tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52797853070411323812024-03-17T20:44:17.721-07:00nb Waka Huia - The Treasure BoxMarilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.comBlogger704125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-69028434620937701732024-03-09T16:19:00.000-08:002024-03-09T16:19:28.256-08:00Friends and food...<p>The last couple of weeks have been rather social and we like it!</p><p>At the beginning of the month, I called in at The Acquired Brain Injury Unit to visit Judy on my way back from the osteopath - the staff told me she was over in the kitchen making her lunch so off I went to surprise her. Well, she is doing fabulously. She had been out that morning to shop for the ingredients and was making a baked frittata. There was plenty, so I stayed and shared lunch with her.</p><p>We then had a text a few days ago to say she was to be discharged on 16 Feb - Yay!!! It has been nearly 4 months since her accident, and a long recovery period. My advice is avoid blood thinning meds - and if you have t take them, ask to have the lowest possible/feasible dose of the least powerful drug available. The severity of Judy's injury would have been far less if she wasn't on that stuff. <b>10 March update: </b>Judy is home, progressing well and fabulous as always. Such a relief!<br /></p><p>Then a week ago (back on 8 Feb - god, this post is late!), we had a sector meeting here at our place. Parkwood has a set up where the residents are grouped in sectors of about a dozen (more or less) houses, each with a sector leader and a deputy. The primary purpose is to be a mini-hub of support in a civil emergency, and the secondary purpose is for increasing social cohesion - as we age we can get isolated and having neighbours who keep an eye out and having the occasional get together are both bonding.</p><p>I was recently asked by Janet, our lovely neighbour, if I would take over from her as sector leader. Yes, I said. So she briefed me on what was involved and we agreed a meeting of Sector 10 people would be a good idea.</p><p>So we had 10 out of 15 people here for afternoon tea and a meeting - 2 people were poorly, 2 weren't really interested, and one (the lovely Brian whose house we stayed in here last February) was away in the South Island.</p><p>Afternoon tea was sumptuous, if I do say so myself: cheese scones, plain scones with jam and cream, chocolate brownie and Wendy (our deputy) brought yummy muffins. Note to self (i.e. the catering department): fewer scones and a smaller cake required...</p><p>We had an agenda, of course - it's not that long since I ran a lot of meetings that always had an agenda and desired outcomes identified ... And sensibly, if I do say so myself, the first item was Afternoon tea and a catch up.π</p><p>We agreed we would meet once a month and determined we would have our meetings on the first Wednesday. One happy outcome is that after our meetings, we can all go (if we desire) straight up to the monthly Mix and Mingle gathering, and if I continue to over-cater, we can take the leftovers up as our contribution to the nibbles! Result!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49hgxTpZFBW60vfd362LV9CSfxorpPGFKHpKViXRmPv2Oyy_xhJzLXWc7WkA0b8exDV4lZZwgVSE4pgRLuQVLaH7XEK6JcrsDY8wZpWb39ED1amX5guW7socOBYfCFZnCbZOQ7xr4uijIgdDQxCoFLCzQ2FNzy3wtOsDZgXpIeKYZriWe_VQ7sxoTIAc/s4032/IMG_5277.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49hgxTpZFBW60vfd362LV9CSfxorpPGFKHpKViXRmPv2Oyy_xhJzLXWc7WkA0b8exDV4lZZwgVSE4pgRLuQVLaH7XEK6JcrsDY8wZpWb39ED1amX5guW7socOBYfCFZnCbZOQ7xr4uijIgdDQxCoFLCzQ2FNzy3wtOsDZgXpIeKYZriWe_VQ7sxoTIAc/w400-h300/IMG_5277.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first item on the agenda was afternoon tea and a catch up...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>That evening, we went out to Otaki Golf Club to an event of dinner and live music. The event happens every two months for the cost of $50 each. We asked Christine and Peter who go regularly if we could go too. The music was great with musicians who regularly play together and in a range of different bands. And dinner was not fancy and it was delicious. And who should we see there but Clare, the intrepid woman who has cycled down the west coast of the USA twice and from Auckland back to Paraparaumu via the East Coast, as well as lots of cycling in the South Island... back in 2019, I posted about her <a href="http://nbwakahuia.blogspot.com/2019/02/central-otago-geraldine-kokonga-and.html">here</a>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6pt_z_stYC56cpbaN0PBhbEpyzVLudG2lyJw7ZU8OL5AOdI91J9N8QVh_vIVe600vYRNdT8b7EQqbBGLQdHWnrQ_41RdOFH9VRTpPVtvA4jTFZy7cQPA7P-r9wUfht9YLwqDcddPKjNHQpBbDkoc0ARamKFHdZE1A1bCY-cN_DyxNh742cwZcvUzkuxs/s4032/IMG_5279.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6pt_z_stYC56cpbaN0PBhbEpyzVLudG2lyJw7ZU8OL5AOdI91J9N8QVh_vIVe600vYRNdT8b7EQqbBGLQdHWnrQ_41RdOFH9VRTpPVtvA4jTFZy7cQPA7P-r9wUfht9YLwqDcddPKjNHQpBbDkoc0ARamKFHdZE1A1bCY-cN_DyxNh742cwZcvUzkuxs/w400-h300/IMG_5279.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrew London and Kelvin (?) who regularly play together<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqo5XYcF_NWnk_D298QqZ29ib0U3j_nO4IUQu_Sze_-FCRmOrPwt29HDnPiOKrZj6Y3-1ZC6_3IydQ5BmsFnqdVtWhvkDw9Va7ZEsP5o3k4ZTiem-hTx-GDsM7jCi-47BXJ_biolcijV2_Z9gmErlx4-yfFnF1jtCrEJ43R6LnyoG2CyJDatoC8I_nmU/s4032/IMG_5280.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqo5XYcF_NWnk_D298QqZ29ib0U3j_nO4IUQu_Sze_-FCRmOrPwt29HDnPiOKrZj6Y3-1ZC6_3IydQ5BmsFnqdVtWhvkDw9Va7ZEsP5o3k4ZTiem-hTx-GDsM7jCi-47BXJ_biolcijV2_Z9gmErlx4-yfFnF1jtCrEJ43R6LnyoG2CyJDatoC8I_nmU/w400-h300/IMG_5280.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The full complement of musicians - they are very good!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>(<b>10 March update</b>: We really enjoyed the musical evening, and intend to go again, but for the next scheduled
time, we will have just arrived in the South Island for our trip down to
Doubtful Sound (2 nights in Fiordland Lodge and 2 on a launch in the
sound - a treat for not going to the UK this year.) <br /></p><p>____________ a month's interlude, and then:</p><p>So instead, we are
going to an event with two of the same musicians tonight - at The
Winemaker's Daughter: a buffet dinner and 4 musicians.I will keep you
posted on how it was.)</p><p>We've done a bit more entertaining in the month (!! ππ πππ!!) since I wrote the piece above this and obviously I have been very slack about getting it uploaded! So a rapid update to ensure I get this posted before the sun sets again:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>We went to Stokes Valley to stay the night with Jo, Shane and Liam - Jo was my PA back in Telecom days and she was brilliant. She always says she was my manager, and she is correct. I was good at managing other people but crap at sorting paperwork and filing, whereas Jo was a star. She also used to field calls from Tim and Kirsty if I was in meetings and had full delegation to say yay or nay to their proposed after school plans...</li><ul><li>It was great to see them and it has been ages and ages. I have to thank David for setting it up, as he had the idea and executed it - and considering he's not that comfortable doing the social secretary thing, it was impressive. He did volunteer me to make cheese tart though - without consultation, I might add. But still revenge was sweet - Jo made a yummy pasta dish with feta which David professes to hate but ate and had seconds and declared it delicious. Guess what I'll be making soon...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrcGUO1wyjV8whcUsIGltf80vXMoexmDgbqrmHzqtP7dK2QH_1qlVtwbMgzkOhUaT7BiZZKAMg-xS2C3C_HvYH9ultAYJaSwj0nOhyphenhyphenqBZFPHvEh23dxBopo0rnvPh8vsLEq9CwqMOGqIuRfXRQh79kQn9Jk09brxH2vGOCy2i51MMZYkGBaK46J9WMsg/s4032/IMG_5285.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrcGUO1wyjV8whcUsIGltf80vXMoexmDgbqrmHzqtP7dK2QH_1qlVtwbMgzkOhUaT7BiZZKAMg-xS2C3C_HvYH9ultAYJaSwj0nOhyphenhyphenqBZFPHvEh23dxBopo0rnvPh8vsLEq9CwqMOGqIuRfXRQh79kQn9Jk09brxH2vGOCy2i51MMZYkGBaK46J9WMsg/w400-h300/IMG_5285.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mel had to come (we took the motorhome) and of course he had to try out Liam's gear...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPSiBBbYUYCPhho6d-SX0UoMptZ-zGzQmriiVQpmGzPsj4NFhT7OiQ8V_nvcPOkf7tqM9xZ3zB-3bRA5o-Db7UIbUz3aUw8lHGxL58uRFzVWeL-A_O6-M6mgM5tA8nUqMitRINGd1U7URFkD-bwvbihwGN4BjEDKeM1D6pak10UKQe9fCH7z4h-NrzWs/s4032/IMG_5287.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPSiBBbYUYCPhho6d-SX0UoMptZ-zGzQmriiVQpmGzPsj4NFhT7OiQ8V_nvcPOkf7tqM9xZ3zB-3bRA5o-Db7UIbUz3aUw8lHGxL58uRFzVWeL-A_O6-M6mgM5tA8nUqMitRINGd1U7URFkD-bwvbihwGN4BjEDKeM1D6pak10UKQe9fCH7z4h-NrzWs/w400-h300/IMG_5287.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the drone - yay!!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQ9k0Nrrbfbc8WW5SAFFYqaOCUE_MbF6488NnvQ6AjrCU5eUDnMMgK0f_csbUTSU3ZUaX38Jlzb_pln-Uv6FyNesuZHrot6wyFCMoq0ufLv81rzYbZDSzS6B-zNT_UTtbb2RiWFhq3tkfOwYhL-P3keI1zP7KxpIW4aAyEZEpcGEeyujyZANgGIx8pgk/s4032/IMG_5289.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQ9k0Nrrbfbc8WW5SAFFYqaOCUE_MbF6488NnvQ6AjrCU5eUDnMMgK0f_csbUTSU3ZUaX38Jlzb_pln-Uv6FyNesuZHrot6wyFCMoq0ufLv81rzYbZDSzS6B-zNT_UTtbb2RiWFhq3tkfOwYhL-P3keI1zP7KxpIW4aAyEZEpcGEeyujyZANgGIx8pgk/w400-h300/IMG_5289.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I may have got shorter but Jo is still tall and lovely!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvXCtfKhkr85hk01Yr3qOr2cDo2y0H9aZWQcU0BwuAvRcSIxjyYn_Fm7GH8aMKrZgGAwOryuyjqR6UuQT0_Iywdf2i4jbyscBE2zZXU8oi-n_MBj6qM5yuc5E8M-t1yjxDq1xFEty5XkFce80c9_br86jxNraNfzwczEjp50x0VK98qfYjZs0nm2Xw70/s4032/IMG_5290.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvXCtfKhkr85hk01Yr3qOr2cDo2y0H9aZWQcU0BwuAvRcSIxjyYn_Fm7GH8aMKrZgGAwOryuyjqR6UuQT0_Iywdf2i4jbyscBE2zZXU8oi-n_MBj6qM5yuc5E8M-t1yjxDq1xFEty5XkFce80c9_br86jxNraNfzwczEjp50x0VK98qfYjZs0nm2Xw70/w400-h300/IMG_5290.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David and Shane - not sure why we didn't get any photos of Liam. He is such a cool kid!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2uBMCmyBM2HNBhyuFk4JIuNZZpMBjnws9yvmiL9GZF2Mr8jsowO4itnogoVtAikmYLlg6eBAaKO592N8QgDUzz1VONMB3cbk7SupNzVfRCEwPbzNzio28Ez2S_UFrTsWeynEJoUYQRVSU36FgGOXmg6k39ErB0mIpWGvMlVTDV0FMnF5QKVGeqF8C4U/s4032/IMG_5291.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2uBMCmyBM2HNBhyuFk4JIuNZZpMBjnws9yvmiL9GZF2Mr8jsowO4itnogoVtAikmYLlg6eBAaKO592N8QgDUzz1VONMB3cbk7SupNzVfRCEwPbzNzio28Ez2S_UFrTsWeynEJoUYQRVSU36FgGOXmg6k39ErB0mIpWGvMlVTDV0FMnF5QKVGeqF8C4U/w400-h300/IMG_5291.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mel slept inside and dressed himself in Liam's gear.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></li></ul><li>From Jo and Shane's we headed a wee way north up the Hutt Valley to Silverstream and at a lovely cafe met Sarah and Grahame, their two very grown up and impossibly tall kids, Mya's boyfriend and Grahame's parents, Marjorie and Norman. That was a brilliant catch up too but no photos of anyone - doh!. But a bonus - in an after brunch walk we came across a car show, not vintage but 30s 40s, 50s and 60s cars - all the ones we were familiar with.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6L-ErSfXDNPkaeFgI4FvToy3KtaTPs6JiVPKmQKNvQKllN-S0KVx1cwcaz5jE-MXxfd1h2wVqvTQwLf5BkChB24mDbuIi4BBriN8o7KryghFSW65ZDX1I0dFWeCwWRp34IDlIpUsRxTmfVSFCftrZUKvCNtvGePkQO5xU_Oc2TQmycjJKutQlwu3K9xg/s4032/IMG_5295.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6L-ErSfXDNPkaeFgI4FvToy3KtaTPs6JiVPKmQKNvQKllN-S0KVx1cwcaz5jE-MXxfd1h2wVqvTQwLf5BkChB24mDbuIi4BBriN8o7KryghFSW65ZDX1I0dFWeCwWRp34IDlIpUsRxTmfVSFCftrZUKvCNtvGePkQO5xU_Oc2TQmycjJKutQlwu3K9xg/w300-h400/IMG_5295.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think my brother had one of these as his first car way back in the 1960s.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRz5IP-pg0T3kibJquGSMwVdefxmT-bxb8kWchdRDniiTC2ejdFYHUbvWdkoogyBGIf24nry4uTUnw1S2JHq9gxPlHuihfH3kN3N3TxjaJCTARq5GUS8H-hR-_nw9u8mAMuFt4Bv9jpbIGqn2vTe8JPKTSkPDViH6W8XooXF_evYTS2MlA7MwOo_GTQOo/s4032/IMG_5298.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRz5IP-pg0T3kibJquGSMwVdefxmT-bxb8kWchdRDniiTC2ejdFYHUbvWdkoogyBGIf24nry4uTUnw1S2JHq9gxPlHuihfH3kN3N3TxjaJCTARq5GUS8H-hR-_nw9u8mAMuFt4Bv9jpbIGqn2vTe8JPKTSkPDViH6W8XooXF_evYTS2MlA7MwOo_GTQOo/w400-h300/IMG_5298.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Bradford van - a friend owned one of these when I was flatting in Nixon St in Hamilton (Teacher's College days - not my favourite time of life). Two flats worth of young nutbars used to pile into the back of it and go jaunting around the city and outside. I remember one trip to Morrinsville for a milkshake. Other trips where we would pull up at the lights on Victoria St and all pile out, run around the van, get back in again in time for the lights to change to green and then off we'd go. As I said: nutbars.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /> <br /></li><li>part of the staying connected and not losing touch again was that we arranged for Sarah and Grahame, Norman and Marjorie plus two of the 3 young ones to come here for an early dinner after they had been to Tutus on Tour at Southwards the following weekend.</li><li>and another part of staying connected was that the next weekend Jo, Shane and Liam came for lunch.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUhA4oUNgS2cnkDnMd52pYDOelEwwTNJEZrDN_cgzIFdoUQ9fCSlaiebNYc2PaZG4W55IS0xMDeGTYFqNAOU3MFrUxLH5zdUoyIMrTpU3awkS7uo6Ult-B43qKUE4Y16hu3BicdcAtUJDYBauW_vwTlj3wUhQ_2LAeenJr1ZiDhu8rO4VLH_3UTh15hg/s4032/IMG_5352.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUhA4oUNgS2cnkDnMd52pYDOelEwwTNJEZrDN_cgzIFdoUQ9fCSlaiebNYc2PaZG4W55IS0xMDeGTYFqNAOU3MFrUxLH5zdUoyIMrTpU3awkS7uo6Ult-B43qKUE4Y16hu3BicdcAtUJDYBauW_vwTlj3wUhQ_2LAeenJr1ZiDhu8rO4VLH_3UTh15hg/w400-h300/IMG_5352.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liam (lovely kid), Jo and Shane here for lunch - afterwards, we played Five Crowns. Liam won and Shane came last. I think that's why he's not smiling ... Much hilarity! I think they were going to buy the game when they got home ...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></li><li>and then the following day we had Robert and Glenn over for lunch.</li></ul><p>I have to confess that I made the same meal for both of the Hutt Valley groups: construct your own tortillas with chilli beans (canned - lazy option but David says they are yummy - too hot for me...), spicy cooked tomato, onion and garlic, mushroom sauce, avocado, cheese, lettuce, pickles, relishes, beetroot and carrot salad.</p><p>I made a curry for Robert and Glenn - I thought it wise in case all guests conferred and found out about my lack of imagination. I did however, provide the same dessert to the last two sets of guests - apple tarts with icecream. Very yummy.<br /></p><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hTRjyGM8K3fB6BfsmPoUkCcYHHDWlGG92myFHmy-UfhdtccvqrUIGvapQJantKcWO3Roab1wAPi0RD_kblnr9lfwvKZBXtwU24ohqnh0bkBplOrGZt9V2y1Fdsjxv30h0W9S8S27A7ycwjfYt2qIbMCRxjA44PN6s6yRvR8GWkW8PTS6IWxu5y07eDo/s1059/IMG_5342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1059" data-original-width="828" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hTRjyGM8K3fB6BfsmPoUkCcYHHDWlGG92myFHmy-UfhdtccvqrUIGvapQJantKcWO3Roab1wAPi0RD_kblnr9lfwvKZBXtwU24ohqnh0bkBplOrGZt9V2y1Fdsjxv30h0W9S8S27A7ycwjfYt2qIbMCRxjA44PN6s6yRvR8GWkW8PTS6IWxu5y07eDo/w313-h400/IMG_5342.jpg" width="313" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I sent this to ACP as it seemed very apt.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-28234313441681483832024-02-02T18:18:00.000-08:002024-02-02T18:18:20.612-08:00An adventure abandoned<p> Earlier this week we decided that we would take the motorhome to Paraparaumu Beach and freedom camp on Friday night, go out for dinner at a nearby Indian restaurant with a friend, and be in pole position for Saturday breakfast with the guys.</p><p>So we loaded up with teabags, milk, bread, butter, cheese, chutney (in case we got hungry in the night ...), a few clothes and some toiletries; David primed the toilet cassette, and away we went. We called in at Novus Glass in Paraparaumu first because the new suction cup that Sam and the team at Freeway fitted also doesn't like the heat and had let go - leaving the rear view/reversing camera monitor dangling...</p><p>Jarrod glued the suction cup on to the windscreen having first removed the glued on bolt that the original camera monitor was attached to. Yay! That means the front windscreen blind now closes properly and I don't need to keep the two sides together with fat rubber bands!</p><p>He spoke about his slight anxiety re his ferry trip to Picton on Saturday morning given the weather was meant to be pants. I checked the Wellington, Picton and Cook Strait weather and told him he'd be fine, but to take it easy if it was windy on their way down to Invercargill on their motorbikes - there's a Bert Munro World's Fastest Indian event on this weekend, I think.</p><p>For some strange reason, it didn't occur to us it was going to be windy here on the Kapiti Coast - doh... But as we left his workshop, the rain started and we noticed that the sky was black to the west and south. And as we pulled into the freedom camping parking area on the Paraparaumu waterfront, we realised it was pretty damn bumpy with very strong wind gusts and the rain was coming in sideways. And we could barely see Kapiti Island through the deep black rain clouds.<br /></p><p>So we turned on the gas, started to make the bed, commented on the wind and the driving rain and then looked at each other. A very quick decision to call our friend David R and suggest cancelling dinner - he said he had just been about to call us and cancel. I do love it when all participants are on the same page!</p><p>Gas turned off, and home we went.</p><p>It was a bumpy drive back along the expressway, but to be fair, not as windy as our trip from Warkworth down to Whangaparoa a few weeks ago!</p><p>As it was hosing down and very windy at Waikanae, we parked the motorhome beside our house, unloaded the little we had taken with us and scurried inside to the warm, dry and immovable accommodation!</p><p>After the long trip to the Far North, we had decided we would do short trips away in the motorhome, but I am fairly sure we hadn't banked on durations of less than 3 hours ...<br /></p>Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-52218348425075166722024-01-21T19:36:00.000-08:002024-01-22T21:01:12.513-08:00It's too damn hot!<p> It may be very cold in the UK and bits of the canal may be frozen over and the new owners of Waka Huia may be considering fitting a firebox, <span style="color: red;"><b>but here in Waikanae it is too damn hot!!</b></span></p><p>We have resorted to using the heat pump's other function - air-conditioning. </p><p>We have also decided we need to get another unit fitted - we have one in the lounge dining, and we need one in our bedroom.</p><p>I know many people will tell me that 29 or 30 deg isn't hot, and I know my lovely sister is visiting friends up in the Far North where it was 29 deg on the day she arrived.</p><p><b><span style="color: red;">But for me (and for ACP) it is too damn hot - even at 24 deg!</span></b></p><p>I have been going out for a walk<b> </b>early in the last couple of mornings and it's pleasant at about 7am. By 8am it's getting hot and humid.</p><p>On Saturday we went out for breakfast up in Waikanae and David and I walked there. It started to rain during breakfast and the guys offered us a ride home, but we refused the kind offer. <span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>I just loved walking home in the rain. It felt wonderful!</b></span> <span style="color: red;"></span><b><span style="color: red;"> </span></b><br /></p>Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-91906344458222426922024-01-20T12:26:00.000-08:002024-01-20T12:26:30.586-08:00For British readers in particular - but for everyone really<p> Listen to this please: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=1454408831&i=1000642160423">James O'Brien Full Disclosure: Nick Wallis</a> </p><p>If the link doesn't work for you (it's Apple because we are Mac users here in this house), then look on your podcasts app and find <b>James O'Brien Full Disclosure: Nick Wallis; Exposing the Post Office scandal. </b>It's the latest interview on Full Disclosure.<br /></p><p>And if you haven't already watched it, get on to ITVx and watch the 4 part drama series about it.</p><p><br /></p>Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-91686777946024462692024-01-18T20:09:00.000-08:002024-01-22T21:00:08.313-08:00Visitors in the heat<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdOWV26ntH5I8dVTceunOvFHHv92gmkZzyU9X_J2sMcCKEd4GbrFk1qHsCSMpRk3jlSt0E7Xyk_3-bAmAsM5Vcoz7vf8azLQSzuQHP5MPU2etEl8foLQpJwijTJBxK11fbm-btce7y5wwHwp-FgUjeaMPtOZ6yylhf2yjvnPS-4pbSXvmDTG5Xoi2jdw/s4032/IMG_5130%202.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdOWV26ntH5I8dVTceunOvFHHv92gmkZzyU9X_J2sMcCKEd4GbrFk1qHsCSMpRk3jlSt0E7Xyk_3-bAmAsM5Vcoz7vf8azLQSzuQHP5MPU2etEl8foLQpJwijTJBxK11fbm-btce7y5wwHwp-FgUjeaMPtOZ6yylhf2yjvnPS-4pbSXvmDTG5Xoi2jdw/w300-h400/IMG_5130%202.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New hairstyle - not spiky enough to express my gentle personality, I think ...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkVSc4XInf06kgf7D6yK94YdhQDXnFtGbxWEvEwANdntpC-GBSPn2PYv9PZ7l1PykB2iZYfC-i5EFeEKHVTND9vFrt6ZmlxN7sXREmlLa2FMUeq1wMjeHvl7m0yG-xS7ZWiYqmwQMVTyMB-n8NTRy086FEPfSC-Vs6RvrW2C5jeZWKls05AnkThBEM35I/s4032/IMG_5131.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkVSc4XInf06kgf7D6yK94YdhQDXnFtGbxWEvEwANdntpC-GBSPn2PYv9PZ7l1PykB2iZYfC-i5EFeEKHVTND9vFrt6ZmlxN7sXREmlLa2FMUeq1wMjeHvl7m0yG-xS7ZWiYqmwQMVTyMB-n8NTRy086FEPfSC-Vs6RvrW2C5jeZWKls05AnkThBEM35I/w400-h300/IMG_5131.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out the back ...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhk5PHYxjT_39Izby8NJUnHK77Uqn2oyXyCBMM8pR1yRw0B5uBVWvuGBwilCtDfpxD61QjPlvClNOVqq9B9YBa1ePKG9j2E1iOot2SjQYA6Akb_Xwwilk34Spg_ZYcPj0jEIgXWlEqqKRFvCbhf7FMUSuS97Xx4wkVPFELNJWt8k0nr5XismFZXguGCec/s4032/IMG_5132.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhk5PHYxjT_39Izby8NJUnHK77Uqn2oyXyCBMM8pR1yRw0B5uBVWvuGBwilCtDfpxD61QjPlvClNOVqq9B9YBa1ePKG9j2E1iOot2SjQYA6Akb_Xwwilk34Spg_ZYcPj0jEIgXWlEqqKRFvCbhf7FMUSuS97Xx4wkVPFELNJWt8k0nr5XismFZXguGCec/w400-h300/IMG_5132.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pohutukawa are fabulous this summer - at least <b>they</b> love the heat! David and I were walking back to Parkwood down Kapanui Road.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUQYOn-FO9zU0Cuqwn146-lCmXmmr7z46-y5fXfD-a40tP4h-vVZPDOYL-F8PBpxROk0lLiHI7lkTsVf9YdsGjQFF3NzMMkLKEgHwWO8n5ak-NP3DRtHgiJSBGophc4M_jXjYlGDt6pEu9hRh8k96xXF_xR7Jt_4YpLdxHdRcjoFpHFIAmL-5VDPMNLU/s4032/IMG_5133.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUQYOn-FO9zU0Cuqwn146-lCmXmmr7z46-y5fXfD-a40tP4h-vVZPDOYL-F8PBpxROk0lLiHI7lkTsVf9YdsGjQFF3NzMMkLKEgHwWO8n5ak-NP3DRtHgiJSBGophc4M_jXjYlGDt6pEu9hRh8k96xXF_xR7Jt_4YpLdxHdRcjoFpHFIAmL-5VDPMNLU/w400-h300/IMG_5133.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Under the sun umbrella out the back.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKc7wnCo77WDjo2zhMYd5UVervYGIyiRM1jQb8pUdE3L-HjMGfp49A5gbSWoDvgliycamB6p_Q0daa423uk0BLoKfhKDUhJDaiYkgahVPWqe-LZNeQfuN_rKVV3zBcDhxjQQaGvJHqw147rUeJEcN4Ww8AhHP9l8-73J-1NLz7F7a9tAFlTJuZigcLKQ/s4032/IMG_5137.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKc7wnCo77WDjo2zhMYd5UVervYGIyiRM1jQb8pUdE3L-HjMGfp49A5gbSWoDvgliycamB6p_Q0daa423uk0BLoKfhKDUhJDaiYkgahVPWqe-LZNeQfuN_rKVV3zBcDhxjQQaGvJHqw147rUeJEcN4Ww8AhHP9l8-73J-1NLz7F7a9tAFlTJuZigcLKQ/w400-h300/IMG_5137.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the view from Kelson up above the Hutt Valley, where we went to pick up something David had purchased on TradeMe. That is the harbour entrance for Wellington - next stop: Antarctica<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>It has been so damn hot here that I am spending a fair amount of time lying down - almost none of it outside as I just cannot cope! And I know it's not just about my getting older. I was going to say that some of it may be about no longer living in Johnsonville where, even on the sunniest of days, there was always a cooling breeze. But, no that can't be it as we left Johnsonville back in 2014. And 2023 was the hottest year ever recorded... And 2024 looks to be shaping up to match it, if the first 19 days are anything to go by, dammit!</p><p>However, we have had lovely times with friends.</p><p><b>Cat and Henry</b> <br /></p><p>Cat and Henry whom we met at Waipoua Forest Camp and gave a ride to Dargaville the following day, got in touch (as requested) and came to stay for 3 nights. Because David was working, instead of setting them up in the spare bedroom/office, we set up two camp-stretchers complete with sponge mattresses (luxury, sheer luxury!)in the garage and the car lived outside for a bit. <br /></p><p>They had a pretty blobby time here too although they went out. On a couple of occasions, Henry busked, once in Waikanae ($35) and once at Paraparaumu Beach shops ($25). He's a good guitar player and has a lovely singing voice. Looks angelic and about 15, so I think that all helps...<br /></p><p>One evening, Cat made dinner - a veg chilli with lentils. Just yummy. I used the leftovers of that in a pie after they left when Michelle and Taffy came for lunch. Verdict: delicious.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMciUSKfCb56TfP9OR0qpYynTGAfs2tSi_KH-PBLxbxWq5MxXTRyO7AjW6EJ7Divb6jA-8WLRIqef1_UTiiK9sknKdE6Tb_e0TG7wspJAC9JJUqY6D7o1ErbX0gENjZg5aV0V3jiZ0XqG_JZi2BYJIy1y0tloeLLoU-FQCv3CafO2H-N6rNFSLdYX_sk/s4032/IMG_5140.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMciUSKfCb56TfP9OR0qpYynTGAfs2tSi_KH-PBLxbxWq5MxXTRyO7AjW6EJ7Divb6jA-8WLRIqef1_UTiiK9sknKdE6Tb_e0TG7wspJAC9JJUqY6D7o1ErbX0gENjZg5aV0V3jiZ0XqG_JZi2BYJIy1y0tloeLLoU-FQCv3CafO2H-N6rNFSLdYX_sk/w400-h300/IMG_5140.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner outside with Cat and Henry - Cat's vege chilli, quesadillas (homemade!) and lots of toppings. Delicious!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqvKJVGbRfZyFwV0CtyUbSMlQHZW6jA3-WOsw98r1Srs5MxynOHNTm7uw7_DWrl8Q_36zmfyyEQ01gbqtZeDhKtXuEcVnW8wdbKPIebClRT11UxdfuIw-znnxvC_2RHTazQJ-d9Xh_WiEYBheDu0gv_WOhNG29Y64bUhkxeA6DvlPctUKayLWAfKyWPw/s4032/IMG_5141.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqvKJVGbRfZyFwV0CtyUbSMlQHZW6jA3-WOsw98r1Srs5MxynOHNTm7uw7_DWrl8Q_36zmfyyEQ01gbqtZeDhKtXuEcVnW8wdbKPIebClRT11UxdfuIw-znnxvC_2RHTazQJ-d9Xh_WiEYBheDu0gv_WOhNG29Y64bUhkxeA6DvlPctUKayLWAfKyWPw/w400-h300/IMG_5141.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We offered them one of the tents we had bought for Kirsty and Olek when we did our road trip in March. So Henry had to put it up to check a) that he could, and b) that it was suitable.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQ4advr9ISwzEeS58xeqp65G-_4myDs9VBQ9VJWS8zXVB5WHPdMGYjJBcTLLX3MhV6hjFMzrtgOdK1wL6AazbuEruYHSQrvhawqbJ_aKHq3IsDeZPeRlu6rlxkQ5Xx-ioQaFz6SHlJKZiBtn8dSPQL-bBrvjKe6UBCvC6WL7aAG4ZStSp8ErrYsntOLI/s4032/IMG_5143.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQ4advr9ISwzEeS58xeqp65G-_4myDs9VBQ9VJWS8zXVB5WHPdMGYjJBcTLLX3MhV6hjFMzrtgOdK1wL6AazbuEruYHSQrvhawqbJ_aKHq3IsDeZPeRlu6rlxkQ5Xx-ioQaFz6SHlJKZiBtn8dSPQL-bBrvjKe6UBCvC6WL7aAG4ZStSp8ErrYsntOLI/w400-h300/IMG_5143.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I did have to help so there are very few photos. Cat was OK for them to accept it, on condition that Henry carries it without complaining about the additional weight (it's 4.7kg)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-nHvAzoIvC2f856upvGTw9AMq4eAVLw5nmiVQWccbz39dr7DAIpp9l4HXFfoL6iNp8ju8L3E6sSY8krfiooP1SigrWYZ5HTcT1mrW1SnngvPbswPzSVW7Uj9X3GZqAvowP5gqUPzlAUGpjxfUaSjZ8KU2rVMWQrFYarviGLXkMspDspXRfrl7Bq8vIM/s4032/IMG_5144.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-nHvAzoIvC2f856upvGTw9AMq4eAVLw5nmiVQWccbz39dr7DAIpp9l4HXFfoL6iNp8ju8L3E6sSY8krfiooP1SigrWYZ5HTcT1mrW1SnngvPbswPzSVW7Uj9X3GZqAvowP5gqUPzlAUGpjxfUaSjZ8KU2rVMWQrFYarviGLXkMspDspXRfrl7Bq8vIM/w400-h300/IMG_5144.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It did get tautened and looked pretty respectable - almost up to Olek and Kirsty standards! But nowhere near as fast as Kirsty and Olek.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxr88t56oJ6EFaNl7VhpEUq-nzPRhUfRIBgH2H8gXUolxhAnDf9QHGEQaU84HvZ6FK_XcvEP_DyuG_iuwX-sVGj_yNEqqj0IxLLj7GlEKE3TagZQF9gQsz1tadz6yBG5Hr-9Q3mbAoWrZsJHRn0dYiYJJ_b2OSx_L0o1AsLuTq0kRYEXP9hpPmXOW70_o/s4032/IMG_5145.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxr88t56oJ6EFaNl7VhpEUq-nzPRhUfRIBgH2H8gXUolxhAnDf9QHGEQaU84HvZ6FK_XcvEP_DyuG_iuwX-sVGj_yNEqqj0IxLLj7GlEKE3TagZQF9gQsz1tadz6yBG5Hr-9Q3mbAoWrZsJHRn0dYiYJJ_b2OSx_L0o1AsLuTq0kRYEXP9hpPmXOW70_o/w400-h300/IMG_5145.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I dropped them at the Waikanae Railway Station and away they went. Hopefully we will see them again before they head back to the UK, either here or when we are in the South Island.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MRXK0v3IeSufuL7Sady0psIY6ywB27QpQRMZxHyUTHD9Hip0aOBzEpyHMIGFg-5-xbRUwBGwjJyJyPwSX1vNfyI7tpjIiFtIC2dFsBrArVTyBJ1vZRV2dqZC77Dw1CK3mKUM9Jq1a_2zNQZIYasGmQg31Eh4hyphenhyphenwiU6ZPqntlWGT1ws_O48Rqs-x7P0M/s4032/IMG_5148.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MRXK0v3IeSufuL7Sady0psIY6ywB27QpQRMZxHyUTHD9Hip0aOBzEpyHMIGFg-5-xbRUwBGwjJyJyPwSX1vNfyI7tpjIiFtIC2dFsBrArVTyBJ1vZRV2dqZC77Dw1CK3mKUM9Jq1a_2zNQZIYasGmQg31Eh4hyphenhyphenwiU6ZPqntlWGT1ws_O48Rqs-x7P0M/w400-h300/IMG_5148.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy young people.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWDvH9lm5mYC-JqbNpDiWGhJxpQmda1RG8f2O6ZgcvRCjTozdQdsr9xFkySIAl8T8Cq4je2_iFsb4AS3Say5eQ55fpchbVi0MG9MTofWXVo50-7i0iF3TXOt2te3fxctKI_dW_CE7K_gLogfbgNqdtuaeagDL-CeLPUkfQevwpCJX39NqAuKIgxWyYIY/s4032/IMG_5149.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWDvH9lm5mYC-JqbNpDiWGhJxpQmda1RG8f2O6ZgcvRCjTozdQdsr9xFkySIAl8T8Cq4je2_iFsb4AS3Say5eQ55fpchbVi0MG9MTofWXVo50-7i0iF3TXOt2te3fxctKI_dW_CE7K_gLogfbgNqdtuaeagDL-CeLPUkfQevwpCJX39NqAuKIgxWyYIY/w400-h300/IMG_5149.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely young people to have around.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>Michelle and Taffy</b> <br /></p><p>Michelle and Taffy came for lunch and I used the leftovers of Cat's chilli in a pie - verdict: delicious!<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0DPjbT7Pa2E6d06-8Y32nrUlHRtoGF5b5l6WoD3Ank1qUmKMbz5nOd9Q1c2OfXQd2Z8sen-w08YjCetUlVJpug1NjM9HtcLvHvkbyXPRFA7-YR-rniqsBqoAH2O83zVBo_1zydv9xwn703cTRu6cFfRE11hcXTYK4O7QFpiuumQ3NNaxggXnFWSHojU/s4032/IMG_5150.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0DPjbT7Pa2E6d06-8Y32nrUlHRtoGF5b5l6WoD3Ank1qUmKMbz5nOd9Q1c2OfXQd2Z8sen-w08YjCetUlVJpug1NjM9HtcLvHvkbyXPRFA7-YR-rniqsBqoAH2O83zVBo_1zydv9xwn703cTRu6cFfRE11hcXTYK4O7QFpiuumQ3NNaxggXnFWSHojU/w400-h300/IMG_5150.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After lunch, Michelle, Taffy and I went for a walk over to Parklands - on the Forest Walk Taffy pointed out these two kereru. They were <b>huge</b>!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcipp5-3VhE0W6fBXXeFsHslluY86lHyS_zRQltkzB60rOd0cmWdeky8qpCT3-onAXzT_v5IbHoukl9sNO3wKE-cgsF6u3d8_QxQXktA4pZkzZSEEh1MvyJRhkECwKOPYJut_Hw7elBLqrbh_QmPX_fYPidHXwewvhbItlURIYgcgXfvCqQxxW5ScsSLQ/s4032/IMG_5151.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcipp5-3VhE0W6fBXXeFsHslluY86lHyS_zRQltkzB60rOd0cmWdeky8qpCT3-onAXzT_v5IbHoukl9sNO3wKE-cgsF6u3d8_QxQXktA4pZkzZSEEh1MvyJRhkECwKOPYJut_Hw7elBLqrbh_QmPX_fYPidHXwewvhbItlURIYgcgXfvCqQxxW5ScsSLQ/w400-h300/IMG_5151.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See? <b>Enormous</b>!!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <br /></p><p><b>Sarah </b><br /></p><p>Our lovely Sarah came to stay for a long weekend and it was great to see her. Sarah has featured in the blog before a few times, because she and I have worked together often over the last 35 years - from when she was in her 20s and I was in my 30s. So we are firm friends.</p><p>You know that friends are good'uns when you don't have to do anything to entertain them and they are happy to pitch in and prepare food, and then very happy to eat leftovers for the next couple of days. </p><p>We had a couple of afternoons of blobbing - lying on our respective beds. David had relocated his required work machine (i.e. my laptop) to our bedroom and was under strict instructions not to indulge in chat while I was reading or dozing.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga10wHhqx_s1W0j6hMhZofIVN76M3HE-vS8qPTpnaabpFySj0N6CV-QMnNBfEITw5dWp_3Rdtotcjwdj5zxkZriHgdtlCvro421ICO1yNN52pMuJ9LokDBbuVhWAfsQW2cf64stvT6D_CywwBtgShSC0LodRSyMQTX_eV7Okmzyr6iT4b1_o33kCQmJP0/s4032/IMG_5165.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga10wHhqx_s1W0j6hMhZofIVN76M3HE-vS8qPTpnaabpFySj0N6CV-QMnNBfEITw5dWp_3Rdtotcjwdj5zxkZriHgdtlCvro421ICO1yNN52pMuJ9LokDBbuVhWAfsQW2cf64stvT6D_CywwBtgShSC0LodRSyMQTX_eV7Okmzyr6iT4b1_o33kCQmJP0/w400-h300/IMG_5165.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We went for a walk around the path that circumnavigates much of Woodlands, the part of Parkwood where we live. Beautiful to be in the cool and the dappled sunlight.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqR5Xquhh6VQryT7eYdjyjbWT2VZ-ll811X-Yk1OH9918geR_Si5Tq_rQ4f3UshLBGb-daiFIUgmCxyB9R9TYmGTRU5YVA4p8kbGNaw2Vk_rg-IJ3jGE5hbZuy-w3WIZ6BjIt3bnK9uSXCoUJzh_od8YBR6c9-0p3CKrH5LuTahPRZkw5stzvlb6NNDbs/s4032/IMG_5167.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqR5Xquhh6VQryT7eYdjyjbWT2VZ-ll811X-Yk1OH9918geR_Si5Tq_rQ4f3UshLBGb-daiFIUgmCxyB9R9TYmGTRU5YVA4p8kbGNaw2Vk_rg-IJ3jGE5hbZuy-w3WIZ6BjIt3bnK9uSXCoUJzh_od8YBR6c9-0p3CKrH5LuTahPRZkw5stzvlb6NNDbs/w400-h300/IMG_5167.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David wanted this photo because it looks like he is taller than Sarah, but he isn't at all. He's using my trick of standing on a higher step ...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-d4553Mv3FwufcpHq5FCaw8osbMpxG3GKUzHrT6LK7pNIJ46NTy9bssxJE23vLYec5dxczCtEo9KKBSQqKG5q3YPXrYaj3W-yWqOgo23Cl2JG47EuhnqdQRRwngS_hOSwpUCeVp6KH0g17lsLt9ToBWibgizOxtn_tgkclOAHyFdRR6KtTFcy-3EBpo/s4032/IMG_5162.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-d4553Mv3FwufcpHq5FCaw8osbMpxG3GKUzHrT6LK7pNIJ46NTy9bssxJE23vLYec5dxczCtEo9KKBSQqKG5q3YPXrYaj3W-yWqOgo23Cl2JG47EuhnqdQRRwngS_hOSwpUCeVp6KH0g17lsLt9ToBWibgizOxtn_tgkclOAHyFdRR6KtTFcy-3EBpo/w400-h300/IMG_5162.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the way round on this walk, I kept saying 'We are so lucky to live here!' And we are.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>Robert and Glenn</b> <br /></p><p>One set of leftovers that we had to consume was the range of dishes we had prepared for when Robert and Glenn came for dinner - deconstructed nachos and doner kebabs. And the height thing came up then in a discussion about whether Karol is now taller than me. Answer: Yes. There was a measuring session here in the kitchen and pencil marks on the doorjamb. And I have shrunk about 2 centimetres since I was last measured for a passport (I am now 153cm... ) And Sarah is a good 3cm taller than David. Yay!! No wonder Kirsty looks taller than David - because she is!<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPVCO2lpuiDlEyP7pgoQp4HaTiH_hWCiWYEPhvX6hku8irszUV-YELQ5w_1CIyqaLPkn0TgrO-WYZJ9Nq-ZpXyhlYqzlShmOhksr_1D4YihqA9qZyIMFMA7ji731SNwAbiQ4AlXklRIm726JQhEigaiPNYp7K896zw5BsuNrtHb6wtikthi-DBlZwV0p4/s4032/IMG_5176.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPVCO2lpuiDlEyP7pgoQp4HaTiH_hWCiWYEPhvX6hku8irszUV-YELQ5w_1CIyqaLPkn0TgrO-WYZJ9Nq-ZpXyhlYqzlShmOhksr_1D4YihqA9qZyIMFMA7ji731SNwAbiQ4AlXklRIm726JQhEigaiPNYp7K896zw5BsuNrtHb6wtikthi-DBlZwV0p4/w400-h300/IMG_5176.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah has such a radiant smile!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>At one point Sarah took a call from one of Jack's carers (Jack has dementia and is in a lovely care home in Nelson). Sarah is just amazing with Jack. This time his call was to tell her she needed to pick him up the next day to take him to a talk he was going to be giving about bowling. (Jack was an Australian cricketer back in the day, also the first coach in the Australian Cricket Academy, and a well respected and much loved coach in the UK which is where we met him back in 2006.) Sarah didn't argue with Jack about his imagined bowling talk arrangement - she went along with it, and reassured him she would bring everything he needed and she'd get him there on time. In that conversation, he thought she was his mother and told her he had met this lovely girl called Sarah that he really liked ...