of the falls we had to go through the disinfectant station - kauri trees are being killed and the infection needs to be stopped. Short of forbidding entry to these parks, DOC has set up disinfectant stations at entry and exit points. You brush your shoes/boots and then step on the green grill. The downward pressure squirts disinfectant up on to your boots (and legs ...) Simple - and effective if people don't walk through straddling the disinfectant, dammit. Saw a runner do that and I shouted 'OI' at her but she couldn't/didn't hear - headphones.

Down the path past this impressive rockface...

to see this. 💗😍

 

And then on the 5km walk to the Stone Store. It was a lovely walk - quite challenging in places, given I lost a lot of fitness while we were in the UK. Some steep climbs - but my very challenging walk with Adair stood me in good stead!

There was a lot of asparagus weed beside the path. A huge job to get rid of it, but I reckon DOC should do so, as it will kill off native flora on the bush floor if it continues unchecked. A good holiday job for highschool students with a DOC ranger overseeing, perhaps?

Another lower set of falls on the walk

 

ACP adding context...

Interp in the powerhouse. We DOC people are big on interp 😊

 

The pump in the old powerhouse - I sent this photo to Jim who I worked with in Hokitika on the remediations of Waiuta Prohibition and the Alexander Roaster and Battery. Jim is rather fond of powerhouses and machinery like this. He was pleased I sent them - he had been here but lost his photos!

I am not sure what has stripped the bark from this tree.

Carbuncles on trees? What's that about?

 

I'm not sure that waterlilies belong in native bush, but hey, they do look lovely. I sent the photo to our neighbour Janet to show her what the ones in our ponds COULD look like.

The cafe in the foreground and the Stone Store over to the left. The Mission House is there too, hiding behind the tree.

The Kerikeri Basin is around to the right.

 

We had a lovely brunch at the cafe, explored the Stone Store, bought bone and paua earrings in the shape of long feathers, and walked back to the motorhome.

The Rainboaw Falls on our way back: still beautiful.

And from the top again

ACP blobbing - he is doing more of this than I am currently ...

 

The following day was Market Day and Bernice was right: the sourdough is excellent. And so were the scones, the veg pies and the pastries...

Before we could leave Kerikeri, we had a problem to sort out - the monitor for the new rear vision camera is attached to the windscreen by suction. However, I reckon that the monitor is too heavy to be supported by the suction cup that is only relying on the vacuum between the cup and the windscreen, and it kept falling off. So before we left Kerikeri we had to find a permanent solution. In the interim, I had used the extremely strong and wide waterproof tape to strap the monitor on the dash in an upright position - it looked very naff, but it was effective. But for how long?

So after the market, we headed for Repco. The young woman managing the shop on Saturday is very knowledgeable and she recommended supa-glue. Scary stuff, that... But I bought it.

We had decided to head for Kaitaia that day; however not far out of Kerikeri, I saw the sign for Matauri Bay and I pulled over. At least 2 people had said Matauri Bay was a must stay. So I asked ACP what he thought, got the go ahead (well, the go right actually) and off we went.

What a magic place! The campgrounds are basic, the facilities are plain and very clean, the sites are large and the reception from the staff in the campstore is wonderful. We had arrived before lunchtime, and that was not a problem. They asked where we would like to position ourselves and sent us off to look and come back to tell them of our decision.

We had a blobby afternoon and we did get the laundry done and hung out on their clothesline. And sat outside having a slice of the Kerikeri sourdough ..

David put his slice on the seat instead of his side-table and look what happened... I refused to clean his jeans.because I figure cleaning his bum is his job now he is ostensibly a grownup.

 One burst of energy struck me and I suggested that if we were going to (ACP had requested that we do) put up the BUG (blow up gazebo), then now was the time.

So we did - where is Olek when you need him? It went up - pumping it up took about 5 minutes (good), pegging it down took about 50 minutes (not good). Sitting in it in the shade and warm breeze (very good).