</p><p>Some time ago when Jack was just starting on this dementia journey, we recommended that Sarah get and read the book 'Contented Dementia'. She says it has been hugely helpful in helping her to help Jack.</p><p>She has been amazingly sensible in recognising when she was reaching her limit as a full time carer for Jack and seeking help before that breaking point came. It's a lesson many of us need to learn as we and our partners age - and it's an honest conversation we need to have together so we can be prepared. It's a tough one though, that's for sure.<br /></p><p>Anyway, just after the phone call, the bowling talk disappeared from Jack's thinking and he was settled and happy - all because Sarah went along with it knowing he'd forget it in a few minutes' time, especially if he was thwarted or told he was wrong. </p><p>She is such an example of how to do this care stuff with calmness, love, empathy and compassion. And humour. If Jack knew this was what was happening, he would be the first to be appreciative.</p><p>Since Sarah left it has been quite quiet - and it's been too hot to do much. <br /></p><p><b>Grahame</b> <br /></p><p>And then we had Grahame around for an early dinner one evening. Build your own falafel burgers. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zopyY2vAjCq3yxSXZsmruG8tzKVVluQ16x_JfA3GUwVkwa__v-BgVLFDxF8BcmT1109fwPxmYLEHoS5tqwKEzkGnJkcHdg2zD-JiXILPxO0IR-rapUlacqTnl3GTD38KaPFLAn8pr16dll29eLSbkp02-tU0Pl37Owe8ITsJT1ebyqbQJb9azc0ER9o/s4032/IMG_5134.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zopyY2vAjCq3yxSXZsmruG8tzKVVluQ16x_JfA3GUwVkwa__v-BgVLFDxF8BcmT1109fwPxmYLEHoS5tqwKEzkGnJkcHdg2zD-JiXILPxO0IR-rapUlacqTnl3GTD38KaPFLAn8pr16dll29eLSbkp02-tU0Pl37Owe8ITsJT1ebyqbQJb9azc0ER9o/w400-h300/IMG_5134.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grahame with burger construction underway. A lot more leftovers were created but none were harmed.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <br /></p><p> <b>Luke</b></p><p>A knock on the door the other day and it was Luke. He'd been checking a house over in Waikanae and decided to call in. No cheese scones as David had given the last ones to Mike the tiler who had come earlier that day. (I have to accept responsibility, as I told David to give them to Mike while I was off at the osteopath's.)<br /></p><p>Lovely to see Luke, although he did vote for at least some of the tossers who are forming this current government we are cursed with.<b><br /></b></p><p>But yesterday I was up early to bring the motorhome over to the house so we (when I say we I mean David) could empty the grey water tank which we had neglected to do when we got back on Boxing Day. But bugger it, the starter battery was dead flat. Read 12v when David checked it. So the AA man came and gave it a jump start, I drove it over to the house and left the engine running while David emptied the tank - and he did moan that the drain pipe is next to the exhaust and was I trying to kill him again? 'Good idea', I said. 'Just wait while I go and get a tent to erect around you.' Apparently, I am evil. π</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgML_y3lmFKFfVe079MNOqOzqelDzxMdwIoZwYfuSwwLJ7LXvCTbpO_ZapJXAlPsgGKaK4hjIah3584ZzzwPTUR1DTbahB0kJ2aZ1jtvDcqcM-o3P0uZ4G3Xb53-iYk9twgrKaFCxN6r9E-tkRbT0p3W9rN_t7RhDvlFvEpbl86BXiVC4DS9UXs6cQbmRY/s828/IMG_5159.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="785" data-original-width="828" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgML_y3lmFKFfVe079MNOqOzqelDzxMdwIoZwYfuSwwLJ7LXvCTbpO_ZapJXAlPsgGKaK4hjIah3584ZzzwPTUR1DTbahB0kJ2aZ1jtvDcqcM-o3P0uZ4G3Xb53-iYk9twgrKaFCxN6r9E-tkRbT0p3W9rN_t7RhDvlFvEpbl86BXiVC4DS9UXs6cQbmRY/w400-h379/IMG_5159.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well, we don't have an upstairs for me to be calling from, but there are days when I'd climb a ladder to do this...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Then, all without turning the engine off, I went down to Paraparaumu to Blair Auto Electrical and they speedily fitted a new battery for me - excellent service.</p><p><b>David H</b> <br /></p><p>Well, while I was out and there was still a bit of pension money left in the account, I thought I might as well go to the supermarket for the few bits I needed. And while I was at the checkout, a guy came up and made some cheeky comment to me. His face looked familiar, but it wasn't till he grinned that I recognised him. David Huggett, a friend of Tim's from high school and rugby. So lovely to see him and to meet his wife and two beautiful girls. They live in Wanaka so guess who we will be visiting when we are down that way next!?</p><p>This morning I have dropped the motorhome off at Freeway RV Services for them to replace the window stays that were damaged/destroyed at Ruakaka when the gust of wind took the window up and off. An easy drive there and a peaceful train ride back - the Goldcard wins again! Because I caught the train at 9.02 I didn't have to pay. Being over 65 is a boon at times!<br /></p><p>You won't know but there is a big kerfuffle here in Waikanae at the moment because the town bridge is closed to traffic (vehicular and pedestrian) while a clip-on pedestrian/cycle lane is added. The bridge has always been unsafe for cyclists to use and uncomfortable for pedestrians - it's an old bridge, serviceable but pretty narrow with a narrow path to match. A number of locals are up in arms because they think the timeframe for completing the work is 'too long' and it's too inconvenient and will take longer for them to go to places they want to get to, and the traffic jams will be heinous. I have no sympathy:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>before the Expressway opened, traffic was regularly nose to tail from Whenua Tapu Cemetery near Plimmerton to Otaki (in both directions) - and that situation prevailed for many years. The commute from Wellington to Waikanae was regularly over 1.5 hours. And getting to Paraparaumu could easily be 20 minutes.<br /></li><li>people struggle to grasp the tasks that go into these pieces of work: that it's not just clipping on a bridge lane - it isn't just a few bulldog clips and nuts and bolts. There's:<br /></li><ul><li>engineering/earthworks and construction of abutments at either end, </li><li>constructing links to existing or new footpaths and cycleways<br /></li><li>preparing and installing signage<br /></li><li>safety/engineering inspections, resource consent inspections and all the relevant signoffs. </li><ul><li>it's a local road but also a State Highway, so there's local, regional and national processes to be followed - and if they aren't and something goes wrong, there will be hell to pay by the same people moaning about the length of time it takes to 'just clip on a cycle lane' and the ones who say 'but no one uses it now...'</li></ul><li>and other stuff I know nothing about <br /></li></ul></ul><p>Anyway, all this is leading up to say that when I left here at 7.30am, there was no hold up getting on to Te Moana Road, there was no traffic lined up waiting to get on to the Expressway at Waikanae, and there was no queue at the exit and lights at Paraparaumu waiting to get on to Kapiti Rd in either direction. So it wasn't a catastrophe as we are led to believe.<br /></p><p>People need to get a grip - perhaps go and sit in traffic anywhere on the M25 or M1 or M4 in the UK or, closer to home, on the motorway between Tawa and Johnsonville and points south every morning, or almost any time of the day on SH1 through Auckland.</p><p>AAARRRGGGHHH!!!</p><p><b>The Polish/Scottish branch</b></p><p>And while we are lolling about in the heat, Marta, Trevor, Olek, Mickenzie and friend Sam are in the Alps in Europe skiing and snowboarding<b>.<br /></b></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQKR0Y0zuLtXjtwEHDmEEZcxZq_24_0SDEJQS_AbFXuU6CxZH4rlmreGe9zHTQCO3PmPQN8_sLiLd8sBsDIwoLsWxxQpkOnGb6ifUQlqC8h64Iz1p4AnexGE73ia798MDVoSnLe3WnTjs3cnlT6HvGOhIPGmaiDm73LLVqgBSc_auWJo6UzlqbsiHzsg/s1024/0eaeb012-837f-4f85-98a9-7e13b0d2d2a2.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQKR0Y0zuLtXjtwEHDmEEZcxZq_24_0SDEJQS_AbFXuU6CxZH4rlmreGe9zHTQCO3PmPQN8_sLiLd8sBsDIwoLsWxxQpkOnGb6ifUQlqC8h64Iz1p4AnexGE73ia798MDVoSnLe3WnTjs3cnlT6HvGOhIPGmaiDm73LLVqgBSc_auWJo6UzlqbsiHzsg/w400-h300/0eaeb012-837f-4f85-98a9-7e13b0d2d2a2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> . This is Olek and Sam<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguvZNqhVIgoGOxRxND-CLz1-BUXPzZ512vuMQrx7yHnPqcT9kbza1XRCl4ifI-netEUboSlFELdb6QOQdSfTUvmr8Rza0ElvfbL4sKxcwPaAwEGecIFklRxCnaEWOAMjUnAozpszckWSAapCatzmcYwKxg2fteMSApwtONh-eOl3vvbsoD9cEDs9WuFfU/s2048/d872f821-a70d-453a-862c-6e8a80c1e1b4.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguvZNqhVIgoGOxRxND-CLz1-BUXPzZ512vuMQrx7yHnPqcT9kbza1XRCl4ifI-netEUboSlFELdb6QOQdSfTUvmr8Rza0ElvfbL4sKxcwPaAwEGecIFklRxCnaEWOAMjUnAozpszckWSAapCatzmcYwKxg2fteMSApwtONh-eOl3vvbsoD9cEDs9WuFfU/w300-h400/d872f821-a70d-453a-862c-6e8a80c1e1b4.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mickenzie and Tevor - they both have a thing about headgear, obviously...</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIAzyXW4H1MbjvwazIxqCaOeOlpVG-S1N7NSEGLSBDbKQFcPbTzy1C7byogK_PIg5IlPyJuNXtVZ6kw5b1EAKncMfVHp-9tKv152rurhmUA0EhiAbql25LUAgBQE4MvSZPxpH2Iwv3IF7Kxqu0pS1jSYTaNjbKhdaSgJdJbD7ushVnQaOFo5mAuE_oKs/s1024/515ecae4-990c-4971-92d2-e67dfe1807be.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIAzyXW4H1MbjvwazIxqCaOeOlpVG-S1N7NSEGLSBDbKQFcPbTzy1C7byogK_PIg5IlPyJuNXtVZ6kw5b1EAKncMfVHp-9tKv152rurhmUA0EhiAbql25LUAgBQE4MvSZPxpH2Iwv3IF7Kxqu0pS1jSYTaNjbKhdaSgJdJbD7ushVnQaOFo5mAuE_oKs/w400-h300/515ecae4-990c-4971-92d2-e67dfe1807be.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marta and Trevor π<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><br /><p><b>The boating branch</b><br /></p><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1qeAIeAMdhtOT1TRtfDL0LNdwJQYoA2zB0d7YOCEPneI3tkg-Vbop6WehugVdGRsNLeGcn0Cu06cJAyfHTtphCnoRaF8HovJ4p2NM7pwshXoS6lh4dg6Gu88h_A-fSP6BYs8guX7aBwBC8nFd2h4OvmdUNcCdzptXyGrooIup0FJsUt8UscKPZTkNt0/s800/39d36c18-9350-486f-9b3f-0c68b40bed7e.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1qeAIeAMdhtOT1TRtfDL0LNdwJQYoA2zB0d7YOCEPneI3tkg-Vbop6WehugVdGRsNLeGcn0Cu06cJAyfHTtphCnoRaF8HovJ4p2NM7pwshXoS6lh4dg6Gu88h_A-fSP6BYs8guX7aBwBC8nFd2h4OvmdUNcCdzptXyGrooIup0FJsUt8UscKPZTkNt0/w400-h268/39d36c18-9350-486f-9b3f-0c68b40bed7e.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ian and Irene were nearly iced in a few days ago. But today they are - it was -9 deg C this morning for them...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAAMLeQ9FrY7Wjur18i5MhTvItjUor25UxPHbFXWnMIkMUBfcMCOu3nQZN8hMLVFaY4RWLgXZaKdyWisTysOVO-Z-W2JiipdnZCQv3pJW8MVFfmU942jR9PQO8DnhbziUfG2WBEuOBQt0m1GWaOfCP3T5h98BXkxpSYxqq9cCXw9wbgQK-lZavINIPT_M/s2016/8124296c-7a32-4bd2-8fe3-ff5d1c8643f0.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAAMLeQ9FrY7Wjur18i5MhTvItjUor25UxPHbFXWnMIkMUBfcMCOu3nQZN8hMLVFaY4RWLgXZaKdyWisTysOVO-Z-W2JiipdnZCQv3pJW8MVFfmU942jR9PQO8DnhbziUfG2WBEuOBQt0m1GWaOfCP3T5h98BXkxpSYxqq9cCXw9wbgQK-lZavINIPT_M/w300-h400/8124296c-7a32-4bd2-8fe3-ff5d1c8643f0.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Icy windows ...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyPmhj3IlkLTYAkkgmrI_biek1xKh5Q7DvWCb8m7zJT641j9sKW1fAivrnyI28pvG9IOG-2CURy-cukxPprl53UVL8RKeKQejnfPmoAettmJZQKEL4eniynW3nHCMk97qRmBp0qmagWnTTB2OTKK625nLt2iHUvknFblYYmTpZxsOxTfUvla88AoywLQ/s2016/b149b4a7-c029-4d46-904c-dd4ed941e041.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyPmhj3IlkLTYAkkgmrI_biek1xKh5Q7DvWCb8m7zJT641j9sKW1fAivrnyI28pvG9IOG-2CURy-cukxPprl53UVL8RKeKQejnfPmoAettmJZQKEL4eniynW3nHCMk97qRmBp0qmagWnTTB2OTKK625nLt2iHUvknFblYYmTpZxsOxTfUvla88AoywLQ/w300-h400/b149b4a7-c029-4d46-904c-dd4ed941e041.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At 7.51am, -9.3 deg. Glad it's not me...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>I'll check later with the new owners of Waka Huia and see how they are holding up. I hope they are keeping warm!<br /></p><br />Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-68308741339164820382024-01-05T22:30:00.000-08:002024-01-05T22:30:02.930-08:00A quiet start to the new year<p> After driving well over 2000 kms since 11 November, I was a bit tired (understatement) and so I had a few days of blobbing when we arrived home. Blobbing interspersed with clearing out the motorhome; but to be honest, I did leave most of that to ACP.</p><p>About the extent of my contribution was washing anything and everything that may need it, and considering that happened using the washing machine, I can hardly take credit for even 40% of the efforts. I did, however, wash the outside of the motorhome. We had given the bottom half a couple of quick washes while away when it looked too dusty/muddy/messy to put up with; but once it was home it had a full clean apart from the roof - I didn't feel up to climbing the ladder under the scrutiny of Parkwood residents. We are apparently not meant to have ladders here...<br /></p><p>We had a lovely New Year celebration at Robert and Glenn's - we had set it up back before we headed away and together we had determined that it would be from 5.30pm to 9pm and the new year could see itself in without our help. So after a pot luck dinner contributed to by Gary, Bruce and David R, Robert and Glenn, and ACP and me, and a fair amount of hilarity, with Brian and Robin joining us,we headed home before it was even dark! Gosh, that felt good!</p><p>On New Year's Day we had Rob and Brian come for lunch. So cool to see them - Rob used to be our gardener back when we lived in Johnsonville and continued to be so when we moved to Rata St in Waikanae. It was Rob who did all the amazing work of turning the jungle into a beautiful garden, along with Luke's contribution of chainsawing down the excess trees that had no space to grow. Rob only stopped doing our garden when he went off to become a nurse - a late career change but a good one.</p><p>It was a beautiful day so we ate outside. Vegetable curry (kumara, pumpkin, cauli, peas and chickpea), rice, and a few side dishes (cucumber raita; banana lemon juice and coconut; chopped tomato and onion) and a couple of chutneys. And for dessert I made a nectarine galette - very yummy.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0WMssJeepbbbs6dXmT7oXhMgcCjRkv-Skw-CQeRln6OaIClREXoppvjiCuy9llSB_8ByNHiTKoIcWKwjPqyU9kFRn3Hs4lhq_Y-QNFff35ITqFCrGzrKacxNqXJPG1LkZu5F23siwTKCnO71NR2S7ABKiArGSA0ZT3EHTZuBY_0SDsKm7-bX1JjGnGPQ/s4032/IMG_5114.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0WMssJeepbbbs6dXmT7oXhMgcCjRkv-Skw-CQeRln6OaIClREXoppvjiCuy9llSB_8ByNHiTKoIcWKwjPqyU9kFRn3Hs4lhq_Y-QNFff35ITqFCrGzrKacxNqXJPG1LkZu5F23siwTKCnO71NR2S7ABKiArGSA0ZT3EHTZuBY_0SDsKm7-bX1JjGnGPQ/w400-h300/IMG_5114.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rob, Brian and David under the umbrella on our patio. Mel is at the head of the table...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Yesterday I went to Churton Park to see Michelle and have my hair cut. Not spiky this time - my hair had got so long between the last cut back in early November and yesterday, that there was opportunity to try a different style. I am a trifle worried that it is a bit soft - I dread to think anyone will think I've had a personality change ...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtUvhAAaMZbq45KKuUm-XAjUvE5KtOgjSo58pX1CyeCZ7bTSuQYNT9kcSr0KSlBAGjvzPJzOy6zLhN6EJJvJyWEFHLP6F0kiJK6bcK654W9LMqCfNaMArGRlWhyphenhyphenUXANEw_sKK8tHxOnAgFevQSEaZi9d8Y3pxlQwx9ZooQJI3Zjs2jh7lcMb8J6qLAoQ/s4032/IMG_5130.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtUvhAAaMZbq45KKuUm-XAjUvE5KtOgjSo58pX1CyeCZ7bTSuQYNT9kcSr0KSlBAGjvzPJzOy6zLhN6EJJvJyWEFHLP6F0kiJK6bcK654W9LMqCfNaMArGRlWhyphenhyphenUXANEw_sKK8tHxOnAgFevQSEaZi9d8Y3pxlQwx9ZooQJI3Zjs2jh7lcMb8J6qLAoQ/w300-h400/IMG_5130.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I cannot keep my eyes fully open when I smile, dammit!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>And in the afternoon, we had Joy and Autry come for afternoon tea, and not long before they were due to arrive, Grahame Bilby phoned - he was home early from his trip to Auckland. So he came too. Joy and Autry used to live up the road from us in Johnsonville and we both ran our houses as B&Bs and we shared guests. They moved up to Waikanae before us and when we were in Rata St, we were about one kilometre from them. Now we are just a bit further away. Cheese scones and chocolate brownie, lots of chat. The three guests had met before at Rata St and all 3 had beautiful gardens. Grahame and his late wife Joy were on the Waikanae Garden Trail one year before they moved into Parkwood, and Autry and Joy are on it again later this month - I think I'll go and visit them before the trail begins...</p><p>Today we had Judy come to visit - Judy is our bike accident friend who is rehabilitating in the Acquired Brain Injury Unit at Kenepuru in Porirua. Jim has gone home to Onaero for a sabbatical and Steph, one of their lovely daughters, is over from Adelaide. Steph brought Judy out for lunch and lots of chat.</p><p>Lunch was a veg curry pie with coleslaw, and beetroot and carrot salad. Dessert, after Judy had had a nap and Steph and I went out for a wander and called in on Peter, was roasted nectarines and peaches with cream. Judy is doing very well in her recovery but it is a long road. She is such a stoic.</p><p>It was lovely to meet Steph - that apple hasn't fallen far from the tree, that is for sure! Such a neat woman. Quiet and shy, just like her mum and me ...<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-36897061236318642782024-01-03T18:34:00.000-08:002024-01-03T18:59:21.657-08:00Tongaporutu - a blessing, as always<p> When we left Hamilton City Holiday Park - definitely a good place to stay, if anyone is looking for recommendations - it was quite early in the morning. Not too early, because we wanted to arrive at Pio Pio when The Fat Pigeon Cafe was open, and prior to that, at Te Kuiti when New World supermarket was open so we could buy 20 litres of water, in case we ran low at Tongaporutu.</p><p>But before we left HCHP, we filled with water and emptied the cassettes and the grey water (no capacity for any of those at Tongaporutu). And given it was early, we did it as quietly as we could. But in the early morning stillness, every noise seems so much louder...</p><p>David's cough was still noisy and frequent and phlegmy, so he was armed with a large box of tissues and under instruction to blow his nose every couple of minutes to remove said phlegm and reduce the cough frequency to a level that reduced my noise sensitivity readings to 'able to be lived with'. TMI, I know, but someone may find it helpful.</p><p>I had also shown him the hollow pressure point either side of the nose on the upper side of the eye socket bone which, when pressed on, helps to drain the sinuses - very effective. Not sure where or when I learned about it, but it's a goodie.</p><p>As we left Hamilton, I was struck by how much the exit/approach to the city had changed since I lived there back in 1968-70. There were some bits that seemed familiar, but without road signs (MΔori and English...) and/or the GPS I would not have had a clue which way to go!</p><p>But once we were south and trundling along on SH3 things became more familiar.</p><p>Te Kuiti New World is a lovely shop, staffed by really helpful people, and on the morning I went in (leaving the invalid in the motorhome) the customers were cheery too. </p><p>The Fat Pigeon Cafe in Pio Pio is wonderful with one of the best breakfasts we've had - and there's been a few really good ones on this trip. Because of David's cough and it sounding very suspicious, we sat outside. And as we do, we chatted with one of the staff who was opening up the transparent side panels on the verandah. Discussion re being vegetarian and how it had come about, passing on information about the book Chris Beat Cancer for her to pass on to her aunt, and finding out her partner comes from Tongaporutu!! Two or three degrees of separation strikes again, this time in the wilds of the South Waikato/King Country.</p><p>As always happens when I travel that road (and did way back when I caught the Gibson's Black and White bus on Fridays - bunking off TeaColl ...), as soon as we got to Awakino I felt like I was home. And when we came down the hill where the Tongaporutu River, the river mouth, Patangata Island and the baches come into view, my heart lifted.</p><p>There was a space for us at the freedom camping area looking out at the river mouth, and we took it. And we sat, and David slept, and I sat outside in that cloudy hazy sunshine that is deceptively hot and burning - and I was there without sunscreen. Too bad. I needed to be out in it.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOm55ASIpeHSOuJn5qxBx_w7ENfivYiqDFNjzzeOr8aBq2ISM7h6pkB0J1GvcMzWgm-KYRyQtRv50Sxjiya-JDTah3CHcaWCSFC16GGP5xqJdEEtUdQgWqZdtZkX4TfJs4HuuAGNeYH_S3KCya1eMe2oQU19sGySPGQM3Kvi2-3GZkIG8BPz2zSw0lvg4/s4032/IMG_5045.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOm55ASIpeHSOuJn5qxBx_w7ENfivYiqDFNjzzeOr8aBq2ISM7h6pkB0J1GvcMzWgm-KYRyQtRv50Sxjiya-JDTah3CHcaWCSFC16GGP5xqJdEEtUdQgWqZdtZkX4TfJs4HuuAGNeYH_S3KCya1eMe2oQU19sGySPGQM3Kvi2-3GZkIG8BPz2zSw0lvg4/w400-h300/IMG_5045.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From my chair beside the motorhome I could see the river mouth.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbeKTPfXC5JO20eK1-KPNFzsIkgfBOeApI5874Rgjp9lVXObtMmZfSqGuV4p2B5b1G64oh-A7iT83Uobne7HWwYD7ZXCIX8KvW_n9QjnI-yW8mEh0N0t7_hy2PL57IvZVdsESJEViCiMe5TpLSdmNuzlX6MBBgkvz6lnzjakby5YmezvXwBw4Q1bWGQo/s4032/IMG_5046.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbeKTPfXC5JO20eK1-KPNFzsIkgfBOeApI5874Rgjp9lVXObtMmZfSqGuV4p2B5b1G64oh-A7iT83Uobne7HWwYD7ZXCIX8KvW_n9QjnI-yW8mEh0N0t7_hy2PL57IvZVdsESJEViCiMe5TpLSdmNuzlX6MBBgkvz6lnzjakby5YmezvXwBw4Q1bWGQo/w400-h300/IMG_5046.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And later at closer to high tide, the oyster catchers came back.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>David was still coughing lots, so we decided to head in to park up in Jim and Judy's driveway at Onaero - they were away (Judy is still in the Acquired Brain Injury Unit at Kenepuru). That way, David could sleep in the house and I could sleep in the motorhome. They have a very good and informal neighbourhood watch thing going on there (lovely community) and so I let one set of neighbours know who we were and that we had permission.</p><p>Before we left Tongaporutu in the late afternoon, I had spoken to the people who were parked next to us in prime position. They said they were leaving about 11am the next day; so in the morning, we headed back up to Tongaporutu with a brief stop at the 4 Square shop in Urenui (Big Penis for anyone who needs the English name instead of the MΔori one ...) And we arrived at Tongaporutu at about 10am, and parked alongside the leavers. Had a chat with them and told them there was no hurry, but anytime in the next five minutes would be fine πππ. A lot of laughs and they were off soon after.</p><p>Once we were parked in prime position, we headed off for a walk around the front beach - David had found our reef shoes and got out the sticks. I used to run, jump, skip over those surfaces in days gone by but now I need to have a stick to help me maintain my footing! What has my world come to?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSCMmYSui69QylnR9WQAeijGduTvm026NEFlW_0mF7xDS_sBeWvMzN3QFUzs4DsxVVFysLcAQybJKkQwa5OPacKONzmDDuhD3U_FtvBPjD_5xpGbTG5QDql0tdzQv59ID5PSaxSiXYPyzcPA0joBRYYL6rwAkBwI_0efRQaAAB5ARu-j2Wb5TyLoR4Xs/s4032/IMG_5048.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSCMmYSui69QylnR9WQAeijGduTvm026NEFlW_0mF7xDS_sBeWvMzN3QFUzs4DsxVVFysLcAQybJKkQwa5OPacKONzmDDuhD3U_FtvBPjD_5xpGbTG5QDql0tdzQv59ID5PSaxSiXYPyzcPA0joBRYYL6rwAkBwI_0efRQaAAB5ARu-j2Wb5TyLoR4Xs/w400-h300/IMG_5048.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apparently the gas company installed the steps - it used to be big rocks to clamber down - the ones I also used to scamper down ...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> There has been a lot of heavy rain over the last few months and it has caused slips.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmdSNozUDZlUskLh1KzM8p5Id02ti4snYrtOoz7dbceSYdznccz8QWdZcve3dRjjDWgwHuObbl0hzM6KnNaU7m099U-kCSMlrj8GomxkHFWIDEtmiIvutE-EFf_YqLBBFUJdz5FS5vupCAp2f5g0kUZP7K0X2nGrp4NWLwj_ggt6YDZHW6ouZX6Bu4Og/s4032/IMG_5050.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmdSNozUDZlUskLh1KzM8p5Id02ti4snYrtOoz7dbceSYdznccz8QWdZcve3dRjjDWgwHuObbl0hzM6KnNaU7m099U-kCSMlrj8GomxkHFWIDEtmiIvutE-EFf_YqLBBFUJdz5FS5vupCAp2f5g0kUZP7K0X2nGrp4NWLwj_ggt6YDZHW6ouZX6Bu4Og/w400-h300/IMG_5050.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is pretty recent, I think, because the pohutukawa has flowered.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9PD7Q8hkMQkHnyC0wzXUwvvh5cVNH8MGuh8eCJfkAMBXBbfcjfofQEIZFhXbdY6TLCq5xgmHJcgXQKwjrNQ57s795zNsGzfK4HJ9GauHbwyvAnrQLjDi6mobTXR6ftENTUIb0UqEB28sKV4WOab-tRDej5MFHsSskyIB9eRKkYc_ew6sOuyPI4apIdA/s4032/IMG_5051.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9PD7Q8hkMQkHnyC0wzXUwvvh5cVNH8MGuh8eCJfkAMBXBbfcjfofQEIZFhXbdY6TLCq5xgmHJcgXQKwjrNQ57s795zNsGzfK4HJ9GauHbwyvAnrQLjDi6mobTXR6ftENTUIb0UqEB28sKV4WOab-tRDej5MFHsSskyIB9eRKkYc_ew6sOuyPI4apIdA/w400-h300/IMG_5051.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also recent I think - because of the colour of the rocks and rubble behind where the tide gets to.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2UdihZAkdEF9gRWrn1_TyeaQ2oDQRBiXZt3ommHm6U30nP2jaudHFT_PGXEBR-Yvs3hUvRtP3yy4-4_-Ky7RYnp33WN6DhrmwateW6jryn6grWW8uwa4NXUpklFAAnhLQk1ay5oi8Q_HrDs6ykazZ2nLxh_JmQuEdRAB8HDT8Z7FdAGHg5ZJEdK4xyk/s4032/IMG_5052.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2UdihZAkdEF9gRWrn1_TyeaQ2oDQRBiXZt3ommHm6U30nP2jaudHFT_PGXEBR-Yvs3hUvRtP3yy4-4_-Ky7RYnp33WN6DhrmwateW6jryn6grWW8uwa4NXUpklFAAnhLQk1ay5oi8Q_HrDs6ykazZ2nLxh_JmQuEdRAB8HDT8Z7FdAGHg5ZJEdK4xyk/w400-h300/IMG_5052.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When the bank comes down with growth on it, you know that the rain has been very heavy!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5OQAWtls_Vln-PL85FQlZVzL6N8h6I5YPpTwCEUB1nAhLs9zdmZjp1IIQIsapIWk80nO4xU9dl1WlMqAmRnONIZxAD7rwVFzo_s1MXu3rvBQnnqFjBmnkIhYlclJL0YZ9BoBtAWrKUReTLQx84uwlOkQ4a8fDsuf7YT3V8P2KvyCmVo6yoEO1OQPFic/s4032/IMG_5056.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5OQAWtls_Vln-PL85FQlZVzL6N8h6I5YPpTwCEUB1nAhLs9zdmZjp1IIQIsapIWk80nO4xU9dl1WlMqAmRnONIZxAD7rwVFzo_s1MXu3rvBQnnqFjBmnkIhYlclJL0YZ9BoBtAWrKUReTLQx84uwlOkQ4a8fDsuf7YT3V8P2KvyCmVo6yoEO1OQPFic/w400-h300/IMG_5056.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patangata Island - used to be a MΔori fortress on the top of this. It was a great lookout point to keep an eye out for invading war parties from the north or the south.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNkNcdV2nNbclOg6EGteSoiNDFnR-u3ysp6aBYN6TcukU-qEwNgFu1NVTVbDtcOUl0Por-zyL5q8j8h9v4Vz06_gkgDK3W9ZziOZsr71QRB3pHUOJpCC6BYavTNWLaJkDWozqE99fGq82UK-zUEbgFodKj1p5_xXgCXQFrX98a_a9-kzIyEK-yIpCu9c/s4032/IMG_5055.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNkNcdV2nNbclOg6EGteSoiNDFnR-u3ysp6aBYN6TcukU-qEwNgFu1NVTVbDtcOUl0Por-zyL5q8j8h9v4Vz06_gkgDK3W9ZziOZsr71QRB3pHUOJpCC6BYavTNWLaJkDWozqE99fGq82UK-zUEbgFodKj1p5_xXgCXQFrX98a_a9-kzIyEK-yIpCu9c/w400-h300/IMG_5055.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That view blows me away every time! Taranaki above the clouds in the distance.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5_W1f7VKYLC0CrAJzfHyyig4c0EXV7l37M4RBYyP2QZ_jxPeHFW_PIcshPv8TtcOBvE3CKQKdG4DxZDF7uujCP0IarYN-0g1kNYe0kggQn5teNj3bjdzvLuDfvUucaSvtahyX7oacF1yxze8sUn_bcyPuaSYsmVmw0kQRvqsGrZmsdIN_N5nVr6dDfI/s4032/IMG_5054.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5_W1f7VKYLC0CrAJzfHyyig4c0EXV7l37M4RBYyP2QZ_jxPeHFW_PIcshPv8TtcOBvE3CKQKdG4DxZDF7uujCP0IarYN-0g1kNYe0kggQn5teNj3bjdzvLuDfvUucaSvtahyX7oacF1yxze8sUn_bcyPuaSYsmVmw0kQRvqsGrZmsdIN_N5nVr6dDfI/w400-h300/IMG_5054.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We get lots of tourists (domestic and international) coming here just to see this view. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh8g7gEmWgf0h-YJno7ijLbnaSuKyUby92pxvyy1iZBjcM25II6xoFdaUAS_QfbXn8xQTv_5g8QtVxVX7plGcEU2pU35TbvmO9jrmNvzF-u7WD7KqBe2OBoxrGZzPoSCvclUKfSU_piXY0ptZ99iVsl3BnOi4OYYb2sm_0XoqJO5jdRzwQqJCPMlcJv3s/s4032/IMG_5061.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh8g7gEmWgf0h-YJno7ijLbnaSuKyUby92pxvyy1iZBjcM25II6xoFdaUAS_QfbXn8xQTv_5g8QtVxVX7plGcEU2pU35TbvmO9jrmNvzF-u7WD7KqBe2OBoxrGZzPoSCvclUKfSU_piXY0ptZ99iVsl3BnOi4OYYb2sm_0XoqJO5jdRzwQqJCPMlcJv3s/w400-h300/IMG_5061.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The terns nest on the middle 'sister' - have done for as long as I can remember. They did seem a little less dive-bomby this time. Maybe they don't have babies in their nests at the moment.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJJ-KJvCB7JhF-iAUKPdnYuXsctAKsXcqD_uZbvpZP5hte41049GVK8PG0Coh9t5UeMOM8welFTqCsMDaXiMJ-hCNXEJowqFLpbRwJNjE1432oByAN-uXtxrofdAwP1jssemMUoEqHl2jOeBgKgjVsjjpA48a8Mlx99LwWySk7d01AJ7DWJzKLjsKRDg/s4032/IMG_5058.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJJ-KJvCB7JhF-iAUKPdnYuXsctAKsXcqD_uZbvpZP5hte41049GVK8PG0Coh9t5UeMOM8welFTqCsMDaXiMJ-hCNXEJowqFLpbRwJNjE1432oByAN-uXtxrofdAwP1jssemMUoEqHl2jOeBgKgjVsjjpA48a8Mlx99LwWySk7d01AJ7DWJzKLjsKRDg/w400-h300/IMG_5058.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OK, you're allowed to get bored with this view and variations on it. But I do not get bored, so there!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFx5AMuKI5hBAAvmD5IWiXPyvgBo9z54dDmcn9gYbxmVf7ZbyY3aZ3vjTtXO5Ba_o28yKbYhaSvH36KZq8Qws-4ZMHNEvKqxxhFw3XzGJQye59OY4LBIMbyjRv9fXdva-fNnq5MbVdduZhTp_S8xu9vNhqQANElU5M5vC6ZxGvUuFWjGA-1S2FSq7qQ4/s4032/IMG_5057.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFx5AMuKI5hBAAvmD5IWiXPyvgBo9z54dDmcn9gYbxmVf7ZbyY3aZ3vjTtXO5Ba_o28yKbYhaSvH36KZq8Qws-4ZMHNEvKqxxhFw3XzGJQye59OY4LBIMbyjRv9fXdva-fNnq5MbVdduZhTp_S8xu9vNhqQANElU5M5vC6ZxGvUuFWjGA-1S2FSq7qQ4/w400-h300/IMG_5057.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climate change has brought about these new 'sisters' and at the same time, significantly lowered the acreage of the farms on the top of the cliffs!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAP-8a_E5Qwy1nWxH8fU8QLEYxic_wD3fGoXWQCO3M_7PnETMRcB2KlxrSvLDRiQsEXLweF3OzxNx_PgcaKAs1KBZfyk1PNUZaX1eWaY0Jm0hDTUifybClfB5qhoszvilKGP5rSYHl7-Yb2WeYm2hETtxRcBlLdlwWVEdOL5ZEXDFHSVc5KSsqiy2ibeU/s4032/IMG_5062.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAP-8a_E5Qwy1nWxH8fU8QLEYxic_wD3fGoXWQCO3M_7PnETMRcB2KlxrSvLDRiQsEXLweF3OzxNx_PgcaKAs1KBZfyk1PNUZaX1eWaY0Jm0hDTUifybClfB5qhoszvilKGP5rSYHl7-Yb2WeYm2hETtxRcBlLdlwWVEdOL5ZEXDFHSVc5KSsqiy2ibeU/w300-h400/IMG_5062.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The seagulls perch on the seaward 'sister' and keep watch on those pesky terns...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YtieDaBZQac1c7ZJQ_vvWxVucm0SsV0fl0eWZ5TxLhiRUd0G5uDTMfJnuJoGnHDtQ-yocRP-Vf3_YKPrvzJGpryozqlTL2LEkEe54rIIomFRIToHnN6cVaHcakPos6C5stpZfUMuvOUJzfZhawubsKANjI0ZGCjsFdfcJ7kGSZcxtUui1LDRbLPWKg0/s4032/IMG_5064.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YtieDaBZQac1c7ZJQ_vvWxVucm0SsV0fl0eWZ5TxLhiRUd0G5uDTMfJnuJoGnHDtQ-yocRP-Vf3_YKPrvzJGpryozqlTL2LEkEe54rIIomFRIToHnN6cVaHcakPos6C5stpZfUMuvOUJzfZhawubsKANjI0ZGCjsFdfcJ7kGSZcxtUui1LDRbLPWKg0/w400-h300/IMG_5064.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back towards Urenui, Onaero, Waitara, New Plymouth with beautiful Taranaki in the background.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLgutr1lNrwDQy52zj2S3SWesyhekBmQUDPaSsGCMROoPnQR-pRS7vKSjtjcVtvweic_-j8nUu93yJQM1ZINMYo_rAfQl6Df_zmpmznVw368YR4pWAy3o-3d6TOd_n1ndEJB8v4yjt6j6dPQvLfMPkubMkAdEfUjd7LfIulzSjH23_HRK01otTNAWOyY/s4032/IMG_5067.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLgutr1lNrwDQy52zj2S3SWesyhekBmQUDPaSsGCMROoPnQR-pRS7vKSjtjcVtvweic_-j8nUu93yJQM1ZINMYo_rAfQl6Df_zmpmznVw368YR4pWAy3o-3d6TOd_n1ndEJB8v4yjt6j6dPQvLfMPkubMkAdEfUjd7LfIulzSjH23_HRK01otTNAWOyY/w300-h400/IMG_5067.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the new 'sisters' with a very short woman beside her. That sister used to accommodate grazing sheep and cattle when she was part of the mainland!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQlaPOwxnpWdoloeIUWneNzrVQeqM9Hf2dotdpzUKNqeewXoVlvIEduV8-RwXMhPiGwAYuemDcFDyWnDZ3I8TC2kHayG4qYvazk0VkOXKNI8dKmbR9BbVlvtaa5vRngkERzCZGZWl72W6Rp7gLbyyIW7PiWO_ke3DprnsGhLx7CdjkMPMzL2ui2yqKTU/s4032/IMG_5068.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQlaPOwxnpWdoloeIUWneNzrVQeqM9Hf2dotdpzUKNqeewXoVlvIEduV8-RwXMhPiGwAYuemDcFDyWnDZ3I8TC2kHayG4qYvazk0VkOXKNI8dKmbR9BbVlvtaa5vRngkERzCZGZWl72W6Rp7gLbyyIW7PiWO_ke3DprnsGhLx7CdjkMPMzL2ui2yqKTU/w400-h300/IMG_5068.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's that short woman again!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyT5m7yahDTRXja6h4AHyVEwxwHJUDNuRcccsUSDmGbMCC8nEyjUQ6RrAXiJaaWdoQckxpsj4srHeWBYMUQG2PSUIrCkK8h3-ffX2yjArIu4rrJnqebTIwdvTdeNaP2GyTnSTVh95ILG65Rl2f2KVdiawMh1H5HptgnqxESY62AQKh3WGXj-Q-LpatS5Q/s4032/IMG_5070.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyT5m7yahDTRXja6h4AHyVEwxwHJUDNuRcccsUSDmGbMCC8nEyjUQ6RrAXiJaaWdoQckxpsj4srHeWBYMUQG2PSUIrCkK8h3-ffX2yjArIu4rrJnqebTIwdvTdeNaP2GyTnSTVh95ILG65Rl2f2KVdiawMh1H5HptgnqxESY62AQKh3WGXj-Q-LpatS5Q/w400-h300/IMG_5070.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The northern side of the rivermouth at pretty much low tide. The channel changes constantly, but I've never seen it so far over to the north before with the bar way over by Patangata Island to the south.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGqXLW0bq5SR7Od3_iGz_4o56IKWQxfM8BA-2AEailP_0nX44UcSWfvjLHqESrC13riIqP-oVGMnbujzgldlwIX3OWDVdXImnRcf8kqyg-nnGVUqQ6UPmL6lT-FTPJze-7l0DRxPeGldzeWsoBIuHmfKUpxhj8qNaz8f-fOi8ovwhDCw5qGoEEnOV2f8/s4032/IMG_5073.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGqXLW0bq5SR7Od3_iGz_4o56IKWQxfM8BA-2AEailP_0nX44UcSWfvjLHqESrC13riIqP-oVGMnbujzgldlwIX3OWDVdXImnRcf8kqyg-nnGVUqQ6UPmL6lT-FTPJze-7l0DRxPeGldzeWsoBIuHmfKUpxhj8qNaz8f-fOi8ovwhDCw5qGoEEnOV2f8/w400-h300/IMG_5073.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This freedom camping area is very very popular at this time of the year. Lots of young people in people movers that are converted to campers, and older motorhomers. And in the parking area across the way, there are lots and lots of day visitors.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Later in the afternoon, I left David resting and walked down to see James and Joan. Lovely to catch up with them. They live next to our former bach and across from our first bach; they used to come for holidays too when their place belonged to Joan's mum and dad, so our kids grew up together. They suggested I call in to introduce myself to Jan and Mike on my way back so I did. Jan's family had been coming to Tongaporutu for longer than my family - not surprising as the baches on Clifton Road had been there well before the Hill family subdivided and sold off sections on what became Hills Road where our baches are. The latter happened in about 1956 or 57, I think.</p><p>Lovely to meet Jan and Mike. She is an artist and he is a bone carver, and they are lovely people. The next day I took David in to meet them because Jan had old slides that she wished she could view more easily. So I got Mr Weaving Memories on the case... Check his work out here: <a href="https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/services/events-entertainment/photography-video/listing/3677471869?ed=true&bof=Fm1DjTtA">This is David's only ad.</a><br /></p><p>The people we didn't catch up with (and should have) were Lee and Gordon. However they had family staying so we stayed away. Next time though we will be descending on them!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLw4xj4YYacxN-L5K98ttwkVI5WmwX3TWH67H15qyGOGV6wD-9HwnobVtorTw_WyYViIZJmyT0aVKbhXAt7luH1iYGSzNbGiiha0AKCudc7n1e-tWN6VCtMT4zxCC9hVDImseysvNUpk76t96TzUQ0AUxdNljYQmqOsmWy5TXQ8MvGbzeSWN0hOJ6NrbM/s4032/IMG_5074.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLw4xj4YYacxN-L5K98ttwkVI5WmwX3TWH67H15qyGOGV6wD-9HwnobVtorTw_WyYViIZJmyT0aVKbhXAt7luH1iYGSzNbGiiha0AKCudc7n1e-tWN6VCtMT4zxCC9hVDImseysvNUpk76t96TzUQ0AUxdNljYQmqOsmWy5TXQ8MvGbzeSWN0hOJ6NrbM/w400-h300/IMG_5074.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When the tide was coming in that evening and the sun was going down. It moves me.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <br /></p><p>We needed to do some shopping in New Plymouth, so we were going to go straight past Waitara, into town and then come back. But the Waitara By Pass was shut because they are building a big roundabout, so we went right through the middle of Waitara - only a kilometre from our destination a bit later on that day...</p><p>David needed to get some anti cough meds and sort out changing his mobile from Skinny to 2 Degrees, and I did supermarketing. Amazingly, I managed to find two parking spaces side by side at the far end of the car park - good! I could fill them both with the motorhome and be out of the way of other shoppers... That's always a good look on one of the last shopping days before Xmas!</p><p>And then it was back to Waitara to be part of Dee's family for the festivities. Such a lovely warm place to be.</p>I had to take photos for Olek - he misses them and they miss him.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNRL5EvC6m35fa1IMifbe8FIMQQMGP4Uq94mft1z5B74SnAaHEq9EM1ZAl5hudn_Exy7aCcVHnvAMgaIODicU3ZEXVw_UDCFRcIe7ezW0O1_GbsiTX4dSkqBZv6xsqd9cnYP_WaaeWM9gQZEuP-RjVRV9GB6oa_2UA_5w8sW2Lbq6JiwX9Jq0ZGny2fo/s4032/IMG_5080.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNRL5EvC6m35fa1IMifbe8FIMQQMGP4Uq94mft1z5B74SnAaHEq9EM1ZAl5hudn_Exy7aCcVHnvAMgaIODicU3ZEXVw_UDCFRcIe7ezW0O1_GbsiTX4dSkqBZv6xsqd9cnYP_WaaeWM9gQZEuP-RjVRV9GB6oa_2UA_5w8sW2Lbq6JiwX9Jq0ZGny2fo/w400-h300/IMG_5080.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lovely twins - Olek tells me it's Luca on the left and Ziana on the right. I tend to call them Twin 1 and Twin A. I struggle to tell them apart even though Luca is taller. But using that method only works if they are standing obviously...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjT4CXjBtOAvEn1g55Dm0yfns3ymVlyDhoLCyEeGBXpc3WS23epwC28Ib-GoHceHPaQhWOrVDZtY_xNaX6XzFBRxMIXr_orDC1qx1Oc7Ed1K1FwGRG3fYkqWxmGm1b8AzMzO9JlDlBpPLv_Bra1l83eH7VjdkbxgFXBJ2aCvJaebmaJTeW1Ev9gB433k/s4032/IMG_5078.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjT4CXjBtOAvEn1g55Dm0yfns3ymVlyDhoLCyEeGBXpc3WS23epwC28Ib-GoHceHPaQhWOrVDZtY_xNaX6XzFBRxMIXr_orDC1qx1Oc7Ed1K1FwGRG3fYkqWxmGm1b8AzMzO9JlDlBpPLv_Bra1l83eH7VjdkbxgFXBJ2aCvJaebmaJTeW1Ev9gB433k/w400-h300/IMG_5078.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lovely Charlotte<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYeNYSTPOe4WckYazrbo7A6j-D1wmsH6UnKP8EqAFptg1Uhs74E_deN5VC6wn5aOW7ZmvlHmCoxwh9XWGphPG-B8uOP1mxMWuylZdslBPnCKi2wVLQS3TBTNco7V-G-BJmAu3OmkqO4saREbj7Bi7kZkaGOmGFgyUpFdOphv8o9D5gM5DZEjK_TjJ4Ms/s4032/IMG_5081.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYeNYSTPOe4WckYazrbo7A6j-D1wmsH6UnKP8EqAFptg1Uhs74E_deN5VC6wn5aOW7ZmvlHmCoxwh9XWGphPG-B8uOP1mxMWuylZdslBPnCKi2wVLQS3TBTNco7V-G-BJmAu3OmkqO4saREbj7Bi7kZkaGOmGFgyUpFdOphv8o9D5gM5DZEjK_TjJ4Ms/w400-h300/IMG_5081.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lovely Kurt on turkey carving.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmYEj1G-mxEKbiY6lKKzLtmRH9vOnUlVwWGHn1IVPRIRspUhxaPxLCJaG8j38MLuoS6bFjI9-yZF6H5Tt4UrMZFFqutTftbY_OA7StU5lvPhwlO2YXJi0Xow4aPrv5jVaMcKVp98jk4DZM3mfDY9nhIaGce-pTccBMym3mw-3_tYopW0DQtVOpbmT154c/s4032/IMG_5082.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmYEj1G-mxEKbiY6lKKzLtmRH9vOnUlVwWGHn1IVPRIRspUhxaPxLCJaG8j38MLuoS6bFjI9-yZF6H5Tt4UrMZFFqutTftbY_OA7StU5lvPhwlO2YXJi0Xow4aPrv5jVaMcKVp98jk4DZM3mfDY9nhIaGce-pTccBMym3mw-3_tYopW0DQtVOpbmT154c/w400-h300/IMG_5082.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the amazing Nicola.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5yATERHZlEz1qL0qH3PEtJXkJb7LAVykTOdDT-YV_lP_Ts5pynRvDv4pLsn0lzECngB6E3PadP6c1ZAGTyyrsLgf4E4GYeSl-UQGZ3PwFygOsxuR1hj6GpaP3oBDY1yG4aPq-8C7OrfoWjhn4Lfth5blIMKD_FrXTc7A5Uvsw4IKPrpcKhOsCHGMQtA/s4032/IMG_5083.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5yATERHZlEz1qL0qH3PEtJXkJb7LAVykTOdDT-YV_lP_Ts5pynRvDv4pLsn0lzECngB6E3PadP6c1ZAGTyyrsLgf4E4GYeSl-UQGZ3PwFygOsxuR1hj6GpaP3oBDY1yG4aPq-8C7OrfoWjhn4Lfth5blIMKD_FrXTc7A5Uvsw4IKPrpcKhOsCHGMQtA/w400-h300/IMG_5083.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And Ollie who is now 8 and a delightful kid.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJRTLhkZ0z-l57lnUnSS5hHCK-_OdFZ1KeE0YJoaL-7T0Dj07JXWtN2HvfHFLo32lmtTG3YWa1U8ojl1ciAlc_wvvoAaxDtATZRwpT0PI2GKQBACPCaAnco-QY4I7O2ovEoccOHhxpnkSnhn4tRM9ZmVPDfmyBX4eD3PLiyIqkdch1nDcfU2_VHcdME0/s4032/IMG_5085.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJRTLhkZ0z-l57lnUnSS5hHCK-_OdFZ1KeE0YJoaL-7T0Dj07JXWtN2HvfHFLo32lmtTG3YWa1U8ojl1ciAlc_wvvoAaxDtATZRwpT0PI2GKQBACPCaAnco-QY4I7O2ovEoccOHhxpnkSnhn4tRM9ZmVPDfmyBX4eD3PLiyIqkdch1nDcfU2_VHcdME0/w400-h300/IMG_5085.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had rain before Xmas...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_z7B4oBL5JlQltPryqIGZMzSzC-A4eh2HfnBAgviKZNhPyhsgSFMvhpbfXkE1RvfQkdE0cQSmrJnpQ1al47uW11hHDcVANE8jtkuLU_PTcwpWJ94019vzFDJ8fI-EKZCewWy_4bq7fN1aqSKexp_sk6GUyoose70AR4jvrm4ucsBxqLJXaw4TO-CylUI/s4032/IMG_5086.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_z7B4oBL5JlQltPryqIGZMzSzC-A4eh2HfnBAgviKZNhPyhsgSFMvhpbfXkE1RvfQkdE0cQSmrJnpQ1al47uW11hHDcVANE8jtkuLU_PTcwpWJ94019vzFDJ8fI-EKZCewWy_4bq7fN1aqSKexp_sk6GUyoose70AR4jvrm4ucsBxqLJXaw4TO-CylUI/w400-h300/IMG_5086.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I needed some bits from the supermarket so I went down the walkway alongside the river.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB0WCgs-ucDvdMNEpvtGMqzIhj6iDhCy2wfbsv2q245uBkGH-0S27kXhX83oKWNqx1WktoOUe_vTK5XwU7ewSY7TWmEeDsH5Hf6wcpLl0zZPRlD71gM4nQHqCU5d36Bw6F00U0vDzG9l7t_sLHg8CP00p2H0F7scdEPR0V944QvpRFY94AzdOxEpvdHTg/s4032/IMG_5087.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB0WCgs-ucDvdMNEpvtGMqzIhj6iDhCy2wfbsv2q245uBkGH-0S27kXhX83oKWNqx1WktoOUe_vTK5XwU7ewSY7TWmEeDsH5Hf6wcpLl0zZPRlD71gM4nQHqCU5d36Bw6F00U0vDzG9l7t_sLHg8CP00p2H0F7scdEPR0V944QvpRFY94AzdOxEpvdHTg/w400-h300/IMG_5087.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOD2RV-_sJixLuLdYAuUQ-uH0XM1P6xqqX89ztQJi9MfJr_hwh2D5r8pQ1AeppekboOjtHtBXyXoGqkqHBbdmw7CWNZsjaBCt733sFrRrMoXRWbrHnA3ihpm7nvYUzpb1ejyy2pW8bydsdABsd3GfiiEOWX20Y314fgsXhNZpoTXPP3QSb3dk5AhuJDs/s4032/IMG_5088.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOD2RV-_sJixLuLdYAuUQ-uH0XM1P6xqqX89ztQJi9MfJr_hwh2D5r8pQ1AeppekboOjtHtBXyXoGqkqHBbdmw7CWNZsjaBCt733sFrRrMoXRWbrHnA3ihpm7nvYUzpb1ejyy2pW8bydsdABsd3GfiiEOWX20Y314fgsXhNZpoTXPP3QSb3dk5AhuJDs/w400-h300/IMG_5088.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMMjvv4G4cchi4Cdw2e72bpVSi43gj-k6VbjQbF7iub4OEdnPeqzisweOfqTpQc6oMORWO8WRs6zb2nxBDz-XNnm4V2bQnxmYE9crSzyXP3WKLHpdI4kgQrH35ukXh8UYmpqDXQYNT1wKSKnfRv1iWEYiUunoB-3LfvBGlK_EBnDqK-vnYw7THxTMIP1A/s4032/IMG_5089.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMMjvv4G4cchi4Cdw2e72bpVSi43gj-k6VbjQbF7iub4OEdnPeqzisweOfqTpQc6oMORWO8WRs6zb2nxBDz-XNnm4V2bQnxmYE9crSzyXP3WKLHpdI4kgQrH35ukXh8UYmpqDXQYNT1wKSKnfRv1iWEYiUunoB-3LfvBGlK_EBnDqK-vnYw7THxTMIP1A/w400-h300/IMG_5089.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Towards the river-mouth. Shipping (small) did come in here, I think.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNAZ0WIN6bjJgRYju2CuETQfCGOFCJynkZzlqSGxR3SGe43bbkLkkm_po8Z10k-rBiISalvi6wqADldVOO4uStfjVJr-PkkV7F95hI_Izyz03ibvq8An7AdOPpd_WD8gtAyrzbROb-B5H3uk0R1axzDR_Sw_qbV61OtSCxM7vTMyZWM2g5rGv3PJUPQrc/s4032/IMG_5091.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNAZ0WIN6bjJgRYju2CuETQfCGOFCJynkZzlqSGxR3SGe43bbkLkkm_po8Z10k-rBiISalvi6wqADldVOO4uStfjVJr-PkkV7F95hI_Izyz03ibvq8An7AdOPpd_WD8gtAyrzbROb-B5H3uk0R1axzDR_Sw_qbV61OtSCxM7vTMyZWM2g5rGv3PJUPQrc/w400-h300/IMG_5091.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kurt, Debs, Ollie and Jonathan playing petanque. I think Kurt won.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQ35uhl2gjhd_Y8gaQWJvtbSig3MRO1p-u_bDLjChETibLV72GJPCY3mNPtntDW6CZgIEM2Y-YugixbOG3k4i3vzg5vhpUCxtC5WR5baV8jZt_4ihgYEIWT87IePbrXDXHpr5D1S8_Na2hIwpjPHMQlRQYyu-MBIXwe-ivZYknnL9xD9oDNcrjg4UKW0/s4032/IMG_5093.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQ35uhl2gjhd_Y8gaQWJvtbSig3MRO1p-u_bDLjChETibLV72GJPCY3mNPtntDW6CZgIEM2Y-YugixbOG3k4i3vzg5vhpUCxtC5WR5baV8jZt_4ihgYEIWT87IePbrXDXHpr5D1S8_Na2hIwpjPHMQlRQYyu-MBIXwe-ivZYknnL9xD9oDNcrjg4UKW0/w400-h300/IMG_5093.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David won the brightest shirt competition. But there were only two competitors with courage to participate!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvVb1bnhIpypTb4mTlIJXzWzD6Jv3NC5P0GsXAdPcq-mymKEvPWyB_vFgznox7Sa65bP5U56-eyXO_eI3k9lhGhJ7mjtyk3nvGn5kCo_tawSrz-tMGD9oz9bp3yACG-SsrX9wnSyhwY2MOVXrvKhebt60RbEa6hxBu1gRqJg5XTxfyoQv4aWLh5t0spE/s4032/IMG_5094.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvVb1bnhIpypTb4mTlIJXzWzD6Jv3NC5P0GsXAdPcq-mymKEvPWyB_vFgznox7Sa65bP5U56-eyXO_eI3k9lhGhJ7mjtyk3nvGn5kCo_tawSrz-tMGD9oz9bp3yACG-SsrX9wnSyhwY2MOVXrvKhebt60RbEa6hxBu1gRqJg5XTxfyoQv4aWLh5t0spE/w400-h300/IMG_5094.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David wanted to put up the bug (blow up gazebo) again. I tried attaching the bottom sheet before it got blown up, but forgot that it has straps across the bottom and got some straps above the bottom sheet and some below - SNAFU...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsH7-FAoAPrniXOJOgdsxNhOMiwj_KCqwD4AAJdYBd_HkyprPCaTIjvLWLh8IabM1QLEohIWmZkoLiqV9Mpfra05Lxie3UGf0YwiUPVviBgAmz1mYtGe5QgGdYwoZh7HAwswwfyuamcyK2yDD9taN1JaslRuLkhpRGvhWh-bPc5XJrvxEJqWicGJahr9g/s4032/IMG_5095.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsH7-FAoAPrniXOJOgdsxNhOMiwj_KCqwD4AAJdYBd_HkyprPCaTIjvLWLh8IabM1QLEohIWmZkoLiqV9Mpfra05Lxie3UGf0YwiUPVviBgAmz1mYtGe5QgGdYwoZh7HAwswwfyuamcyK2yDD9taN1JaslRuLkhpRGvhWh-bPc5XJrvxEJqWicGJahr9g/w400-h300/IMG_5095.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And there it is<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghs2lPPrGDo-RvTR3wofmN0mkEhyuLa2b6nEWmBMCz7Kh-5aQnSWJn1nMw4-iZYt7JTuhNNUiMBzCRG0myHaHnLxyYmLaRBnzG7HWuNTGV6OkxASGHcEEnX6VAGeDpGL_-xSKPkbDu_MMF_JkpEkX-VSdnMd9VjRWulfjp2UJzNOZq8TspVUgjD0g_hiA/s4032/IMG_5096.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghs2lPPrGDo-RvTR3wofmN0mkEhyuLa2b6nEWmBMCz7Kh-5aQnSWJn1nMw4-iZYt7JTuhNNUiMBzCRG0myHaHnLxyYmLaRBnzG7HWuNTGV6OkxASGHcEEnX6VAGeDpGL_-xSKPkbDu_MMF_JkpEkX-VSdnMd9VjRWulfjp2UJzNOZq8TspVUgjD0g_hiA/w400-h300/IMG_5096.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The twins' grandparents bought the snorkel and flipper sets, so of course they had to be tried out. Twin 1 or Twin A - who knows?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Christmas with Dee's family was lovely. Kirsty says she is coming over for Xmas 2024, so I think we will be up there again.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-fI-AiQI1p5YkcfbuwKdo5dnuModORXg-g4xGGtJRjB9ifoFobNywZeXpOFbH7WqpYF1w7w7ih7vBxLxsnt9vTiEDCdvTBntDd0Zy9CC4oGgHRoEmAyqlnW-2HyB4PIpAbpqvDBJVkgvkC4Nwj3AhAbs_tHQfsV31mQ2M6M0_w1QNc_JK5ynWDvzogk/s2048/db10aab0-8254-4ade-a9fe-30b6dcc512b5.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-fI-AiQI1p5YkcfbuwKdo5dnuModORXg-g4xGGtJRjB9ifoFobNywZeXpOFbH7WqpYF1w7w7ih7vBxLxsnt9vTiEDCdvTBntDd0Zy9CC4oGgHRoEmAyqlnW-2HyB4PIpAbpqvDBJVkgvkC4Nwj3AhAbs_tHQfsV31mQ2M6M0_w1QNc_JK5ynWDvzogk/w300-h400/db10aab0-8254-4ade-a9fe-30b6dcc512b5.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marta sent us this photo of their Xmas before Olek and Karol went over to Bulgaria to be with their dad. From the top of the stairs, there's Darby (Trev's daughter) and her friend, then Olek on the right with Mickenzie (Trev's son) and Olek's friend Ben, then Karol on the left and Krzys beside him, and in front are Kamil and Elif (Olga's two sons and daughter). And Elif is holding Yogi.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiow-kciErNQGBkOabDh20sd1kCCXMCCFWfbIFetUJ38N5u1hVNfRgROtc5IIQQl-EgKIwbjxRd3kOAJjWom7WJTjc2uMzdabdG4LB5-1l38T8MwvxVOpGDThp3XbFYg8kzrpo_8vxT8wJ666DjwitcBW_rw7ieVovBQKhgSNP20IuwWkxH_BATFLJ_0s/s1640/6efd2dad-c04d-454d-8e85-75ad0b8eb246.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiow-kciErNQGBkOabDh20sd1kCCXMCCFWfbIFetUJ38N5u1hVNfRgROtc5IIQQl-EgKIwbjxRd3kOAJjWom7WJTjc2uMzdabdG4LB5-1l38T8MwvxVOpGDThp3XbFYg8kzrpo_8vxT8wJ666DjwitcBW_rw7ieVovBQKhgSNP20IuwWkxH_BATFLJ_0s/w400-h300/6efd2dad-c04d-454d-8e85-75ad0b8eb246.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olek, Mickenzie and the lovely Trevor<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjgX4oCs-XRfZgIK899lbH-mnN-tgLvBwPg6k8mLthU7-B9i9vpCte1_7vh_Sn6MgIIvlarcEwQrzqmoBzCddBCGXDME6Z_PNyWAFmWjjdzi4x87xd7qXXxiySXoFuTx1Qqnjhw9vYoFPWFPXy5FP3kPvDO4eO6s0Kn1FAZvkHVRnUtcj1sBloyoN-v3k/s2048/6bc197f3-5c45-45bf-ad75-28584900b47c.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjgX4oCs-XRfZgIK899lbH-mnN-tgLvBwPg6k8mLthU7-B9i9vpCte1_7vh_Sn6MgIIvlarcEwQrzqmoBzCddBCGXDME6Z_PNyWAFmWjjdzi4x87xd7qXXxiySXoFuTx1Qqnjhw9vYoFPWFPXy5FP3kPvDO4eO6s0Kn1FAZvkHVRnUtcj1sBloyoN-v3k/w400-h300/6bc197f3-5c45-45bf-ad75-28584900b47c.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jola in the centre with Olga on the left and Marta on the right - 3 beautiful women.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>We came home on Boxing Day and I was surprised at how light the traffic was. The time was that people headed away on holiday on Boxing Day, but not this year. Apparently traffic was huge on 27th instead. So I am glad we came home early! And blobbed lots - well, I have. David has been busily active, as he always is. I'm not sure where he gets the energy from!<br /></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolaaKv_BroKrWTfxN5VuBwnbnqEU77lPdXhQTMN6oZJtO5lOC8CcP1gYEm3W21CgzCZv1dyVdxbeAZv5Ra0_HNVDjyHrvXctnYPqob6MVaOezD1TwLk_-HGqAbwdRaWtUBoIqZos83ZXXmsWsZWobW296h72hQCazrdnuzEuEV1lMttuecXq14c9IS3M/s1920/IMG_5106.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolaaKv_BroKrWTfxN5VuBwnbnqEU77lPdXhQTMN6oZJtO5lOC8CcP1gYEm3W21CgzCZv1dyVdxbeAZv5Ra0_HNVDjyHrvXctnYPqob6MVaOezD1TwLk_-HGqAbwdRaWtUBoIqZos83ZXXmsWsZWobW296h72hQCazrdnuzEuEV1lMttuecXq14c9IS3M/w400-h225/IMG_5106.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And when we got home, the garden had thrived over the 7 weeks we were away. Caitlin's rose looked beautiful as it always does at this time of year.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1RvFb94oqMmDtO_UQIy0x-8W91gmhyphenhyphen1r4XJSaiw08hUVcnzC1UzFHLUEHc6SWF-wQj24LanEkzibtdeL2UY_PfAtZYh-sAu5FPWs0KbRNYoEyvleE68wyCyGCG0jEJVNeMc27crvGC6k7rMk-QZaa4UAgQRGM18dcu-ysdieJU9dhGK8EIEkhGV_u4n8/s1920/IMG_5107.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1RvFb94oqMmDtO_UQIy0x-8W91gmhyphenhyphen1r4XJSaiw08hUVcnzC1UzFHLUEHc6SWF-wQj24LanEkzibtdeL2UY_PfAtZYh-sAu5FPWs0KbRNYoEyvleE68wyCyGCG0jEJVNeMc27crvGC6k7rMk-QZaa4UAgQRGM18dcu-ysdieJU9dhGK8EIEkhGV_u4n8/w400-h225/IMG_5107.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And when we left back on Nov 11, most of these plants were about 150mm high - now look at them!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-79980749561619671102023-12-25T22:48:00.000-08:002023-12-25T22:48:09.921-08:00We are home<p> We have come home 2 days earlier than originally planned - David's cough is still in situ and it's worse at night. SO he has spent the last 2 nights sleeping more or less upright in the passenger seat of the motorhome. Not the best rest.</p><p>So we left Waitara a wee bit before 1pm, I think and arrived home at 5.30pm after a 299km drive, with a stop in Hawera for lunch (the dreaded Maccers - I left most of mine but did scoff the chocolate sundae first, a la Garfield's advice re the uncertainty of life and the wisdom of eating dessert first.</p><p>We had a lovely Xmas with Dee's family who we consider ourselves (and are considered) to be part of.</p><p>More about the last week or so in the next post. Now I need to sleep - and ACP is setting himself up in another oom, bless his heart. I do love that man!</p><p>And today it is 50 years since I introduced David to my mum, and tomorrow it'll be 50 years since he met the rest of my family at Tongaporutu. πππ<br /></p>Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-89829177495925155962023-12-24T15:58:00.000-08:002023-12-24T15:58:53.278-08:00 Shakespear Regional Park , West Auckland and Hamilton<p>As I noted in the last bit of the previous post, it was a <span style="color: #990000;"><b>very very crap</b></span> drive in <b><span style="color: #990000;">very</span></b> high winds to get to Shakespear Regional Park. It probably wouldn't have been pleasant in a car, but in a high-sided motorhome it was very scary at times. And of course, motorways tend to be in the more exposed areas (or to have made them more exposed by chopping down trees - grrrrr) so the wind has free rein. As climate change continues to bite, the resultant high winds will become more prevalent, I reckon. <br /></p><p>Shakespear Reg Park is lovely - and what a long drive it is down the Whangaparoa Peninsula! And lots of Aucklanders live on the peninsula and commute into Auckland for work - I can see why, even though the commute by road is long and very time-consuming - it is beautiful with beaches and boating so accessible. And Shakespear is a really popular place for campers and day visitors, for very good reason. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Ku2IxlEzuR54T6Zxtg27cDIS3ljH4ykqHBWs2Xl9zhIcqPPpW6MuITq1ZeC8UET5BYjefQPZUihXpYH79j8bMJb7Q3y_80eyFJCscyND9EAj1AEK55JfT1Ql4zsF1pqw7amhe7acgCEfVn98fJfmqTE9P4M80pKi43tjccvBhEVyeB5bU566EsSISGM/s4032/IMG_4971%202.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Ku2IxlEzuR54T6Zxtg27cDIS3ljH4ykqHBWs2Xl9zhIcqPPpW6MuITq1ZeC8UET5BYjefQPZUihXpYH79j8bMJb7Q3y_80eyFJCscyND9EAj1AEK55JfT1Ql4zsF1pqw7amhe7acgCEfVn98fJfmqTE9P4M80pKi43tjccvBhEVyeB5bU566EsSISGM/w400-h300/IMG_4971%202.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had a lovely warm welcome from Bernice and Roy who are Camp Hosts at Shakespear for the summer - been doing it for 10 years, I think.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <br /></p><p>It is a lovely place but I couldn't put the lettuce tub outside, not even up on the table - the pukekos, you know. In Russell, I could keep them safe from the weka by putting them on the adjacent picnic table, but pukekos can fly enough to flap their way up to my yummy lettuces...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-YyT54eDh95CAd3hzeXrWzT5BcwMkIq5yK4lFkPC4F5eyVQ-aSqpR6wYldmdxV3um1XcIE1U2f5oHMlG36Vavuujl8ZZFwTL9qEg5f3Y4Wc1hkrtLFiYR4jDVFJw7G89nfxRl8ce4hJgGO9lNa4c9efeleRZ-w9c35VYBu6_m0LRb2y8JF8OOYfDnNI/s4032/IMG_4981.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-YyT54eDh95CAd3hzeXrWzT5BcwMkIq5yK4lFkPC4F5eyVQ-aSqpR6wYldmdxV3um1XcIE1U2f5oHMlG36Vavuujl8ZZFwTL9qEg5f3Y4Wc1hkrtLFiYR4jDVFJw7G89nfxRl8ce4hJgGO9lNa4c9efeleRZ-w9c35VYBu6_m0LRb2y8JF8OOYfDnNI/w400-h300/IMG_4981.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the babies are fluffy and cute but voracious...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>And the pohutukawa are absolutely stunning.</p><p>It was our 49th wedding anniversary on the day we arrived, so we invited Bernice and Roy to dinner. I recognise that my meals are not as special as Bernice's - she's definitely a chef, and I'm a cook. And as always when faced with wanting to prepare something lovely, I overthink it and get stressed and cannot make up my mind ...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_oK48tPTwkHS5IEhACcsQJAJXaa6E8jb7CxiHMno3-eENKbtStBCEgYu8fBj4Gh9G-_C_17BjAMaFD7saHGKXbFknJff-RXgpanwxjGKjI6ZKda7mniMgiPCaoLDLYk2JRTt4HsmNwKpl5gphXRXpgtbrQjNk1LZMr-Yw0SNCch872XhsXZVEuIzVDPw/s4032/IMG_4979.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_oK48tPTwkHS5IEhACcsQJAJXaa6E8jb7CxiHMno3-eENKbtStBCEgYu8fBj4Gh9G-_C_17BjAMaFD7saHGKXbFknJff-RXgpanwxjGKjI6ZKda7mniMgiPCaoLDLYk2JRTt4HsmNwKpl5gphXRXpgtbrQjNk1LZMr-Yw0SNCch872XhsXZVEuIzVDPw/w400-h300/IMG_4979.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm getting better at selfies though ...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicy2J60Sn_lQWzmnKG6gNOnQeY_TQYxgoy7yRwpGj9ZmeQYx6uNKs4m4ffKXlmQHa-1pc_ZIchRKiDYrRxbg4PP_12XWPtLFokKQefWhlk8ZDdSe-KuuN6aY27uzKKKFMO2HyxDouBOj-IstKF8hFcWRkv24b2wA49iosBV4VEsX2gONwX5iq7sjjL5DM/s4032/IMG_4978.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicy2J60Sn_lQWzmnKG6gNOnQeY_TQYxgoy7yRwpGj9ZmeQYx6uNKs4m4ffKXlmQHa-1pc_ZIchRKiDYrRxbg4PP_12XWPtLFokKQefWhlk8ZDdSe-KuuN6aY27uzKKKFMO2HyxDouBOj-IstKF8hFcWRkv24b2wA49iosBV4VEsX2gONwX5iq7sjjL5DM/w400-h300/IMG_4978.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The day after we arrived, we had to move outside the Reserve area as a school group had booked it out - and the only people who could stay were those who had a police clearance, and we don't... Roy and Bernice had driven to us for lunch and we were watching this guy getting kitted out and wondered what he was doing. Readying himself for riding his fat wheeled unicycle, it turned out ...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW32lukO6SsWHLMshwqIKmaQ0U_SqWMYfzVaSprYpP6K1uSq2MuN3ZDqaCH1VEquWlrFCgLGgNjbHQKInhvUMz8W2mgvwqVNHoun_lCohoJC8XJlLjlBVA0sfnoUA7Atiy9JFB3BEh3c1ieCTF3v1EBo1E1xQn4kBKIBMQXlY42yTc5OoanO1Ye7IrrmI/s4032/IMG_4985.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW32lukO6SsWHLMshwqIKmaQ0U_SqWMYfzVaSprYpP6K1uSq2MuN3ZDqaCH1VEquWlrFCgLGgNjbHQKInhvUMz8W2mgvwqVNHoun_lCohoJC8XJlLjlBVA0sfnoUA7Atiy9JFB3BEh3c1ieCTF3v1EBo1E1xQn4kBKIBMQXlY42yTc5OoanO1Ye7IrrmI/w400-h300/IMG_4985.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The oyster catchers were in residence but quite shy. I am not sure why they are called oyster catchers because oysters don't move terribly fast. But those beaks are good for digging them out!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-TZpnPmdh8_6EoEKuav6CmKoDrIcRIHUghMoyE4sMQs0Ez5_Qguj-jpFWEQ2CvoQgBXy4e7obvIE9yU3TOCh_o_YH1UJL2WClvdHnRbEv9iFQZ4fl5xe-gCbgAyqTQdym0PRv9Nac6s1ceA9KGmMAYHzk2D7POQsu8QZX3rlC0qQm2rLjEe1JUzz5uQ/s4032/IMG_4988.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-TZpnPmdh8_6EoEKuav6CmKoDrIcRIHUghMoyE4sMQs0Ez5_Qguj-jpFWEQ2CvoQgBXy4e7obvIE9yU3TOCh_o_YH1UJL2WClvdHnRbEv9iFQZ4fl5xe-gCbgAyqTQdym0PRv9Nac6s1ceA9KGmMAYHzk2D7POQsu8QZX3rlC0qQm2rLjEe1JUzz5uQ/w400-h300/IMG_4988.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wind continued and did require that jackets be worn. In the distance over there is Auckland city<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFkxNrl6rmUImfiT9Z5CNeoK1QxO49PcJb1COzBXew1BFlhJYQ-JA9jR81pXSuiKb8xC8RL8rmc1eePLKYT0jrJrEP-8CFmIF886FmHYbxXcl-GhEP4eyc1AyHAUNSxKP3s_zwWeK0XuIPrVTO1y2_-Uma7B726-IxdEqUVL-6me1z_hN-lTuiKvjaDqc/s4032/IMG_4989.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFkxNrl6rmUImfiT9Z5CNeoK1QxO49PcJb1COzBXew1BFlhJYQ-JA9jR81pXSuiKb8xC8RL8rmc1eePLKYT0jrJrEP-8CFmIF886FmHYbxXcl-GhEP4eyc1AyHAUNSxKP3s_zwWeK0XuIPrVTO1y2_-Uma7B726-IxdEqUVL-6me1z_hN-lTuiKvjaDqc/w400-h300/IMG_4989.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can just about see the Sky Tower...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqhpe_jMupxRsQ15FpTvtAw9zu1-G3uA7BNcLwQgL-Ls_UWhVQe1gNe8Yyu30JznsSm2uQa_u75vXB8mvqiz1RI4KRWasAoW-0BJQbHcROWHGhSb161MW4gAoX0aVlXsi440nq_cnyX_EwG0XRAfAnndfjLz55-K81od-iWTnK4yoCmKZRCmtdoB3S14/s4032/IMG_4991.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqhpe_jMupxRsQ15FpTvtAw9zu1-G3uA7BNcLwQgL-Ls_UWhVQe1gNe8Yyu30JznsSm2uQa_u75vXB8mvqiz1RI4KRWasAoW-0BJQbHcROWHGhSb161MW4gAoX0aVlXsi440nq_cnyX_EwG0XRAfAnndfjLz55-K81od-iWTnK4yoCmKZRCmtdoB3S14/w400-h300/IMG_4991.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pohutukawa grow really well up here.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJj5RWYdAb0_ADdT6wowu477hIihT_ByAiZSNB1ZtQx1cppxa1_UYZ6EWCHbNYALBh4c2mjhD6BOwXfKYMyxV1T1GsDv3UqhCKK_no9hLwfOsH1I3pLEt7cAQKpNzE_ZNsx8TTDHXxTKdFvpIDtwyb_Rwy_bRv6toEZuHNgCy1RlbCmQKXaxjMbcvEzSk/s4032/IMG_4999.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJj5RWYdAb0_ADdT6wowu477hIihT_ByAiZSNB1ZtQx1cppxa1_UYZ6EWCHbNYALBh4c2mjhD6BOwXfKYMyxV1T1GsDv3UqhCKK_no9hLwfOsH1I3pLEt7cAQKpNzE_ZNsx8TTDHXxTKdFvpIDtwyb_Rwy_bRv6toEZuHNgCy1RlbCmQKXaxjMbcvEzSk/w400-h300/IMG_4999.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I went out in the evening to see if the city was more visible. Pohutukawa flowers by night ...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh89k9mTqR73MI9Wk81q1ApVjsrNc3iaylBtvrSmfuau0dGwEDXPhgf-VC7dscHNO2w4UBEA8FHy9Zptqs1zH-uTfyYIjfIYNOBlQ590QDnGaIq0Ut4SYn5AngjkUphszt8Y8KPBfjZwD6yjrY6VlQbbWyEqHGY_IDZ0s2fwXrpRLOx93z1wDVkrjUHjQ/s4032/IMG_4996.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh89k9mTqR73MI9Wk81q1ApVjsrNc3iaylBtvrSmfuau0dGwEDXPhgf-VC7dscHNO2w4UBEA8FHy9Zptqs1zH-uTfyYIjfIYNOBlQ590QDnGaIq0Ut4SYn5AngjkUphszt8Y8KPBfjZwD6yjrY6VlQbbWyEqHGY_IDZ0s2fwXrpRLOx93z1wDVkrjUHjQ/w400-h300/IMG_4996.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even though it was quite dark, the lights did help show the buildings across the harbour.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_qVWlpMMLdPIkWBNNZw9it0DRA7zugG33fHqJZvxkXrHm_t2dGwPP3TCmLPnDBRetCoLI6Rp1oxoa30PSlP5Ov9IfflOw0NZshntoHs3sgz_fERxCKyCiHJWUo-MKwrM30nRcIb_2pBZ3Ji2nDAXnByHZFkJJr81RTpMcpiujBB73L1wyaSWXkbfE3dM/s4032/IMG_4998.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_qVWlpMMLdPIkWBNNZw9it0DRA7zugG33fHqJZvxkXrHm_t2dGwPP3TCmLPnDBRetCoLI6Rp1oxoa30PSlP5Ov9IfflOw0NZshntoHs3sgz_fERxCKyCiHJWUo-MKwrM30nRcIb_2pBZ3Ji2nDAXnByHZFkJJr81RTpMcpiujBB73L1wyaSWXkbfE3dM/w400-h300/IMG_4998.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No lights, no clarity for the headland ...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p> <br /></p><p>We had a really relaxing time there - went for a walk around the headland, had shared meals with Bernice and Roy, and sheltered from the sun and wind, and delighted in seeing people enjoy the surroundings.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHYGJs7MG14FlyNbkta1hVbXUFfrw0Q9POKd9QhWN2BVNlNUjWE6hX8nnSQ1xjPNokGO_LbiALjvGPTUbj8mwmSAzIXwdAUzj1v_SUR0vr5bNhigVBOPvR7h5_vRNDkl6faWct9iErWxY16vJ0jsHmg5yHJSFcJ5HPjhAEk15BvTTUZxK9nXhP-a4DTNk/s4032/IMG_5015.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHYGJs7MG14FlyNbkta1hVbXUFfrw0Q9POKd9QhWN2BVNlNUjWE6hX8nnSQ1xjPNokGO_LbiALjvGPTUbj8mwmSAzIXwdAUzj1v_SUR0vr5bNhigVBOPvR7h5_vRNDkl6faWct9iErWxY16vJ0jsHmg5yHJSFcJ5HPjhAEk15BvTTUZxK9nXhP-a4DTNk/w400-h300/IMG_5015.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David was discreetly allowing me time to recover from falling over at the beginning of our walk - the lace on my left boot got caught in the hook on my right boot and over I went ... very ignominious!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS3EXHywdF1pMecTPdLRPULIloUhzPdEJMtgFIww6QE6k2DF3j0EKxePI4z7aUyAxnpe0DIQL-Bg-_LJueUNlcB_i6-pWPJ7lDA0qhQxGnxwcHQeqH8s4yVVzIWbWNCTPGcYmDL8_PV2fKBYY6F3_c4fU4dueqih4QAp1OPGSzs4VoNFX8bCWYfxUy_LI/s4032/IMG_5016.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS3EXHywdF1pMecTPdLRPULIloUhzPdEJMtgFIww6QE6k2DF3j0EKxePI4z7aUyAxnpe0DIQL-Bg-_LJueUNlcB_i6-pWPJ7lDA0qhQxGnxwcHQeqH8s4yVVzIWbWNCTPGcYmDL8_PV2fKBYY6F3_c4fU4dueqih4QAp1OPGSzs4VoNFX8bCWYfxUy_LI/w400-h300/IMG_5016.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think that piece of land way in the distance is the Coromandel Peninsula<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2czU3M6Jq_s-qZc04Sh_B33XS_TXDVXAG5822jKAwHTdymFRhUx_nK4i9Rp7NS3kbQBeDo7edW8el1zML8uApltdGZu7xLAbyD289p23HykKOiDRuBxgPq1B0xB7QH_F0gd82Otjo2pQcYA0Syi8qAuu1vKgfONlvGr0X6Jza1NeqnAzlZkHJrwuuBms/s4032/IMG_5017.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2czU3M6Jq_s-qZc04Sh_B33XS_TXDVXAG5822jKAwHTdymFRhUx_nK4i9Rp7NS3kbQBeDo7edW8el1zML8uApltdGZu7xLAbyD289p23HykKOiDRuBxgPq1B0xB7QH_F0gd82Otjo2pQcYA0Syi8qAuu1vKgfONlvGr0X6Jza1NeqnAzlZkHJrwuuBms/w400-h300/IMG_5017.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And that is one of the islands - I am sure Bernice can tell me which one...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <br /></p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgec_CQmQdw0vbcuUajWZKNhbsUDe2iMY8tgMdQbCEIzXLw0xzyKUWEEBKPvw4acRf4LUcQ9myWjkWjbmg-D76x33AYsuLAAuyfeFbjXAWmVe6ZMx-DSsDBjXzzkH7Q4KgrPo5nk128X4-X4SCG29DEjryEA5OKWwkMsL4UpP9XsqngwrhRudLIX8Czo/s4032/IMG_5021.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgec_CQmQdw0vbcuUajWZKNhbsUDe2iMY8tgMdQbCEIzXLw0xzyKUWEEBKPvw4acRf4LUcQ9myWjkWjbmg-D76x33AYsuLAAuyfeFbjXAWmVe6ZMx-DSsDBjXzzkH7Q4KgrPo5nk128X4-X4SCG29DEjryEA5OKWwkMsL4UpP9XsqngwrhRudLIX8Czo/w400-h300/IMG_5021.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the view from the dump station at Gulf Harbour part the way back along the ithsmus. As I said before, Whangaparoa is rather beautiful.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>We left pretty early on the Saturday morning, so we could do a supermarket shop on the way to West Auckland. Bernice had convinced me that the Pak'n'Save at Silverdale was good. I don't like that supermarket chain as I usually find that their fruit and veg are at the end of their useful lives and don't last, so the lower price isn't worth the waste. However, as we left the one at Silverdale I texted Bernice to tell her this one was pretty good.</p><p>We wanted to be in West Auckland to be able to catch up with Melita and with Lynne and Brent. So we stayed at Tui Glen NZMCA park. It was too hot to move and do anything!</p><p>Melita came for a late lunch and David set up the table and chairs outside the NZMCA compound (yes, it's got high fencing around it) in the shade of a tree in the lovely park outside. It was so lovely to catch up with Melita. She has been in our lives since she was 18 and that's 30 years ago! It was bizarre to be discussing peri-menopause with her when I always think of her as being very young!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUX_pMyMhdRVEZf-W7cqLmsTJlvDm7htZ_lYrrP-w-YgiaWQQoy2xgQUPx0rQS8Sk_t3lxK1bfxWTaCL69mwBHzCxffIlYzdAI0_wqJLCSAUW1Xi0Dse8tfwrTCGwsGbgoD3Ncxnhyphenhyphen6Hz8uvrkJ3KyjhI2w3Bg6znyHlAT7ohp1Hh6hYDqWVCvYtQWv8w/s4032/IMG_5022.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUX_pMyMhdRVEZf-W7cqLmsTJlvDm7htZ_lYrrP-w-YgiaWQQoy2xgQUPx0rQS8Sk_t3lxK1bfxWTaCL69mwBHzCxffIlYzdAI0_wqJLCSAUW1Xi0Dse8tfwrTCGwsGbgoD3Ncxnhyphenhyphen6Hz8uvrkJ3KyjhI2w3Bg6znyHlAT7ohp1Hh6hYDqWVCvYtQWv8w/w400-h300/IMG_5022.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful woman!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflstaQZJqtnvHL8xf-yVrhdW-NjnHMqCRa1aHi5WnnAjIIdTrsSlu2tVCmniVuw56DNkjCaNUjvVOLUnA5QtySiaBHFjjjuLFeVd_W8zoHJKveMbv9OQsHuqNq6Ro4ZdL5qOxwnfm2AFSaeZ6H_0xInUxITRuxOPsoxMj5pTKxg16xT-5RHlSZZkGqyo/s4032/IMG_5025.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflstaQZJqtnvHL8xf-yVrhdW-NjnHMqCRa1aHi5WnnAjIIdTrsSlu2tVCmniVuw56DNkjCaNUjvVOLUnA5QtySiaBHFjjjuLFeVd_W8zoHJKveMbv9OQsHuqNq6Ro4ZdL5qOxwnfm2AFSaeZ6H_0xInUxITRuxOPsoxMj5pTKxg16xT-5RHlSZZkGqyo/w400-h300/IMG_5025.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David and me with one of our favourite people.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>We had been planning to stay the Sunday night as well, but David was keen to move on and get out of Auckland before the Monday rush. That depended on how long our visit from Lynne and Brent was and how fresh I was going to be for driving in the late afternoon.</p><p>It was wonderful to see Lynne and Brent and Coco - I think David secretly likes Coco the best.Evidence: he always spends most time cuddling her.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSuiVuNanZIQzuF8jIPq5UbDFbYcALOs7znI-wDBfafLWPOeiDP5bvXfOs4kH926VwZVzyym9jCc2rZZzXZT3QUoFzaBa_nFqxH0Eof6xAVahyUSUbSDiMzwqBOI0FJM2cbNvZKBPE_afUkp3XJGEFWIDkN2YWKCcksbgw7tYmxyNcRy3-NXz2zppgn8/s4032/IMG_5026.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSuiVuNanZIQzuF8jIPq5UbDFbYcALOs7znI-wDBfafLWPOeiDP5bvXfOs4kH926VwZVzyym9jCc2rZZzXZT3QUoFzaBa_nFqxH0Eof6xAVahyUSUbSDiMzwqBOI0FJM2cbNvZKBPE_afUkp3XJGEFWIDkN2YWKCcksbgw7tYmxyNcRy3-NXz2zppgn8/w400-h300/IMG_5026.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lynne wanted to remain anonymous in this photo - I sent it to Kurt, my nephew. Lynne remembers burstiung his football with her car at Tongaporutu. Kurt didn't remember but said she still owed him ...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Lynne and I have known each other and been friends since the mid 1990s when we did a Self Expression and Leadership course together. She's a no nonsense say it like it is person and I appreciate that. She's an excellent and challenging coach when I'm trying to sort stuff out.</p><p>Her middle daughter Tomai and Kirsty became really good friends when they were in London together (La Perla was their local, they said, and excellent for cocktails on a Friday night ...) and then when they were both in Sydney. So an intergenerational friendship - and that is so cool.<br /></p><p>As I said, David was keen to get out of Auckland and I was okay with that but I wanted to get to Hamilton - far enough away to be out of the rat race-ness of NZ's biggest city. The drive down was pretty cruisey and there is an expressway once you get to the end of the Southern motorway, so it's at least 4 lanes all the way.</p><p>Hamilton has changed quite a bit since I lived there when at Teachers' College (in '68, '69 and '70) - I didn't like it then at all. Probably 3 of the saddest years of my life, in my memory of it. And since then I don't think I've ever stayed there apart from work trips.</p><p>So making the call to stay there was a bit out of left field really. However the Hamilton City Holiday Park is really lovely. </p><p>On the Monday we walked into the city and had a lovely time interacting with locals - although getting there in foot was a bit of a challenge - the challenge was finding how to get to be able to cross the Claudelands Bridge. It is always good to be able to ask for instructions, I find...</p><p>We had a really beaut late brunch at a cafe called Cream, on the recommendation of two women I accosted who were clearly on their lunch break.</p><p>David wanted to walk back a different way - across the Cobham Bridge which I remember as the town bridge. We then had to find Te Aroha Road, but google wanted to send us on 3 sides of a square route instead of just up the remaining 4th side. Doh!! Fortunately I was looking at the map, and using a bit of out of date local knowledge. </p><p>We checked out our steps on our return (David got back earlier than I did because I went on to Mitre10 and had to walk 3 sides of a VERY large building to find the front entrance, so I could buy some Araldite - the superglue on the camera monitor had failed in the heat). I had done over 15,000 steps and David had done 156 - because his phone had been in the backpack ... </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALj3VZaX8jNpbVRDuLi0GKbHXmxsjIpf85KysgX0np3Pd_p-ASBd0yht1mHl0z9bOsiiz8ETF3VKIFSMSI84umRFbDR6w3BDxH_Yy4-vDSOfLPxWt0N7wBtK_77i0TOFRGKb9G8ZGjGEWM2Lwk3LpHInWynu-hRYFoXbhvTFcQ9QLSoTcq5hIlbMn0c4/s4032/IMG_5032%202.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALj3VZaX8jNpbVRDuLi0GKbHXmxsjIpf85KysgX0np3Pd_p-ASBd0yht1mHl0z9bOsiiz8ETF3VKIFSMSI84umRFbDR6w3BDxH_Yy4-vDSOfLPxWt0N7wBtK_77i0TOFRGKb9G8ZGjGEWM2Lwk3LpHInWynu-hRYFoXbhvTFcQ9QLSoTcq5hIlbMn0c4/w400-h300/IMG_5032%202.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is is balancing on the dash. I had to take photos so I could send them to Freeway in Plimmerton - I've asked them to find a better solution than a suction cap. And for a couple of new window stays...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The camp wasn't full and it has cabins - and the latter was important. David had developed a cold and his cough is the most piercing noise that cuts right through flesh - not his, mine. And it sends a skewer through my brain...</p><p>As his hacking and snotting got worse on Monday afternoon, I asked him if he'd mind relocating to a cabin if one was available. The lovely kind man said he'd been thinking about that himself. </p><p>So I booked a cabin not too far from the motorhome, packed him and his medications and some bed linen and more medications and plenty of tissues and water and a lemon and honey drink over the way to the cabin. He pretty much went straight to bed. The upshot of that, of course, was that he arrived at the motorhome at silly o'clock the next morning. I sent him back after he'd made a cup of tea and instructed him to take more meds. And he slept for much of that day. And he was able to have another night in the cabin as we delayed going down to Tongaporutu - no cabins available there.<br /></p><p>To be frank, it was a blessing for me to have a couple of days available to blob - holidaying is tiring and I am more than ever noticing that my stores of stamina are quite depleted these days! It's old age that is catching up with me, dammit!!<br /></p><br /><p> </p><p><br /></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-35424731371401183992023-12-21T23:22:00.000-08:002023-12-21T23:22:28.330-08:00Kaitaia to Shakespear Regional Park<p>We headed from Kaitaia to see Tane Mahuta in Waipoua Forest - well, it just blew us away with its grandeur. It is the tallest kauri that exists.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfaeZyv5xk1wsgQg1IdAo_CNIoc4JkDmG5ZheSAjc8BBYvLVXcEgk0HD0AMmu93OG3_d-2cW5fq9sYU0OGCafLeb8Ez2B9Aw7MAi-0onKmsTrRjUpXCPO23RfJ21E_prTjOiuJLh7rQp3Wo9t1ixCjD3TOmRdKVok3GpMsrbudTVZjLFxHwJBLpb2nQjA/s4032/IMG_0217%202.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfaeZyv5xk1wsgQg1IdAo_CNIoc4JkDmG5ZheSAjc8BBYvLVXcEgk0HD0AMmu93OG3_d-2cW5fq9sYU0OGCafLeb8Ez2B9Aw7MAi-0onKmsTrRjUpXCPO23RfJ21E_prTjOiuJLh7rQp3Wo9t1ixCjD3TOmRdKVok3GpMsrbudTVZjLFxHwJBLpb2nQjA/w300-h400/IMG_0217%202.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It dwarfs everything around it! Look at the trunks of the other trees.