 

And up it comes

There was a 50 minute gap between the last photo and this one - pegs, guy-ropes. And David is trying to position the ground sheet. Lesson learned is to attach it before blowing up the gazebo. Two reasons: it helps define the shape of the hexagon, and the clips are hard to attach to the bottom of the already inflated tubes.

And it opens both ends so we could look at the view of two different beaches

It's rather large so it's a good thing that Matauri Bay has big sites!

 

The view to the rear

That little piece of cloth is meant to hook on to the struts to cover the workings at the top. Neither of us are tall enough - Olek, come back!!

Sun, but no breeze, blobbing and reading. There's no cup on my side-table, so I must be waiting for tea. Why am I waiting, I ask! Or am I just finishing the current cup and about to ask for a refill?

 

David went off to the camp shop and bought frozen crumbed hoki fillets and a bag of frozen chips, I cooked them and made a waldorf salad and some tartare sauce. Yum.

In the morning, we walked up to the Rainbow Warrior Memorial - a bit of a steep slog. I was kitted out in my boots and we had a hiking stick each. Other people walked in their jandals 🙅.

Interp and a man reading it with the eyes in the back of his head...

The walk to the bottom of the track was a VERY long one

Some rather large homes around the corner from the campsite - seen from a short way up the steep path - an excuse to stop...

And the view from the next breather stop

 

I made several stops as we ascended, but the views did need to be photographed

Part of the campsite - our motorhome is obscured by the large stand of beautiful pohutukawa at the base of the hill.

Impressive views from the top.

Apparently the Rainbow Warrior was scuttled out to the seaward side of the large island and is now a dive spot.

The memorial - a rainbow made of black stones and the ship's propeller

A steep descent

Looking down the hill.

The wind was coming up as we descended, so I decided we needed to get the BUG down and packed up. It would have been quite quick to deflate if ACP had taken out the chairs and tables as he had indicated he would. I was brave and went in to retrieve them...

Then the task was to get the pegs out while preventing the BUG from flying away to the other side of the campsite, across the beach and into the sea. We had to drag it round the back of the motorhome out of the wind, so we could fully deflate it (by rolling on it) and then roll it up and stuff it in its bag. I didn't see anyone taking photos of the circus, but wish someone had - it must have looked nutbar - two 70+ greyhaired short adults squashing the air out of a gazebo that has an over-inflated view of its independence.

We managed it just in time - within 5 minutes of having the BUG stowed inside back under the dining table, the rain came down in buckets and stayed that way for the rest of the day pretty much. I DO like an excuse for a legitimate blobby afternoon!

But one task did get done - I supa-glued the suction cup to the windscreen, taped it up to make sure it stayed in position, and then waited! 

Rain!! And a partial view of the supa-glued suction cup with tape.

The following day was my birthday (ooh goody, blog, I'm catching up! I'm now only 8 days behind) and after I loaded the suction cup and its bendy cable with the monitor (it stayed on), we headed to Kaitaia along SH10. The roads up here are winding and hilly and with all the rain they've had, they have some surface pitting and lifted asphalt. Makes for a bit of a bumpy ride, but it's understandable. Large trucks (logging and others), climate change (heavy rain, cyclones) have taken their toll. And currently a part of SH1 (at Mangamuku) is closed until late 2024 because of extensive slip damage during weather events that culminated with Cyclone Gabriel. The road has been closed since mid 2022.

We had intended to go and park up in the Kaitaia RSA Bowling Club carpark, but on looking at the map, I realised we had to go through Awanui and right past the NZMCA Park there. So Awanui it was! And Awanui was closer to Cape Reinga which was our next scheduled place to visit. Seemed silly to drive further away...

I sent this to 2IJ because they indulge in the diabolical practice of combining socks and sandals. I hate to say it but I do see some NZers indulging in it too. I am considering taking legal action...