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzTMvT2fJCyYuhtSwI_bZMt6vq8ABNdEIdTOx2pnHnMFpbjs4FkemkL8Kax6dqYgv_W7-2TREnj5w7enFPSxMcwRzj39BA4QTZx2-m7ypaIt00tilrPekY4UMipI4JwdLGzdOing_z3PLjtkdsmLmASMFZcHBvZfuGWZRtl1-hJnHwIIsbSMTqlVvjo4/s4032/IMG_0219%202.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzTMvT2fJCyYuhtSwI_bZMt6vq8ABNdEIdTOx2pnHnMFpbjs4FkemkL8Kax6dqYgv_W7-2TREnj5w7enFPSxMcwRzj39BA4QTZx2-m7ypaIt00tilrPekY4UMipI4JwdLGzdOing_z3PLjtkdsmLmASMFZcHBvZfuGWZRtl1-hJnHwIIsbSMTqlVvjo4/w300-h400/IMG_0219%202.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is as close to Tane Mahuta as you can get. I didn't realise that some of the kauri roots are close to the surface and so we need to keep our distance.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_lYuLyLGZee872-cHOdIxrUx3xpfL-8SwearU79SEdM3yncUjReCrRzxo590FWnPMOu-GVVMtc8OnE-2kNes5dwHg9vk5Yw-e2OR1avuKqjbjZh72A2nbQSQMD6a32TS4xY3FtrARXq4I-g_tgvk9UrVdyk4T-pdzRrXJyiSxKMEd8zRtbjnnxe4CGUM/s4032/IMG_0220%202.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_lYuLyLGZee872-cHOdIxrUx3xpfL-8SwearU79SEdM3yncUjReCrRzxo590FWnPMOu-GVVMtc8OnE-2kNes5dwHg9vk5Yw-e2OR1avuKqjbjZh72A2nbQSQMD6a32TS4xY3FtrARXq4I-g_tgvk9UrVdyk4T-pdzRrXJyiSxKMEd8zRtbjnnxe4CGUM/w300-h400/IMG_0220%202.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3iXMEWsfc_UHwqFDhzM5DH_3xmL42zaL865l4d1-y6S7_rUAAahSoM3UPxnhyphenhyphenH9VEPVU_8Tav900Nq1thlJzWrNMhrIg60o5_obbi3rP9dG1WHH4il2a0z8Rtz2lUCfcUwixDco8pZYxJk-lttUtbGZCm_bjil-pjMQuxYFbHHRkSztpX5Ehabe0DCI/s4032/IMG_4912%202.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3iXMEWsfc_UHwqFDhzM5DH_3xmL42zaL865l4d1-y6S7_rUAAahSoM3UPxnhyphenhyphenH9VEPVU_8Tav900Nq1thlJzWrNMhrIg60o5_obbi3rP9dG1WHH4il2a0z8Rtz2lUCfcUwixDco8pZYxJk-lttUtbGZCm_bjil-pjMQuxYFbHHRkSztpX5Ehabe0DCI/w400-h300/IMG_4912%202.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyX2NzcdxLyhnsT8bTSDGzXLlNpzf6T7nqtuuasiwaKo8ybcOFqgo2STOQwwlYCWjnSwbFkn66fCshfaUaXHsYBJu3HNgDMOFvczfm9bCRl9dV9W7B5cIYtWsxpq77NIgWGU8Uvf_eZGYWgNDszWhykPShNm3g-QKWjxFP6QzaYY_zvIfdTHYXYHAQ9Y/s4032/IMG_0225%202.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyX2NzcdxLyhnsT8bTSDGzXLlNpzf6T7nqtuuasiwaKo8ybcOFqgo2STOQwwlYCWjnSwbFkn66fCshfaUaXHsYBJu3HNgDMOFvczfm9bCRl9dV9W7B5cIYtWsxpq77NIgWGU8Uvf_eZGYWgNDszWhykPShNm3g-QKWjxFP6QzaYY_zvIfdTHYXYHAQ9Y/w300-h400/IMG_0225%202.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From a bit further away.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRykvBSEKnOuTbJnIiBcSYCMxRd-vWNAghYhhhyphenhyphensqfCgX2oo1MKk3D83J-lo-gimxtdH7_tT3gbwUBHY45DWKOw22HxOsdUmtp-z6RqR5ysomg_0mEjh7Ea6GY51e-d_lcXOfNyqazt3Va89RG7n6AAsS_Oiioa7H7nc6N9mEH8_yJh2fYMYUs8jz0GBs/s4032/IMG_4919%202.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRykvBSEKnOuTbJnIiBcSYCMxRd-vWNAghYhhhyphenhyphensqfCgX2oo1MKk3D83J-lo-gimxtdH7_tT3gbwUBHY45DWKOw22HxOsdUmtp-z6RqR5ysomg_0mEjh7Ea6GY51e-d_lcXOfNyqazt3Va89RG7n6AAsS_Oiioa7H7nc6N9mEH8_yJh2fYMYUs8jz0GBs/w400-h300/IMG_4919%202.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And back up the hill above the parking area we looked back to see how tall Tane Mahuta actually is - there is its canopy, towering above the rest of the forest.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>We had arranged earlier that day that we would stay at Waipoua Forest Camp - it is an iwi run camp. It's very basic and it is cool. There was one other motorhome there when we arrived and a little camper van arrived later. The place is extremely quiet - in the middle of the bush and the only noise is the bird song. Lovely.<br /></p><p>At one point in the evening David went out to dispose of rubbish (it's pack in, pack out, but he hadn't clocked that on the signage - and nor had I to be fair) and he was gone for ages. Eventually, after an hour or so, I went looking for him. <br /></p><p>I found him in the camp kitchen talking with Cat. Once I knew he hadn't wandered off to the river and fallen in, I left him and went back to continue reading... </p><p>When he returned, he told me Cat and Henry are from the UK and are hitchhiking around NZ. So I suggested he go and offer them a ride to Dargaville in the morning. Yes they said, and were ready before 10am.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjoUndYH1GXCznNpm7koAwVM-arnmjgCRnif15LybbA0hrVaKNZ2xzT5ufZjmUQCpC542UvJCsyuTsOHOApz7zIsVQ3DUtMlpuv2B3O49j3oPhWKiXDzzLafjum5pJQI-gTYAEYmZ4s-JtuP_3WMdf5tktFHiC7i6Xp4z_OdAd_-iIwoEHZn5pKZQW4yg/s4032/IMG_4922.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjoUndYH1GXCznNpm7koAwVM-arnmjgCRnif15LybbA0hrVaKNZ2xzT5ufZjmUQCpC542UvJCsyuTsOHOApz7zIsVQ3DUtMlpuv2B3O49j3oPhWKiXDzzLafjum5pJQI-gTYAEYmZ4s-JtuP_3WMdf5tktFHiC7i6Xp4z_OdAd_-iIwoEHZn5pKZQW4yg/w400-h300/IMG_4922.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cat and Henry<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Because we ignored one brown sign for the oldest kauri tree not far from Tane Mahuta, I decided we needed to at least pay lip-service to the rule around stopping for brown signs. So we pulled in to the Nelson Kaihu Kauri shop and gallery. What an amazing place. Nelson Kaihu uses kauri that's thousands of years old and has been retrieved from swamps - he makes tabletops, table stands, large bowls, ... </p><p>David fell in love with a table top that had slabs of kauri embedded in black resin. It was beautiful and I said no. But given we have sold the boat, we could afford it. It was only $5600. Say it fast and it's not much ...</p><p>I did buy a koru shaped double placemat made of kauri. That will have to do. We can think of the tabletop when we use it.</p><p>I did buy two small pieces of greenstone for Cat and Henry - as you may be aware, giving a gift of greenstone is significant for MΔori. It is said to keep the recipient safe and bring them back to Aotearoa.</p><p>When we arrived in Dargaville, having bypassed the Hokianga completely (just blithely drove though, no stops: I did consider stopping at Opononi but every available space to stop was full) we pulled in to the NZMCA park - delighted to find it is just across the bridge from the town centre. <br /></p><p>I had seen on the net that there was a rail trip on converted golf-carts and we had decided to do it. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkmG3sPgobRuah1RXqAI2s5JK35ydPsYT1vT7Da-aaNH5eOtjh1lj30TGniWsu-UOeSCe4zqLvckk-6rFhUqhkiKHX0iF6_H2GAqa3mZcgngg4o6-F4Hg2Ce3XKTXrzPAGrRsg3sy7jHuEVsifUTpOwQG26etDIeUnfULyJ8fvdHtxbbNPg0nIEZdqDqY/s4032/IMG_4930.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkmG3sPgobRuah1RXqAI2s5JK35ydPsYT1vT7Da-aaNH5eOtjh1lj30TGniWsu-UOeSCe4zqLvckk-6rFhUqhkiKHX0iF6_H2GAqa3mZcgngg4o6-F4Hg2Ce3XKTXrzPAGrRsg3sy7jHuEVsifUTpOwQG26etDIeUnfULyJ8fvdHtxbbNPg0nIEZdqDqY/w400-h300/IMG_4930.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our own little golf cart...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxxH739pKNJEbfgfOongwnGUb9nPmgTknu8F83fAiWNyNjrurz7yuqjD_idoVDzDsXu-msO5bEUB1FeFWmMMXk8pm5gyqQVKxzdYV2X4LOT5sAoXimf016rv-imvxKNYmWWr4-SUc-JNFv4mSC0CpiQWnGofOWAeVXyzWfloxHzAs_IPaxuh48QUKgiY/s4032/IMG_4936.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxxH739pKNJEbfgfOongwnGUb9nPmgTknu8F83fAiWNyNjrurz7yuqjD_idoVDzDsXu-msO5bEUB1FeFWmMMXk8pm5gyqQVKxzdYV2X4LOT5sAoXimf016rv-imvxKNYmWWr4-SUc-JNFv4mSC0CpiQWnGofOWAeVXyzWfloxHzAs_IPaxuh48QUKgiY/w400-h300/IMG_4936.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvsaU_FCLZUwb91Md98SxKG5Cdv6SBIiNH9joYbGpuE016Swv2rmf8EZm3xTZrBscRkGs7fSjFfh_r3nSKfHTDXWoQMektHVhjiUa-fhuNKBfUi8ceQjcf0p5Bd3iqqB5MbO8nBPO9UoDrtFrxWR05cDCL74fnlBuQxGWlKpoHWuMS8yxrrg7S9haggw/s4032/IMG_4932.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvsaU_FCLZUwb91Md98SxKG5Cdv6SBIiNH9joYbGpuE016Swv2rmf8EZm3xTZrBscRkGs7fSjFfh_r3nSKfHTDXWoQMektHVhjiUa-fhuNKBfUi8ceQjcf0p5Bd3iqqB5MbO8nBPO9UoDrtFrxWR05cDCL74fnlBuQxGWlKpoHWuMS8yxrrg7S9haggw/w400-h300/IMG_4932.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p> </p><p>There was only one other set of passengers in their own cart. A group that included 3 dogs, and a 2 year old child... seeing as how uncontrolled and barky one of the dogs was, and how lax the parents' attention was to the child and the dogs, we decided we would be last in the procession. Not sure that was a good idea, because I was constantly alert to either the child falling out as she swung from the side roof support of the golfcart, and the sight of the dogs leaving the cart every time we had to stop... Nightmare!</p><p>The saving grace though were the scones that Dave, one of the operators had made for morning tea.He and I discussed scone recipes and I gave him the link for my world famous Ministry of Food cheese scones. I hope he tries them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUr711X4S0UNKqzk4Ry_bPmTkeLNn8YNndN-bCLupbin552PeX15WZ0ly_zEX-tdHwX-e4xuT5I-anWhLuVUg2kNK56xEMWHg9SZngu14yPp2JSddJUcMTFMhWhVnguarMsWQe1Np5NHT9YuVgHrsbEL7mmihuHwVZIu0M4JlR9WF5TRbZuedEjdHRq10/s4032/IMG_4946.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUr711X4S0UNKqzk4Ry_bPmTkeLNn8YNndN-bCLupbin552PeX15WZ0ly_zEX-tdHwX-e4xuT5I-anWhLuVUg2kNK56xEMWHg9SZngu14yPp2JSddJUcMTFMhWhVnguarMsWQe1Np5NHT9YuVgHrsbEL7mmihuHwVZIu0M4JlR9WF5TRbZuedEjdHRq10/w400-h300/IMG_4946.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48qfC0SLZw81ZPrii_bczDzKi1y9IDd2wGoLwxexQWEw8a6BOflRdKJpM_L1z1-1cQSXuzserZikztlnw4KbHEwTEDqNS51kY1JTZAYmOwEYpmeNmdQ1GJXkfAhaeKklpmlnmW39S8lAAIAyjfIRLGOJ_wrgkEKkFBKTQDP21Hg5cfWNWy8Me_4jVmKE/s4032/IMG_4954.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48qfC0SLZw81ZPrii_bczDzKi1y9IDd2wGoLwxexQWEw8a6BOflRdKJpM_L1z1-1cQSXuzserZikztlnw4KbHEwTEDqNS51kY1JTZAYmOwEYpmeNmdQ1GJXkfAhaeKklpmlnmW39S8lAAIAyjfIRLGOJ_wrgkEKkFBKTQDP21Hg5cfWNWy8Me_4jVmKE/w400-h300/IMG_4954.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When I first looked at that bridge I thought there was a gap between the bridge and the piling - then I realised the pilings were for a bridge that has been demolished - phew!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNH_j-yvjq0dOJ3ZE1NhfPYqvFbRmCk539QHdBRRHnPzx-TPetODWbLDz-QZAbWoO3FoGEk6UBcMLrMKUUvakIdxfL34CwDM1-cdGn13IsUT6SKpxSy2OFBQfRMr2oVD7p3cQX_s55RzIaajinV1niRWs13LyZo_rcqe_JCBMmPThktOWLx4PxfLxDbM/s4032/IMG_4952.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNH_j-yvjq0dOJ3ZE1NhfPYqvFbRmCk539QHdBRRHnPzx-TPetODWbLDz-QZAbWoO3FoGEk6UBcMLrMKUUvakIdxfL34CwDM1-cdGn13IsUT6SKpxSy2OFBQfRMr2oVD7p3cQX_s55RzIaajinV1niRWs13LyZo_rcqe_JCBMmPThktOWLx4PxfLxDbM/w400-h300/IMG_4952.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing one of the bridges - not very high fortunately! But look at how worn those sleepers are...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>It's an OK trip, nothing startling in terms of what there is to see, but it was pleasant enough.<br /></p><p>In Dargaville we also managed to get the Sale Contract for the boat signed and couriered off to the UK. That reminds me, I've not yet heard if they have arrived - better check with the brokers. </p><p>And we joined local NZMCA members for their monthly drinks and dinner session in the building on site. Some very interesting history and some lovely people. </p><p>We'd had a recommendation that the Matakohe Kauri Museum was worth a visit so we headed to the adjacent holiday park early, parked on a site and went to the lovely cafe for brunch. Then the museum.</p><p>Well, very definitely impressive. But heartbreaking as well. It proudly displays the logging and kauri gum history of the area. And while it notes how much kauri forest was lost - over 90% of what was here has been chopped down - and the museum doesn't seem to explore the environmental or human aspects of that loss. Let alone the death of the beauty of the kauri forests. But lots of people made lots of money and lots of land was cleared (read deforested) for lucrative farming. It made me cry.</p><p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_seqv6dKOmaOje-W3jSeCLE8q2R5xOYgAR7VbKqUMR0E6RS60fj8usuGNpYi1uPds0xN1fZlQhNR4Nds69ZTSHwRrLZLkOaffxPSnHEPzEJJU3C_oCJ6hTaf6Bp9B-hSigPKTybKyfTI12Y4fd-3O35Z7nNFcA94P9VN1emIMryK145PqJergXDGJF6E/s4032/IMG_4955.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_seqv6dKOmaOje-W3jSeCLE8q2R5xOYgAR7VbKqUMR0E6RS60fj8usuGNpYi1uPds0xN1fZlQhNR4Nds69ZTSHwRrLZLkOaffxPSnHEPzEJJU3C_oCJ6hTaf6Bp9B-hSigPKTybKyfTI12Y4fd-3O35Z7nNFcA94P9VN1emIMryK145PqJergXDGJF6E/w400-h300/IMG_4955.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a 4 inch lengthwise slab of a kauri that was felled because it was rotting from the root system up. It was huge but tiny in comparison to Tane Mahuta.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0iiM4jwn_TaMCzyI9nVqV09K5CckP-gyomD6qsPFI_90WCtzLVUP92Uyk90V1HJBGOa0R0iSdGdH-3XpdctHhlZj2qBRduQKMaXwMZAH_XDOf3VDC7q6irzQPsu4l7knqP0c9j8gBkdtLl18_KZsByN0hcjdmU9VOZ31SZgVmeghvMoaUFuTjBBo0xPM/s4032/IMG_4957.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0iiM4jwn_TaMCzyI9nVqV09K5CckP-gyomD6qsPFI_90WCtzLVUP92Uyk90V1HJBGOa0R0iSdGdH-3XpdctHhlZj2qBRduQKMaXwMZAH_XDOf3VDC7q6irzQPsu4l7knqP0c9j8gBkdtLl18_KZsByN0hcjdmU9VOZ31SZgVmeghvMoaUFuTjBBo0xPM/w400-h300/IMG_4957.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The round slab on the wall looking like a target is a slice from near the bottom of the tree - see the photo below. I didn't take a close up photo of the 'target' which described which trees were larger, I'm sorry. My bad!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBF91ZSNS3x-5GAbcwZE4MtDu8k7n-vCNVXD1neWCoLo-hX6Loq7kNQTe8OqSerqA6vPqOVNDUN56FH6Tqt2x-JA3BpiLMG7tey4fFp7j83ZzDzuj8wkFBBr7N1FRqqLgBLJJv6ycwT66UuT7nhdZMRAmlYU3StU0Jqtj8j-GDy43w351SotMWlR5csYw/s4032/IMG_4956.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBF91ZSNS3x-5GAbcwZE4MtDu8k7n-vCNVXD1neWCoLo-hX6Loq7kNQTe8OqSerqA6vPqOVNDUN56FH6Tqt2x-JA3BpiLMG7tey4fFp7j83ZzDzuj8wkFBBr7N1FRqqLgBLJJv6ycwT66UuT7nhdZMRAmlYU3StU0Jqtj8j-GDy43w351SotMWlR5csYw/w400-h300/IMG_4956.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milling this tree was a huge job and it was done in sections with very specific measurements to ensure this slab was left intact.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVsV8PplWax9HqhuZZDLesMr95je0CyMAC0JkLPz__DHoaNSA44kpEmfRHArgNNSJBCQFDGR-gKYbc-qEK4Rn5bwPWggo8yJ6Y7EDASUSmC2bpCCZm5Bg9pt9AsdfAkSn-PQ2mr3E1p7gO9GiSYpIgY92CqMGwK6UCub5CCDnqhf2a4v-PJxwtc7wKLD8/s4032/IMG_4961.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVsV8PplWax9HqhuZZDLesMr95je0CyMAC0JkLPz__DHoaNSA44kpEmfRHArgNNSJBCQFDGR-gKYbc-qEK4Rn5bwPWggo8yJ6Y7EDASUSmC2bpCCZm5Bg9pt9AsdfAkSn-PQ2mr3E1p7gO9GiSYpIgY92CqMGwK6UCub5CCDnqhf2a4v-PJxwtc7wKLD8/w300-h400/IMG_4961.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYB8E1BzPgbxnxLxW7MGEM1lDh7H4lbZoXTPKFn6b2siSJYNptsxtqVpiS-mx65veNC0oX8cm9JgxH6Ysev_8HtjzPrjAlVnN9GrIb1l5Prn3-IewjL12nZRDgk1JFuB4bs32lqO6Ac4Jge77sgGyXkCA8wemKLgbhWKPsp8CeatlauS1Zv9gVYz2apCw/s4032/IMG_4960.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYB8E1BzPgbxnxLxW7MGEM1lDh7H4lbZoXTPKFn6b2siSJYNptsxtqVpiS-mx65veNC0oX8cm9JgxH6Ysev_8HtjzPrjAlVnN9GrIb1l5Prn3-IewjL12nZRDgk1JFuB4bs32lqO6Ac4Jge77sgGyXkCA8wemKLgbhWKPsp8CeatlauS1Zv9gVYz2apCw/w300-h400/IMG_4960.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These summed it up for me.</td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>In spite of my sentimentality, I would recommend a visit to the museum. It definitely is thorough in its descriptions of the logging industry and there are great displays of the machinery used. My late brother in law, Muzza, who was a forestry worker, in his younger days just loved the museum and I can understand why.<br /></p><p>We called in at a little shop next door that was selling locally made crafts, I bought a wooden butter knife and we chatted with the old guy running the shop. Some people will take any opportunity to display their prejudice! Bloody hell - somehow he managed to inject into the conversation that where he had lived in Auckland (Mangere) used to be a nice area, but now has too many immigrants: Samoans, Islanders, Asians. Needless to say, he got the McDonald 'We are all immigrants, mate!' aaarrrggghhh!!!<br /></p><p>Some days before, David had taken a punt about where we would be on or around my birthday, and ordered a birthday present for me - some noise cancelling headphones for use with the laptop. So the next morning from Matakohe we headed back to Whangarei - I am not sure what Google maps was thinking, but it was the most circuitous route with the most roadworks and traffic lights and one way sections of any road I have ever driven on! But, as we say, it's all an adventure... And the headphones are great - and because ACP tends to commandeer/colonise/appropriate my electronic stuff, I insisted he put a piece of white tape with an M on them and their case, so he could be caught in the misappropriation if/when it occurs. Because you just know it will.πΉππ‘<br /></p><p>We didn't want to stay in Whangarei - too big, too busy, too noisy - and the NZMCA park is beaut but a long way out and we have already got lost leaving there once (bloody Google maps has it in for us on a purely random basis - did it to us in Hamilton a few days ago [yes I am behind in the blog again!] trying to send us on 3 sides of a very big square as the way back to where we are staying instead of a direct one-side walk,...) </p><p>So we headed for the holiday park at Ruakaka - it is really lovely. Because it was so hot, we asked for a site with shade. The camp is very VERY big and when we had checked in, David raised the barrier arm and said he would walk. Well, reader - he got lost, of course he did. To be fair, the park is big, the numbering system is strange as the camp is divided into 6 different camps and the 'camps' all start their site numbers from 1 and a few of them have more than 30 sites - and we were on Site 32. He eventually found where I was - I had already parked. I don't think I had turned on the gas and got a cup of tea on the go, but I had plugged us in to the power, and prepared dinner. Well not quite. But I <b>was</b> considering sending out a search party.</p><p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0xjGrUNPGBLn9dX9vFCn5N8YdcN6QPknJa8rC5as_e8ZCmdWcX2KVrSQEfj7SZIHp-hMJvjVG8zneiznmSC9BctfR0brquO6B1ncKEkPMHLp72W9QtKFe_jo1jVlgUR1ScsAEdkehaDl4qk998_gKHVay0fjsMykMeqwdCm_cKgvK34ZO5eFEsK9NJJ4/s4032/IMG_4966.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0xjGrUNPGBLn9dX9vFCn5N8YdcN6QPknJa8rC5as_e8ZCmdWcX2KVrSQEfj7SZIHp-hMJvjVG8zneiznmSC9BctfR0brquO6B1ncKEkPMHLp72W9QtKFe_jo1jVlgUR1ScsAEdkehaDl4qk998_gKHVay0fjsMykMeqwdCm_cKgvK34ZO5eFEsK9NJJ4/w400-h300/IMG_4966.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With all the roadworks we had been through that day there was quite a lot of concrete splash on the motorhome, so David took on the job of cleaning the lower half to get it all off.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNry5tx8nYUVi9gOW7QBRe4MvBPHWoditHq9M3OOe0G5ry6Jg-N3WV5MnbyE7P7GZ3jqBbjJE2t9WKzZfYbFwyYvuenxWjgSZnIYKPHvOyEiWLpyNYiY0pY34A38zMHZCFn-NkFQ4RNrU9SEKR5CpJeaUMzaF4BHcKy_AANcbe-xWsxi-jehGFk8GASkg/s4032/IMG_4965.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNry5tx8nYUVi9gOW7QBRe4MvBPHWoditHq9M3OOe0G5ry6Jg-N3WV5MnbyE7P7GZ3jqBbjJE2t9WKzZfYbFwyYvuenxWjgSZnIYKPHvOyEiWLpyNYiY0pY34A38zMHZCFn-NkFQ4RNrU9SEKR5CpJeaUMzaF4BHcKy_AANcbe-xWsxi-jehGFk8GASkg/w400-h300/IMG_4965.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The concrete splashes were everywhere and were especially heavy on the passenger side as it was closest to the side of the road.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>It wasn't the only time he got lost there. The next day he went looking for the facilities block, and even though I had pointed him in the general direction and showed him it on the site plan, he still wandered lonely as a cloud and had to find his way to the office and be directed to the facilities and back to our site. I do worry about him, even through my laughter, honest, I do.<br /></p><p>At one point in the afternoon, I was sitting outside reading (in the shade) and David was inside. I heard a bang and then plaintive call and went racing inside because he sounded as though he was in distress. But not inside! 'Where are you, are you OK?' I called. 'Yes, I'm out here. Look what's happened.' </p><p>Bugger! A window that was wide open had been caught by a gust of wind and its 2 part window stays had been over-extended and separated, and the window had lifted out of its top slot and landed on the ground. Bugger!!</p><p>Fortunately it wasn't broken, but the stays were shot. I fetched the toolbox for a screwdriver, two stools (one of top of the other), removed the end cap of the bracket for the window (note to self: must replace the silicone before it rains) and slid the window back in its slot, replaced the end cap and then tried to get the window stays back together. One worked, the other didn't. Dammit. So we closed the window with the catches and I unscrewed and removed the stay that wouldn't reunite with its partner. Then because I am anxious, I put some intensely sticky waterproof tape on the vertical sides of the window and outside wall. Belt and braces, you know. And given how strong the wind was the next day when we headed to Shakespear Regional Park, I am really glad I had taped it!<br /></p><p>What a bloody awful trip that was in the strong winds that were sweeping the country. If I'd known it was that bad (my fault for not checking) I would have stayed put at Ruakaka. It was the worst and scariest drive I've ever done in the motorhome, and being a long time Wellington resident, you can be sure that I know strong wind. </p>Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-79482724278817289152023-12-14T13:26:00.000-08:002023-12-14T14:14:38.404-08:00Cape Reinga<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">After a night at Awanui NZMCA park, <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">on Tuesday 5 December, we went out for brunch as a late birthday celebration.
Very nice food at the Big River Cafe (translation of Awanui: Awa = river, nui = big)</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDuqT_HAdo4m0zcwIGGo7CcRdpVtYa1AY_4TyBQtJoJN8HEjSqy4ywIx6FUTpI3cae3QpLISpm_LtT6uHbLUi96Zvo7lyIRwAboWdY43fLHztUc_78j5HcjfWiVTC0XkvJJx_izMBn6rO6o0riEjHNWkpYgV3x3ysbQMG7dMLsd_CiFpvHB_fmDpzMec/s4032/IMG_4859.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDuqT_HAdo4m0zcwIGGo7CcRdpVtYa1AY_4TyBQtJoJN8HEjSqy4ywIx6FUTpI3cae3QpLISpm_LtT6uHbLUi96Zvo7lyIRwAboWdY43fLHztUc_78j5HcjfWiVTC0XkvJJx_izMBn6rO6o0riEjHNWkpYgV3x3ysbQMG7dMLsd_CiFpvHB_fmDpzMec/w400-h300/IMG_4859.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Definitely a big river - it has houseboats and big fishing launches<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3vcnughtIWQHcw0CJaG4gt8Q-xsgJSjUi0ugw2o4W_o_4GhkkdQK35jZ_W9JWpClES-SEcuFrjZCvbk_jfNGownVNuZAu7iaoJZDZGHUL9A3pbUrl5vKYx6Urdm2KYp3XEqrUDYg8746Whf2vVsJA5jVM8eZqhD0GGX1w4fxFXoB08cX_ubprCA_XqI/s4032/IMG_4860%202.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3vcnughtIWQHcw0CJaG4gt8Q-xsgJSjUi0ugw2o4W_o_4GhkkdQK35jZ_W9JWpClES-SEcuFrjZCvbk_jfNGownVNuZAu7iaoJZDZGHUL9A3pbUrl5vKYx6Urdm2KYp3XEqrUDYg8746Whf2vVsJA5jVM8eZqhD0GGX1w4fxFXoB08cX_ubprCA_XqI/w400-h300/IMG_4860%202.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David's eggs bene with salmon<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKGlWCG-SEJOWQseC5Ac5rpnVH1K8W2hlY5E1CqgjyugpqZPTlUjq1v2jpv7J2qP8GxS51hJTQnJp7Q5Et14hY-i3oJSkPvA1z8xQeOwltoaXe08KXtnfzavNcB1zSQNlx2zoEAsSzDIa9FzcpqSU2r_M25cegYNSXlSmTSJTj5PdiXwW2afeDqPRYXYY/s4032/IMG_4861%202.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKGlWCG-SEJOWQseC5Ac5rpnVH1K8W2hlY5E1CqgjyugpqZPTlUjq1v2jpv7J2qP8GxS51hJTQnJp7Q5Et14hY-i3oJSkPvA1z8xQeOwltoaXe08KXtnfzavNcB1zSQNlx2zoEAsSzDIa9FzcpqSU2r_M25cegYNSXlSmTSJTj5PdiXwW2afeDqPRYXYY/w400-h300/IMG_4861%202.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My more prosaic beans and hash browns with eggs <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> <br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mtYeAFYl9AEdvijMijn26LhjZxYDul1Ak50GPbxqOPMIBve0YLq6WVaBk0QyrTRuff_3zzJKeevZocerWOAxMeyEbGMLrrccUmTKAMLTmJ7fbtKXddrPzalYglBxoGxz_7ARCePEZ8yNaciP_v9I1MkSKnUB9AjciXwCltplfphg2VwaqJCAyUS7TlI/s4032/IMG_4862.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mtYeAFYl9AEdvijMijn26LhjZxYDul1Ak50GPbxqOPMIBve0YLq6WVaBk0QyrTRuff_3zzJKeevZocerWOAxMeyEbGMLrrccUmTKAMLTmJ7fbtKXddrPzalYglBxoGxz_7ARCePEZ8yNaciP_v9I1MkSKnUB9AjciXwCltplfphg2VwaqJCAyUS7TlI/w400-h300/IMG_4862.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sports grounds across the road from the NZMCA park have these pou<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">After breakfast we headed for Cape Reinga. It was raining with low cloud on our way, and as we got closer the cloud came down even more.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">There's no designated motorhome parking up there: plenty for cars and
some for buses. So I pretended the CROW was a bus - another motorhomer had the
same idea. And where were they going to get a tow truck from?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">As we left the motorhome and started the walk down the long path, the
clouds lifted and exposed the views - just so absolutely mind-blowing. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr8_OyIinevdhLgS5RRSuLcLDDNP3Gg-jSdmA3_bQVe1QOaiOiusoeE4z6HPTe49UApd8qJsCBx6B_6WiR8s1GN3bKgS5Nw10KX3CN-MvolVlCL1Gz-etpufvEPdZZdEBtAwHgmhXC9bvaFVRXHEiqtqKSNGTuUHpAe_-ox70HwYAvCkb-02TAPvr8NqI/s4032/IMG_4863.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr8_OyIinevdhLgS5RRSuLcLDDNP3Gg-jSdmA3_bQVe1QOaiOiusoeE4z6HPTe49UApd8qJsCBx6B_6WiR8s1GN3bKgS5Nw10KX3CN-MvolVlCL1Gz-etpufvEPdZZdEBtAwHgmhXC9bvaFVRXHEiqtqKSNGTuUHpAe_-ox70HwYAvCkb-02TAPvr8NqI/w400-h300/IMG_4863.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cloud is still down but lifting<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sAi5makar3MnTGGB1ppSXZqdRJeACIrNjRzfhz7s3MHbJ4bLZZbUy261grB24qTt7Ty5rTy568m8FDlGnueTLNRc6ozE518lWrST_zHLUTCmo2xh_sAGpziJhZrISDMvAWa7OsYqDkv5L3dYal1E7tUJBrVevRZ3CcrB_LMvFxhIYn05X4Hq0nAXioY/s4032/IMG_4864.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sAi5makar3MnTGGB1ppSXZqdRJeACIrNjRzfhz7s3MHbJ4bLZZbUy261grB24qTt7Ty5rTy568m8FDlGnueTLNRc6ozE518lWrST_zHLUTCmo2xh_sAGpziJhZrISDMvAWa7OsYqDkv5L3dYal1E7tUJBrVevRZ3CcrB_LMvFxhIYn05X4Hq0nAXioY/w400-h300/IMG_4864.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where the two oceans meet<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjnJD1rxlVa7-c6Vl8Q1zi4T9DNoR6JsjjIAmg0w3YGQfSGLfy4HE6agA9keN00gi6aZQcP-7V2QbimzrGqHOBxHsVS7S1jIY1TQLAJYH8tqV8fCMZg26XFMoSi998QNYUBfG7QhUtCjRFhmNxSABqpWO_ip_eNA2CpCnUaJYfhMnAxhP9IpsqM6x8QA/s4032/IMG_4867.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjnJD1rxlVa7-c6Vl8Q1zi4T9DNoR6JsjjIAmg0w3YGQfSGLfy4HE6agA9keN00gi6aZQcP-7V2QbimzrGqHOBxHsVS7S1jIY1TQLAJYH8tqV8fCMZg26XFMoSi998QNYUBfG7QhUtCjRFhmNxSABqpWO_ip_eNA2CpCnUaJYfhMnAxhP9IpsqM6x8QA/w400-h300/IMG_4867.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cloud is lifting but the beach to the southwest is visible<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqWZMrIIBcmC1DhtnYaYplck4l9qDCp-iGBufJ55F41k7QstsUW_V_d52k-hrzWa_QeYqB8k-z2kUJ6dTqgfGxHNi9d5bZrBH-QZMxRoRPnMa46dqIUCvfF5x-HObv2gNiNe_jJXbBR1BQ8RMYec-KlPYdQCxdyWVFfrE7F_9Zxwtv-QOzWvUSqqvUV8/s4032/IMG_4866.HEIC"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqWZMrIIBcmC1DhtnYaYplck4l9qDCp-iGBufJ55F41k7QstsUW_V_d52k-hrzWa_QeYqB8k-z2kUJ6dTqgfGxHNi9d5bZrBH-QZMxRoRPnMa46dqIUCvfF5x-HObv2gNiNe_jJXbBR1BQ8RMYec-KlPYdQCxdyWVFfrE7F_9Zxwtv-QOzWvUSqqvUV8/w400-h300/IMG_4866.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> <br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8cGkItUILn1HraL61YUHyLp9Gf_jvUvMZr5IhVmUoYBqknGv2LeOjd9u1WtKTw7dEqfkY_QNcLbOyVsEeiBIvsnuGpBYG6nWm-LV73amdfFx-NUXz9jQeQFqLxTN4f_frHHZYwT98GX04KkvN4Ip_zd07DaXHeucPrHCewWB4TWIh7Rh7X_AzfoNjYIs/s4032/IMG_4869.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8cGkItUILn1HraL61YUHyLp9Gf_jvUvMZr5IhVmUoYBqknGv2LeOjd9u1WtKTw7dEqfkY_QNcLbOyVsEeiBIvsnuGpBYG6nWm-LV73amdfFx-NUXz9jQeQFqLxTN4f_frHHZYwT98GX04KkvN4Ip_zd07DaXHeucPrHCewWB4TWIh7Rh7X_AzfoNjYIs/w400-h300/IMG_4869.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lack of height and the angle of growth were distinctive up here.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ihbG2hyknWWtBTkfbuSQEGCxIxpsyiy64gQOFrdZrkPWvqypT6kDsonJg_cFpG861uQQqDYZq407xSJw1JoTHxJwR5xTLBE-Ha5639n8vV4bkwkyl09ZJJLEAdI573vbRY8ziwkK5sRwpH4z9ywc9i-IqRnYfwiY4I0kI29PNT_owv21syx-wJS07Cs/s4032/IMG_4868.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ihbG2hyknWWtBTkfbuSQEGCxIxpsyiy64gQOFrdZrkPWvqypT6kDsonJg_cFpG861uQQqDYZq407xSJw1JoTHxJwR5xTLBE-Ha5639n8vV4bkwkyl09ZJJLEAdI573vbRY8ziwkK5sRwpH4z9ywc9i-IqRnYfwiY4I0kI29PNT_owv21syx-wJS07Cs/w400-h300/IMG_4868.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moody, lowering and beautiful<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">As I
stood and looked at the point where MΔori believe spirits depart from back to
Hawaiiki, I cried for Caitlin. And I thought about Mum and Dad and Muzza (my brother in law). Dee and Muzza's son, Kurt had made a pilgrimage of sorts up here earlier this year, so being here was very evocative for me.<br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiTjOjar8Jnq-Qf_7x1b7aCFq9P08Kx3FzD7e3Sczk0HMpwOJZ0rzasmySnSnqpeLq-GrMwF_f3c3O4N5tn87LIhwrp9YeHbV_iGJwVEMx8hD7yWWLRBZXFjbzQVVBUmARvdtNb7yOOkUkzrTyYtsF-ZUFOKsSA12nOOyaWPHr9ZMqKRoUgGTRofpDh6c/s4032/IMG_4871.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiTjOjar8Jnq-Qf_7x1b7aCFq9P08Kx3FzD7e3Sczk0HMpwOJZ0rzasmySnSnqpeLq-GrMwF_f3c3O4N5tn87LIhwrp9YeHbV_iGJwVEMx8hD7yWWLRBZXFjbzQVVBUmARvdtNb7yOOkUkzrTyYtsF-ZUFOKsSA12nOOyaWPHr9ZMqKRoUgGTRofpDh6c/w400-h300/IMG_4871.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The spirits jump off from the furthest point<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4AqXrfneTfZ1a-oVb-W1c7EiFn4u1wgfo5dW1QgT-4UgbyloN7w2gTdMmcKuUf5F_QD_CI1PmnPBRZgHR5DWtsPox7I4hnBBfLCARKlccK9m_V0O-2oofhH4zlwjy0-cTcV-sFyv1fm-fqcUjlokU-mhWG3Tek6jDv1c61VD4TX8lykRYDpAS7Anfxc/s4032/IMG_4870.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4AqXrfneTfZ1a-oVb-W1c7EiFn4u1wgfo5dW1QgT-4UgbyloN7w2gTdMmcKuUf5F_QD_CI1PmnPBRZgHR5DWtsPox7I4hnBBfLCARKlccK9m_V0O-2oofhH4zlwjy0-cTcV-sFyv1fm-fqcUjlokU-mhWG3Tek6jDv1c61VD4TX8lykRYDpAS7Anfxc/w400-h300/IMG_4870.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And further to the west was the lighthouse - I had not realised there were two different points at the tip of the island - my bad for knowing so little of this area.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUYfbWJH7Rn9Ossy7zVfHGQCbQFnFW4n64txuK3qt64lmdZRP-A43w2FSY30W1tQ99EZ37piwmXf5mq2ZK3thwUJAoJZZDSmhtr_w-RRp02gU6a6Xb-JqiI6KYn1-xus3-4W1fjal-UWFVBKhc1m7dkx_eeFOXXYjbsCIfdxNczbeC7Rn6qA9YzzLhbI/s4032/IMG_4875.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUYfbWJH7Rn9Ossy7zVfHGQCbQFnFW4n64txuK3qt64lmdZRP-A43w2FSY30W1tQ99EZ37piwmXf5mq2ZK3thwUJAoJZZDSmhtr_w-RRp02gU6a6Xb-JqiI6KYn1-xus3-4W1fjal-UWFVBKhc1m7dkx_eeFOXXYjbsCIfdxNczbeC7Rn6qA9YzzLhbI/w640-h480/IMG_4875.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was hard to decipher while I was looking at it. So you will have to try really hard...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_oof1V2S7P4UGR3t9oZyIgWwRPM0kaq5Pgp3NE1m4p6RIfvbSq8EfkDB7jT88O6dzdnLMu8sgIYfSgJYnTZTvo91N529CfHZpbwFBHHIM2uINUhhmXmKRnlpJVhu5d1NKnt6FgmuHSxgwCwndd8Y-wslihi_4IhQyWvbhkyz8ApEvAKAMX9rqrYH0Dns/s4032/IMG_4877.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_oof1V2S7P4UGR3t9oZyIgWwRPM0kaq5Pgp3NE1m4p6RIfvbSq8EfkDB7jT88O6dzdnLMu8sgIYfSgJYnTZTvo91N529CfHZpbwFBHHIM2uINUhhmXmKRnlpJVhu5d1NKnt6FgmuHSxgwCwndd8Y-wslihi_4IhQyWvbhkyz8ApEvAKAMX9rqrYH0Dns/w400-h300/IMG_4877.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The clouds were continuing to lift. By the way, the wall showing in the foreground is a very British design - stone walls withstand all sorts of weather there on the moors, so it is a good choice for this spot, although it did seem out of place to me.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfLVGpYhDyUa6xn7UN9OylXg3ARR1xXsT0re08AA7bBRhbcBN8RFyJQWqXUcGcsdQBLy-0nmhEyKL7Xh08fmlugHKVAVhRRJ7VuXlGBLoGa7UdX8yr4oz6sPQPWxa1B2gAnK43nENp90yUePLvYvP_AEGZI_zlZiPJnGlwvyU9cv2qBxijBlsuq3FyNI/s4032/IMG_4876.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfLVGpYhDyUa6xn7UN9OylXg3ARR1xXsT0re08AA7bBRhbcBN8RFyJQWqXUcGcsdQBLy-0nmhEyKL7Xh08fmlugHKVAVhRRJ7VuXlGBLoGa7UdX8yr4oz6sPQPWxa1B2gAnK43nENp90yUePLvYvP_AEGZI_zlZiPJnGlwvyU9cv2qBxijBlsuq3FyNI/w400-h300/IMG_4876.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A better shot of the meeting point of the oceans<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGr3DCdnG_JQ_tg8tRasNc8PijDNW6uU_VTsGlMHnXrUYEMJslCLAS8-09EjJFTxdAapV1bQQ7Zf9LtvYV0yX2Ip5LWd1ZV2bL0MufGPnaaGePlC8pSU2KYwOHzurAwSorGVtELjy4CkjE0vGNEmWuRhsxdISYdfgNp3X9zta1a1Qm3goHqGfkdDo0oIc/s4032/IMG_4879.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGr3DCdnG_JQ_tg8tRasNc8PijDNW6uU_VTsGlMHnXrUYEMJslCLAS8-09EjJFTxdAapV1bQQ7Zf9LtvYV0yX2Ip5LWd1ZV2bL0MufGPnaaGePlC8pSU2KYwOHzurAwSorGVtELjy4CkjE0vGNEmWuRhsxdISYdfgNp3X9zta1a1Qm3goHqGfkdDo0oIc/w400-h300/IMG_4879.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That stone wall was necessary - it was a pretty steep drop off on the western side. The windswept and foreshortened trees protected people from their worst impulses...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3CB33hxFzqmiTi2YCAlYarZpizTWubnBAO_XxthCqxCKZHJmmQKtMgpJKGgC8tLG8O9bZ68Pp4K-QkUyzpVMIZtGjylhpkHQioHuXTbtYqA4MHo7x7r-PamS99Y7wP-FnuWeTZpgLkjjYfam0yjORSpyImxGDgIsrIsSG0S3pYnZSYr6YsyqpKm6z4dU/s4032/IMG_4878.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3CB33hxFzqmiTi2YCAlYarZpizTWubnBAO_XxthCqxCKZHJmmQKtMgpJKGgC8tLG8O9bZ68Pp4K-QkUyzpVMIZtGjylhpkHQioHuXTbtYqA4MHo7x7r-PamS99Y7wP-FnuWeTZpgLkjjYfam0yjORSpyImxGDgIsrIsSG0S3pYnZSYr6YsyqpKm6z4dU/w400-h300/IMG_4878.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This looked lovely. Is it white manuka?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSODojLTle-RQWlDmjTAVDf0ARm_TAq6ROkynCjxfqca5QY_yqbhGIVqVAbdId_y1rB8_gOtq6-VNAnIFSzEQGBam0h0DUcpms4Q_VL7xmqDV7Y6I8WG7Ase6P4gzS7ZceuiALjkecHKIY_s3a2-pyMatieX5Jgo4zmddUQZ5klaxTDkHzrN5z6_Gb64I/s4032/IMG_4881.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSODojLTle-RQWlDmjTAVDf0ARm_TAq6ROkynCjxfqca5QY_yqbhGIVqVAbdId_y1rB8_gOtq6-VNAnIFSzEQGBam0h0DUcpms4Q_VL7xmqDV7Y6I8WG7Ase6P4gzS7ZceuiALjkecHKIY_s3a2-pyMatieX5Jgo4zmddUQZ5klaxTDkHzrN5z6_Gb64I/w400-h300/IMG_4881.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lighthouse is now solar-powered LED lights. The base buttresses had been repainted and the painter had to wait until the paint dried enough to remove the cones and bars - the weather wasn't shortening that timeframe ... He gave us some valuable information that we were missing for heading south - that SH1 is closed at Mangamuku Gorge and will be so until November 2024. No wonder SH10 was so busy on our way up!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVsoZtB2mANlvIj39fEuc6iNWXWdBVBN2Uo5H8ZeToYd5K0vMGrkXASRIHVQ7uWMBDk8wN630XHZsw7lHszVb2XDOmOp88gEgKYwFjFUJbX89GyfqfBzABFDizB5ivDT9NLgcjYId71LBmXbGfw3I5Rv_1N5pFGGrM1bhv5dx8ZR3Xc5Ue0yp9lmBA7g/s4032/IMG_4880.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVsoZtB2mANlvIj39fEuc6iNWXWdBVBN2Uo5H8ZeToYd5K0vMGrkXASRIHVQ7uWMBDk8wN630XHZsw7lHszVb2XDOmOp88gEgKYwFjFUJbX89GyfqfBzABFDizB5ivDT9NLgcjYId71LBmXbGfw3I5Rv_1N5pFGGrM1bhv5dx8ZR3Xc5Ue0yp9lmBA7g/w400-h300/IMG_4880.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A clearer view of Te Reerenga Wairua, the jumping off point for spirits. On the eastern side you can just see a lone 800 year old pohutukawa tree clinging doggedly to the cliff. The MΔori believe your spirit slides down the roots into the sea and enters the mythical MΔori underworld (Reinga). From there the spirit travels underwater to a group of offshore islands (known as Three Kings Islands), looks back one last time and bids a final farewell to the land, before once again entering the sea and making the long journey back to Hawaiiki-A-Nui where MΔori had migrated from hundreds of years before.<br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZtyC9XkTHYae2mJQLbURmtVjfU_ln1DsPKkbz8aTdTY94HswrDmTlxDrzbhT-InWSjv2sGRbaWHAcih93sH5JwIudYUJgujQ3Bt6EbYQFNXhxWO_sU-ocgDpF04TQWvXl1ya4jP8SMnAAoXCLyZdydCgBNvgGqFnfJPYN7k0st-KxaS_7QaiQLOnGWA/s4032/IMG_4891.HEIC"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZtyC9XkTHYae2mJQLbURmtVjfU_ln1DsPKkbz8aTdTY94HswrDmTlxDrzbhT-InWSjv2sGRbaWHAcih93sH5JwIudYUJgujQ3Bt6EbYQFNXhxWO_sU-ocgDpF04TQWvXl1ya4jP8SMnAAoXCLyZdydCgBNvgGqFnfJPYN7k0st-KxaS_7QaiQLOnGWA/w480-h640/IMG_4891.HEIC" width="480" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">And as we were about to leave the lighthouse, the clouds descended
again. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">On our way back up the path, we reassured an Australian couple that the
lighthouse was there, and I showed them photos. They asked if I could send them
to them. Of course I could - but not right then because there was no internet.
Did it later that evening.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3vrYHaZtW9VmnLhJUOI73qQ9dgIAoV2NbGpdJ6vm9OOj6GlpKvBavDoJFsGIfj6c98uvMWmU2hEN_YCYholmwdO43JF4aMH_vWL4YHiu5ARMO_91hVvqRVTHh3YHbY8Anh9a_2e-_571BbHmf03henFbU1w0NiceJH1HUuC3BrAt6cC6USbU6k4cd_fU/s4032/IMG_4883.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3vrYHaZtW9VmnLhJUOI73qQ9dgIAoV2NbGpdJ6vm9OOj6GlpKvBavDoJFsGIfj6c98uvMWmU2hEN_YCYholmwdO43JF4aMH_vWL4YHiu5ARMO_91hVvqRVTHh3YHbY8Anh9a_2e-_571BbHmf03henFbU1w0NiceJH1HUuC3BrAt6cC6USbU6k4cd_fU/w400-h300/IMG_4883.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cloud descending<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQ9xEKWRrrq-7dXEwbLFN1JMy-LzS6jNDqnFCpvLVUQzz9FdWDG_DLBfZ1jzT8DfTkXSLrP-0U__F4saKa4w9nhIc6mdTdJx5be_06tzx_8W76LbmwvjmMOkrQKKhlmF6hZrVE5swDIN8HCLnB9qiFcLHlLTRpmUaRcL8UgMWHMVEFj3iuPm81nfidCM/s4032/IMG_4885.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQ9xEKWRrrq-7dXEwbLFN1JMy-LzS6jNDqnFCpvLVUQzz9FdWDG_DLBfZ1jzT8DfTkXSLrP-0U__F4saKa4w9nhIc6mdTdJx5be_06tzx_8W76LbmwvjmMOkrQKKhlmF6hZrVE5swDIN8HCLnB9qiFcLHlLTRpmUaRcL8UgMWHMVEFj3iuPm81nfidCM/w400-h300/IMG_4885.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And it's down. That's David on the bottom left of the photo, aiming for the atmospheric shot. I bet it's a good one but he hasn't given it to me...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGkzygXdYSoRwviHNXp_DR7C5G7OK4fKY6li4o3GVQdtBJXILp6wd__rBK4sYS1ptGoi7xanBavEyJCRzZ_jjE4LNyDrzCsgcKZHKCxwPz15fG5mC1UiS7tVz_oR4S-XbAoC1Oax6q_5Hm9UuJkDnqmeSlyOOWFmvdBCZY8i-S0OTag2_LhiofkfI7G0/s4032/IMG_4890.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGkzygXdYSoRwviHNXp_DR7C5G7OK4fKY6li4o3GVQdtBJXILp6wd__rBK4sYS1ptGoi7xanBavEyJCRzZ_jjE4LNyDrzCsgcKZHKCxwPz15fG5mC1UiS7tVz_oR4S-XbAoC1Oax6q_5Hm9UuJkDnqmeSlyOOWFmvdBCZY8i-S0OTag2_LhiofkfI7G0/w480-h640/IMG_4890.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get your specs on...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM3cg3ZTecPVHI4OQqtbA9elZLWnHKPiqvdLs099IhduLX4BZ7W7BpDN8zAV4TmcEO2lns6W53_39ygRI1hKDf6NARxYX91_odVQXn8VX4m41bNVKNoXz0pxlZF2HMljgopJeSRUYW05aOTispJoIEnvEE1rcjxeEhbZC3CHwP7P2Bf0lBabcB3NHB7Q0/s4032/IMG_4888.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM3cg3ZTecPVHI4OQqtbA9elZLWnHKPiqvdLs099IhduLX4BZ7W7BpDN8zAV4TmcEO2lns6W53_39ygRI1hKDf6NARxYX91_odVQXn8VX4m41bNVKNoXz0pxlZF2HMljgopJeSRUYW05aOTispJoIEnvEE1rcjxeEhbZC3CHwP7P2Bf0lBabcB3NHB7Q0/w300-h400/IMG_4888.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easier to read on rusty metal than wood, eh?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIZmcFkw3Cv0Fo2t4u4fsEuzpHA8W8YpfoKkh1U6yWi9GHc5jBKao4kkmsVXFLmaAZFobiIzzwgyqPX0a033nUORQYSG7m9N51F5Q9Mn5YxVSLUyq9QCe9cpayFtaARzrLV2Vo0vjO-QBKcGgxqiUWoZvb6AQGSCfhPwsycupOgEWCNo_a_rATh0IgMo/s4032/IMG_4894.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIZmcFkw3Cv0Fo2t4u4fsEuzpHA8W8YpfoKkh1U6yWi9GHc5jBKao4kkmsVXFLmaAZFobiIzzwgyqPX0a033nUORQYSG7m9N51F5Q9Mn5YxVSLUyq9QCe9cpayFtaARzrLV2Vo0vjO-QBKcGgxqiUWoZvb6AQGSCfhPwsycupOgEWCNo_a_rATh0IgMo/w300-h400/IMG_4894.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How presumptuous to name a piece of land after the name of the wife of a coloniser in another country ... And it's not it being the wife's name that I object to, okay?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The cloud was very low as we got back to the motorhome and the first few
kms of the drive were at 25mph with the fog lights on and navigating by the
solid white line on the side of the road and the dashed centre-line. And once the
clouds lifted, the bloody rain came down in sheets - some of the hardest rain
I've driven in. Frankly, I preferred driving in the cloud! No photos for obvious reasons - usually David would oblige if I asked. I didn't ask and he was concentrating with me...<br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We had intended to park at Awanui again, but given the rain all the way back, we worried
whether the campsite would be solid enough underfoot and under wheels. And it's right next to Awanui River and with this kind of rain, flooding can be a risk. So we headed in to
Kaitaia to the RSA. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The best way to get a level park was to straddle (front to
back) the drain gully. Good plan, except I parked right next to the drain grill
so the sound of running water was a constant addition to the rain on the roof and windows. Good thing neither of us are
suggestible re needing to pee when in the presence of running water...</span></p><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-15460165961916315752023-12-11T14:38:00.000-08:002023-12-11T22:36:51.046-08:00Kerikeri. And then Awanui a week ago<p>Why am I so far behind in blogging? <br /></p><p> 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.</p><p>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 ...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxjR0IISdIoJ_vGhep81KL2oabDgfIjx9Miw6vNfLDtSjYdq7pB69IuJXVkmMdja0rRbUdz7QpNZBjb64SFjzTa8v-R-a-cvt4CAp3gvdpqnf2j2QTYuEpRLhj6J5c0toLHq1fay5flvbS9DshEQbC3t5HkZF4JZkzmf36U8tMZIupGA5dON6ioS6W_SM/s4032/IMG_4782.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxjR0IISdIoJ_vGhep81KL2oabDgfIjx9Miw6vNfLDtSjYdq7pB69IuJXVkmMdja0rRbUdz7QpNZBjb64SFjzTa8v-R-a-cvt4CAp3gvdpqnf2j2QTYuEpRLhj6J5c0toLHq1fay5flvbS9DshEQbC3t5HkZF4JZkzmf36U8tMZIupGA5dON6ioS6W_SM/w400-h300/IMG_4782.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The chickens had to be herded away from the wheels of the moving motorhome - fearless, they were.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8bpFd9PI-L-TgCY2s8dxPGuqvaR07Jx4wWmKn5fTwVkZxis41Cld2yx3ia3_vDB74rHon3TTZRSu_hlJyRbTsvYoM30yqLkwWo7tSV02JoMZpJXLUo618TXUIPC903Ov6lpjhhDRFRtPk-OfJqQkqstZEBvdWfR_Om9M_DxD4z0fL__tK1Wx88y_UBs/s4032/IMG_4786.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8bpFd9PI-L-TgCY2s8dxPGuqvaR07Jx4wWmKn5fTwVkZxis41Cld2yx3ia3_vDB74rHon3TTZRSu_hlJyRbTsvYoM30yqLkwWo7tSV02JoMZpJXLUo618TXUIPC903Ov6lpjhhDRFRtPk-OfJqQkqstZEBvdWfR_Om9M_DxD4z0fL__tK1Wx88y_UBs/w400-h300/IMG_4786.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haruru Falls, aka Horseshoe Falls I think. Probably would be more impressive now we've had lots of rain ...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>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.</p><p>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!</p><p>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.</p><p>The next day we went to see Rainbow Falls. Stunning.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicLuz4dKZsfbcH_KiXRwNN9wLmKdsqWtz87aY3Z0elw1aHfWiXGJ6D-rJkE1VgGVqpM5tw059Xv2tVHz1UIVr69rUnH0h-7sk8cVJe1xPLwnJFolq_V7J-9fDgy22aXRgVNg_DQ9ani-iiWUntqDqJZ2d9F77GAN486oF07aUHK6hF_GuTRUNgaKlG1x4/s4032/IMG_4788.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicLuz4dKZsfbcH_KiXRwNN9wLmKdsqWtz87aY3Z0elw1aHfWiXGJ6D-rJkE1VgGVqpM5tw059Xv2tVHz1UIVr69rUnH0h-7sk8cVJe1xPLwnJFolq_V7J-9fDgy22aXRgVNg_DQ9ani-iiWUntqDqJZ2d9F77GAN486oF07aUHK6hF_GuTRUNgaKlG1x4/w400-h300/IMG_4788.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the look out right next to the NZMCA park<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-1r7rUZA3fZ5a9srcvbOHRG4VSwUIbyWPVmTwvTUsJBA9l1XEkRU7SFmSnJk3UAZmnKrR8Ws_2NVGMG9UqZ7hLfl_FVuC3p9Pw8yb8xx7pOw7-XCMLnqkETHCy3Nyq5I-gEPaYZWLJaq6xRE1xTwreiXxsGD-gjgnITcjznzr45SvCqrYr-TaTmkKtA/s4032/IMG_4789.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-1r7rUZA3fZ5a9srcvbOHRG4VSwUIbyWPVmTwvTUsJBA9l1XEkRU7SFmSnJk3UAZmnKrR8Ws_2NVGMG9UqZ7hLfl_FVuC3p9Pw8yb8xx7pOw7-XCMLnqkETHCy3Nyq5I-gEPaYZWLJaq6xRE1xTwreiXxsGD-gjgnITcjznzr45SvCqrYr-TaTmkKtA/w400-h300/IMG_4789.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rainbow through the spray.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PNiJGDhFk64dmR33WGwcieXI_raGIiySwJ98sbGYKtH6z3iWho3SeUvV52yUXY-obQtYyxBf0PaTaEWj2sdPYCECdHXSJ_LhD2w7-rhAtm9laCfzloO5erQ4DC6PZ5rhojaq0MxiHECrAyvLOBns2X0r7VnCOjP6NhFTxdRDv6rxJJjWdjg323p-TzU/s4032/IMG_4792.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PNiJGDhFk64dmR33WGwcieXI_raGIiySwJ98sbGYKtH6z3iWho3SeUvV52yUXY-obQtYyxBf0PaTaEWj2sdPYCECdHXSJ_LhD2w7-rhAtm9laCfzloO5erQ4DC6PZ5rhojaq0MxiHECrAyvLOBns2X0r7VnCOjP6NhFTxdRDv6rxJJjWdjg323p-TzU/w400-h300/IMG_4792.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">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.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-mv4wfpdZubAJodR-pUhn47CRdtTB4mwMNzZbu7MxSRzJaz_qUulSH3g9Q7NrwrZv1r88Kp3agL2pJ3jYxG-iqPnlUk-Vo83lnirirPwMWw3m6OERLcw5sjZ8G5JjkYU8VwcPLxifuIhUZmRGXk7baki09X-2N89S9Y6o32kvrWZCBUH3oxe08QADFA/s4032/IMG_4794.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-mv4wfpdZubAJodR-pUhn47CRdtTB4mwMNzZbu7MxSRzJaz_qUulSH3g9Q7NrwrZv1r88Kp3agL2pJ3jYxG-iqPnlUk-Vo83lnirirPwMWw3m6OERLcw5sjZ8G5JjkYU8VwcPLxifuIhUZmRGXk7baki09X-2N89S9Y6o32kvrWZCBUH3oxe08QADFA/w300-h400/IMG_4794.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Down the path past this impressive rockface...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4MRSj7LHmoYYG9Y1P5QrwJv2RcLum54fbtPeP1y0EANVsmvb2iF-9XAYbqAnrBeUU01VENCEBGoAn7i9pFTYxocvPg9ynOPPvpmAT6-MAszZmSHyidDdqAaowiiyhMaWiNmOZHr1_6aeC5bvVsVJ0goU-E9WVC1LSWLTm5iUaz9w2kui2OP9V907OtA/s4032/IMG_4798.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4MRSj7LHmoYYG9Y1P5QrwJv2RcLum54fbtPeP1y0EANVsmvb2iF-9XAYbqAnrBeUU01VENCEBGoAn7i9pFTYxocvPg9ynOPPvpmAT6-MAszZmSHyidDdqAaowiiyhMaWiNmOZHr1_6aeC5bvVsVJ0goU-E9WVC1LSWLTm5iUaz9w2kui2OP9V907OtA/w400-h300/IMG_4798.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">to see this. ππ<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p>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!<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtSA_TMJPDo4PX7yxzKWd8vmXLesWROaCiywddE-o7mXh4ctV8RMcmcppBl2hKplSX6QI_9tR5d-_AUjMJwmg4bl-LCSttXvnRxYi-w9S5DHT5dzwn6vuPQwLZs_SMwRyfIkVZxfK2FiJDJcVTgtbpie_6iyCv-Cm5bLf-jPu39A5ggoo_n4eBRH-D_M/s4032/IMG_4799.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtSA_TMJPDo4PX7yxzKWd8vmXLesWROaCiywddE-o7mXh4ctV8RMcmcppBl2hKplSX6QI_9tR5d-_AUjMJwmg4bl-LCSttXvnRxYi-w9S5DHT5dzwn6vuPQwLZs_SMwRyfIkVZxfK2FiJDJcVTgtbpie_6iyCv-Cm5bLf-jPu39A5ggoo_n4eBRH-D_M/w400-h300/IMG_4799.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">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?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_69y40KhYh6Cik_o1oVkh-2BW1hl_p_LfZ1mF3k5ssIWyeCHnO1O-jO969aTnjh0T9PhhdidQtgtvYPEJ6E_azDG2_yhgJdFepfa3LgQwJa-oZTe9kv9t0ojgMGpTV87yYnF992fGuzKwctaBqCEZO-h1RASm7Txwgj0TLTdxqs8Ficsy2i1w3LhhxM/s4032/IMG_4801.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_69y40KhYh6Cik_o1oVkh-2BW1hl_p_LfZ1mF3k5ssIWyeCHnO1O-jO969aTnjh0T9PhhdidQtgtvYPEJ6E_azDG2_yhgJdFepfa3LgQwJa-oZTe9kv9t0ojgMGpTV87yYnF992fGuzKwctaBqCEZO-h1RASm7Txwgj0TLTdxqs8Ficsy2i1w3LhhxM/w400-h300/IMG_4801.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another lower set of falls on the walk<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKWtqe_XWwtum2OnS2XtqSQTqOUf27TQlndhMrWxC7RI9ZJJufGB2LC0MPWMmh3NrTAfCKq6PNUHFbQ1xO57d_lnJrj5OzylwcxkrEWDsUIBWd2BfCU5883q2UbQq532S2paAA5MZC9GsC7RHozG1ma3XYmwHLEapJbBad35skcyAKYak5nCmD9KT2L3A/s4032/IMG_4806.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKWtqe_XWwtum2OnS2XtqSQTqOUf27TQlndhMrWxC7RI9ZJJufGB2LC0MPWMmh3NrTAfCKq6PNUHFbQ1xO57d_lnJrj5OzylwcxkrEWDsUIBWd2BfCU5883q2UbQq532S2paAA5MZC9GsC7RHozG1ma3XYmwHLEapJbBad35skcyAKYak5nCmD9KT2L3A/w400-h300/IMG_4806.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ACP adding context...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiet-sCtCksTB1XGNw3D5BxHixYiD_Nzn9qc5BG3G1sWT01XXW0l9e62P_J8ctOZjTPjZX5zzLbRMkcRnn-DcLgUpO2aUL32SjBpyQhB3w20d7noUJ7I4Ep347XNGztWu46pCUC660kqCmb5cKsbirwxlfYE7nQY8LlXc86lbILttX_Gi8hVPT_-71_Oxs/s4032/IMG_4805.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiet-sCtCksTB1XGNw3D5BxHixYiD_Nzn9qc5BG3G1sWT01XXW0l9e62P_J8ctOZjTPjZX5zzLbRMkcRnn-DcLgUpO2aUL32SjBpyQhB3w20d7noUJ7I4Ep347XNGztWu46pCUC660kqCmb5cKsbirwxlfYE7nQY8LlXc86lbILttX_Gi8hVPT_-71_Oxs/w300-h400/IMG_4805.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interp in the powerhouse. We DOC people are big on interp π<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrVKrnU82JNPWxfqsDaRfV2WcbCHlz0Ol4jYCpE6HTEp2aKQHzA1duRXYvTWHRbDGtyPRLBl8da4l1AwvBynMFLnriAXkZi-OgpCgrttFEsxECL9pMNTvh7N7wmEvQI6B9rGa1Cn3NUZ_TL6g5BWmX-lfxK9koT98rQ302jpxcFzGxc5-ezy48gMbJJA/s4032/IMG_4803.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrVKrnU82JNPWxfqsDaRfV2WcbCHlz0Ol4jYCpE6HTEp2aKQHzA1duRXYvTWHRbDGtyPRLBl8da4l1AwvBynMFLnriAXkZi-OgpCgrttFEsxECL9pMNTvh7N7wmEvQI6B9rGa1Cn3NUZ_TL6g5BWmX-lfxK9koT98rQ302jpxcFzGxc5-ezy48gMbJJA/w300-h400/IMG_4803.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">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!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vIkuUn1ahOcz35wu_NUhuMIQcUsINCsdEJZO1Y53ZoQC2M8NKnUi3B4wXf0stHeWILB7t1OEX8IvMCCOQjK7aJf4uNTzHrxu0mR5puYDnnPFHVPh6xkCJu3JjDQDCxYkvsNXIsIynFmPGSWl28GlGABIQyE1SHAgMAYbC66PhO-0A9EBkmZNvnHsKBk/s4032/IMG_4807.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vIkuUn1ahOcz35wu_NUhuMIQcUsINCsdEJZO1Y53ZoQC2M8NKnUi3B4wXf0stHeWILB7t1OEX8IvMCCOQjK7aJf4uNTzHrxu0mR5puYDnnPFHVPh6xkCJu3JjDQDCxYkvsNXIsIynFmPGSWl28GlGABIQyE1SHAgMAYbC66PhO-0A9EBkmZNvnHsKBk/w300-h400/IMG_4807.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am not sure what has stripped the bark from this tree.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLKQGyLIhf-H0aSNDR35T56k4LxpiFK-rTB45VuFn3jv4_4ay4fBwiESN6zWAgbFbDDWdhcDllLIOlU241oKl6SfatABixxkWAtPjd_ksT5ZoewTDe6I8Ctdd7F8bpLNRCJwFeJ-v-Ox4NakciNB5XxWjHaT8BJXYlhWyx7SzV6wpP5VlSG_Q7UKCIZc/s4032/IMG_4808.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLKQGyLIhf-H0aSNDR35T56k4LxpiFK-rTB45VuFn3jv4_4ay4fBwiESN6zWAgbFbDDWdhcDllLIOlU241oKl6SfatABixxkWAtPjd_ksT5ZoewTDe6I8Ctdd7F8bpLNRCJwFeJ-v-Ox4NakciNB5XxWjHaT8BJXYlhWyx7SzV6wpP5VlSG_Q7UKCIZc/w400-h300/IMG_4808.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carbuncles on trees? What's that about?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsH0-ukcL1znWoVXQUmU3vyaEQMl5Y5lDomJVyE5HXYSHgMitJkuUnzu-4i78_lj0U8RbgO8RMk2d1FAD3jzIFo9s8_GaNEuCTQGDBSMAZ74yScjc9TyVFYPd_oQwmPTceSxR1iLuPBrNWwgpT74L9e-fHsdxTJRfZlnXw1KuQs0XQfi_Em6f6J9U31E8/s4032/IMG_4809.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsH0-ukcL1znWoVXQUmU3vyaEQMl5Y5lDomJVyE5HXYSHgMitJkuUnzu-4i78_lj0U8RbgO8RMk2d1FAD3jzIFo9s8_GaNEuCTQGDBSMAZ74yScjc9TyVFYPd_oQwmPTceSxR1iLuPBrNWwgpT74L9e-fHsdxTJRfZlnXw1KuQs0XQfi_Em6f6J9U31E8/w400-h300/IMG_4809.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">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.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvj0vlaEGqRRd0BxmCbp5P-t5rpggi9kWQpunSw81bZMEYvK27k9e7XtdIXJ1NGtQss5mHnpxXQcYCV9C3ecEe0gNBGMcPLMQUhtppqXi6HqZSUHK8wgopa7YdZc6jZSQrl5PDvjKxATe-0X0v2fNZ8jMDV-EoukSu7c2KKPcpu4QQvG046yPEnOL6DPI/s4032/IMG_4810.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvj0vlaEGqRRd0BxmCbp5P-t5rpggi9kWQpunSw81bZMEYvK27k9e7XtdIXJ1NGtQss5mHnpxXQcYCV9C3ecEe0gNBGMcPLMQUhtppqXi6HqZSUHK8wgopa7YdZc6jZSQrl5PDvjKxATe-0X0v2fNZ8jMDV-EoukSu7c2KKPcpu4QQvG046yPEnOL6DPI/w400-h300/IMG_4810.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cafe in the foreground and the Stone Store over to the left. The Mission House is there too, hiding behind the tree.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNey_X_NjL4KfUnkVTJFw16f731SLsxml59FgauZkxcHOqZk07rkN1gJ3jbwS3qkvhGneV6WCUakFEsiNmgDoPyiFBJfg5Dh6gO7f7iwhT6nmTB13GkvnIDJZ0X2yplBso4jRZa5SID8BMf6Qu8fyL2DCXa6vS_4fLEZ8Me3lxlD6Jgs-FKBt9nEguqV8/s4032/IMG_4812.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNey_X_NjL4KfUnkVTJFw16f731SLsxml59FgauZkxcHOqZk07rkN1gJ3jbwS3qkvhGneV6WCUakFEsiNmgDoPyiFBJfg5Dh6gO7f7iwhT6nmTB13GkvnIDJZ0X2yplBso4jRZa5SID8BMf6Qu8fyL2DCXa6vS_4fLEZ8Me3lxlD6Jgs-FKBt9nEguqV8/w400-h300/IMG_4812.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kerikeri Basin is around to the right.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <br /></p><p>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.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvInN5fF7-lSrMzX6UGQpNhi5K3zh2cKjjo5SIQ5lHJjm_pHV2JmHXqcF9LAKh9GG-YEVvvOJAgvXHNQKFU9AUYZ56-_Wf0zmAazPBK3sslfHuDvXcbjIY1-X-kZs0dA6whwoJvFGGJHto9Y93mGMC_zLwo59bmj3Us2XrfovQft5xi3z6JyizGKS5YI4/s4032/IMG_4813.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvInN5fF7-lSrMzX6UGQpNhi5K3zh2cKjjo5SIQ5lHJjm_pHV2JmHXqcF9LAKh9GG-YEVvvOJAgvXHNQKFU9AUYZ56-_Wf0zmAazPBK3sslfHuDvXcbjIY1-X-kZs0dA6whwoJvFGGJHto9Y93mGMC_zLwo59bmj3Us2XrfovQft5xi3z6JyizGKS5YI4/w400-h300/IMG_4813.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rainboaw Falls on our way back: still beautiful.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCqishVjRZ-7CX7TwbmY_a0mQPtuEUZwuMGY7rRaNnsP5J2qu5jSzdBZ6ce4XBNx3FPp4wTRNDCBkt_fb4s6UHAcxilRwch-VW68l48QIJ_ZfHWHiQZfwwphvQyOvXiQ3qA8oGmmKgTzL0iVcaS3ddB5tQBrq7eDkZFZwfbfoHzVCQfW0WFFVbrwNYbHA/s4032/IMG_4814.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCqishVjRZ-7CX7TwbmY_a0mQPtuEUZwuMGY7rRaNnsP5J2qu5jSzdBZ6ce4XBNx3FPp4wTRNDCBkt_fb4s6UHAcxilRwch-VW68l48QIJ_ZfHWHiQZfwwphvQyOvXiQ3qA8oGmmKgTzL0iVcaS3ddB5tQBrq7eDkZFZwfbfoHzVCQfW0WFFVbrwNYbHA/w400-h300/IMG_4814.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And from the top again<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQoOnIMWxU4_KQWCQCTkCMT1Ln7XTsKTK82x-jEeKaYRKKOAPmUO9XkLVS5SU_ihT4z_3D7j49qLzzvo6iUtqPKwK7NOZbMdrFk8aAKE2fG27KTou48Wz9A6W68V7jObSd4Hv0VvJxir07RJsjkPQU177OCIbjzQ9XSM-fzlhTpS90OpE5CmyFoYJ8XI/s4032/IMG_4858.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQoOnIMWxU4_KQWCQCTkCMT1Ln7XTsKTK82x-jEeKaYRKKOAPmUO9XkLVS5SU_ihT4z_3D7j49qLzzvo6iUtqPKwK7NOZbMdrFk8aAKE2fG27KTou48Wz9A6W68V7jObSd4Hv0VvJxir07RJsjkPQU177OCIbjzQ9XSM-fzlhTpS90OpE5CmyFoYJ8XI/w400-h300/IMG_4858.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ACP blobbing - he is doing more of this than I am currently ...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <br /></p><p>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... <br /></p><p>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?<br /></p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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 ..<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqIN_v-tXPf262YcIxXnpATq4wLCLj413RVqPxTbtWohbwxlt64DMZ2snFiIDD30jiuDLozXHNPksHuQhze2SDXjtBZstNGo2WCNt_XGULldAKr-pVwR2RH32VoUII_XBPV9wZtwUKx1ViH9K4bKZfQ21C2IIOzJ3QcIULos5T1uHA-bdkwy_0AWKsOQ/s4032/IMG_4817.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqIN_v-tXPf262YcIxXnpATq4wLCLj413RVqPxTbtWohbwxlt64DMZ2snFiIDD30jiuDLozXHNPksHuQhze2SDXjtBZstNGo2WCNt_XGULldAKr-pVwR2RH32VoUII_XBPV9wZtwUKx1ViH9K4bKZfQ21C2IIOzJ3QcIULos5T1uHA-bdkwy_0AWKsOQ/w400-h300/IMG_4817.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">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.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> 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.</p><p>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).</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pBzw9ysJWVPxteJcGDvuzwH9HFy8JsPz466E2_T39_Uzxq0OjaYkFCh9KE1xymA5_Mw_IEGvzpTwRC6HBUqTZJ7NycT3ToYQ_p-TM1KrG-rrLtLL2YxGU9NZEgMsn0Z9PEjPE6W4Q1loufESONIGk0I_AfxkP8AMVhQrib6i586E3_aD7k_Alq3D2fQ/s4032/IMG_4819.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pBzw9ysJWVPxteJcGDvuzwH9HFy8JsPz466E2_T39_Uzxq0OjaYkFCh9KE1xymA5_Mw_IEGvzpTwRC6HBUqTZJ7NycT3ToYQ_p-TM1KrG-rrLtLL2YxGU9NZEgMsn0Z9PEjPE6W4Q1loufESONIGk0I_AfxkP8AMVhQrib6i586E3_aD7k_Alq3D2fQ/w400-h300/IMG_4819.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGniMnSoNBU761SEEBVXsdpMC7yf3AWwYaduPdGbHI82t0oKtPa4vVh13UrLjJdniH5ZeG8eS425SlhOyp_XJZvVGvHdtn19xyTP1fL7gd8Ru8zJrzjFFnz8qEmNoziFv_g4eOhEjmdyP60H22GrsRW6S6YZ8SZl1he7eQhH2aejxNWn7VUD2NXV-m0yo/s4032/IMG_4818.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGniMnSoNBU761SEEBVXsdpMC7yf3AWwYaduPdGbHI82t0oKtPa4vVh13UrLjJdniH5ZeG8eS425SlhOyp_XJZvVGvHdtn19xyTP1fL7gd8Ru8zJrzjFFnz8qEmNoziFv_g4eOhEjmdyP60H22GrsRW6S6YZ8SZl1he7eQhH2aejxNWn7VUD2NXV-m0yo/w400-h300/IMG_4818.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GXyiFj8kUNJouj37RlAOOsPraItNGsifZT73XBSL8DVsbyptr7UDOp8ZZ-zs-j2QYQjMKm-utAnz1YapirrYTYFftjuLIjl2naH2k3RBLfeeJTiFRZeBZLT7Fd0tSM6THIrQs4n9JTtFTVpzOjX-E_aqVxXSE4OMyCqrit97Cd9pZS1XKVJq65y9nfI/s4032/IMG_4821.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GXyiFj8kUNJouj37RlAOOsPraItNGsifZT73XBSL8DVsbyptr7UDOp8ZZ-zs-j2QYQjMKm-utAnz1YapirrYTYFftjuLIjl2naH2k3RBLfeeJTiFRZeBZLT7Fd0tSM6THIrQs4n9JTtFTVpzOjX-E_aqVxXSE4OMyCqrit97Cd9pZS1XKVJq65y9nfI/w400-h300/IMG_4821.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And up it comes<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vBecBlqiJ1FpsSEoQ8psJUFuqj32uG6VlrM_P6fTY_zcKFOFvmyNhWFDZeXiMCMSkO1WNny8Lt6F_amESP-Y9tR7kISAfoX8UcjBl9gemiWCWzSNOlWjydFP7dgV9Pp1RprHhxTkZU2XGTJEKGZ12vJabYA82GacOJaTaskQQHR4rMal5roGY_PY4NA/s4032/IMG_4822.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vBecBlqiJ1FpsSEoQ8psJUFuqj32uG6VlrM_P6fTY_zcKFOFvmyNhWFDZeXiMCMSkO1WNny8Lt6F_amESP-Y9tR7kISAfoX8UcjBl9gemiWCWzSNOlWjydFP7dgV9Pp1RprHhxTkZU2XGTJEKGZ12vJabYA82GacOJaTaskQQHR4rMal5roGY_PY4NA/w400-h300/IMG_4822.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">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.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOgP1nbGqz8lCcW_1vuWRXqHyxu05ja1AbiIibEk3ITQulPSctypxDuJdkVIfq9pwNcD-Qi4Npn7VJpuXEUteTR3RT3jXCsj5My5WU0Wuv8ZvTh2PCgqTaIeAbI3pgNJnjoMSdWqGe_s2kmrNMPRC4-BkxosOAtKAea1Nehd4XB64ru6wA78TM8bj8Njk/s4032/IMG_4823.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOgP1nbGqz8lCcW_1vuWRXqHyxu05ja1AbiIibEk3ITQulPSctypxDuJdkVIfq9pwNcD-Qi4Npn7VJpuXEUteTR3RT3jXCsj5My5WU0Wuv8ZvTh2PCgqTaIeAbI3pgNJnjoMSdWqGe_s2kmrNMPRC4-BkxosOAtKAea1Nehd4XB64ru6wA78TM8bj8Njk/w400-h300/IMG_4823.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And it opens both ends so we could look at the view of two different beaches<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1q5R85CAXKuR-0g5NQQl9n4F1YZkc9DPW37D47DhnmihReO0NuuQYDn_Z22WUGERSugFFwKCOtDk3WuWmm68HSJljsA1K1qAfNzAPebMLi4ApfDcQ6BGSx37ogH-7KB-hT26yfx0Oh4AOB1umTkvKa9B_dlB9LKtMv8sp_mE3hLmEmPhbcvbkt3Dr1Q/s4032/IMG_4824.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1q5R85CAXKuR-0g5NQQl9n4F1YZkc9DPW37D47DhnmihReO0NuuQYDn_Z22WUGERSugFFwKCOtDk3WuWmm68HSJljsA1K1qAfNzAPebMLi4ApfDcQ6BGSx37ogH-7KB-hT26yfx0Oh4AOB1umTkvKa9B_dlB9LKtMv8sp_mE3hLmEmPhbcvbkt3Dr1Q/s320/IMG_4824.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's rather large so it's a good thing that Matauri Bay has big sites!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDEag7dhDKe654wEdz7Dbp34xvvt8agR8C6jfMIGfj-fv9OOoih8aW0aSb2ttBqxvJtySNTnZFe2da8UUHzSKbfPF3iyRzZIw_fkroKzLrX4rHVw6D5Hk6USRNwAKoUysI79NRIqpyFAKSkmhbLreVHYpwIZiVGZS47t4jtTitoguYQ573ublNHnvG-Xc/s4032/IMG_4828.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDEag7dhDKe654wEdz7Dbp34xvvt8agR8C6jfMIGfj-fv9OOoih8aW0aSb2ttBqxvJtySNTnZFe2da8UUHzSKbfPF3iyRzZIw_fkroKzLrX4rHVw6D5Hk6USRNwAKoUysI79NRIqpyFAKSkmhbLreVHYpwIZiVGZS47t4jtTitoguYQ573ublNHnvG-Xc/w300-h400/IMG_4828.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view to the rear<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHhyphenhyphenytv6RIkBtZ6W6oDF5tbLzQuOrL2PKn6sohtVNdlrXC5jDDr1nOPygIFsk3quTb8lLhj9_JQByGY8KVng0PviTQjhAkkZnozIZZ-SqRHATR2edvlDRckkQ9B_O-b1e7GMDYcAuq2zLdGkJNQJyWD3eR8jwuChAKZyYfsUX_BlMiixWeDHzwzqoleA/s4032/IMG_4826.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHhyphenhyphenytv6RIkBtZ6W6oDF5tbLzQuOrL2PKn6sohtVNdlrXC5jDDr1nOPygIFsk3quTb8lLhj9_JQByGY8KVng0PviTQjhAkkZnozIZZ-SqRHATR2edvlDRckkQ9B_O-b1e7GMDYcAuq2zLdGkJNQJyWD3eR8jwuChAKZyYfsUX_BlMiixWeDHzwzqoleA/w300-h400/IMG_4826.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">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!!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZ3Ls61NiWuVYtzSkgNigJshQSDuG1Z1Fzje4NWk_GIM5kt7wCNz6XmbP4dJqbb0FVJAnLiWLFYDvVesscSEqsgeu9LAZ7R2jTC0mwjhwso5LtuXLLKX2ijm9DSmF4NALRJhzLO0NQKPu5rJh0n89pLKAip_vJ46aKOrDpHUzLunr1B-iEijxEE-HLzU/s4032/IMG_4830.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZ3Ls61NiWuVYtzSkgNigJshQSDuG1Z1Fzje4NWk_GIM5kt7wCNz6XmbP4dJqbb0FVJAnLiWLFYDvVesscSEqsgeu9LAZ7R2jTC0mwjhwso5LtuXLLKX2ijm9DSmF4NALRJhzLO0NQKPu5rJh0n89pLKAip_vJ46aKOrDpHUzLunr1B-iEijxEE-HLzU/w400-h300/IMG_4830.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">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?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p> </p><p>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.</p><p>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 π .</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPUkYiakSyeZrYg7e-9v-pVXtzoOoK8Z2f-72LJvwg_h4MEzHe8MkSwD7ZvWgI2HT4gkLAXlxFC_KrYz8pX0dLMSugzvgezk-IuHav0yt-ATqGcEftCTYEDI9z-R2I-26CbqYFCKVpoxG2hLKsIKGeIh7V33o8-PgA5WX5WhWrXf8ZLG1bYEXIdFAmKE/s4032/IMG_4838.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPUkYiakSyeZrYg7e-9v-pVXtzoOoK8Z2f-72LJvwg_h4MEzHe8MkSwD7ZvWgI2HT4gkLAXlxFC_KrYz8pX0dLMSugzvgezk-IuHav0yt-ATqGcEftCTYEDI9z-R2I-26CbqYFCKVpoxG2hLKsIKGeIh7V33o8-PgA5WX5WhWrXf8ZLG1bYEXIdFAmKE/w400-h300/IMG_4838.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interp and a man reading it with the eyes in the back of his head...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8sGerpFFIlVWwW8ZXl0vePO8C1i6PUwVze98ubbE3sgv-7ZmThL8t_uTlJ44EdQ35EQHdLO8UCOAO8AVateIXWyAdk58pr8Hiwl3oQMZLlTK-1xY5Cq1n_rV98okUkB9D4_Xp3gFuawUakak_TQmm-Vy3BTRkNRN3owTYbUWVV00J6T-NTjXgbLESzM/s4032/IMG_4839.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8sGerpFFIlVWwW8ZXl0vePO8C1i6PUwVze98ubbE3sgv-7ZmThL8t_uTlJ44EdQ35EQHdLO8UCOAO8AVateIXWyAdk58pr8Hiwl3oQMZLlTK-1xY5Cq1n_rV98okUkB9D4_Xp3gFuawUakak_TQmm-Vy3BTRkNRN3owTYbUWVV00J6T-NTjXgbLESzM/w400-h300/IMG_4839.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The walk to the bottom of the track was a VERY long one<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEysOqVp3ogCWzlCo2G5kg7IpIx3APnzPEUNqoiggKiJGu8ci-_YU8PgjWMmh9guXBF8lFXhyphenhyphenaWXK95quz8nhyphenhyphenDYRyoFdw0NuH2eoMG6lrUotimt3af_fLJU8NBaVg1T3ALKHCkukPcMTI3ajN88N8IpMsiPAfKx8Zeu3jaOWneOxtrFGwkF4CAhBoBY/s4032/IMG_4841.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEysOqVp3ogCWzlCo2G5kg7IpIx3APnzPEUNqoiggKiJGu8ci-_YU8PgjWMmh9guXBF8lFXhyphenhyphenaWXK95quz8nhyphenhyphenDYRyoFdw0NuH2eoMG6lrUotimt3af_fLJU8NBaVg1T3ALKHCkukPcMTI3ajN88N8IpMsiPAfKx8Zeu3jaOWneOxtrFGwkF4CAhBoBY/w400-h300/IMG_4841.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some rather large homes around the corner from the campsite - seen from a short way up the steep path - an excuse to stop...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_2UMbsSi7gxG4P5U1KlEp_f2VAb6eYLQTl4T23xLjZPqEVL43Tu02oaIipGgYE5gzKGkWviwTxU9fsf3LjglkVYdOa8PhbEiMkxC1CLQw_9_94fEeefFAC_wiiw_C9pZIEiyTVmGx6n5_wcfMJXl8hOOzLOggUk_2Jr3LnD9K4V-8RL133T2TkmlNNY/s4032/IMG_4842.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_2UMbsSi7gxG4P5U1KlEp_f2VAb6eYLQTl4T23xLjZPqEVL43Tu02oaIipGgYE5gzKGkWviwTxU9fsf3LjglkVYdOa8PhbEiMkxC1CLQw_9_94fEeefFAC_wiiw_C9pZIEiyTVmGx6n5_wcfMJXl8hOOzLOggUk_2Jr3LnD9K4V-8RL133T2TkmlNNY/w400-h300/IMG_4842.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the view from the next breather stop<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyTgYzJaoL44Yqn9UrgSpvAV-fFjwHp9ov6nc4U1rsN74MsdZ5B49rkVhqMoo5krkdJYGegxIb2vgirql9PAmUWy3ToS_NsAtLj8m5KD8G31Qle8u_GQuCKdKjd8QoG9sSrYZ07I59XopHKv1m8R4FaHj6ypuusMm3KhiV6YydOmh6Q0IBO5v9RyBIoEM/s4032/IMG_4844.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyTgYzJaoL44Yqn9UrgSpvAV-fFjwHp9ov6nc4U1rsN74MsdZ5B49rkVhqMoo5krkdJYGegxIb2vgirql9PAmUWy3ToS_NsAtLj8m5KD8G31Qle8u_GQuCKdKjd8QoG9sSrYZ07I59XopHKv1m8R4FaHj6ypuusMm3KhiV6YydOmh6Q0IBO5v9RyBIoEM/w400-h300/IMG_4844.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made several stops as we ascended, but the views did need to be photographed<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsRhpb945JpQKoM-XQyvGxqbdx_Hdc4imqV8QAsq1b8IzEYjKxbUUSqig9heG3SysbIG0nO7pQarh6P7qK2tvfajUZygp-1Xj-AT6BxW0PzUT_gtN1Iib4HPCi_Jphh6jYgDBLhJKBVMKOn3KA2t2g-gHrfdJpImSMmnAgu518qRF7htz81YD1MNDh_A/s4032/IMG_4843.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsRhpb945JpQKoM-XQyvGxqbdx_Hdc4imqV8QAsq1b8IzEYjKxbUUSqig9heG3SysbIG0nO7pQarh6P7qK2tvfajUZygp-1Xj-AT6BxW0PzUT_gtN1Iib4HPCi_Jphh6jYgDBLhJKBVMKOn3KA2t2g-gHrfdJpImSMmnAgu518qRF7htz81YD1MNDh_A/w400-h300/IMG_4843.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the campsite - our motorhome is obscured by the large stand of beautiful pohutukawa at the base of the hill.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><br /><p>Impressive views from the top.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-mW5IBB0noaDXaNeBH0wSbvzkk216CphGs23Hj3G2yKuinnB3jLNFyUW5VcqC5MBfybktNEyqDWd0qhmagV4O7x5t3UIUDAAIuQQG3hTLrC2PNFTZ2uoD3Qyzsu3Y0ndWIC8u9rZl0pJ4j2KofaZNRkX4ABbctGBECOyWirnwro5xEYkICEnUri4qyU/s4032/IMG_4846.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-mW5IBB0noaDXaNeBH0wSbvzkk216CphGs23Hj3G2yKuinnB3jLNFyUW5VcqC5MBfybktNEyqDWd0qhmagV4O7x5t3UIUDAAIuQQG3hTLrC2PNFTZ2uoD3Qyzsu3Y0ndWIC8u9rZl0pJ4j2KofaZNRkX4ABbctGBECOyWirnwro5xEYkICEnUri4qyU/w400-h300/IMG_4846.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apparently the Rainbow Warrior was scuttled out to the seaward side of the large island and is now a dive spot.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Q6tnRCu8gLcSLghH-Yd65knr9pRF6v08Cs8Br1jjY3z480VQOpTOYqVHW0TTk_ztByYWbeXvXBanC5aYvvvGh-HjiHdP2TLejrgBHoxKLBYZJnrgDEySsdGk6K88MaCHXMCiOpaWJkZxTHRBREVyXwyITrxIeVPy1DO7ZY6bE5D2gSf59USKOjkoEss/s4032/IMG_4847.HEIC"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Q6tnRCu8gLcSLghH-Yd65knr9pRF6v08Cs8Br1jjY3z480VQOpTOYqVHW0TTk_ztByYWbeXvXBanC5aYvvvGh-HjiHdP2TLejrgBHoxKLBYZJnrgDEySsdGk6K88MaCHXMCiOpaWJkZxTHRBREVyXwyITrxIeVPy1DO7ZY6bE5D2gSf59USKOjkoEss/w400-h300/IMG_4847.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSIem75mgdYVBByx0SdphYgNkztxx8p8_3rt46z3duvZmmdo_9UXeONOc43XRgwc2N6mwN92vytNYIMuGbarqMGBGFy8wVc6sgnhA8jAtDoHDSw7WmYQ8hZkiA9CLgK2aI7uEKb0foyzsFuVpPTpPWSCRbmdaMxVCHmSG98TG51kVsWEWBTi-YwU73V8/s4032/IMG_4845.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSIem75mgdYVBByx0SdphYgNkztxx8p8_3rt46z3duvZmmdo_9UXeONOc43XRgwc2N6mwN92vytNYIMuGbarqMGBGFy8wVc6sgnhA8jAtDoHDSw7WmYQ8hZkiA9CLgK2aI7uEKb0foyzsFuVpPTpPWSCRbmdaMxVCHmSG98TG51kVsWEWBTi-YwU73V8/w400-h300/IMG_4845.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The memorial - a rainbow made of black stones and the ship's propeller<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqixFpyt1AgGNKICnrPeee7Dn27FQiaU02OAfop2HIMIb0v-AlqPIwbTA0SqMoJZas7Dy_OGsOJEKQyyNeHRjyAJ6DOWb7no5pQkOO1EDfeDsXqdedHQOQ7B6J9XmbedbTz-_SasQ3fw6qpa26gkNaZFEc8n6UCqbWdsNQSWSsXw_WQSvFiDRDxji6xA/s4032/IMG_4848.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqixFpyt1AgGNKICnrPeee7Dn27FQiaU02OAfop2HIMIb0v-AlqPIwbTA0SqMoJZas7Dy_OGsOJEKQyyNeHRjyAJ6DOWb7no5pQkOO1EDfeDsXqdedHQOQ7B6J9XmbedbTz-_SasQ3fw6qpa26gkNaZFEc8n6UCqbWdsNQSWSsXw_WQSvFiDRDxji6xA/w400-h300/IMG_4848.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A steep descent<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQHU2BZ_hA74uJr0D-8YzcpBvAHZPCE2mZHcuGuNUhXoNOG5Ri8XV8v4O1B-YwI26Rl84GxYwWSeKxkCx9JPRpAwFEHJhMeOtfSebs6KfrAsCoGKgbujBsyyWsDh4d6xnI5mRzYbiI7KkfDVsOjRCxzI6gtZd9-nP5tTVnqMy9G10zBQWaX1mi6n3T7U/s4032/IMG_4849.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQHU2BZ_hA74uJr0D-8YzcpBvAHZPCE2mZHcuGuNUhXoNOG5Ri8XV8v4O1B-YwI26Rl84GxYwWSeKxkCx9JPRpAwFEHJhMeOtfSebs6KfrAsCoGKgbujBsyyWsDh4d6xnI5mRzYbiI7KkfDVsOjRCxzI6gtZd9-nP5tTVnqMy9G10zBQWaX1mi6n3T7U/w300-h400/IMG_4849.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down the hill.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p>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...</p><p>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.</p><p>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!</p><p>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! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUm5DhY1MXH25iRBQ6htINp24fHv1GhHVCwlpYXNquxCb-W8vhy_n4671trLMAnVeZl-gUWC9S1zP8B8zd72ABe5sQbODeyTZtUjkC5NnmKggk9ZvC0g7I4j8Q0MFUamuODYBNc6buz1jaWhC6gkA3zPjl0xW-JtyLS-prCsHjxtQiv9B2Gt1IFFlCO0/s4032/IMG_4850.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUm5DhY1MXH25iRBQ6htINp24fHv1GhHVCwlpYXNquxCb-W8vhy_n4671trLMAnVeZl-gUWC9S1zP8B8zd72ABe5sQbODeyTZtUjkC5NnmKggk9ZvC0g7I4j8Q0MFUamuODYBNc6buz1jaWhC6gkA3zPjl0xW-JtyLS-prCsHjxtQiv9B2Gt1IFFlCO0/w400-h300/IMG_4850.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rain!! And a partial view of the supa-glued suction cup with tape.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>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.<br /></p><p>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...<br /></p><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeiMCmkoxGyjtDkx-pk0c3yv3LKYUIcA7hksA0dAN434jSuuLdlp5B94vi_qts5dFerUnR5GqUDzQPhwiB48Q8Eg5TPUE8qNbAxPIOnQ0PUW3tL2CnK8WrpahgN4BLZ93cW2KZD9E-A6QIEMJ3SA62L36XdYzcwJzlBXQ8PqqMMcrkapfSzhoJ9K_ACd4/s876/IMG_4833.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="828" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeiMCmkoxGyjtDkx-pk0c3yv3LKYUIcA7hksA0dAN434jSuuLdlp5B94vi_qts5dFerUnR5GqUDzQPhwiB48Q8Eg5TPUE8qNbAxPIOnQ0PUW3tL2CnK8WrpahgN4BLZ93cW2KZD9E-A6QIEMJ3SA62L36XdYzcwJzlBXQ8PqqMMcrkapfSzhoJ9K_ACd4/w378-h400/IMG_4833.jpg" width="378" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">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...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-92022025023459749882023-12-08T23:09:00.000-08:002023-12-11T12:43:54.062-08:00We have sold Waka Huia<p> Sad happy is how we are feeling at the moment.***</p><p>Thank you to the people at ABNB who've done a great job as brokers. Alice, Emma and Daniel, and Technical Director Justin who resolved the starting issue which gave us heart failure when we heard about it.<br /></p><p>Thank you to Ian and Irene for all your help in getting the boat ready to go on the market as we travelled together from Hawkesbury Junction to Hillmorton. And your then getting the list of tasks done that Debdale were unable to complete in a timely way and delivering the boat up to North Kilworth was a huge help and a relief to us.<br /></p><p>Thank you also to Julia and Maggie who came and took away food and linen and bedding so the boat was cleared before we left it at Debdale - so we could catch our flight home.</p><p>And thanks to the lovely Ed Shiers who has been an absolute treasure to us since 2014 - Ed first came and did some work on the boat at Bollington, after hours, on his way home from a full day's work, stayed an hour and a half and only wanted to charge us Β£50, if I remember rightly. Hell no, we said, and paid him Β£90. Ever since then, he has been our go to person - apart from Ian, our lovely man who can, who stepped up this last season to resolve on the spot issues.</p><p>And posthumous thanks and hugs to the inimitable Mick Granger who did lots of wonderfully skilled work onboard Waka Huia, all of which has been recorded in the blog. Rest in Peace, mate. And thank you, old buddy, old pal.<br /></p><p>And thank you to the Debdale team who have looked after Waka Huia so well since we started leaving it there on the hard each autumn. This year, before we arrived, Wal did a lovely job replacing water-stained/damaged woodwork in the saloon and sealing the window and porthole frames that were leaking. All of the Debdale team have been kind and helpful and warm and friendly to us over the years and we really appreciate it.<br /></p><p>Just so you know, all of you deserved all the cheese scones and meals I made - and more! </p><p>And thank you to all the friends and family who came and joined us on board - we loved having people with us to share the pleasure. </p><p>Thanks also to all the people we met along the way, friends we made, and those we spoke with as we passed them by walking or boating. </p><p>And thank you to all the fabulous dogs - you gave us hundreds of opportunities to speak to your humans - you know how shy English people can be, but praising you lights them up and has them break into conversation - and David and I love making those connections, no matter how fleeting. Seeing your owners respond so positively and knowing for many of them it may be the only human interaction they have in a day, is a gift for us and it is a gift you give them - go, dogs!!</p><p><br /></p><p>It was really important to us that we sell the boat in good
condition, with no hidden problems, without having to cross our fingers
and hope the surveyor missed something serious or otherwise. We remember
when we bought the boat back in late 2013, we were reassured by the
surveyor's report but didn't know how to interpret surveyor-speak. Later
we realised that the surveyor tells you what is there but doesn't often
say if it is useful (like the 24v 150amp alternator that killed the
engine's motive power and was the reason we first had Ed come to help us
out). And they use the phrase 'cannot confirm' which means 'didn't
check' (see below). And we didn't realise that they don't check the
electrics (just say what the system is), and they don't check the
engine.<br /></p>So it was critical to us that the electrics were in
good order, that the engine had been serviced very recently, that the
paintwork had been cut and polished, that the roof had been sanded back
and repainted, that the interior was washed down, and the tabletop was
sanded and treated with Danish oil, there was a new mattress and a heap
of spare parts - most of which we could have sold, but which we wanted a
new owner to have for a sense of safety and preparedness.<p></p><p>Selling the boat has been a nerve-wracking process - you may recall that David and I don't do uncertainty... And over the last fortnight or so, since we received an offer, we have checked emails in the dead of night when getting up for a pee - but I reckon the wakefulness was less caused by bladders and more prompted by whether there was a missive from ABNB...</p><p>There's waiting for the survey, and then there's waiting for the purchaser to respond to the survey report they receive but we don't. Only 3 things which the purchaser wanted addressed: the surveyor couldn't confirm (read: didn't check) that the shore hook up worked, he couldn't confirm the immersion heater worked (it doesn't because we disconnected it - too hungry on the battery - and that was noted on the switchboard below the MCB and explained in the manual we provided) and he couldn't start the engine (weird).</p><p>The last item was the one that caused us conniptions, given our desire to sell the boat in good condition. We've never had trouble starting the boat apart from when a glow plug went tits up some years ago and Ed changed them all. North Kilworth Marina couldn't get on to looking at it for several days, and the purchaser wanted early resolution - as did we (nearly called Ed ... did talk to Ian who said glow plugs). So ABNB's technical director came and looked and found a cable needed re-crimping between the starter motor and glowplugs. Doh! </p><p>A compression test was undertaken (thanks, Justin) requested by the purchaser which we decided to pay for and all was sorted.</p><p>Well, I say that - the next phase was completing the paperwork and arranging for the money to be paid to us. Weirdly, the original email we got re payment said that the sale could be completed with emailed signatures on the Bill of Sale, but to release the funds to us, ABNB would need to receive the originals posted back by snail mail. I did note politely that it seemed anomalous to me that the boat could be handed over on the strength of an emailed document, but we couldn't receive payment under the same conditions. Emma, bless her, sent us electronic forms to sign and to get witnessed to then be able to release the funds.<br /></p><p>All done satisfactorily and we are now rich again - well, not really; in fact, not at all! But the bank balance is a bit healthier. Long may it remain so - but yesterday David fell in love with a table top made from slabs of swamp kauri embedded in resin... No we are not buying it, but good heavens, it was beautiful! And only $5600 - not much if you say it quickly ...<br /></p><p>So for readers who are boaters, if you see Waka Huia** out and about, please say hello to Charles and Lucy. Julia says to ask them for cheese scones ...</p><p>** We don't know if they will keep the name, but I do hope so.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGt2bafscwqDHUkH5ABTxa6EmRUvlV_Z6Ls7Um27Z5ZUFRK4yCefwtP2-nKYMjE3J26m-P7DEkfH89xOkJfHeqpNEdZLrboHwA74GuC5aWYufpYKTk-pcaMi8W0UlTXBpHUaJ2LqqZDAu4XGAi2__n_ARzt0DqX7Nwl7z2MuHQSia_WjAl1DGLUoj2Hyw/s1600/Boat%20Final.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGt2bafscwqDHUkH5ABTxa6EmRUvlV_Z6Ls7Um27Z5ZUFRK4yCefwtP2-nKYMjE3J26m-P7DEkfH89xOkJfHeqpNEdZLrboHwA74GuC5aWYufpYKTk-pcaMi8W0UlTXBpHUaJ2LqqZDAu4XGAi2__n_ARzt0DqX7Nwl7z2MuHQSia_WjAl1DGLUoj2Hyw/w640-h426/Boat%20Final.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I found this photo from our first season onboard (2014) - it epitomises why we bought the boat and what we found so compelling about our time onboard. In this shot, Barry and Pauline are on board with us. We are moored up at the bottom of the Marple flight of locks. David and Pauline were setting up the table and chairs for drinks and nibbles on the towpath. Barry had gone for a walk and took this lovely shot. We had had a weekend with B&P and Pete and Melanie where we had boated down to Bugsworth Basin. M&P had caught the train to Manchester then points south, B&P were going back to London a couple of days later, as it transpired - after a couple of days of boating in the rain...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p> *** I have read this to David. He is a weepy mess now ... Ooops! Clearly, I am still a bitch π.<br /></p>Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-84556323954612362432023-12-06T01:29:00.000-08:002023-12-06T01:29:47.529-08:00More of Russell<p> In the morning, we headed for Pompallier House and were a bit early arriving
so we looked around the outside and chatted to some people on their bikes. The
roadway is quite narrow there so when a car came along, I backed myself hard up
into the gateway so she could get past me. However the driver was only paying
attention to the standing cyclist on the other side of the street, and
carefully avoiding her, but was about to take me out! I slapped the bonnet of
her car and shouted at her to stop. Aaarrrggghhh!!! And once the driver had
moved on, the husband of the cyclist suggested that the problem was that it was
a woman driver. I must have been in shock, because <u><b>in behaviour quite unlike
me</b></u>, I wielded my hiking stick like a taiaha (I'm a quick learner) and swished
it around near his head, neck and genitals. Although I think MΔori warriors
aimed for the belly, but I added my own fighting principles...</p>
<p>While the cyclists and David headed off for the tour of house, the printing
shop and bindery, I had decided I would sit that one out at the cafe. An hour,
they said. But neither they nor I had banked on the tour guide being so
enthusiastic and that David would be so keen to keep up the conversation that
he would remain in the shop afterwards for another 10 minutes ... And I was
hungry and had been looking forward to breakfast again at the Seaside Cafe. But
by the time we got there they were on to the lunch menu, dammit. Still, they
did me an omelette which was yummy.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwL3vYacP-zsXVJxyhJsc5MubzLyCNRUf6O6nzBxTPrYrOKucVN8shl3N93_Kit3KLXUk67RWkba9ja_28hQ0Nk1_NbsGL8G_7ss1hBIyEk8KlgZeLRbUrrcgzaZ517mdsjS40LqrOO8dC2koy8mUPlH2djJ-ch8IOGVQwZDVvKbkhtt5xhBkEbb1feg/s4032/IMG_4747.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwL3vYacP-zsXVJxyhJsc5MubzLyCNRUf6O6nzBxTPrYrOKucVN8shl3N93_Kit3KLXUk67RWkba9ja_28hQ0Nk1_NbsGL8G_7ss1hBIyEk8KlgZeLRbUrrcgzaZ517mdsjS40LqrOO8dC2koy8mUPlH2djJ-ch8IOGVQwZDVvKbkhtt5xhBkEbb1feg/w400-h300/IMG_4747.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The woman at the museum had said we must go and view the statue at the end of the wharf - it welcomes visitors and sees them on their way.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimy0jgtaT6_pRGQVIztxH_0F5ey3SZ_CmHhQHBOgG1cNmbEIjtC684J2ggfTK4y5J1ZqjrvOunVc3QsF5qoITFKf1oltGoulKftIk8RJ77vXG1TiLPc-RFzAdkSh_-rDP5jKVZYR_TtHa2-EsMi8VCghwUScSan3hfuDoNeoPSTT2rWKN3P03h71TKdRQ/s4032/IMG_4752.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimy0jgtaT6_pRGQVIztxH_0F5ey3SZ_CmHhQHBOgG1cNmbEIjtC684J2ggfTK4y5J1ZqjrvOunVc3QsF5qoITFKf1oltGoulKftIk8RJ77vXG1TiLPc-RFzAdkSh_-rDP5jKVZYR_TtHa2-EsMi8VCghwUScSan3hfuDoNeoPSTT2rWKN3P03h71TKdRQ/w400-h300/IMG_4752.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking back along the Strand, we had to stop and watch the process of getting the bed base down from the upstairs room. The two guys had already thrown the mattress down on to the lawn. At first they were going to lower the base on ropes, but decided to toss it down on to the mattress. I was worried that the dog was going to get in the way - squashed chocolate labrador mixed with raspberry jus is not a good look on a sunny day! And imagine the noise! Successful landing though - no dog was harmed and the base landed almost entirely on the mattress.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Fortified with food and having had our fill of free local entertainment, we headed off to walk up to Flagstaff Hill where Hone
Heke and his men chopped down the flagpole four times. They must have been very fit because it's a solid slog
uphill all the way - he and his men would have done it at night through the bush, I expect. In 2023, fortunately for us doing it in the midday heat of a very warm day, most of it was on shady road because of the
trees - I don't do heat well...</p>
<p>The views from the top were stunning. </p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7YlsnshBX0ocLN5Kjl1La8pUhR4yqaYMDVsy2nIKNUkVFGgVqcFDxHa20eDm0P7EzUoPc4eZkFXepGv1jpQ76BxcfVy-zv2twBhxWZ2HzbUZ4F3MbN3YI0JP8P8GPR6te3aVFGoX7RC-GlgSsH0PO2tt5ikahpdZ7tQpaVHDK-aOIItlkj0uiQOdlXc/s4032/IMG_4758.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7YlsnshBX0ocLN5Kjl1La8pUhR4yqaYMDVsy2nIKNUkVFGgVqcFDxHa20eDm0P7EzUoPc4eZkFXepGv1jpQ76BxcfVy-zv2twBhxWZ2HzbUZ4F3MbN3YI0JP8P8GPR6te3aVFGoX7RC-GlgSsH0PO2tt5ikahpdZ7tQpaVHDK-aOIItlkj0uiQOdlXc/w400-h300/IMG_4758.HEIC" width="400" /></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNyQxeEjLgAdRd4jGYWlv-5vubMraSSwjXZOO_iPP__DgSNfbvIWcNi5Tjb-8ftJzTCGa8VKQMonx16jCNwGpNeldm1Q0lt34SRHceZkKTTDSsADGPW_tWTIsZl47Ev54QslMkuppXuECatcnjIQ-4017piFVKWK4Cv1HwNm6QwYTHVUacSlTS0j_9K0w/s4032/IMG_4759.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNyQxeEjLgAdRd4jGYWlv-5vubMraSSwjXZOO_iPP__DgSNfbvIWcNi5Tjb-8ftJzTCGa8VKQMonx16jCNwGpNeldm1Q0lt34SRHceZkKTTDSsADGPW_tWTIsZl47Ev54QslMkuppXuECatcnjIQ-4017piFVKWK4Cv1HwNm6QwYTHVUacSlTS0j_9K0w/w400-h300/IMG_4759.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was a couple from this cruise ship up on the hill.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_7Z0_YEKHxSxQzq0KBmUvlIR114b7F7FAhZKfmmcTIMZp1wmaiQ4eCx5SV7NI_9B8oE2iYX0ionHXxrD0IuslSD3j-zJLOPk0QUyV7KnWKQGgkQtmGvc-GKq76LMHtdQHbM7vWVJoTRgjXYm7PFUaDy6Kkjqg3XGeHw09xAXVMoCid2fB_hwc8pj5lY/s4032/IMG_4760.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_7Z0_YEKHxSxQzq0KBmUvlIR114b7F7FAhZKfmmcTIMZp1wmaiQ4eCx5SV7NI_9B8oE2iYX0ionHXxrD0IuslSD3j-zJLOPk0QUyV7KnWKQGgkQtmGvc-GKq76LMHtdQHbM7vWVJoTRgjXYm7PFUaDy6Kkjqg3XGeHw09xAXVMoCid2fB_hwc8pj5lY/w400-h300/IMG_4760.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back down to Russell<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Gh8SmQmFP_9Jo8a_5dOHKw9FbZwbB8p7kdwIoZJoiMdg0WC7ohv16wt2iDH9Rc02MCdZlueAmTuWfOVExkWXqLqA-bzlCArDeFAXX7rbmFvLZZQJph8A_cHl0uS-hzBSvysbV0zaCEZPde78ewHVueQSwVn8GYVvb3fZs73k5RiPpRuc3TV6GMX_Fww/s4032/IMG_4761.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Gh8SmQmFP_9Jo8a_5dOHKw9FbZwbB8p7kdwIoZJoiMdg0WC7ohv16wt2iDH9Rc02MCdZlueAmTuWfOVExkWXqLqA-bzlCArDeFAXX7rbmFvLZZQJph8A_cHl0uS-hzBSvysbV0zaCEZPde78ewHVueQSwVn8GYVvb3fZs73k5RiPpRuc3TV6GMX_Fww/w400-h300/IMG_4761.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking over to the Treaty Grounds at Waitangi - the flagpole there is clearly visible.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowBYOSEgH1K9c6eM2P6W3U4gI6YuLq7EiLm661CjOPoqzKnUhOrlAFimdAsP6TqpxPgB6i2I8DUohHU0rK6dzmEYtEooo-dIX6W9KWwmOos8cGLtOlLHKS2dEOCcrdTl4murfC6nU7dh7pB1lk9R6PwTP3U-SLl_mgb9_O10JdM9iIwtJj_kC_6kpQf8/s4032/IMG_4762.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowBYOSEgH1K9c6eM2P6W3U4gI6YuLq7EiLm661CjOPoqzKnUhOrlAFimdAsP6TqpxPgB6i2I8DUohHU0rK6dzmEYtEooo-dIX6W9KWwmOos8cGLtOlLHKS2dEOCcrdTl4murfC6nU7dh7pB1lk9R6PwTP3U-SLl_mgb9_O10JdM9iIwtJj_kC_6kpQf8/w400-h300/IMG_4762.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easy to see why this area is called the Bay of Islands<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkjeqdRof2UrbNmg6YBfxdAD4_nav6S3l4wmt3e9rvzHUFEp61COux8be6NigstTT8oVGxQ_Tvwdw2IE8gPKtj-5YqwbJApPvy5zdPTgF9s3XbRCl6A4StGqXB9Jaj0NWBzc488zvQZKE8ZQ9qSDUB1oAH7HfxLUPQiF7Jvjv6frAfr4nyvwOAW5igL4/s4032/IMG_4763.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkjeqdRof2UrbNmg6YBfxdAD4_nav6S3l4wmt3e9rvzHUFEp61COux8be6NigstTT8oVGxQ_Tvwdw2IE8gPKtj-5YqwbJApPvy5zdPTgF9s3XbRCl6A4StGqXB9Jaj0NWBzc488zvQZKE8ZQ9qSDUB1oAH7HfxLUPQiF7Jvjv6frAfr4nyvwOAW5igL4/w400-h300/IMG_4763.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT8GPRZa5FourCOHEYXNgObb6F_BN4pits8Cl20Alx-mbXYa0yW1bZ7uBv4Z079CD4cxFdI5O7YcDrQbkFdIrIaUhVvOhLZG4-KYMyN8AOMXO07OXmShvEXLus6hNF72NlHml7tP_kX-cQTM-aUl9nV2NwhZmlUAP3_qOLvmO7Mrk-nWow4Z0librgZvU/s4032/IMG_4765.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT8GPRZa5FourCOHEYXNgObb6F_BN4pits8Cl20Alx-mbXYa0yW1bZ7uBv4Z079CD4cxFdI5O7YcDrQbkFdIrIaUhVvOhLZG4-KYMyN8AOMXO07OXmShvEXLus6hNF72NlHml7tP_kX-cQTM-aUl9nV2NwhZmlUAP3_qOLvmO7Mrk-nWow4Z0librgZvU/w400-h300/IMG_4765.heic" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWolyFn1fFOGyqbQWYNgpEmd1t-X6i-Z5o2gPZGP2CBFGe0oEA_6sYb3GTYTXY7J3_1X3LNZ5sd-_Kt03ZDDqTno5dN6yuixderENE8ctpUV9xs0Krc7kqYaDd9qs71MvQSf1FyAB1VL1xHbQknZ0-VrcsGm1K27kExm0ybgvqSDWNvPZeRyMmZbImT3g/s4032/IMG_4764.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWolyFn1fFOGyqbQWYNgpEmd1t-X6i-Z5o2gPZGP2CBFGe0oEA_6sYb3GTYTXY7J3_1X3LNZ5sd-_Kt03ZDDqTno5dN6yuixderENE8ctpUV9xs0Krc7kqYaDd9qs71MvQSf1FyAB1VL1xHbQknZ0-VrcsGm1K27kExm0ybgvqSDWNvPZeRyMmZbImT3g/w400-h300/IMG_4764.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mosaic map of the Bay of Islands<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgVMNnfXWki2fl2S7kBMuuZLxyHSqbLHbYeaWnED92_i1ibIl4NC5zp4oHaC9O9T047MCIRc74MYNPKG4O74dAzXwDdJGntVbMp4N-wGfH1rdUfDPttI9o-WjqXHn3MBi9gVQ3MzLJVVTVnH805ASaSU1FnCAYwmpZzQoFqritZeUmO82yp3D1nVa-_g/s4032/IMG_4768.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgVMNnfXWki2fl2S7kBMuuZLxyHSqbLHbYeaWnED92_i1ibIl4NC5zp4oHaC9O9T047MCIRc74MYNPKG4O74dAzXwDdJGntVbMp4N-wGfH1rdUfDPttI9o-WjqXHn3MBi9gVQ3MzLJVVTVnH805ASaSU1FnCAYwmpZzQoFqritZeUmO82yp3D1nVa-_g/w400-h300/IMG_4768.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can't remember what I was pointing at ...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Interesting that I have no photos of the actual flagstaff ...<br /> </p><p>We chatted to a few people, one of
whom (Nicolle) is from London and over here on a young person's work visa. She
will be travelling further south (I hope she won't be disappointed, given how
absolutely beautiful this area is) and we have asked her to stay with us and
even given her Kirsty's phone number so she can contact her when she goes to
Sydney after her NZ sojourn. Oops, haven't told Kirsty yet... </p>
<p>Back down we went and along to the Duke Of Marlborough Hotel for a glass of lemon
lime and bitters. (The woman at the museum had told us we must go there for a drink, honest...) And while we were sitting outside, along came the group of
cyclists we'd seen at Pompallier House minus the one I had figuratively done to
death with my taiaha hiking stick. We got to chatting, as we do, and discovered
they were from Taranaki. We asked about their cycling trip - the absent one was
already doing a piece of it they didn't want to. I was relieved that I hadn't caused his demise.
We said we were too anxious to do that trip although it had been our intention
when we set out from home. We said we had a friend who'd come off her bike in
Onaero. <b><span style="color: red;">JUDY</span></b> they all yelled. </p><p>
<span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Talk about 2 degrees of separation! It turns out
that Bethne and Adrienne are both teachers who know Jim and Judy well, that
Adrienne and her husband Rob (my putative victim) were at one of the Burns Night dinners we
attended at J&Js' place.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzadkXAFkXVFdjF_LVocAi8k_1fGzkCH6FjLFsh7P9WHPp-7xLwx6EnmRR2-R5Zs22rzqwQ3tP-eC8xSXAgZt-j0u5wIJr3Q4SMxcBNK8QQ83ZgGbbJ_sqStCxT7_LvjBBKlVTIBHpMxg5h4sDwb68QVrXygAudrV-VZZ5WZSfyoyiXITdkSwO79X6OQ/s4032/IMG_4771.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzadkXAFkXVFdjF_LVocAi8k_1fGzkCH6FjLFsh7P9WHPp-7xLwx6EnmRR2-R5Zs22rzqwQ3tP-eC8xSXAgZt-j0u5wIJr3Q4SMxcBNK8QQ83ZgGbbJ_sqStCxT7_LvjBBKlVTIBHpMxg5h4sDwb68QVrXygAudrV-VZZ5WZSfyoyiXITdkSwO79X6OQ/w400-h300/IMG_4771.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bethne, Adrienne and Mike<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYR2GHNwNz8mEh9rRzmVaiXpDqqOI2SZs5PR_GpzRqLwOYR1t5e806THw-hTIGxrxhSc31iCUeRsNVeTPzV44_9ee4cR7hYW8e6zJcSYA340BiHJryQ4DzIUQ7aCHSHpXW67aHcDiN9P2p4oeuTvWBLCB6_yKKtKvIqkrh3FgRZTcxdkDybjo0VSHR_k/s4032/IMG_4775.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYR2GHNwNz8mEh9rRzmVaiXpDqqOI2SZs5PR_GpzRqLwOYR1t5e806THw-hTIGxrxhSc31iCUeRsNVeTPzV44_9ee4cR7hYW8e6zJcSYA340BiHJryQ4DzIUQ7aCHSHpXW67aHcDiN9P2p4oeuTvWBLCB6_yKKtKvIqkrh3FgRZTcxdkDybjo0VSHR_k/w400-h300/IMG_4775.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David and I with Adrienne, Bethne and Mike - taken by an amused and bemused passer-by - we were making quite a lot of noise, to be fair!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">They got drinks and joined us but had to race through them so they would not miss their ferry. Still, I think we need to catch up with them when we head back into Taranaki before Xmas. I wonder if Judy will be home from the brain injury rehab place in Kenepuru by then?</span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">After all of that excitement, we headed back up to the motorhome and had a blob - before heading back down to the Green Thai restaurant - delightful place with very delicious food. And it was delivered to our table by robot - what next!? We thought the robot was probably related to Henare, our robot vacuum cleaner.<br /></span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">After dinner, a peaceful walk back up the hill carrying our leftovers and the yellow curry (veg, no tofu) that I had ordered as a takeaway - tomorrow night's dinner... <br /></span></p><p><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I really think Russell is a place we will come back to, even if it's only as foot passengers from Paihia - the Thai restaurant is open for lunch ππ</span>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-2250493308175181412023-12-03T19:01:00.000-08:002023-12-03T19:01:22.437-08:00Russell - KororΔreka<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-dn3gLU3GL9j8dy6jXRr4zuVAOG1BVIVdcYc82R6ms0oQqaYkUhJbwnLbeQiKE-UFdOZaHjoJWYcfjU8oB6VBF1BXklV2D-SZZ3KItle4WvAYSfgSMOvxTFlZeNhhtuO5biNCq9YQ8sB-ZY5WHpGHFkkOMcotD0wsH94ilAzSc6ggS7Yjk_S8FwuHOI/s4032/IMG_4687.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-dn3gLU3GL9j8dy6jXRr4zuVAOG1BVIVdcYc82R6ms0oQqaYkUhJbwnLbeQiKE-UFdOZaHjoJWYcfjU8oB6VBF1BXklV2D-SZZ3KItle4WvAYSfgSMOvxTFlZeNhhtuO5biNCq9YQ8sB-ZY5WHpGHFkkOMcotD0wsH94ilAzSc6ggS7Yjk_S8FwuHOI/w400-h300/IMG_4687.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset at Waitangi Holiday Park - beaut place to stay!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><p>While in Paihia and Waitangi we debated whether to go over to Russell as foot passengers on the ferry from Paihia but decided that Russell was worth a couple of days of exploring. So it was off to Opua to get on the vehicle ferry.</p><p>We knew from Bernice that we needed to travel quite close to high tide time because of the slope down on to the ferry and the possible impact on the back of the motorhome... High tide was at about 8.30am so we were up and away at not quite at the crack of dawn!</p><p>We drove on to the ferry and were very excited - I had to get up close to a large truck and trailer unit, having gone past a concrete truck first. In the interests of keeping the motorhome in one piece, once stopped we retracted the mirrors ... </p><p>We asked if we could get out, and yes we could. Took photos, I waved at
the skipper in his eyrie, and notice every other driver still had their
engines running - no wonder, because it was about a 6 minute trip! So
quickly back in the motorhome, start it up and ready to drive off at
Okiata. <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxxf63F4u0pUgYq_HE_JhQ9l9dHVRQRy8GhykKB7XYJPW5PaOB92CbiimKNJBRxRh4y28pQ3bPvQ2hgLXFWVTLdV7CIrwyag9i3wLtflSn4tzyTDlx0FTe5aYylcUq0x9vTP45ecE5EJVcVKEUqY3InaE5_kdsI5swzwY9epsipyjoxCvxiDbVbHy9Qo/s4032/IMG_4689.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxxf63F4u0pUgYq_HE_JhQ9l9dHVRQRy8GhykKB7XYJPW5PaOB92CbiimKNJBRxRh4y28pQ3bPvQ2hgLXFWVTLdV7CIrwyag9i3wLtflSn4tzyTDlx0FTe5aYylcUq0x9vTP45ecE5EJVcVKEUqY3InaE5_kdsI5swzwY9epsipyjoxCvxiDbVbHy9Qo/w400-h300/IMG_4689.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Up close and personal ...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDOU63-qYk1MDe3MKtXTYlvV-Ri9O6W_SQnKrJ5frC80E-k8nuIpvewk18JqHDaOiO1_MkcMWJRJWI35aRmhxU8MPeTmbbq5h40Xw0mhA1Bg4E0A35VO2qEd0hCdwzviv1sI78Guu0VyrNelr97JRzNzoFePuzrHK1znqG32bcoq6C6tqQbz5_N75nCQ/s4032/IMG_4691.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDOU63-qYk1MDe3MKtXTYlvV-Ri9O6W_SQnKrJ5frC80E-k8nuIpvewk18JqHDaOiO1_MkcMWJRJWI35aRmhxU8MPeTmbbq5h40Xw0mhA1Bg4E0A35VO2qEd0hCdwzviv1sI78Guu0VyrNelr97JRzNzoFePuzrHK1znqG32bcoq6C6tqQbz5_N75nCQ/w400-h300/IMG_4691.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isn't that beaut?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwwrPiplhMPT1a21HXYoK0wENUB9VtijtkAn2MHlflO_ECYpRPvv-LofQaObilLzdaKwqGHvErlNEyiSWCvbscPxtlS11cexpyZ-GHfyc2me_kn9TFpRpPzcpSMkYqy0TJJJP7N_c2q6C77FhCTu-6EPzYaq6HxioJM87gfilUNZdVU1M7h3J1_7c_vE/s4032/IMG_4692.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwwrPiplhMPT1a21HXYoK0wENUB9VtijtkAn2MHlflO_ECYpRPvv-LofQaObilLzdaKwqGHvErlNEyiSWCvbscPxtlS11cexpyZ-GHfyc2me_kn9TFpRpPzcpSMkYqy0TJJJP7N_c2q6C77FhCTu-6EPzYaq6HxioJM87gfilUNZdVU1M7h3J1_7c_vE/w400-h300/IMG_4692.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ferry coming from Okiato<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnr9gKQbADSiTj4OCQQN_qdeQsOO3osAN1q9CHPHi0yf_6KN6Jeg3KDv6oLawbc_XOC2dx65fRGZwkeJQVeK-d6lUcbe0q1ivYw-vsUuUCv_oNJby-krtaEtV49UP6zWDTJaxffuwk8Kb8OXrFV6bun4vdNkz3VQlpIKhxjcvCVpJvHGRRn7sc5ndwVlU/s4032/IMG_4693.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnr9gKQbADSiTj4OCQQN_qdeQsOO3osAN1q9CHPHi0yf_6KN6Jeg3KDv6oLawbc_XOC2dx65fRGZwkeJQVeK-d6lUcbe0q1ivYw-vsUuUCv_oNJby-krtaEtV49UP6zWDTJaxffuwk8Kb8OXrFV6bun4vdNkz3VQlpIKhxjcvCVpJvHGRRn7sc5ndwVlU/w400-h300/IMG_4693.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not many vehicles on that one - but there was a very long queue at Okiato when we arrived. Commuters, I guess.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0I-kPRXMu8FopHER-NrWCx8y42HjR_TS1o5wmiofMVlYt2BMN7rkxNGR5s-KARaiC2y9RqRsQjWfAPlT5ToLIB7Mt4Zbz676Ql7nXXSXb_LkUJNVU-4Q7J-rvqZsoKW6Ke84GfANIPV1eY-WbeMWFKjsu8twVV1HbroAyFa-T4rjMIq3u_h8ZLXzShhM/s4032/IMG_4694.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0I-kPRXMu8FopHER-NrWCx8y42HjR_TS1o5wmiofMVlYt2BMN7rkxNGR5s-KARaiC2y9RqRsQjWfAPlT5ToLIB7Mt4Zbz676Ql7nXXSXb_LkUJNVU-4Q7J-rvqZsoKW6Ke84GfANIPV1eY-WbeMWFKjsu8twVV1HbroAyFa-T4rjMIq3u_h8ZLXzShhM/w400-h300/IMG_4694.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting close to the landing wharf - took us by surprise!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3bFbsZiLuDOIcdC83hqoD20NhyVCaiE_vhdJ5xB9JUPCankUr6O9KmeEDGN9NcTN-CvPyp8FuJpmLQ2p9xgaxUNsVVdUYFueSbjZb6lzGeoM6q4FM7RcK9GqqXHdevr-VaOe9qEiJStscq-B3CIKav3lCfBtVU29r4Ay_PHDXz2ca0wmnup_GPmCS56U/s4032/IMG_4696.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3bFbsZiLuDOIcdC83hqoD20NhyVCaiE_vhdJ5xB9JUPCankUr6O9KmeEDGN9NcTN-CvPyp8FuJpmLQ2p9xgaxUNsVVdUYFueSbjZb6lzGeoM6q4FM7RcK9GqqXHdevr-VaOe9qEiJStscq-B3CIKav3lCfBtVU29r4Ay_PHDXz2ca0wmnup_GPmCS56U/w400-h300/IMG_4696.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How old am I? Waving to the skipper ...π<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvUAHNyM9_CC6jJq82xSpcJSAkGcGawfDd9qLzrQPX_f-7y7EuVlGyDL4shmZtN0wE1Bk0BUv8Ax48Ew8WeThko9BK_goO4uyH_xCJq2qfO26q-7jniHwViZiZSunVDMzuw_LwDckIfkZtCkHM383KDXs-RCTkljxD5GxmaQ-dSZpSIdDWCkzO_bDyVM/s4032/IMG_4695.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvUAHNyM9_CC6jJq82xSpcJSAkGcGawfDd9qLzrQPX_f-7y7EuVlGyDL4shmZtN0wE1Bk0BUv8Ax48Ew8WeThko9BK_goO4uyH_xCJq2qfO26q-7jniHwViZiZSunVDMzuw_LwDckIfkZtCkHM383KDXs-RCTkljxD5GxmaQ-dSZpSIdDWCkzO_bDyVM/w400-h300/IMG_4695.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very friendly...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHhL_HCM8kwOuIzO4GHnu6jFfxpaXMuLRF24EdhWH7J5_0-9wyhH94Y_yNNyqOYZXlr9ufUaPWGhOJh7eBu6XJybBa4i6BsvyC6tvbmbGyDDodQqJG97w4RooQ6wkUvem4cq9Pw0OTtA-UeQjxaGiTL_OwxFVuE-UMYggHKB08Nz_40ktdKV6IQP8TSo/s4032/IMG_4697.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHhL_HCM8kwOuIzO4GHnu6jFfxpaXMuLRF24EdhWH7J5_0-9wyhH94Y_yNNyqOYZXlr9ufUaPWGhOJh7eBu6XJybBa4i6BsvyC6tvbmbGyDDodQqJG97w4RooQ6wkUvem4cq9Pw0OTtA-UeQjxaGiTL_OwxFVuE-UMYggHKB08Nz_40ktdKV6IQP8TSo/w400-h300/IMG_4697.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My travelling companion of 50 years!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFriLiUzVFmzjPx8kWwvhihLNX6geOJMEme7jTh5iwFSuQGXrW3myFJHMFIRn9ITNgc2JtN9_W8huo1Rk4gh3_D3yt0vjHTqGR8fi48HHfwaSBb2g5dgK0puEYWjyI-QwWKUc-ZA2Ulimis2GkQSGbCO7PqyO9O0IB2B0oNSMV09s2yYIfeJqdEia6IIc/s4032/IMG_4699.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFriLiUzVFmzjPx8kWwvhihLNX6geOJMEme7jTh5iwFSuQGXrW3myFJHMFIRn9ITNgc2JtN9_W8huo1Rk4gh3_D3yt0vjHTqGR8fi48HHfwaSBb2g5dgK0puEYWjyI-QwWKUc-ZA2Ulimis2GkQSGbCO7PqyO9O0IB2B0oNSMV09s2yYIfeJqdEia6IIc/w400-h300/IMG_4699.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6tDnV5Uw-bAKVPs8DguvPvk1vyQIGYlKon3CH9rksmsJa0X5twn-Qm-NGMhRwYrfTDnC82a8VtIRGyUVKwFaGWO_4_joGG82_9ELa6bh5QDRY3rQQ9PxJCZXJ7-KjYAx1cGecgQ7ULvy-GCi5h0O8oBqK9rTmSqnERCZ2kQf1Xx2bMDDqkrGDvWSLEA/s4032/IMG_4698.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6tDnV5Uw-bAKVPs8DguvPvk1vyQIGYlKon3CH9rksmsJa0X5twn-Qm-NGMhRwYrfTDnC82a8VtIRGyUVKwFaGWO_4_joGG82_9ELa6bh5QDRY3rQQ9PxJCZXJ7-KjYAx1cGecgQ7ULvy-GCi5h0O8oBqK9rTmSqnERCZ2kQf1Xx2bMDDqkrGDvWSLEA/w400-h300/IMG_4698.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mirror image, but I am here too.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>We drove straight to the Top10 motorcamp and parked across the road where we could leave the motorhome until check in time. </p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxF4KmV6XRn3yUJxofbtjvaRon8MhtDQDO6y3JdA9dOn7ofaB6bHlD7KkjZC50Js7Tccb1s6nFDmi3i25TT3IsCS7uwGXvy7YP1ETtDur4BKNmTIjFgRHfStlk2zOVSJ3IpVQwXElRVgCXBFrH0NTE8rn44VlA56kfKA1V9WhYAz_ofGUR7y1yDkOI0EI/s4032/IMG_4700.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxF4KmV6XRn3yUJxofbtjvaRon8MhtDQDO6y3JdA9dOn7ofaB6bHlD7KkjZC50Js7Tccb1s6nFDmi3i25TT3IsCS7uwGXvy7YP1ETtDur4BKNmTIjFgRHfStlk2zOVSJ3IpVQwXElRVgCXBFrH0NTE8rn44VlA56kfKA1V9WhYAz_ofGUR7y1yDkOI0EI/w400-h300/IMG_4700.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the pohutukawa are already in flower<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphentiyi9yDLtkseQgyg1461Y9o4VDxfGnLTMKhsjJT3yU1MnLdkph3FGlb5JjSuOy73gCkvrEq8nkL9MO2fYQAwpB_Cn3bMFl7sV7gHWnVZrB0eztzmYxminE2s47UuzAMc-Xqhd4dt_KT9OxU9yvIjDfvkBKgZ8Iq4zT87EATamz8q7ob3HgBky9ueAk/s4032/IMG_4701.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphentiyi9yDLtkseQgyg1461Y9o4VDxfGnLTMKhsjJT3yU1MnLdkph3FGlb5JjSuOy73gCkvrEq8nkL9MO2fYQAwpB_Cn3bMFl7sV7gHWnVZrB0eztzmYxminE2s47UuzAMc-Xqhd4dt_KT9OxU9yvIjDfvkBKgZ8Iq4zT87EATamz8q7ob3HgBky9ueAk/w400-h300/IMG_4701.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waterfront views at Russell - beautiful.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikj3ASzYRk_lxGo2rrCHOKdJmrQtLE_4pVYWc3boKELcYfU-E-S-aSh8b4HHs8ZmQ3fBg1ivC9kgM5qaXzhVTA4qi_VB16flT6MbPRflPOjC63Ef3ZrASb2ZHEcbNVznyJZLlb9TgCj5BNpUiS5I4zcJjBbc7DOGjta-usBWK7GezIIXf0tK5Tf6Z857I/s4032/IMG_4703.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikj3ASzYRk_lxGo2rrCHOKdJmrQtLE_4pVYWc3boKELcYfU-E-S-aSh8b4HHs8ZmQ3fBg1ivC9kgM5qaXzhVTA4qi_VB16flT6MbPRflPOjC63Ef3ZrASb2ZHEcbNVznyJZLlb9TgCj5BNpUiS5I4zcJjBbc7DOGjta-usBWK7GezIIXf0tK5Tf6Z857I/w300-h400/IMG_4703.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A
woman visiting from Colorado took this photo of us when we were on our
way to breakfast. I am not sure why I was standing so far away from
David - weird! The Colorado woman and her husband were on a 2 week tour
of NZ. They'd arrived in Auckland the previous day and driven to
Russell. The following day they were driving to Rotorua, then flying to
Christchurch and driving to Queenstown and Milford Sound - all the
highlights ticked off, eh...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Then we walked further along The Strand and had breakfast at The Seaside Cafe - yummy! It was a lovely day, so we ate outside, had three phone calls while we were there:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Irene and Ian who we called to inspire jealousy</li><li>Marta (calling from Scotland) who rang for an overdue catch-up and told us that Karol is now 154.5cm, so my height. He's been aiming to get taller than me since he was about 11, and it's almost happened! And considering Olek is now 180cm but was shorter than me till he was almost 14, Karol is matching him. I wonder if he will get to 180cm too? If yes, then he too will be taller than his dad</li><li>Adair calling from Pukawa for a lovely catch up.<br /></li></ul><p> </p><p>Then it was off exploring on foot:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>the library and museum grounds</li><ul><li>a chat with a guy out on the verandah</li><li>Walker passage<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkspRf2on5hzUYBobBlhdLwIULnNq7rJqqYW9yYPmw2kbl0vfeKmoVQvIhrvqXTlmhdBw9n6iM7fs1PKyHMwKZEFudDQDnd9DVPShhc2VSeB0PguDWtLwc80udfSvDWvB3aGY-qzaDYGHDmt8p3L8oQsLdAh134rZCP2FfZdF-4QopwQdWSUxzvhlH0HU/s4032/IMG_4704.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkspRf2on5hzUYBobBlhdLwIULnNq7rJqqYW9yYPmw2kbl0vfeKmoVQvIhrvqXTlmhdBw9n6iM7fs1PKyHMwKZEFudDQDnd9DVPShhc2VSeB0PguDWtLwc80udfSvDWvB3aGY-qzaDYGHDmt8p3L8oQsLdAh134rZCP2FfZdF-4QopwQdWSUxzvhlH0HU/w400-h300/IMG_4704.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is a certain irony in the clause above: '<i>Ngapuhi chief who was granted land here in 1866 by the Government...' </i>I think the ellipsis in the notice indicates that the irony is not lost on the museum and Heritage Trails people!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5JLWkZQGB7j_43OII9pSv3gj6xvLqTxBPSrdyebNQZ1TTKdwaMTukL7bPgO1DBpZW4Pm7vkLrKmndZmVbfMtN1We_5pLygh7ar4Cl-dw4WqSiKFiDrtuP-rr6otOTR_X7tHhE79Bg0uujIoaofc_g4Va-AqGyvUjdkWERemsLe-fie3xaj7NjC8GTfNE/s4032/IMG_4705.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5JLWkZQGB7j_43OII9pSv3gj6xvLqTxBPSrdyebNQZ1TTKdwaMTukL7bPgO1DBpZW4Pm7vkLrKmndZmVbfMtN1We_5pLygh7ar4Cl-dw4WqSiKFiDrtuP-rr6otOTR_X7tHhE79Bg0uujIoaofc_g4Va-AqGyvUjdkWERemsLe-fie3xaj7NjC8GTfNE/w400-h300/IMG_4705.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance to Walker Passage<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG3iNWHa0B28PG_PB7ZJrm2V56DaOLktQksf9x3PFV3G3brgtAPW6ES4Q3gY-P95xbxNNXD5hyo4kzpgEjuw9gGvS_VXtu4b1VW9qHC-Feir8g4Fh-_1ReMiKk1AKqVrmk_YTOkejGUbRD1djq2RO14lvf2EQcbuq7H_bjPVydjU-XAH_r_5YsjLdNX30/s4032/IMG_4706.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG3iNWHa0B28PG_PB7ZJrm2V56DaOLktQksf9x3PFV3G3brgtAPW6ES4Q3gY-P95xbxNNXD5hyo4kzpgEjuw9gGvS_VXtu4b1VW9qHC-Feir8g4Fh-_1ReMiKk1AKqVrmk_YTOkejGUbRD1djq2RO14lvf2EQcbuq7H_bjPVydjU-XAH_r_5YsjLdNX30/w400-h300/IMG_4706.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tamati Waka Nene lived his life by 6 'points of illumination in his life', each of which is represented by the pou, three in this photo, (his father, his mother and his birth into Te Ao MΔori) and <br /></td></tr></tbody></table></li></ul></ul><p> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyT7w9juYpNUxZjnLIt74zPmzSMEA4zMHDApVEoa40cbgo5psSzvYNDTHvkADpdiNjlTKhBd9YF34hwVTa5QlXlY4xrdbrHsaIvr4LkTO-kB_1iwc_CQ5TkRX1DgsuMTSSVJ-TGKR7yGmll3vfuR_Ip_XkmiENPIzMBaASSOkmp5d8Psl4gl69WB56C_I/s4032/IMG_4707.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyT7w9juYpNUxZjnLIt74zPmzSMEA4zMHDApVEoa40cbgo5psSzvYNDTHvkADpdiNjlTKhBd9YF34hwVTa5QlXlY4xrdbrHsaIvr4LkTO-kB_1iwc_CQ5TkRX1DgsuMTSSVJ-TGKR7yGmll3vfuR_Ip_XkmiENPIzMBaASSOkmp5d8Psl4gl69WB56C_I/w400-h300/IMG_4707.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">three in this (his prowess in hapu and iwi wars, the death of his children who predeceased him, and the Declaration of Independence and Te Tirit and his promise to support the Crown). The Library is behind, with the museum in the part of the building to the left.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6a9mZWlLJm-zQ0QCSDw57ZgpmB0k0eUtBXUc12JFpbnt-mRDHa22N7mbKEcUDISB1814BPKL3Qnc-d2vhttQbnabkncro0lonP28dCK49izRtSeHA3FFp6TcN6bzK_hCjYWK4jnLW82hy0CeobcoL6TVDbbSlHnteCHeG057m3fKoFoMm6YcQWSegl4E/s4032/IMG_4708.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6a9mZWlLJm-zQ0QCSDw57ZgpmB0k0eUtBXUc12JFpbnt-mRDHa22N7mbKEcUDISB1814BPKL3Qnc-d2vhttQbnabkncro0lonP28dCK49izRtSeHA3FFp6TcN6bzK_hCjYWK4jnLW82hy0CeobcoL6TVDbbSlHnteCHeG057m3fKoFoMm6YcQWSegl4E/w400-h300/IMG_4708.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The detailed descriptions of the pou are in this interpretation<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1LNdEQeBiHLtCmn-ngWL2ODfebIvdETJbvJCBjQIvM4E-DzQXth-ULce4jgiBmgygox-cf5KLqp5DR6Uv4SghLe2f1yp3kJdmXP8yCHOmIVkw-NRMXGPYoUt4rroz4m5LsGNA6grlH5Djj-Poyb5pOkkmvXh-TmtFiIEm9qoOujukGdhdj1YjdES648/s4032/IMG_4710.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1LNdEQeBiHLtCmn-ngWL2ODfebIvdETJbvJCBjQIvM4E-DzQXth-ULce4jgiBmgygox-cf5KLqp5DR6Uv4SghLe2f1yp3kJdmXP8yCHOmIVkw-NRMXGPYoUt4rroz4m5LsGNA6grlH5Djj-Poyb5pOkkmvXh-TmtFiIEm9qoOujukGdhdj1YjdES648/w400-h300/IMG_4710.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The chimney from Nene's house has been made into a seat <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>the museum - we are finding that little town museums are really good: filled with interesting local artefacts and information, and the staff are super helpful and knowledgeable. There was a map outside the museum with local walks and the staff person told us about them and that we must go to Pompallier House and to The Duke of Marlborough Hotel.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJb6gsXpjw3HPF8kzY21wGbCYp4aTs82ooGpPoiTgSzvd-GXlvDRsOCbQF_K6pv9p5cUftdy01TZCtwBXFrCmTOUXIu3jB4nVFBRwhZb-xVo9OxcvSI9TPNgE_x42cM9-Foyp0rjCl_XGF6gXfqI7-i8WyOkYhnPt8MG0plXX657e81M40NbPNp7ZtDc/s4032/IMG_4712.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJb6gsXpjw3HPF8kzY21wGbCYp4aTs82ooGpPoiTgSzvd-GXlvDRsOCbQF_K6pv9p5cUftdy01TZCtwBXFrCmTOUXIu3jB4nVFBRwhZb-xVo9OxcvSI9TPNgE_x42cM9-Foyp0rjCl_XGF6gXfqI7-i8WyOkYhnPt8MG0plXX657e81M40NbPNp7ZtDc/w480-h640/IMG_4712.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Information about Hone Heke - we climbed up to the flagstaff the next day, so there's more later...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtO_vgYopF1eInxQg8wY968ra38quxNjuVZ_Xy4Mlr6S2CygDxh1meWdiaTpkCyPgSX01HsSZ6UiMiLveswTgiC1r-TGD_yu6mrKrt4YwnleakxchkfJV85IAoGxNv928OBDqTMZbjnG5thqrtQXdsz7EDra5N0kNYhGLD1nFUInvMBTYn126RXXSq9tk/s4032/IMG_4711.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtO_vgYopF1eInxQg8wY968ra38quxNjuVZ_Xy4Mlr6S2CygDxh1meWdiaTpkCyPgSX01HsSZ6UiMiLveswTgiC1r-TGD_yu6mrKrt4YwnleakxchkfJV85IAoGxNv928OBDqTMZbjnG5thqrtQXdsz7EDra5N0kNYhGLD1nFUInvMBTYn126RXXSq9tk/w480-h640/IMG_4711.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kawiti fought the last battle of the Northern War at Ruapekapeka Pa which we went to before we headed to Otamure Bay. The pa is an amazing place.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7SNIMvr_QQ4i0NWWX8IMbvikH298zo_KLKcuYI9ibMd-BRrJ52nR_Ex_pO5dQZ3f8Sz-DYDv-1PkqF4ip4NqFG8A_1L8qn1-h-WIc-aK-O8xRXHltkeokYEXcryRtoj0BkwU8nYezDJb_y2Ag2U5X0HtMNuk-wCCiqXZYoUIbSx5Vmfut8fLQfQxK8eo/s4032/IMG_4713.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7SNIMvr_QQ4i0NWWX8IMbvikH298zo_KLKcuYI9ibMd-BRrJ52nR_Ex_pO5dQZ3f8Sz-DYDv-1PkqF4ip4NqFG8A_1L8qn1-h-WIc-aK-O8xRXHltkeokYEXcryRtoj0BkwU8nYezDJb_y2Ag2U5X0HtMNuk-wCCiqXZYoUIbSx5Vmfut8fLQfQxK8eo/w480-h640/IMG_4713.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good information in here.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLL4AmuMWy65WwqY8nqmOIZD3tmVKa1er-dCF3HL8KUxeTDK1mQ3g6k7drPmbKLpSr7UdIoNtSiAGZZxDcfY6wSgZgfvjuH3JAtQLinkdtiHgY5kG61ArtEmMw15u1C_otGlbvuH5weWSPZFMPjH_D23IaCDKVAnREV57sqOaccQfU19Zk0d0TucOalc/s4032/IMG_4714.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLL4AmuMWy65WwqY8nqmOIZD3tmVKa1er-dCF3HL8KUxeTDK1mQ3g6k7drPmbKLpSr7UdIoNtSiAGZZxDcfY6wSgZgfvjuH3JAtQLinkdtiHgY5kG61ArtEmMw15u1C_otGlbvuH5weWSPZFMPjH_D23IaCDKVAnREV57sqOaccQfU19Zk0d0TucOalc/w300-h400/IMG_4714.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I though Karol would love this calendar...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></li><li><br /><br /></li><li>So off we went to Pompallier House, joined the NZ Historic Society, had a great chat with the two women working in the shop, bought some earrings, and explored the garden. Then we booked in for the tour the next morning.</li></ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78a0e1fqq4sdGp8mDpaFXuF_q1bGhaS4GwCJoYXyHz1zmwBbFq8r9KPOg8SQDBwfie_pbrSYQe-541iYbL_mdku1fPt-XS0ubNcLFoZ8gRY4qNVNI2ifP258H7OwbHLQsiJMMkFw3FPnxOgN30-5MQRjVby07FPsym7JdlCwRBC_MmFPDNHKs4ZCpatE/s4032/IMG_4715.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78a0e1fqq4sdGp8mDpaFXuF_q1bGhaS4GwCJoYXyHz1zmwBbFq8r9KPOg8SQDBwfie_pbrSYQe-541iYbL_mdku1fPt-XS0ubNcLFoZ8gRY4qNVNI2ifP258H7OwbHLQsiJMMkFw3FPnxOgN30-5MQRjVby07FPsym7JdlCwRBC_MmFPDNHKs4ZCpatE/w400-h300/IMG_4715.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I bought some wildflower seeds harvested from this garden...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlua3FF8AdpCNYMmq5XFA7ZsJ42KSoEza5qchwngi4Pe07k2OiLqdoEvEK_ri5jY1TAypjgq9pVMYwrazqZsrWPSgPtVYGniaNyaJ1-Tt6IxOVrrBu-C1HB77_75u88854JSHWZ5SSV8I1FS2Yi19qfgtKXxpbwugAJGPw-3ssfzm_fHAvVXi-hFKZMgU/s4032/IMG_4716.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlua3FF8AdpCNYMmq5XFA7ZsJ42KSoEza5qchwngi4Pe07k2OiLqdoEvEK_ri5jY1TAypjgq9pVMYwrazqZsrWPSgPtVYGniaNyaJ1-Tt6IxOVrrBu-C1HB77_75u88854JSHWZ5SSV8I1FS2Yi19qfgtKXxpbwugAJGPw-3ssfzm_fHAvVXi-hFKZMgU/w400-h300/IMG_4716.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Printery with the beautiful gardens in front.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4DQMeJBk-sIER6F_bTa1BZjWJl_GQch8VfnRYRExocq2D8EiWWnpT-MMb4FyahS6cLQODqm55HOw_iApnfQbjS_CMjB5r-fXP43GhweV_jK_ged0kzSM33AffbE3MVsV2hlWlA0WZl1Oqlt53Xmy_ksAjZ_E6sox0sT7g5aGZ62G_LoD-EgOk1VJhA0/s4032/IMG_4718.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4DQMeJBk-sIER6F_bTa1BZjWJl_GQch8VfnRYRExocq2D8EiWWnpT-MMb4FyahS6cLQODqm55HOw_iApnfQbjS_CMjB5r-fXP43GhweV_jK_ged0kzSM33AffbE3MVsV2hlWlA0WZl1Oqlt53Xmy_ksAjZ_E6sox0sT7g5aGZ62G_LoD-EgOk1VJhA0/w300-h400/IMG_4718.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have no idea what this is, but it looks pretty impressive!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></p><p> We called in at the lovely Four Square shop and the bookshop (maps to assist in having the geography of Te Tai Tokerau make sense to us, and rulers so I could repair, or at least prop up, the broken shelf in the fridge, and a magnetic road sign.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XUn3ZcCZzsDiWwM4jJmNawrVm9ZKo7v_SjlvlGr_7fGtJv0Ia-ox4Ytznk1xngQEAto2krYimbV4h92q29SlZMhFdsO4GWOWJTw3gBcjBj7wvl96lStvJaONmEzcuw1WaeG-5tUo8hJyiKa1yT5tsHMukXPz0Pn-MvFsfrLx-az8eUrAqfQzIQxqTAI/s4032/IMG_4722.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XUn3ZcCZzsDiWwM4jJmNawrVm9ZKo7v_SjlvlGr_7fGtJv0Ia-ox4Ytznk1xngQEAto2krYimbV4h92q29SlZMhFdsO4GWOWJTw3gBcjBj7wvl96lStvJaONmEzcuw1WaeG-5tUo8hJyiKa1yT5tsHMukXPz0Pn-MvFsfrLx-az8eUrAqfQzIQxqTAI/w400-h300/IMG_4722.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the way back to the Top10 - lovely purple tree!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <br /></p><p>We got parked up on the top level of the camp and set out the chairs to while away the rest of the afternoon enjoying the view out across the bay, feeding the weka, getting a load of laundry washed and dried, and giving up on the idea of going out for dinner...<br /></p><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS6L-aAPPhDyQxUH2G97DMI32z-ES6EvFeiVHCYrpZw4gZJi57TYXdeDM4Hxhkb02yirHzsdstPtK9OzkMw4tXiKt_1FqWsnc3vw4fxHN1kMAVFk_sK8i0BQxGO2YwTM-vYXiI0xDuKe8B6jD38cPGc6M3tu3jLcv4205uemjT8cG2tFTcmV92_b8YKlg/s4032/IMG_4725.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS6L-aAPPhDyQxUH2G97DMI32z-ES6EvFeiVHCYrpZw4gZJi57TYXdeDM4Hxhkb02yirHzsdstPtK9OzkMw4tXiKt_1FqWsnc3vw4fxHN1kMAVFk_sK8i0BQxGO2YwTM-vYXiI0xDuKe8B6jD38cPGc6M3tu3jLcv4205uemjT8cG2tFTcmV92_b8YKlg/w400-h300/IMG_4725.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Husband at rest - not sure what he was listening to.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NbsnLo8BvTTapycEK5HAwgB402M8OxObR5XvKTEWtVXZhkcpXpg54aig5X_x6PM2gck80Zeu3tCc7oG60Ub3rNlLPnjPVJ31bREKxsLc0HGbmC1PH7DZYf5JCtPw9036ZBux8JUBt1vSX6BJSzkRutHCCDgVbRq3z9Vhr88UarL5Q5xp-HrvtO-avmw/s4032/IMG_4728.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NbsnLo8BvTTapycEK5HAwgB402M8OxObR5XvKTEWtVXZhkcpXpg54aig5X_x6PM2gck80Zeu3tCc7oG60Ub3rNlLPnjPVJ31bREKxsLc0HGbmC1PH7DZYf5JCtPw9036ZBux8JUBt1vSX6BJSzkRutHCCDgVbRq3z9Vhr88UarL5Q5xp-HrvtO-avmw/w400-h300/IMG_4728.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As the sun was starting to go down, after we'd had dinner.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDn1rnbAEW2BZh4jvZF1GG67dE17nwWqFDOIRjcQ9Sd5VsDrcBuLaRTl9xMxdobEvd6OCAKen3PdwQf2Um1AzC-ztSg3AbIIM5atPU4RcU5FCJ_vI6_Cwumj7sJKum7Xs-vtoQkSLQ9zJXUbmec-4LL5M16U55tW01N5Nz4inbSkssutTyxqNZ2z8-4k/s4032/IMG_4732.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDn1rnbAEW2BZh4jvZF1GG67dE17nwWqFDOIRjcQ9Sd5VsDrcBuLaRTl9xMxdobEvd6OCAKen3PdwQf2Um1AzC-ztSg3AbIIM5atPU4RcU5FCJ_vI6_Cwumj7sJKum7Xs-vtoQkSLQ9zJXUbmec-4LL5M16U55tW01N5Nz4inbSkssutTyxqNZ2z8-4k/w400-h300/IMG_4732.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tui in the flax<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLsV2KXjaD36W5lusSgOeBKf5xHqEAn7DKwbNfvYzkU_zEJGr4MBsC5S91PJi4BkFlEx6J9s-5CNfC5kWXhw935Q8jkXR0Y4LxDChjeg7QqhfAEUXV0SFlLtsCyJ8zrX0kfQlubG4eeD-OEhSqMf-UxQhbEK2G6H_tP1BekHkll2_eJNwtGk6_SXfUY94/s4032/IMG_4734.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLsV2KXjaD36W5lusSgOeBKf5xHqEAn7DKwbNfvYzkU_zEJGr4MBsC5S91PJi4BkFlEx6J9s-5CNfC5kWXhw935Q8jkXR0Y4LxDChjeg7QqhfAEUXV0SFlLtsCyJ8zrX0kfQlubG4eeD-OEhSqMf-UxQhbEK2G6H_tP1BekHkll2_eJNwtGk6_SXfUY94/w400-h300/IMG_4734.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The weka - scrounging for food<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-83515743307304902022023-11-28T23:40:00.000-08:002023-11-28T23:56:23.623-08:00Paihia and Waitangi<p>We stayed one night at Paihia Top 10, not having realised when we booked it by phone, that it was a bit of an uphill, down dale walk to town. So once there, we just stayed put and blobbed once all infrastructure work was done.</p><p>It was a lovely campground, but quite small - the sites were a reasonable size with enough space between them, but we were rear to rear with the people behind us. And the new managers were lovely and doing a really good job.</p><p>We moved on the next morning to Waitangi Holiday Park - still in Paihia, but very close to the causeway bridge over to the Treaty Grounds. This camp is quite different to the Paihia Top 10 - wide open spaces and expansive sites.<br /></p><p>One of the key reasons for coming up here was to visit and explore in depth the Treaty Grounds and it has been extremely emotional for us. </p><p>Waitangi is where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed on 6 Feb,1840. And while it is one of the few treaties with indigenous people ever developed by the British as they colonised huge parts of the world, and while it is lauded for that, it has not been honoured as it should have been either by the Crown or by successive NZ governments (or incidentally by pakeha NZers in the main) - in the 19th century land was confiscated as punishment for resistance (either peaceful or with armed fighting) to having land taken - figure that one out! </p><p>The disenfranchisement resulted in loss of income from the land and inter-generational poverty ensued, with concomitant poor health and education outcomes, lower age at death, and MΔori being far more likely to be charged with crimes than pakeha caught doing the same thing and to receive longer, harsher sentences. <br /></p><p>The government which has just been voted out, i.e. the Labour government, was working hard to redress the balance - to improve outcomes for MΔori in health, in education, in employment and justice, to reduce child poverty and improve housing. Previous governments, both Labour and National had worked on redress, Labour with more intentionality than National, to be fair.<br /></p><p>However this will not be the case with the government which has just been voted in - a coalition of chaos with 3 parties (National Act and NZ First) the leaders of the first two of which publicly stated respectively that they (National) would a) work with the third one if they <b>had</b> to, and b) they (Act) would not sit around a Cabinet table with him (NZF Leader) - and yet here they all are. Such is the draw of power for all three of them. </p><p>The Act leader has race-baited and dog whistled his way into being a
coalition partner, working on pakeha (white) fears that MΔori being
given a fair go means they lose something themselves. Pakeha definitely don't lose
anything but they rather like the feeling of being a higher caste - I
reckon they don't want equality or equity because they fear that they
will be diminished. AAARRRGGGHHH!!! <br /></p><p>Anyway, as I was saying, the government which has just been voted in (how I don't know - it has me doubting the sanity of NZers frankly) have stated that they are going to:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>require government departments to remove the MΔori names of them and only communicate in English rather than using MΔori greetings</li><ul><li>all three of the coalition partners want to limit the use of Te Reo (the language - which, by the way, was declared to be an official language of NZ by a former National government)</li></ul><li>introduce a Treaty Principles Bill into Parliament as negotiated by the leader of the right wing Act party - he wanted a referendum on the principles, and this bill being on the list is a sop to him, a halfway house with the possibility of a referendum if he can get the agreement of a certain number of MPs. </li><ul><li>the intent is to determine which version of the Treaty of Waitangi should be adhered to moving forward: as a) it was written in English and only signed by 39 chieftains or b) the one written in MΔori (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) and signed by 501 chieftains. Seems obvious to me that it should be the one signed by an overwhelming number: 13 times as many, in fact.<br /></li><li>There are differences in the meanings of words which were used purportedly as literal translations. But given MΔori's relationship with the land means the land owns them (whenua means land and also placenta, and Papatuanuku is the Earth Mother with all tangata [people] as her children) and they have guardianship of it (kaitiakitanga) as a community; and given the British relationship with the land is that land belongs to the Crown and the Crown can bestow title to it and it can be sold and divided and inherited, it was inevitable that conflicts would arise and the Treaty would not be adhered to.<br /></li><li> Sovereignty in English means something different than rangatiratanga does in MΔori</li><li>And MΔori viewed the Treaty as Queen Victoria taking responsibility for governing the settlers who were pretty unruly and out of control, not them. The word kawanatanga was developed (kawana=governor) as governorship to cover that concept<br /></li></ul><li>So getting the principles interpreted with a pakeha point of view is what the leader of the Act party is after - to limit MΔori rights and limit the government's obligations and keep MΔori as second class citizens. He <b>talks </b>about it as being equal rights for all NZers, but without affirmative action to lift the tail, equality is a myth. AAARRRGGGHHH!!! And he labels any affirmative action or initiatives to redress imbalance and inequality as apartheid. Double AAARRRGGGHHH!!!<br /></li><li><span style="color: red;"><a href="https://www.thepost.co.nz/a/nz-news/350116013/how-will-treaty-debate-overcome-language-barrier?utm_source=stuff_website&utm_medium=stuff_referral&utm_campaign=mh_stuff&utm_id=mh_stuff">Here is an opinion piece by the former mayor of Kapiti</a>
</span>for your information - because he states it more cogently than I can,
about the impacts of the different understandings of language - sort of
like there being lots of words for snow in one of the Scandinavian
languages, while we have one ... Anyway, do read it - I found it useful. <br /></li><li><span style="color: red;"><a href="https://newsroom.co.nz/2023/11/02/dame-anne-salmond-on-treaty-referendum/">And Read Anne Salmond for a more articulate and less impassioned discussion</a></span> of why a referendum about the Treaty principles would be a mistake. The points she makes are relevant for the Treaty Principles Bill too because while the bill will go through a parliamentary process, it will fuel a lot of debate and division in the public. I expect quite a big measure of protest and counter-protest by the public. David and I will be protesting, that's for sure!<br /></li></ul><p>So all of the above is an explanation of why being at Waitangi and seeing what could be lost with this wagonload of wankers in power was pretty difficult and very distressing for us. </p><p>The rest of the post is photos so that I don't burden you with more of my ranting ...<br /></p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_Z0vHBBdawsG5xU8VKJm4ZNU541QjSgOW6gFU4Pc31qdaVmzCZZVYpi7Iko-s-aYA_AaaxnMdDAK9HL0RTyujCRwjHI8z__blZFnqhSSGZZ97B9RbMtITJQNDaA3Xf0Mj3KBAHDhqtcKXwpvLdIKeq9eJsKw-s-gplUdNU1tLWCKtnp59qkrraZeOTE/s4032/IMG_4653.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_Z0vHBBdawsG5xU8VKJm4ZNU541QjSgOW6gFU4Pc31qdaVmzCZZVYpi7Iko-s-aYA_AaaxnMdDAK9HL0RTyujCRwjHI8z__blZFnqhSSGZZ97B9RbMtITJQNDaA3Xf0Mj3KBAHDhqtcKXwpvLdIKeq9eJsKw-s-gplUdNU1tLWCKtnp59qkrraZeOTE/w400-h300/IMG_4653.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A kingfisher posed patiently...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>On our first day at Waitangi, we attended a MΔori show: poi, singing, action songs, stick games to develop wrist and arm strength and dexterity for use of the mere (club), taiaha (a long fighting stick with a sharpened end and a flat blade at the other) the uses of which were also displayed for us. Although we have both seen these before in work contexts, this was all very moving. We also had a guided tour of the Treaty grounds with explanations of the significance and history of what took place, what preceded it and some of what has occurred since. My impression was that the tour guide, Ceci, did her best to be impartial, give the benefit of the doubt to, and not very judgemental of, the transgressions of the European settlers/whalers and the British colonisers. She handled a lot of the most significant stuff with a light touch and I think she intended to leave the museums to show a more accurate and realistic view of what occurred after the Treaty was signed, and how discrepant the views of its meaning were. And of course, the colonisers had never considered the rights of any other indigenous people - colonising was what they did and took for granted that they had a god-given right to take what they wanted.<br /></p><p>On the second day, we visited the museums both of which were very moving. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPW_SFT5KoIEEwzqjrlz98eQWZ4YSJaJAvpU6nc8fvTiK9J4ziZEsJaeJrq1YbmJkNninh0vje01sFKTQpZOMaW_iiQPqtNuSZSY4nVIjOOUb3At35M67nsN3h1HA4il-44DmhZ5wvf7m5w-wMZYCHIC8frTcjSumgWB-NUSAiJDKzzjjsnr23gotnfg/s4032/IMG_4654.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPW_SFT5KoIEEwzqjrlz98eQWZ4YSJaJAvpU6nc8fvTiK9J4ziZEsJaeJrq1YbmJkNninh0vje01sFKTQpZOMaW_iiQPqtNuSZSY4nVIjOOUb3At35M67nsN3h1HA4il-44DmhZ5wvf7m5w-wMZYCHIC8frTcjSumgWB-NUSAiJDKzzjjsnr23gotnfg/w480-h640/IMG_4654.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The seven pillars of principle - all cultures have them: defining but different<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>In one of the bullet points above I referred to the differences in how MΔori and Europeans/British related to land. The next three photos are of display boards that explain it far better than I can. It is interesting to note, by the way, that almost all indigenous peoples consider themselves as guardians of the land, that they belong to the land, rather than that the land belongs to them as Western societies believe is the case.<br /></p><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSZui4iFGKn-gz0mhzFOH9NG7U3HFLH6GJp_Kds5O5zl-hMgcOfrwjZDyl8_aQqFrbB8AnjoF-jWpxlC5IVALE0DpiGFDJgfysutr93LEOBJiAFkfH8wtS309sMT3STnPhvIV9mFFs9he2UN-ZoFjRcVQp4nj3elpFfJ80WuTLyV8mL-raUSdAeOSz5g/s4032/IMG_4659.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSZui4iFGKn-gz0mhzFOH9NG7U3HFLH6GJp_Kds5O5zl-hMgcOfrwjZDyl8_aQqFrbB8AnjoF-jWpxlC5IVALE0DpiGFDJgfysutr93LEOBJiAFkfH8wtS309sMT3STnPhvIV9mFFs9he2UN-ZoFjRcVQp4nj3elpFfJ80WuTLyV8mL-raUSdAeOSz5g/w400-h300/IMG_4659.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnAIBSsZZny0V3bOVbQ7ThY5uQL9RJym7Vad9Lsau_Z-myI4_qHva6tgqWRPRdbU15vfhyFzAUfliR95ylxdDcuRNqvVImaFFTZdUniQqRG89GUZ9YGLoCAVt_4SCFWFALKwKjg6rSiGdwK-Ue32RxxNg-k1xmqSuIttqcXlOnkAidTL9L0sVHSUVfhU/s4032/IMG_4660.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnAIBSsZZny0V3bOVbQ7ThY5uQL9RJym7Vad9Lsau_Z-myI4_qHva6tgqWRPRdbU15vfhyFzAUfliR95ylxdDcuRNqvVImaFFTZdUniQqRG89GUZ9YGLoCAVt_4SCFWFALKwKjg6rSiGdwK-Ue32RxxNg-k1xmqSuIttqcXlOnkAidTL9L0sVHSUVfhU/w400-h300/IMG_4660.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPO9BVg_hegHY-u4j-PHZt4pTXF0W_ebt5iCTQ8hi-ZqQ4HzP3lOZPUFvt3zlXA-cFlLxZzhmaH_MV4GpA3FoUEGNhf5R9rbIcK208VK0Y6vIGlHaXXBe8qbjEibXUdu_SU_aKUS9NES3Rn4VfGRkxPYVjpZ4ZzNWMdayyNFej3NRAXtCkIrlaS2aib8/s4032/IMG_4661.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPO9BVg_hegHY-u4j-PHZt4pTXF0W_ebt5iCTQ8hi-ZqQ4HzP3lOZPUFvt3zlXA-cFlLxZzhmaH_MV4GpA3FoUEGNhf5R9rbIcK208VK0Y6vIGlHaXXBe8qbjEibXUdu_SU_aKUS9NES3Rn4VfGRkxPYVjpZ4ZzNWMdayyNFej3NRAXtCkIrlaS2aib8/w400-h300/IMG_4661.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>There is real danger in assuming how an unknown people will respond to approaches or assuming that your way is the right way... The trumpet used by Europeans approaching in their ships was seen as an aggressive response to the conch shell calls from MΔori, rather than a show of equal noise. Customarily MΔori would respond to that call showing they were coming in peace... It was an easy mistake for the Europeans to make but a fundamental one.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh530W47aFmeToR_0sTbUnWA5EfAgUZu2Ecq6ifGyluymBxvQ8LNVpFZQyNtV4W-YEYBZ9xm5Bd22gmLL4m6WOIZUkw3soRVQ5kQWyEl6y90EDj5n5RdAirCZPeTpLAuuCw_AnF-5iq-UIaacDaTMlKrjf5rnXRlTUfUrOghXijyl0jEJfu0VCiEd6Ff9M/s4032/IMG_4656.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh530W47aFmeToR_0sTbUnWA5EfAgUZu2Ecq6ifGyluymBxvQ8LNVpFZQyNtV4W-YEYBZ9xm5Bd22gmLL4m6WOIZUkw3soRVQ5kQWyEl6y90EDj5n5RdAirCZPeTpLAuuCw_AnF-5iq-UIaacDaTMlKrjf5rnXRlTUfUrOghXijyl0jEJfu0VCiEd6Ff9M/w400-h300/IMG_4656.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCIFLwjINN6zsRF3RDbO4fO3_DpHlGQ_XWxO0IzcFjgiyAEiWabgQJdnXKARxTNugdghgs6IX2joVcdk3nBy4Z6Me7IIjRFDsHl7kAeev6z05_nohZWTOMOv65xnUoIg6cgUDQToUgWC5FzQi_3TRhhr3yzyNe13NM8Q3G6vNizCMKCCtI_TBk8hZcj4/s4032/IMG_4657.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCIFLwjINN6zsRF3RDbO4fO3_DpHlGQ_XWxO0IzcFjgiyAEiWabgQJdnXKARxTNugdghgs6IX2joVcdk3nBy4Z6Me7IIjRFDsHl7kAeev6z05_nohZWTOMOv65xnUoIg6cgUDQToUgWC5FzQi_3TRhhr3yzyNe13NM8Q3G6vNizCMKCCtI_TBk8hZcj4/w480-h640/IMG_4657.HEIC" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQ9CK0K9u3T5Bmhf8IWEx5cKk7dGMNQr5HpAoGDIpJ7EszrCsxgNs_5QhP55xN1dCvnCsyb0ZaetPRfJ0gkme8CzHapfMkl4EvK2rhmdqwO21N_9fVCTUjHhI6IFbdthktNp6wL2L6NpWor-3il0wL3Gn7nJH2S2uQuq6_F6bUHykEh8HoW7pDU-M8zc/s4032/IMG_4658.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQ9CK0K9u3T5Bmhf8IWEx5cKk7dGMNQr5HpAoGDIpJ7EszrCsxgNs_5QhP55xN1dCvnCsyb0ZaetPRfJ0gkme8CzHapfMkl4EvK2rhmdqwO21N_9fVCTUjHhI6IFbdthktNp6wL2L6NpWor-3il0wL3Gn7nJH2S2uQuq6_F6bUHykEh8HoW7pDU-M8zc/w640-h480/IMG_4658.HEIC" width="640" /></a></p><p> </p><p>This next text shows another aspect of how differently each culture saw their worlds. Of course, MΔori only drew the maps because the English requested them to. And I do object strongly to the last sentence including the word 'reason' - that is such a culturally subjective concept and it's thoughtless here, in my view!<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU51mT89kSzJMrwVtXTiyQldJYmQxT1d34xqJFmnZxbtboS9fRRSmlavGR9P_gsNih8b51Uql8utFT8ZHchakx4Pn4z-I2u_noNck70I7944nCKLAEAPu5HnJbWgOhEA14Ck5Fu9JBQ8dfOsZG6qdcmyejDU6EYboHwmTb596FN-vxbLShsDLfhUkArIs/w480-h640/IMG_4662.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;">Prior to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, a number of MΔori chieftains quickly realised they were in danger of losing their sovereignty given the large number of people coming to the country. So they signed a declaration of independence and sent a copy to the King.<br /></p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZWqv4nIdW_KKKvSVRxFq0N3UDGtXKebfhEas6yfCE_p2npj_LXUAtBC4N5BMdFGoxrdn5ZSJqgwfqgqO_W8TrdJlo2MorAMwHzoYYPUIBj9feaGWsAXKrlDKSl2aZ2-3kSxr_tpFf15gWyeE7TUvcPWusxn2ryaatIMVeymqUU-6l0G365opS-UeA08/s4032/IMG_4664.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZWqv4nIdW_KKKvSVRxFq0N3UDGtXKebfhEas6yfCE_p2npj_LXUAtBC4N5BMdFGoxrdn5ZSJqgwfqgqO_W8TrdJlo2MorAMwHzoYYPUIBj9feaGWsAXKrlDKSl2aZ2-3kSxr_tpFf15gWyeE7TUvcPWusxn2ryaatIMVeymqUU-6l0G365opS-UeA08/w640-h480/IMG_4664.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32zDmjjIWHOrELpSg5jhYBqyjOKVdPzalRRWKM9J7GcQPB1SSeLELPyDQWxA6wJ0xHbguvu8YBMsWH74PmDDuJnSVGDfqWzcTDoeIpd-rURrAKbs9DVdw9c_04-uD-aUMpl7t84rq5WH17qbB8LSjGc8Hx9aeY6ojwgdpli4xQwqIL4IkdGoEJ2WiBUw/s4032/IMG_4665.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32zDmjjIWHOrELpSg5jhYBqyjOKVdPzalRRWKM9J7GcQPB1SSeLELPyDQWxA6wJ0xHbguvu8YBMsWH74PmDDuJnSVGDfqWzcTDoeIpd-rURrAKbs9DVdw9c_04-uD-aUMpl7t84rq5WH17qbB8LSjGc8Hx9aeY6ojwgdpli4xQwqIL4IkdGoEJ2WiBUw/w400-h300/IMG_4665.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William Hobson wrote these words to his wife as encouragement to come to NZ. The coloniser's happy acceptance that MΔori would soon die out matches their experience (and acceptance) in the other lands they colonised** - they brought the diseases that indigenous populations had no resistance to (measles, chicken pox, smallpox, influenza...) and quite dispassionately watched them die, as though it was the natural order of things! ** Canada, USA, Africa, Hawaii, India, Australia...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>There was cycnicism, concern and mistrust about the efficacy and commitment to the Treaty very early on. And the different interpretations are obvious in these texts. As well, there is a strength of purpose about the principles as written in Te Reo MΔori.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFeuwq3pJPPoh7a1MPPMdkUNHfRxbXzG_08m0hbZda8VsZZZ-_AmOTSQ6vST-PGCnPfeKhZ0xFBb5aVEhHHJtd0BhC6hU2ZcpeTaHMPDSObjV8KQ4SnveMM2bo7AUZeY8-T31ASGH0HRn3HyCka9EnJifF6NTGqW1f8mt8QFIlHA4mMKgKfwWUUx3jvfA/s4032/IMG_4667.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFeuwq3pJPPoh7a1MPPMdkUNHfRxbXzG_08m0hbZda8VsZZZ-_AmOTSQ6vST-PGCnPfeKhZ0xFBb5aVEhHHJtd0BhC6hU2ZcpeTaHMPDSObjV8KQ4SnveMM2bo7AUZeY8-T31ASGH0HRn3HyCka9EnJifF6NTGqW1f8mt8QFIlHA4mMKgKfwWUUx3jvfA/w400-h300/IMG_4667.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixUxy3JUd7urLvwdIN3UmdNqTXuMjfLE50I9ld_yaiePv2AwnQZQLXqsyf75Hi5z87GIK4In6s3CmaIZ51n5Utekumlr-GR10xLijs59Mh_kGNEwi1erdyATbhtpmvgdH-z8oYeePvhStz58p3EfNxgycrzVogeVfJhcaouQABfMhgedccjDjrJIjCT-0/s4032/IMG_4666.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixUxy3JUd7urLvwdIN3UmdNqTXuMjfLE50I9ld_yaiePv2AwnQZQLXqsyf75Hi5z87GIK4In6s3CmaIZ51n5Utekumlr-GR10xLijs59Mh_kGNEwi1erdyATbhtpmvgdH-z8oYeePvhStz58p3EfNxgycrzVogeVfJhcaouQABfMhgedccjDjrJIjCT-0/w400-h300/IMG_4666.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><p><br />In school, I remember learning about Hone Heke - with a different interpretation though - that he was a rebel, rather than a resistor of transgressions against the Treaty, and resisting the loss of income and the change from the Te Kara flag to the British one.<br /></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQ918NH9-KMYT4cPmzyo4eukM-x1a-lyklT1v3leROd3Eav1JMEq8vw-V1QShLZZ2jbCCjjHtnTPF-vZYsK6IhrQZGrsFqOeRFW16zDyYBg_NDpFIqLAvmStOuretL-ZUwIsCTmcsCoGEofwKR93PE2ve3PlvcmS1dTyoIfaHeLUJCUlm2bvJN0mLa3Y/s4032/IMG_4669.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQ918NH9-KMYT4cPmzyo4eukM-x1a-lyklT1v3leROd3Eav1JMEq8vw-V1QShLZZ2jbCCjjHtnTPF-vZYsK6IhrQZGrsFqOeRFW16zDyYBg_NDpFIqLAvmStOuretL-ZUwIsCTmcsCoGEofwKR93PE2ve3PlvcmS1dTyoIfaHeLUJCUlm2bvJN0mLa3Y/w300-h400/IMG_4669.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prior to the last time the flagstaff was felled it had been sheathed for its first 20 feet in iron - didn't stop Hone Heke's men ...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>For over a century Maori petitioned Parliament and the Crown about the transgressions occurring against the TReaty - loss of land, valuable arable land being usurped and Maori being disenfranchised.</p><p>In 1940, at the Treaty centennial, Sir Apirana Ngata declared that if MΔori joined up and fought the Germans alongside pakeha, then surely they would be granted full citizenship rights - part of the Treaty had been that MΔori were granted citizenhip, but the rights accruing to them we not the same as those granted to immigrants. For example, during the Depression while pakeha men received 12/- a week of public assistance, MΔori men received 9/- a week.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtMK5pRWzk-LSRxPI43KUNteT6Qk-iJNSo-h6qM9ZPZ8iK4typwcIh5V8M1roHEs0S7zudjl9htFM07Chfjepq5B7KlT1-dIUfXuBcwJGAJ8KAQQIbgt8WnvI462eU3ivQHNRTYCCeOB17aZutWhQS1Z2YSD9D6JNv9lYkS12iV0bFpSVouKSc0L3qXo/s4032/IMG_4676.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtMK5pRWzk-LSRxPI43KUNteT6Qk-iJNSo-h6qM9ZPZ8iK4typwcIh5V8M1roHEs0S7zudjl9htFM07Chfjepq5B7KlT1-dIUfXuBcwJGAJ8KAQQIbgt8WnvI462eU3ivQHNRTYCCeOB17aZutWhQS1Z2YSD9D6JNv9lYkS12iV0bFpSVouKSc0L3qXo/w400-h300/IMG_4676.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sir Apirana Ngata's words at the centenary<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Over the intervening years and even after WWII where the MΔori Battalion fought with extreme courage (and like the black US soldiers) were often given more dangerous assignments than their white counterparts, the returning Maori soldiers were not entitled to the land grants that pakeha soldiers got, mortgages were not made available to them, job opportunities were not on offer.<br /></p><p>In 1975, after years of discontent, Whina Cooper decided to lead a hikoi of protest to Parliament - she walked with a growing group of people from marae to marae from Te Tai Tokerau (Northland) to Parliament in Wellington.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCy5yai_n5spGwzv4hukK7ELx4YmYXd5S4rgjkbdbYDAN1dSGOvQJ-904Zl35MEL-73n9chtvRHJvtk_fpctdHke7pcCZ4CZMG-ZkJ5PIPbvxEY1b_QooFd1hf2AXyu_Hav5xJTpCQLxVVqa32R_rJlteIrBxTXVB7qNmrkNY0aPT9VqtUGtimvZoHAyg/s4032/IMG_4671.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCy5yai_n5spGwzv4hukK7ELx4YmYXd5S4rgjkbdbYDAN1dSGOvQJ-904Zl35MEL-73n9chtvRHJvtk_fpctdHke7pcCZ4CZMG-ZkJ5PIPbvxEY1b_QooFd1hf2AXyu_Hav5xJTpCQLxVVqa32R_rJlteIrBxTXVB7qNmrkNY0aPT9VqtUGtimvZoHAyg/w300-h400/IMG_4671.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">During the hikoi this pou was carried all the way and it never touched the ground until it arrived there. It was a privilege to be its bearer.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguycHSjPt_iiSPgKmjy19YQO8E7u6YeH0DTFwfcwtx0gHu2uCxTIcSr2BopDmKWKV2AE8Wdk58KKCtQtif_hBkKPuxTexJ-tIN7iYR8Yd_fE2jXQhZykekWt_Fi2Km6F5gMwP1Y6bkT5l8zuf1Ch7ECvKTkH6jYAcHXebnPRLvPsbak-NfmCAU5lsw4Ho/s4032/IMG_4670.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguycHSjPt_iiSPgKmjy19YQO8E7u6YeH0DTFwfcwtx0gHu2uCxTIcSr2BopDmKWKV2AE8Wdk58KKCtQtif_hBkKPuxTexJ-tIN7iYR8Yd_fE2jXQhZykekWt_Fi2Km6F5gMwP1Y6bkT5l8zuf1Ch7ECvKTkH6jYAcHXebnPRLvPsbak-NfmCAU5lsw4Ho/w640-h480/IMG_4670.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmyBr4kiwfJElUdsYH-Yc7xQuoPr1bpvyysuKaG-qHnSrgzTZwuEp2b07h8I7_b3Jgw6n3uv4cMBKGOFB8N0je3QYc1CG9pQj8exYv8YDqPsNdw43g3CybVfL8M1WVI-hU68FAtCNOpLwzzEgmFO0KkrMDFdxhFBIinauqmA0sI3x4XnpvGkbbNh_-2yE/s4032/IMG_4673.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmyBr4kiwfJElUdsYH-Yc7xQuoPr1bpvyysuKaG-qHnSrgzTZwuEp2b07h8I7_b3Jgw6n3uv4cMBKGOFB8N0je3QYc1CG9pQj8exYv8YDqPsNdw43g3CybVfL8M1WVI-hU68FAtCNOpLwzzEgmFO0KkrMDFdxhFBIinauqmA0sI3x4XnpvGkbbNh_-2yE/w300-h400/IMG_4673.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is quite hard to read, sorry.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>There was a display of people's thinking about the Treaty. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4e4b7qf-J-ayJC95apij6QkuG-s7rwWclSjAc-cmb96bf_DJNVMxalZ0vswoc3wiBeLDhgeoQ45ujODK5bTvl-3HdP7LQmc4Qz2JDAuetahyphenhyphenbnmL9LHoWGJTJd87bmNMPyra1XcDcdbcoaDnuZAm3e09Ru1VbuzYGrJ1GcBoX_MCSa6Sl91RiAbcb0UA/s4032/IMG_4674.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4e4b7qf-J-ayJC95apij6QkuG-s7rwWclSjAc-cmb96bf_DJNVMxalZ0vswoc3wiBeLDhgeoQ45ujODK5bTvl-3HdP7LQmc4Qz2JDAuetahyphenhyphenbnmL9LHoWGJTJd87bmNMPyra1XcDcdbcoaDnuZAm3e09Ru1VbuzYGrJ1GcBoX_MCSa6Sl91RiAbcb0UA/w400-h300/IMG_4674.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28HZbb8zwonpUQmczLT34kgRKjOH3NKQVizogNQerHgRzeLZbXgQgLYIwf7ir2L1rkBQn9dhVQZH7C8SsNE26-rftnpOcqUyuwRsd9PAQ7jqE6qjc1I4PMhX1jiAYRBnDKU_xryqVN99CeuzZWFa0_Q3ryOxQXCbUoPrpZ2Z-M_it3V67nb1eRTIjoxk/s4032/IMG_4675.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28HZbb8zwonpUQmczLT34kgRKjOH3NKQVizogNQerHgRzeLZbXgQgLYIwf7ir2L1rkBQn9dhVQZH7C8SsNE26-rftnpOcqUyuwRsd9PAQ7jqE6qjc1I4PMhX1jiAYRBnDKU_xryqVN99CeuzZWFa0_Q3ryOxQXCbUoPrpZ2Z-M_it3V67nb1eRTIjoxk/w400-h300/IMG_4675.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seems sensible to me!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>There was a section that outlined the transgressions in various areas of New Zealand. This one was relevant to me because I grew up in Taranaki and we had our children in Whanganui.<br /><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHefup2VMKO5nxJTd3-rUGhfjypHWH9pu_RtcQLez2P13NmmNQQL6h7PlzaYAz8k2Ed0gh-pwtTvwQ_vabLAkH3aFeZ0vCdRThFNr-7_mzUEcVHVI1LZJ3nR6YsxL2H-rs7YDzckWfeFxuHF6ZAy5oni5YQt4dM1N3Qf1VFzPEAwDb0kVSCl_eWz6nHOU/s4032/IMG_4677.HEIC"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHefup2VMKO5nxJTd3-rUGhfjypHWH9pu_RtcQLez2P13NmmNQQL6h7PlzaYAz8k2Ed0gh-pwtTvwQ_vabLAkH3aFeZ0vCdRThFNr-7_mzUEcVHVI1LZJ3nR6YsxL2H-rs7YDzckWfeFxuHF6ZAy5oni5YQt4dM1N3Qf1VFzPEAwDb0kVSCl_eWz6nHOU/w480-h640/IMG_4677.HEIC" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p>The Kingitanga movement which started in the 1850s in the Waikato and King Country is explained below:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWWUtW4GR47E4VdMaidc2Q2QIhkCkUW3BijfFwzJXrva59OhPF8GOmlPgdfeJZqIke1EdLNj51jCyj0yN-Wk_L_Tm6p33Q2OsU8zbs4o3EfFloxaSinPTGyPlYU2Dz176zVX7nUYytJuu2_47I0JjOfZJn105v5db3Bj8AX3CccNDM0uhjSwdKizmOcgQ/s4032/IMG_4680.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWWUtW4GR47E4VdMaidc2Q2QIhkCkUW3BijfFwzJXrva59OhPF8GOmlPgdfeJZqIke1EdLNj51jCyj0yN-Wk_L_Tm6p33Q2OsU8zbs4o3EfFloxaSinPTGyPlYU2Dz176zVX7nUYytJuu2_47I0JjOfZJn105v5db3Bj8AX3CccNDM0uhjSwdKizmOcgQ/w480-h640/IMG_4680.HEIC" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPv4qv7qZzV6KZZJzTDE4RyQO9MfWVITpDC2XMDS3o4bA-adNoYPSXhwj4CPwcoQiKtL7moLrG2XOIwNlzj2HFXGu28rSBV70ymAbiIl5KRj4MRE2twnJ8j69V2xDtSst8URHht4oAR6u5vOKpql_3mtz2gVt4zR7T23YUD2lXzNytuxxYrZkUmSARy0g/s4032/IMG_4681.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPv4qv7qZzV6KZZJzTDE4RyQO9MfWVITpDC2XMDS3o4bA-adNoYPSXhwj4CPwcoQiKtL7moLrG2XOIwNlzj2HFXGu28rSBV70ymAbiIl5KRj4MRE2twnJ8j69V2xDtSst8URHht4oAR6u5vOKpql_3mtz2gVt4zR7T23YUD2lXzNytuxxYrZkUmSARy0g/w480-h640/IMG_4681.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The government had no intention of stopping the land grab.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcDS8xnl_fdW3EdbMvbds-OrxmgX8a_08232XVtE8ssfAPXZ3SgC4KeJRzJeCFlN2wlTdW-CLHXoAfZ1ILuWErYR-s5oTd9puGq4GOcU5LStrAKyUxELxIQ99O4rRauSDqnXIhuQiI2JzRuAMXGwltxQ4X9OY8T1mbmY1l_xNAiQlLjLRW1kvOmByokwc/s4032/IMG_4682.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcDS8xnl_fdW3EdbMvbds-OrxmgX8a_08232XVtE8ssfAPXZ3SgC4KeJRzJeCFlN2wlTdW-CLHXoAfZ1ILuWErYR-s5oTd9puGq4GOcU5LStrAKyUxELxIQ99O4rRauSDqnXIhuQiI2JzRuAMXGwltxQ4X9OY8T1mbmY1l_xNAiQlLjLRW1kvOmByokwc/w640-h480/IMG_4682.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Willie Apiata was awarded the Victoria Cross in the Afghanistan War. He is a deserving hero and role model for all NZers. MΔori are rightfully proud of him. He was an inspirational motivational coach for the All Blacks in 2015.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>As we walked back to the Holiday Camp, it was hard to let go of the awe we felt. The trees in flower grounded us.</p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6zZVrnPKtlezxeyFPxc7AwvrUFDPL9o8eu_lTgSZqUg-fW-FL-Yn-g7e7-Tc2kkUJM7oJOLH6W_FofIcxK6_wP9BoqlodmX6wbLNUg7X-1mGlfgxBMk7KfIG5Z9eH_9XnP7-GIvAHy6SOCDAZEb-AY2udO3KuLSecpERMeONCcwk_k2UTSCDOAWrfQY/s4032/IMG_4683.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6zZVrnPKtlezxeyFPxc7AwvrUFDPL9o8eu_lTgSZqUg-fW-FL-Yn-g7e7-Tc2kkUJM7oJOLH6W_FofIcxK6_wP9BoqlodmX6wbLNUg7X-1mGlfgxBMk7KfIG5Z9eH_9XnP7-GIvAHy6SOCDAZEb-AY2udO3KuLSecpERMeONCcwk_k2UTSCDOAWrfQY/w400-h300/IMG_4683.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pohutukawa are starting to bloom up here.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmc7OGDBiQs4dZUKLp3K8qgE4p2Mo2sdwxdtvOlXfQqfWRoJKYBE0cVqz7_U3DlEFxIHXl6a-ebrIk4qhByWizkSs0ouh2IeInNuYp4FXYSmEMmNrqEohOB0_1vaYJ0KZURrEvpSDOsD0VzH3OPnW0rVwzTHwApBPTIgQjFaS6iHPfOnubXQEssUek98/s4032/IMG_4684.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmc7OGDBiQs4dZUKLp3K8qgE4p2Mo2sdwxdtvOlXfQqfWRoJKYBE0cVqz7_U3DlEFxIHXl6a-ebrIk4qhByWizkSs0ouh2IeInNuYp4FXYSmEMmNrqEohOB0_1vaYJ0KZURrEvpSDOsD0VzH3OPnW0rVwzTHwApBPTIgQjFaS6iHPfOnubXQEssUek98/w400-h300/IMG_4684.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't know what this tree is but it looked stunning.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> I think you can tell by the contents of this post and all the photos that I took and have included here, I found this whole experience extremely moving, and given the sense of dread I have about this damn government (vanguard of vultures, legion of leprous losers, wagonload of wankers...) I have faith in the strength of MΔori and the pakeha who are not racist and who want real equity. </p><p>I reckon we will prevail. But look for me on the protest lines, OK?<br /></p><p> </p><br />Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-75406644220305010282023-11-26T12:46:00.000-08:002023-11-26T12:46:55.870-08:00Into Tai Tokerau proper now...<p> In the last few days we have moved on from Uretiti to the NZMCA Park at Manganese Point, then on to Otamure Bay.<br /></p><p>After we left Uretiti, our first destination was the dump station - you guessed it. That cassette and grey water tank both needed emptying, the water tank needed filling - again. And we can't blame google for getting the location of the dump station wrong - we didn't listen properly to Bernice's instructions (it probably would have helped if I'd loaded the address into my phone while she was talking, but instead I trusted a man, an ACP in fact... But once we found it, all was well. We had driven past it, and in fact had stopped just across the road to get diesel and still not twigged that this was where Bernice had told us about ...<br /></p><p> David had ordered a power adaptor thingie on line. And once again, I failed to take Bernice's advice and I did end up driving through the parking area for the shopping centre - narrow, busy, breathe in to make the motorhome less wide - reminded me of the one in Richmond near New World! We exited unscathed and found a park down a different street. David offered to go over to Chemist Warehouse alone but I was NOT having him crossing that 3 lane road with no pedestrian crossing on his own... It was a hand holding crossing with loud instructions: To the middle, and now to the other side - NOW, David!<br /></p><p>We had looked at the freedom camping site by a roundabout at the entrance to Whangarei - but already it was pretty full, and we weren't keen on hearing roundabout traffic all night. So it was off to the NZMCA Park at Manganese Point. </p><p>It's a fabulous site - but a long way to go to get there! And the approach is a bit daunting - a steep downhill, narrow, gravel drive. There were only 2 motorhomes there when we arrived so we had the pick of the sites. We chose one with a beautiful view - and I sat outside the motorhome and read for ages in the sun. And in contrast to what the roundabout would have been, it was a very peaceful night. It doesn't have many spaces but it is small and perfectly formed - like I used to be about 55 years ago!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiB7jS2ET7CyBy82Tuf10xbIJZWYxp36KyamzmDLqxnzX60UoELLGjVzIXZgOWtgwXzfmEhvyZffz8sMdeUUP5AuE9D0ICH42qhazPlb6WvtejHXYN7QfmeoXjeoPj9sC9AwlzBoZIHfQXSyXQFFxvTEDFLb3R1ZjwLTWNcTapN6lkbXm8USQObxNkvyY/s4032/IMG_4528.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiB7jS2ET7CyBy82Tuf10xbIJZWYxp36KyamzmDLqxnzX60UoELLGjVzIXZgOWtgwXzfmEhvyZffz8sMdeUUP5AuE9D0ICH42qhazPlb6WvtejHXYN7QfmeoXjeoPj9sC9AwlzBoZIHfQXSyXQFFxvTEDFLb3R1ZjwLTWNcTapN6lkbXm8USQObxNkvyY/w400-h300/IMG_4528.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgg4yQsb_qs49uw-HMZ6kydzKpPfhGTfc_h2jXZwqbnPWNlQxnVpLpJMuCIZNcdvl0QH6eMGFl52ajPjkU2RWOONi3NdOY1Af6KCua9_wHryrux0k7xAFpccJSbfYUirgRuxorT-3wMjFy-5Rf5DEau5j8Vhwv3kqBQJYtiMd3ZXqjgWh-7xZEvjpfvbQ/s4032/IMG_4529.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgg4yQsb_qs49uw-HMZ6kydzKpPfhGTfc_h2jXZwqbnPWNlQxnVpLpJMuCIZNcdvl0QH6eMGFl52ajPjkU2RWOONi3NdOY1Af6KCua9_wHryrux0k7xAFpccJSbfYUirgRuxorT-3wMjFy-5Rf5DEau5j8Vhwv3kqBQJYtiMd3ZXqjgWh-7xZEvjpfvbQ/w400-h300/IMG_4529.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I asked David to set the chairs out in the sun - this was his effort...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pyO9NfGh3bwk9fFW5GXUfJwW3bofEqtLNUfcLPvybjfBtuj6rHZHOVfDp5dUAIynKybevvUtr8uVMovuAKvQxwmbIOLVHfjQ_LMgI7TnYLwtqCktmXtxyaZZ-IgqqwT7w-G0vU06ue1ObIZzu8UL7Pg3L9SY_3pajv-8AUgIqTqCo8MZrZ0SsNMd_RE/s4032/IMG_4530.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pyO9NfGh3bwk9fFW5GXUfJwW3bofEqtLNUfcLPvybjfBtuj6rHZHOVfDp5dUAIynKybevvUtr8uVMovuAKvQxwmbIOLVHfjQ_LMgI7TnYLwtqCktmXtxyaZZ-IgqqwT7w-G0vU06ue1ObIZzu8UL7Pg3L9SY_3pajv-8AUgIqTqCo8MZrZ0SsNMd_RE/w400-h300/IMG_4530.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The approach to the camp is in the background. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Dinner was portobello mushrooms baked with pesto and a small lettuce salad - yummy, thank you, Adair! And we ate outside.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VAS0UV3wimexPoniBvIIQ1D4tGa6ZVh-RXHGpIdPdyptYew12OVganJajOSU_zURG_O-_ABR-dYkzufieChMLTT9PiUz1rM7BYOKePF8Sju9Qtgtd7iihcNKwI0kAHwsZpu8iU6_cR8lt_rfi4cGVq6MHWJ74CtIh1vKrlvCa1m9w7khZQT9aeiGCI0/s4032/IMG_4533.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VAS0UV3wimexPoniBvIIQ1D4tGa6ZVh-RXHGpIdPdyptYew12OVganJajOSU_zURG_O-_ABR-dYkzufieChMLTT9PiUz1rM7BYOKePF8Sju9Qtgtd7iihcNKwI0kAHwsZpu8iU6_cR8lt_rfi4cGVq6MHWJ74CtIh1vKrlvCa1m9w7khZQT9aeiGCI0/w400-h300/IMG_4533.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset approaching - I was still reading outside.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-izZj9kHpO5yx__kqiZJaqfOQWLvoCGvUOYZag9ctd8gSiDfhwoCBPSBrSsGYPbHZ3P2aYm5b77jd1ppkapQJYGnQ-YEllwVUAGAUAy3tZ8S4easR5vmZMlGEqgW3dcW0hOkAsOYvMch3tc26Ue8-cycnR0jLCLBMOeUND3BRIO-6Fhqp9TGhbOHc6g/s4032/IMG_4534.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-izZj9kHpO5yx__kqiZJaqfOQWLvoCGvUOYZag9ctd8gSiDfhwoCBPSBrSsGYPbHZ3P2aYm5b77jd1ppkapQJYGnQ-YEllwVUAGAUAy3tZ8S4easR5vmZMlGEqgW3dcW0hOkAsOYvMch3tc26Ue8-cycnR0jLCLBMOeUND3BRIO-6Fhqp9TGhbOHc6g/w400-h300/IMG_4534.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was inside by this time...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>In the morning, over an al fresco breakfast we had a long conversation with 2IJ - we miss them. </p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv-u_QGDAg-zdV18donQhSLnTjgqJHJQgp9j-bRIiBnm1u6J4abtrvAPv93ayaR9sVr9Z6lKVYOMQKpB6fObwhhsL0_Y3zq3lGrzgIQFmDBOEnUl9fUrYE-UHjAhk4G0aFpFJHks2mvBprklNzivFC3AaZcwb6J6VLIuYt5JrGVf-Jgv1H8rCFNwuiYio/s4032/IMG_4537.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv-u_QGDAg-zdV18donQhSLnTjgqJHJQgp9j-bRIiBnm1u6J4abtrvAPv93ayaR9sVr9Z6lKVYOMQKpB6fObwhhsL0_Y3zq3lGrzgIQFmDBOEnUl9fUrYE-UHjAhk4G0aFpFJHks2mvBprklNzivFC3AaZcwb6J6VLIuYt5JrGVf-Jgv1H8rCFNwuiYio/w400-h300/IMG_4537.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brekkie - what a lovely place to be.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_KyFFR8Pk1U2n-PxLNz-nORdS1gBBlQ3cb_NslYN1ejSoytiK5DOwA1A9OfP1varYK-TTJzf4kOXYXaUeFG_7SjdDmuHFW2nbhJm47bjmHqXbqr7alWcoybcTP37q5nyHULp1th33aJ4eGQr9zYxMFpP-4PyXn8Lug86HCC3QdO1OmCbW2yguaSD3gx8/s4032/IMG_4538.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_KyFFR8Pk1U2n-PxLNz-nORdS1gBBlQ3cb_NslYN1ejSoytiK5DOwA1A9OfP1varYK-TTJzf4kOXYXaUeFG_7SjdDmuHFW2nbhJm47bjmHqXbqr7alWcoybcTP37q5nyHULp1th33aJ4eGQr9zYxMFpP-4PyXn8Lug86HCC3QdO1OmCbW2yguaSD3gx8/w400-h300/IMG_4538.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the changes we had made to the motorhome in October was the orientation of the garage door. It used to be hinged at the bottom, and as short people, we struggled unsuccessfully not to lean on the hinges... And it was difficult to reach right into the garage to retrieve stuff from the far side. Freeway put a new frame on, hinged at the top, and a catch to hold it up. Yay!!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp8GtNAtgmWS-Kmu6jNMip27r2JVeDXPViXJczoqLUnNgptS7xZjH0yNWcXkRyPf9Zj-RVTIRk5U0ujoYbdPou5edNiO4XZ-gsLXnTwz_aWhA9waBKH-ZQ6nJS2hLyoUQyINzJJy0X4GiEwUtNRHZVChHCXTNVdxSYouV5Lm3jBNy1360SrOkU7ZNKK0o/s4032/IMG_4540.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp8GtNAtgmWS-Kmu6jNMip27r2JVeDXPViXJczoqLUnNgptS7xZjH0yNWcXkRyPf9Zj-RVTIRk5U0ujoYbdPou5edNiO4XZ-gsLXnTwz_aWhA9waBKH-ZQ6nJS2hLyoUQyINzJJy0X4GiEwUtNRHZVChHCXTNVdxSYouV5Lm3jBNy1360SrOkU7ZNKK0o/w400-h300/IMG_4540.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If the garage was empty, I reckon I could tip David in there quite easily - yeah? Shall I try?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>David was in charge of navigating us back to the dump station (who keeps pooing?) I'm not saying it's his fault, but I am blaming him - for (excessive pooing and) a wrong turning on the journey back which meant an <b><span style="color: red;">extremely long</span></b>** journey into the dump station. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzTWY3dDuqYdpq7bELEVLnenTF80Z5xTWgGI9BDogx_tQNmz9-EvNOIiLv1w52vWcGpp9rjdM5Y1_31mL_ZXQwLf4lv_Ls-C9hzO1QYqRWV1PjncjdItwIhYvSSJqGUrPi_JhzYlUw8YH9R6_YIoW5GI2hekona0yDb53TbMU3Pp6-XO2v9OiV3Bm7Jw/s1509/IMG_5BEC4DEFE85F-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1509" data-original-width="828" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzTWY3dDuqYdpq7bELEVLnenTF80Z5xTWgGI9BDogx_tQNmz9-EvNOIiLv1w52vWcGpp9rjdM5Y1_31mL_ZXQwLf4lv_Ls-C9hzO1QYqRWV1PjncjdItwIhYvSSJqGUrPi_JhzYlUw8YH9R6_YIoW5GI2hekona0yDb53TbMU3Pp6-XO2v9OiV3Bm7Jw/w220-h400/IMG_5BEC4DEFE85F-1.jpeg" width="220" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The route we should have travelled, i.e. the route we came out on the previous day.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnspOoOslUR2Xs4QFAlG3KUhV7HDH0EId81VwW4AvxhCpppGfq9pvds9neu5Ox0QE6u-Mh-EDF1Ek9I6Df6DkV0qTq-hDGDL_Uq7RUKrCPRW-L73zxUVHC5koHeZqqyC7NT9H9SsqylmdAFwN9GjmqU8Yb57wcNOYk9y_TXJfQlWa1z2EJ1QmXJg4rVDM/s1792/IMG_70BFE541E039-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1792" data-original-width="828" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnspOoOslUR2Xs4QFAlG3KUhV7HDH0EId81VwW4AvxhCpppGfq9pvds9neu5Ox0QE6u-Mh-EDF1Ek9I6Df6DkV0qTq-hDGDL_Uq7RUKrCPRW-L73zxUVHC5koHeZqqyC7NT9H9SsqylmdAFwN9GjmqU8Yb57wcNOYk9y_TXJfQlWa1z2EJ1QmXJg4rVDM/w185-h400/IMG_70BFE541E039-1.jpeg" width="185" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The route we travelled: I did say that I thought we should turn left, but David insisted that Google maps was right and he remembered that this was the way we had come... No, google maps wasn't right, not even close. Lesson: look at the entirety of the map before starting off, esp up here where a wrong turn can mean really long detours are required.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </p><p>It was a **29 additional km adventure, but not necessarily one I wanted though. What it did demonstrate is another reason why this part of NZ, as per the centre of the North Island, inland Taranaki and many other rural areas (East Coast, the top part of the South Island between Picton and Nelson...), are sparsely populated - steep almost mountainous hills that descend into deep valleys, all covered in bush. Even where the bush has been cleared, in the main, settlements are perched on the coast.<br /></p><p>And we've come to the realisation that infrastructure maintenance always takes a lot longer than we expect: <br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>3 waters administration</li><li>more supermarket shopping by me while </li><li>David swapped an empty gas bottle for a full one (he was back at the motorhome for ages before I came back fully laden again - with elongated arms...)<br /></li><li>and got a refund for the wrong power adaptor that he knowingly purchased ... </li></ul><p>Then we had a long drive out to Otamure DOC camp - we had looked at it online, decided to go there, then changed our minds because we were already weary (!) from the extra 29kms of winding hilly driving, the infrastructure maintenance load (sore arms and shoulders for me ...). But as often happens, I couldn't make up my mind where to go instead and everywhere we looked at on the NZMCA app seemed to be down long winding roads anyway. So Otamure DOC Camp got re-selected. It felt like a l-o-n-g way out of town, and you know the road is going to be slow when it's 28kms and 40 minutes ...<br /></p><p>But surprise surprise, when I went to check in, I recognised Cindy the custodian. She had sold us that disastrous house in New Plymouth back in 2011... Lovely old villa, bad decision on our part. Should never shift to be near your kids and grandkids - only a few months after we bought it (and didn't manage to sell Cherswud, thankfully) Tim informed us he and Marta and the boys were moving back to the UK...</p><p>And when I told Bernice, she told me that they knew Cindy and Ray well - from long acquaintance at Uretiti where they were custody sergeants before Otamure.</p><p>We parked up overlooking the sea - what a beautiful view! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPvRNRWSvuZS_PwYVQCo2evXiy_Pp-rR08jCAFqIei0gyXJ-NYPZJptSZ2av-Skc_cSuKx5H4QqwOFnuzndQJ5RLr7owUQw0kcaVilZ6X-Mg0DJYEdWZxJ3KcWMXfcb4sp6Wj2Nv0XU7vdmP-bQCXOpS3vtd_oXvMjCZQ6K3GUxK6dUUf5kleep4BPclo/s4032/IMG_4543.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPvRNRWSvuZS_PwYVQCo2evXiy_Pp-rR08jCAFqIei0gyXJ-NYPZJptSZ2av-Skc_cSuKx5H4QqwOFnuzndQJ5RLr7owUQw0kcaVilZ6X-Mg0DJYEdWZxJ3KcWMXfcb4sp6Wj2Nv0XU7vdmP-bQCXOpS3vtd_oXvMjCZQ6K3GUxK6dUUf5kleep4BPclo/w400-h300/IMG_4543.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the door.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I had planned that we would have garlic and chilli vegan sausages with beetroot and carrot salad and broccoli, cauli and carrot salad, but I ran out of oomph. So it was garlic and chilli vegan sausages, potatoes with butter and parsley, lettuce salad with lots of avocado - much easier and didn't involve the grater...<br /></p><p>We had a walk along the beach after dinner, and played silly games with long shadows.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-khjDA2eUcMHPd05utEmIcCNyL7RfQtXlS7JF0Zb7Hb7PDZyV0GyLjGaPoICwdyA0hPzoQfDFKwrTHWvOerYyh_w2eMUNq86Tz4dTskYydpLGgXg2wgra5_rT1iF0WZDY5gux14UP4SHb7b0sKz5e-iv9U71Zkpv1CWyfL5DOZtc9yRX7J-8SuNkKl7U/s4032/IMG_4556.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-khjDA2eUcMHPd05utEmIcCNyL7RfQtXlS7JF0Zb7Hb7PDZyV0GyLjGaPoICwdyA0hPzoQfDFKwrTHWvOerYyh_w2eMUNq86Tz4dTskYydpLGgXg2wgra5_rT1iF0WZDY5gux14UP4SHb7b0sKz5e-iv9U71Zkpv1CWyfL5DOZtc9yRX7J-8SuNkKl7U/w400-h300/IMG_4556.HEIC" width="400" /></a> <br /></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7BsOf7wb8A6f2xbPwHxxYqUnLMT7QW53lj6BatBMMpCyChsTHzGhRD9S9qg9TVGciQnUx4nPG0zDKvTU2rbmnoG5zN9fX9HJrki75yUEYlcdlbclC5JEl_OdURDZZwtjSb9-0hP92DewF1EkJ_l4z_b39MXmXlg4tCW8Ki6J-Bdy5I1mSY4SCijh2Rvg/s4032/IMG_4559.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7BsOf7wb8A6f2xbPwHxxYqUnLMT7QW53lj6BatBMMpCyChsTHzGhRD9S9qg9TVGciQnUx4nPG0zDKvTU2rbmnoG5zN9fX9HJrki75yUEYlcdlbclC5JEl_OdURDZZwtjSb9-0hP92DewF1EkJ_l4z_b39MXmXlg4tCW8Ki6J-Bdy5I1mSY4SCijh2Rvg/w400-h300/IMG_4559.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3UR_p1OVNPCTt98DZ8gxK8GCGg7tXXokzOzRhfNjf8AoJ6R7EKE1LzBDK-5XVy0YqcjDoYY1zvvGvSeWcYonRv4b96ZyRg0y-nE5bZnb9Ez_4FHwgs5ybFi4lDJiEIvgayy-wwVNjW5UVaUgpl0llkOQr-IK2YarkpOB90VDMEQHlo7ce_fe0aM2Usw/s4032/IMG_4557.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3UR_p1OVNPCTt98DZ8gxK8GCGg7tXXokzOzRhfNjf8AoJ6R7EKE1LzBDK-5XVy0YqcjDoYY1zvvGvSeWcYonRv4b96ZyRg0y-nE5bZnb9Ez_4FHwgs5ybFi4lDJiEIvgayy-wwVNjW5UVaUgpl0llkOQr-IK2YarkpOB90VDMEQHlo7ce_fe0aM2Usw/w400-h300/IMG_4557.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVPEy7O1Cf4mi0Nn8OCXOgPvSNWtWUqTEjoqUJ2URKKtuKyyqRBhHWt7DKONRFDsFcAJvM2gtuitJPk1FFAbsOmZLmCgwQQsE8RBOj9Sre527brpl1kr29tWcuHeCcj_I1AqdLTO602v5kIkcAnX8cz7hqgHNxl58bASmH57djg2I4g_DqJ0QF9HZSQqg/s4032/IMG_4560.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVPEy7O1Cf4mi0Nn8OCXOgPvSNWtWUqTEjoqUJ2URKKtuKyyqRBhHWt7DKONRFDsFcAJvM2gtuitJPk1FFAbsOmZLmCgwQQsE8RBOj9Sre527brpl1kr29tWcuHeCcj_I1AqdLTO602v5kIkcAnX8cz7hqgHNxl58bASmH57djg2I4g_DqJ0QF9HZSQqg/w400-h300/IMG_4560.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The man takes his own path π<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxVVaYFFwfMR6EI04KJVXor0C2IGZqmDmfW_0TQTDiSsxLNailkB6IDrD9zc8IcVUtoorZ4GISDtRvP4TBRO80YY2jd6hyphenhyphenRQAC0CMphM2vtHFZmG4SaD8bqNnE2ls8mMZqxCwAQ8u8GTb5aMqyCgsPYl24jv3GZjfzDNuYV0diLfDZbMG3aDXqkR7oZ8/s4032/IMG_4561.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxVVaYFFwfMR6EI04KJVXor0C2IGZqmDmfW_0TQTDiSsxLNailkB6IDrD9zc8IcVUtoorZ4GISDtRvP4TBRO80YY2jd6hyphenhyphenRQAC0CMphM2vtHFZmG4SaD8bqNnE2ls8mMZqxCwAQ8u8GTb5aMqyCgsPYl24jv3GZjfzDNuYV0diLfDZbMG3aDXqkR7oZ8/w400-h300/IMG_4561.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See, we are tall really!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrGUiVipym2qrbK0rum2l_qPbn0bo5WNQoLqWCgK09oelYk8oatSYdA5qEO8sM2ChjMmE-9JhbhwyjxaySSoCo2FN7Rrz1FItr0WHDyeW8Epa-6NHG3b9Eo6UxaaAsEHxD0p3d27YT3_HXpL3fLmmcotpF0l_2CVNzL4eDL1NELzrHf8W6X_Kpus6kN4/s4032/IMG_4564.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrGUiVipym2qrbK0rum2l_qPbn0bo5WNQoLqWCgK09oelYk8oatSYdA5qEO8sM2ChjMmE-9JhbhwyjxaySSoCo2FN7Rrz1FItr0WHDyeW8Epa-6NHG3b9Eo6UxaaAsEHxD0p3d27YT3_HXpL3fLmmcotpF0l_2CVNzL4eDL1NELzrHf8W6X_Kpus6kN4/w400-h300/IMG_4564.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David being a bug-eyed monster<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsYraiJ0antmrARjB9w_vr8SMLr1U6cZI1rv7GBELQ0OBvM1OwjtPcY_dFvoFVuTeEoQ1r0wkaIYaINxolDmWvAAjPoy-BT2A1EnqV-oyQqiesREzC51ci2Roh26Oupl_L4LLLmsWGsu1HKp49K0bBKzyWg_tZGSftBX6prowmA6VtP-AYa2zFJrgLms/s4032/IMG_4562.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsYraiJ0antmrARjB9w_vr8SMLr1U6cZI1rv7GBELQ0OBvM1OwjtPcY_dFvoFVuTeEoQ1r0wkaIYaINxolDmWvAAjPoy-BT2A1EnqV-oyQqiesREzC51ci2Roh26Oupl_L4LLLmsWGsu1HKp49K0bBKzyWg_tZGSftBX6prowmA6VtP-AYa2zFJrgLms/w400-h300/IMG_4562.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See - silly games... π<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6AHhSGoFGUBT1NXVRd2GU2SAYWfD1zycielBDIkiyKsnCw9bluxg1Ut0sGa099jw6uaUb_0ySGqjlxUDbV27EPM4jKiilibzoMFiSwf2uGaG8R52K2qvnGF5yBPIlMdYt9c-TKkb4vgXKOAU-xNZHAixjXJcOrr9wevrrNwL88iiNyn17xPDpCQzcKng/s4032/IMG_4566.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6AHhSGoFGUBT1NXVRd2GU2SAYWfD1zycielBDIkiyKsnCw9bluxg1Ut0sGa099jw6uaUb_0ySGqjlxUDbV27EPM4jKiilibzoMFiSwf2uGaG8R52K2qvnGF5yBPIlMdYt9c-TKkb4vgXKOAU-xNZHAixjXJcOrr9wevrrNwL88iiNyn17xPDpCQzcKng/w300-h400/IMG_4566.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A two person triffid perhaps?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQ4UJfZmSO8ZsFMpTaYrZrRnqFkfA_5ZhfjlhoaiD0sqPXI4isDmfnzmVH9IzLpRndYNyajVWS2ZWP7rfV4XP69KaoJXGqefRnN3zWzPgCa-gJCre0xADq3nIH-dcbL3lan2JZ-9ZTrC-ncNAgNf1_SUIA8o5-7I9p_004UTUVXkzv3EpvFqMK7pRY_8/s4032/IMG_4567.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQ4UJfZmSO8ZsFMpTaYrZrRnqFkfA_5ZhfjlhoaiD0sqPXI4isDmfnzmVH9IzLpRndYNyajVWS2ZWP7rfV4XP69KaoJXGqefRnN3zWzPgCa-gJCre0xADq3nIH-dcbL3lan2JZ-9ZTrC-ncNAgNf1_SUIA8o5-7I9p_004UTUVXkzv3EpvFqMK7pRY_8/w400-h300/IMG_4567.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFPllWIw7vCCWWjpzHUr2YZDdYXTQCq9fCkNURD8CfHc4aZavsb2xlwO2XcWAkviuwISRLbMx3gKKflQe4hsGvv3WoW2_EKch03Wr5B_JOFy0pA-2RACUNA6C3lfo683uVjzeIn6hoLrTX2RAay-5Rk1MWHm5TzMTHNfvQS8qliEzL4BhgxemTp7PM6Ig/s4032/IMG_4568.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFPllWIw7vCCWWjpzHUr2YZDdYXTQCq9fCkNURD8CfHc4aZavsb2xlwO2XcWAkviuwISRLbMx3gKKflQe4hsGvv3WoW2_EKch03Wr5B_JOFy0pA-2RACUNA6C3lfo683uVjzeIn6hoLrTX2RAay-5Rk1MWHm5TzMTHNfvQS8qliEzL4BhgxemTp7PM6Ig/w400-h300/IMG_4568.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Otamure Bay is quite small and I wouldn't be wanting to bring a boat in through those reefs!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9rUeCOmUeQ-9YYQU0pTf2veaEywL94bJbk5bGXVB9aDlOopDTwE5TUQ6Hjs9ZwwY9MOgx1X1xrmkcccM6S5hCg86WcGn3H07uL2ngZ9PzgczXm4hVzt0KsjrKFgccFBYcwk63KWvkQ_jz3dIC3pI2JC8eWpyg7d3gF_lmOlaXmWRicbv0L1utV3kn4Q/s4032/IMG_4569.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9rUeCOmUeQ-9YYQU0pTf2veaEywL94bJbk5bGXVB9aDlOopDTwE5TUQ6Hjs9ZwwY9MOgx1X1xrmkcccM6S5hCg86WcGn3H07uL2ngZ9PzgczXm4hVzt0KsjrKFgccFBYcwk63KWvkQ_jz3dIC3pI2JC8eWpyg7d3gF_lmOlaXmWRicbv0L1utV3kn4Q/w400-h300/IMG_4569.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We didn't walk far enough to see if that is an island and if yes, whether it's accessible at low tide.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> There are some very large and extremely impressive pohutukawa trees here at Otamure Bay. </p><p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUw0z1NfogGL8RpxXxrnDdewrqYMuCQHheIDkv6Au_LPplyBUwWzo-p3QVeGuu-nuVzuKurrdGx471uENAlLcyYInFPMTf05eQa723ixuOt5oXqgGH2HKfri-EAbTARWBEnFW9WsJPSAlK0gqFgLtyGbEC8kGB6wRi3NjMleoDy761WzQPF6_s1MMhw68/s4032/IMG_4574.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUw0z1NfogGL8RpxXxrnDdewrqYMuCQHheIDkv6Au_LPplyBUwWzo-p3QVeGuu-nuVzuKurrdGx471uENAlLcyYInFPMTf05eQa723ixuOt5oXqgGH2HKfri-EAbTARWBEnFW9WsJPSAlK0gqFgLtyGbEC8kGB6wRi3NjMleoDy761WzQPF6_s1MMhw68/w400-h300/IMG_4574.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of them are so large that their branches are on the ground.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVL_TFiPLfXGKFBsLre_maTEl6PHq18k4hXYXAt4HVGlTJ4VWVepbWpW02XFMj2aRlzr74o8jY-BvViKOCoDXWY8NW_7G1oDDOOwGMmYkvc-UfpDG0HG5wdYotfyTtdQhh2nuPSRZjbCEVD6XN9IsNe-X-OJYRmcPOwRhWtHyHFcawqpH2Zb75WVeLf4/s4032/IMG_4573.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVL_TFiPLfXGKFBsLre_maTEl6PHq18k4hXYXAt4HVGlTJ4VWVepbWpW02XFMj2aRlzr74o8jY-BvViKOCoDXWY8NW_7G1oDDOOwGMmYkvc-UfpDG0HG5wdYotfyTtdQhh2nuPSRZjbCEVD6XN9IsNe-X-OJYRmcPOwRhWtHyHFcawqpH2Zb75WVeLf4/w400-h300/IMG_4573.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ππ</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnf4xdeJtnSLYSxQMrkG5i1C_I9JQcjwA2aUqYFKhQdkqH_tykum743Vkh90gOIGOIj0qjONCqB-nwNDZ29kagsiOuOW7GBxbnqlOpnJfFdt3-_8BV9MFlJxS5vgGo1ZsxIIxfzCqzDLxA8sxO8grJwG_5jBmBOWaFc6p0QnVEOE1xjIjTlo_OHt0nFGM/s4032/IMG_4576.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnf4xdeJtnSLYSxQMrkG5i1C_I9JQcjwA2aUqYFKhQdkqH_tykum743Vkh90gOIGOIj0qjONCqB-nwNDZ29kagsiOuOW7GBxbnqlOpnJfFdt3-_8BV9MFlJxS5vgGo1ZsxIIxfzCqzDLxA8sxO8grJwG_5jBmBOWaFc6p0QnVEOE1xjIjTlo_OHt0nFGM/w400-h300/IMG_4576.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peaceful and calming.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGk2LlT4NwtBFH3CgfaIyE8QacMmKJHJ97Fzy5dp0XH-v2BXJvBUuMqeCuaTzw-Yivax1PK00SocVmYL7UHCih9AENQwdB8xCVnbLj1jNwMzunvIfZhB5Zm8iESJL0E4W3xGbl5yO5fxeaA_p8yaF0GZvp8tIXrtIARX3l72GVAWSm9OdCwpbFcFdPLuw/s4032/IMG_4577.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGk2LlT4NwtBFH3CgfaIyE8QacMmKJHJ97Fzy5dp0XH-v2BXJvBUuMqeCuaTzw-Yivax1PK00SocVmYL7UHCih9AENQwdB8xCVnbLj1jNwMzunvIfZhB5Zm8iESJL0E4W3xGbl5yO5fxeaA_p8yaF0GZvp8tIXrtIARX3l72GVAWSm9OdCwpbFcFdPLuw/w400-h300/IMG_4577.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soon this will be in flower.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEM0qZyil45Mc5wNJMICXuFUv3M5d6slfRlB0JxMAVsFCSF8EsTl4sCfoRBxWv9NizYvNKaG4fv7QZ26KRvl-knUSgCY8-UwC7Uhm5vI6dTKd-SblK50eFtdMkWC7goFd0ycGBPF3wBWhr98FQW8LDgp1TPzhG5NLJnEG7-QheBchhNSmXc-zAnMfsew/s4032/IMG_4575.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEM0qZyil45Mc5wNJMICXuFUv3M5d6slfRlB0JxMAVsFCSF8EsTl4sCfoRBxWv9NizYvNKaG4fv7QZ26KRvl-knUSgCY8-UwC7Uhm5vI6dTKd-SblK50eFtdMkWC7goFd0ycGBPF3wBWhr98FQW8LDgp1TPzhG5NLJnEG7-QheBchhNSmXc-zAnMfsew/w400-h300/IMG_4575.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Irene, these trees and all the others up here and throughout NZ are why we need to get rid of possums - they destroy these trees, and letting them do so feels criminal to me. They are so beautiful and old - I think about the storms they have withstood and the life they have seen.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHuIoOh7GXDk05h5P-eNgJPI6IG0cskMwK8YoAqjWOzizv1rMdfW8I8BcrOhCdeVWw8ToGmr9MXBvcHVcWugnjwx01XpzhC0-3WWNXqFQpzU0TEXlqVN_iU63CGvnJDmB6ddg1MwrkYDePpE4dDZjROVgC-ljw5LKnhxmymKKj7hg_oBuSd93mfLCQbI/s4032/IMG_4579.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHuIoOh7GXDk05h5P-eNgJPI6IG0cskMwK8YoAqjWOzizv1rMdfW8I8BcrOhCdeVWw8ToGmr9MXBvcHVcWugnjwx01XpzhC0-3WWNXqFQpzU0TEXlqVN_iU63CGvnJDmB6ddg1MwrkYDePpE4dDZjROVgC-ljw5LKnhxmymKKj7hg_oBuSd93mfLCQbI/w400-h300/IMG_4579.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As we walked back there was a family fishing and playing on the reef.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <br /></p><p>Early to bed - how unusual!<br /></p><p>Twilight here is much earlier than in Waikanae - we must be getting close to the equator!</p><p>The next day the weather was pants, so we blobbed all day. I did get up to make dinner though - and I did employ the grater and made beetroot and carrot salad to go with asparagus and a lettuce salad...<br /></p><br /><br /><p><br /></p><br /><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-10203372132201788842023-11-22T12:58:00.000-08:002023-11-22T13:27:28.206-08:00Wenderholm to Uretiti<p>It seems counter-intuitive to have a lazy start to the day when parked up in a regional park - there's something about that environment that seems strongly to suggest getting up and out amongst nature early. Nope, not for us. It was breakfast in bed - toast with marmalade for me and with tomato and hummus for David. It was lovely to relax and have a slow start to the day. </p><p>I did do more handwashing - David's this time. In spite of my <b><span style="color: red;">undeservedly</span></b> harsh reputation, I do look after him in quite a kindly way - mostly...<br /></p><p>And because drip drying is the norm when motorhoming, things were once again hung in the shower for the journey. It's quite efficient really. I'm not entirely sure just how clean things actually get, but I'm working on the theory that it's the thought that counts, and a jiggling around acquaintance with water and soap powder while we travel, then a squishing by me and a couple of rinses has to end up with greater cleanliness than they went into the water with, yes?<br /></p><p>We eventually headed away from Wenderholm and decided to avoid the toll road, i.e. SH1. So we headed up the Twin Coast Highway (?) and the first thing we saw was a brown sign that I felt the need to follow in the spirit of exploring somewhere we haven't been before. So off we went to Puhoi Historic Village. We spent an hour or so in the village museum which is in the old convent school. Well worth checking it out, as the European community was started by people from Bohemia back in the 1860s I think. They were welcomed by the local MΔori, and in fact would have starved in the first winter without their help with food and shelter.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9iTm2vNfnOT8SRe9sxWeNTz8lvbVZ1sGIgWlAL5T-Q0O64FXa-LN0OQnEA8w_z7b6rSf70j5dR1E4ihiKOvLNQJOmtFDhI-__kR3H4T0y_SOAKn2d4Aeiya0c2C36LfHQNp7OZOn4js7ac2Wux_6BEPhrsPRBTT4vFZq2ycRxMxhCT59qqK16lijZjw/s4032/IMG_4486.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9iTm2vNfnOT8SRe9sxWeNTz8lvbVZ1sGIgWlAL5T-Q0O64FXa-LN0OQnEA8w_z7b6rSf70j5dR1E4ihiKOvLNQJOmtFDhI-__kR3H4T0y_SOAKn2d4Aeiya0c2C36LfHQNp7OZOn4js7ac2Wux_6BEPhrsPRBTT4vFZq2ycRxMxhCT59qqK16lijZjw/s320/IMG_4486.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only photo I took in the museum - this is the carpet my mum and dad had in their house in Doralto Road New Plymouth. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>We stopped for lunch in a layby on the way down a long hill. As we'd had toast for brekkie, lunch was what we usually have for breakfast: fruit, yoghurt and muesli. We didn't take advantage of the walk that went down into the valley - I am anxious with the e-bikes on the back of the motorhome. As David assures me, the bikes are insured, but I worry about the damage that could/would be done to the motorhome while they were being wrested off... They are very attractive - lovely shiny red things! π</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5GX2Yz45f8mksyeQ3eavo5-ajiACdDQhUbjmiAGv4r9ZXflLTqGNdd63rEMKaE8ss0kL92k589Mepn_b-0ZujuzNteoKQFXbBAfxqCum72-KGBPibjmHEvhzIGyfBlK4MPWRjDngbM0bcahLWMrDxa75SmeCt882WyilPoMpulQRP0FhTTgglVtd1YQ/s4032/IMG_4487.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5GX2Yz45f8mksyeQ3eavo5-ajiACdDQhUbjmiAGv4r9ZXflLTqGNdd63rEMKaE8ss0kL92k589Mepn_b-0ZujuzNteoKQFXbBAfxqCum72-KGBPibjmHEvhzIGyfBlK4MPWRjDngbM0bcahLWMrDxa75SmeCt882WyilPoMpulQRP0FhTTgglVtd1YQ/w400-h300/IMG_4487.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The native bush beside the lunch lay-by.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1OsUZPIeSl_B4OvDNQjfvl6MChkkxk20Os3M92du1WPMtXM7F9EU_V0Pccb3w2wGMbiLjUh1u9XPqwcwnULdD7DHtLQ3-UJf0QjwWkpaMbaiF4rHOx0YdQ_jrfz3ZVvTpv9ju_tYnsX67svkXKDkCW4UJX9Ff0A-erJM0zlGVbkInmUZAAMLuguivxE/s4032/IMG_4488.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1OsUZPIeSl_B4OvDNQjfvl6MChkkxk20Os3M92du1WPMtXM7F9EU_V0Pccb3w2wGMbiLjUh1u9XPqwcwnULdD7DHtLQ3-UJf0QjwWkpaMbaiF4rHOx0YdQ_jrfz3ZVvTpv9ju_tYnsX67svkXKDkCW4UJX9Ff0A-erJM0zlGVbkInmUZAAMLuguivxE/w400-h300/IMG_4488.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And bush across the road. Two concrete picnic tables and bench seats to sit on. Birds calling out, and I saw a skink heading into the grass under a tree. Too fast for me to take a photo though. Sorry, Irene.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>Given it turns out the walk was down to view a waterfall, I will probably get a growling from Irene ...</p><p>We headed in to Warkworth to do just a small shop at the supermarket. Not much needed, you understand. <b>Famous last words!</b> More than I have spent in one go in a fair while ... So it's a good thing the National Super went into the account last night! I filled four bags and while we travelled they were stashed on the bathroom floor. I did wonder if they would each find a space in the appropriate cupboards (not safe or sanitary to leave them in the bathroom, is it?) I shouldn't have worried! I am not sure how I do it, but somehow everything was put away and no bad words were uttered while I was storing stuff. It is so good to have a kitchen garage outside though ... It was always the same on the boat: I'd look at the two granny trolleys I'd managed to fill and wonder where and how it could all be stored. And piece by piece, it would all be found a sensible home. Must be a woman thing, because David gives up and leaves most of it on the bench because "you are better at this than me, Marilyn"... He did once unpack them at home in high dudgeon after I'd grouched that I hated having the job left for me. He put everything away except the carrots and celery, and left me a snappy note saying he couldn't find a place for them. I wrote a note back to him, saying that I could - I'd shove them up his arse... Made me feel better anyway πππ<br /></p><p>Lovely New World in Warkworth, by the way. It is down a very steep little hill - which seems just as steep on the way back up!!</p><p>We then negotiated a pretty complex intersection to to get to the dump station - David wanted to empty that bloody cassette again - where we were heading had no dump station, and as we did on the boat, we didn't pass a waterpoint or a pumpout place if there was any chance we would regret it. Job done - intersection successfully negotiated by me, cassette emptied by David - and off we went. That damn intersection needed a different route this time - almost a U turn out of the park, a right turn to the lights about 20 metres away, then a right turn at the lights and on to the main highway out of town northwards. Fortunately a nice truckie waited for me to get across - kind man!</p><p>Then it was up and over the Brynderwyn Range and on to Uretiti where we are now - Bernice met us at the gate, saw me through the registration process, we followed her to the waterpoint, filled and then followed her to where we were to park up.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpvy0WulPcz4O-gg-kfsIPmGXQiUOKUtOq6IJ4tJRO9hx9dEunmE0UzCENISlXtARzhUUve1MWuLvDvud0sncTlEz5Tp7L_pFXD5uk6mhaTFCm0BULqpHdtEq3vgJxMMdeiYwad1Uh6OHoSdokqD5_Uw3pwnC15JLQKFQmcZmmjFLN-YkqWWNUQRDbyM/s4032/IMG_4490.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpvy0WulPcz4O-gg-kfsIPmGXQiUOKUtOq6IJ4tJRO9hx9dEunmE0UzCENISlXtARzhUUve1MWuLvDvud0sncTlEz5Tp7L_pFXD5uk6mhaTFCm0BULqpHdtEq3vgJxMMdeiYwad1Uh6OHoSdokqD5_Uw3pwnC15JLQKFQmcZmmjFLN-YkqWWNUQRDbyM/w400-h300/IMG_4490.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bernice and Roy with David and their motorhome in the background. Given Bernice often forgets to take photos when they are with friends, I got in quickly - in case I forgot too...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51rnqjRhI9yvunyl_UY25hYRaEV27TDOO5jMr9XeIvKup1vB7f8P742biLpcyIYPDT5IvFsOUK9gvqmSMuZvbt1fJiCB97xpU9r5OFRhqbQAyKilOxyyuwddgxPsplwKwLhztUmxiLTfz-p1JxcCcEcuzjhRws7q_8kf4eXdpah4FXyHfduCkfBPabjY/s4032/IMG_4492.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51rnqjRhI9yvunyl_UY25hYRaEV27TDOO5jMr9XeIvKup1vB7f8P742biLpcyIYPDT5IvFsOUK9gvqmSMuZvbt1fJiCB97xpU9r5OFRhqbQAyKilOxyyuwddgxPsplwKwLhztUmxiLTfz-p1JxcCcEcuzjhRws7q_8kf4eXdpah4FXyHfduCkfBPabjY/w400-h300/IMG_4492.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our nearest neighbours<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Payk3mnYdMEt1RaKtpVtSplBjaR3hLExqPtiN46FpC7juzZrj4W7XB7lnWyJBtYxQZJ6e9qrEU3w5dYtbMu5ufwPPFE1aCKtXXUMYj9eOJLp22bwisFhYFToOFo3PR3x2ZmZtThfG1nLg-6auLkEhQpvbnad3m03pRAKoa82715IKEnn5-8o_lbOVPk/s4032/IMG_4493.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Payk3mnYdMEt1RaKtpVtSplBjaR3hLExqPtiN46FpC7juzZrj4W7XB7lnWyJBtYxQZJ6e9qrEU3w5dYtbMu5ufwPPFE1aCKtXXUMYj9eOJLp22bwisFhYFToOFo3PR3x2ZmZtThfG1nLg-6auLkEhQpvbnad3m03pRAKoa82715IKEnn5-8o_lbOVPk/w400-h300/IMG_4493.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And there's us on a nice flat spot. The toilets, cold showers and sink were through a little path beside their possie.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>This is such a lovely place! And we will return another time - it needs a good few days, we reckon. It is a huge DOC camp, and Bernice tells me it is the most profitable DOC camp in the country. I reckon while we were there there were about 25 caravans/motorhomes, but in the summer it fills up a fair bit more...</p><p>Bernice had determined we were going to them for dinner for both nights. Last night's dinner was yummy: an asparagus quiche, tomato
foccacia and a delicious chickpea salad with miso and peanuts and other
things. I have the recipe... </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_mG-JD_d1ED4pnHb983bC7i0U6wTOfWXvj_Icqt2semhgFivRPeYZYRq5u1LDgvkhvSDmIruX-JzjA1pfu4E_ZzwY2qaCkMcQDmhhEIMHH1yel0trk05HU1hQ_NuHUyEnF2BZFndzyfQpqJw6EipcWLbohX9dy2mtQJXTVZPFAkAkP7GcIO751GM0T0/s4032/IMG_0110.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_mG-JD_d1ED4pnHb983bC7i0U6wTOfWXvj_Icqt2semhgFivRPeYZYRq5u1LDgvkhvSDmIruX-JzjA1pfu4E_ZzwY2qaCkMcQDmhhEIMHH1yel0trk05HU1hQ_NuHUyEnF2BZFndzyfQpqJw6EipcWLbohX9dy2mtQJXTVZPFAkAkP7GcIO751GM0T0/w300-h400/IMG_0110.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The next night's dinner was snapper they had caught - served on a bed of a salad
of red onion, tomato, orange and avocado. I had leftovers as fish is not
my thing, but David loved it!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXxQGpPrwbJ-q2RqktHIon5_DcnUFsSuz7enzyKzYgAkr4HRcbM6-CCGqgovJ2OMqzjXdHku92zRfHiU3Fvh4iJMxOSnyJhKlvSTleoVgGvFZ-nPMFLVmFrh4pAr4dF5w3OX8P6Mbyj0DDG7UBv_mXVSVSZVklGEwdTT9zOuO1iFpgjkjhI0QTNy5dOTM/s4032/IMG_4495.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXxQGpPrwbJ-q2RqktHIon5_DcnUFsSuz7enzyKzYgAkr4HRcbM6-CCGqgovJ2OMqzjXdHku92zRfHiU3Fvh4iJMxOSnyJhKlvSTleoVgGvFZ-nPMFLVmFrh4pAr4dF5w3OX8P6Mbyj0DDG7UBv_mXVSVSZVklGEwdTT9zOuO1iFpgjkjhI0QTNy5dOTM/w400-h300/IMG_4495.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the sight that greeted us as we walked through the dunes to the beach. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dYIUjBcwA21Sgn3SrMr_T6CGL392K7GATU-Ao3dkl0-VWp8hyphenhyphen3LaCb0zEvr0sYLVrB3hmDGMYypoXiGoyO1OdHAzWDrTBr65s60TrzffSrBCyOwMApaKUIrSLIL1l1E8SU6-zxk-fo8SAwBDOq1Hh-nqfd_y7K8-TOO-UBlcrGThi1TcjL1xskNfW7o/s4032/IMG_4498.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dYIUjBcwA21Sgn3SrMr_T6CGL392K7GATU-Ao3dkl0-VWp8hyphenhyphen3LaCb0zEvr0sYLVrB3hmDGMYypoXiGoyO1OdHAzWDrTBr65s60TrzffSrBCyOwMApaKUIrSLIL1l1E8SU6-zxk-fo8SAwBDOq1Hh-nqfd_y7K8-TOO-UBlcrGThi1TcjL1xskNfW7o/w400-h300/IMG_4498.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And these lovely birds, always in at least one pair. Beautiful. They chirp to each other as they hunt for food. Makes my heart sing.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xAEZCgcNDT5_RJE2J_ME5J_lZoqgHe6cJMJTq-t4TtQuXyrCg4i0MBhuDH7dywSy8l1Q-IMcuKkdXmh-V2TYPHbgNFRm3DPSPbKC9KmOEdVU2jGuUtAtUcij-iNpdZ4AuW88kP9zthl0zthSzqZEukqK5xxWKV9p2Re3UKbWObNfd660m9mmsU-E63E/s4032/IMG_4500.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xAEZCgcNDT5_RJE2J_ME5J_lZoqgHe6cJMJTq-t4TtQuXyrCg4i0MBhuDH7dywSy8l1Q-IMcuKkdXmh-V2TYPHbgNFRm3DPSPbKC9KmOEdVU2jGuUtAtUcij-iNpdZ4AuW88kP9zthl0zthSzqZEukqK5xxWKV9p2Re3UKbWObNfd660m9mmsU-E63E/w400-h300/IMG_4500.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The headland across the large bay.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgog4s116r8vc8rVEbLBUh4HJp93OmxvSaJULNGPblbUmC3mO1NnrYX4nYOl00LiRcspb4B7JIGAwMW9R8OaDbZxud4oJ7RFfcKci-VXsHZt0q4gRsIHNfccD8Y_lgvzkHBlh8-guwf4qGPhnvqdILPXZqSZotgoq1ctslcsAqX-afvPZf51SxfoADqJEU/s4032/IMG_4503.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgog4s116r8vc8rVEbLBUh4HJp93OmxvSaJULNGPblbUmC3mO1NnrYX4nYOl00LiRcspb4B7JIGAwMW9R8OaDbZxud4oJ7RFfcKci-VXsHZt0q4gRsIHNfccD8Y_lgvzkHBlh8-guwf4qGPhnvqdILPXZqSZotgoq1ctslcsAqX-afvPZf51SxfoADqJEU/w400-h300/IMG_4503.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isn't that a spectacular view?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWq-DYB5T0syJYstH-sbZjJ61gnVvaQ1CqzuMjulRynezmIfrctL1vGdamlh9a-n0OsMl5VE340c6kk4Dqs-k9jBRvz7BhUOTagjy9ko6_N1RZAgr0rXdKA2ASzR7AsNjiYWArQNYJZakUeYY_-uG3OhlbI-Q75KDOEKSmC5qmaNVng_tTn4ktetDVBPg/s4032/IMG_4509.HEIC"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWq-DYB5T0syJYstH-sbZjJ61gnVvaQ1CqzuMjulRynezmIfrctL1vGdamlh9a-n0OsMl5VE340c6kk4Dqs-k9jBRvz7BhUOTagjy9ko6_N1RZAgr0rXdKA2ASzR7AsNjiYWArQNYJZakUeYY_-uG3OhlbI-Q75KDOEKSmC5qmaNVng_tTn4ktetDVBPg/w400-h300/IMG_4509.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXp7Wlf3Ydf61ZgIPApwSOymQUf6cVh1LPzOpSuHK6mzfkhn1asXfiXN70NTfaOrBolyuB-W8U89UBhSIZi-RFru37IjQTBW5cDDWuf71h6a4pf-LqititNXmQ49qFQbwg3gKiv4s1IReTO3lwXlOFZM94i6Z4vXYbo5IwvSA6-EZUSLNPO_44TS4cnxc/s4032/IMG_4512.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXp7Wlf3Ydf61ZgIPApwSOymQUf6cVh1LPzOpSuHK6mzfkhn1asXfiXN70NTfaOrBolyuB-W8U89UBhSIZi-RFru37IjQTBW5cDDWuf71h6a4pf-LqititNXmQ49qFQbwg3gKiv4s1IReTO3lwXlOFZM94i6Z4vXYbo5IwvSA6-EZUSLNPO_44TS4cnxc/w300-h400/IMG_4512.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patterns in the sand - made by the tide and the wind?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjUCkVprq7juOfqcauGkoDN9IF2x_jm3CnETwyKVXSjXzLSBsxNE5Kr0t-f30amNUrTBx5Zq9wZZjp99qS4AncAmGzwFlFUltFIqwVnBLHGO00JXReGmhmKy2zJWABNvuxhdK60XGew6CSjtXEu7AuCnpJKxr7H5yL7c89b3W6N8p0br0G599qOWmy-E/s4032/IMG_4513.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjUCkVprq7juOfqcauGkoDN9IF2x_jm3CnETwyKVXSjXzLSBsxNE5Kr0t-f30amNUrTBx5Zq9wZZjp99qS4AncAmGzwFlFUltFIqwVnBLHGO00JXReGmhmKy2zJWABNvuxhdK60XGew6CSjtXEu7AuCnpJKxr7H5yL7c89b3W6N8p0br0G599qOWmy-E/w300-h400/IMG_4513.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little seaweed bubble things<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLPE06Gtv7keWCp13K1Yz7GQpF48ThEOsNT_di1yGIu60TupzwnPeRGfAuwpesz_8PmoIpYAS7x3CYWd2GkJgOPkBePSEZfRP5qeydY7eLtb08z_WGtRMAcg2m6nhdpKjFiaqfAmYjlQIXGGTvuzVZUbzjeBRUfq2dEG7t9hn429yMvRAcRRu2w-QqZM/s4032/IMG_4515.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLPE06Gtv7keWCp13K1Yz7GQpF48ThEOsNT_di1yGIu60TupzwnPeRGfAuwpesz_8PmoIpYAS7x3CYWd2GkJgOPkBePSEZfRP5qeydY7eLtb08z_WGtRMAcg2m6nhdpKjFiaqfAmYjlQIXGGTvuzVZUbzjeBRUfq2dEG7t9hn429yMvRAcRRu2w-QqZM/w300-h400/IMG_4515.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We could have walked for miles in either direction.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>I walked to get the laundry from the camp custodians - they do a load for a small fee! And I took photos as I walked. Amazing extensive grounds. It's beaut. It was flooded badly during Cyclone Gabriel and the custodians did a stunning job accessing pumps and pumping millions of litres of water over the dunes to the sea. There are still areas that are coned off as they are soggy.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6r_sNPrVdmvW_qSGkwBQY5fVul5utnyMliXp_bJTYkk4olnDMFrFbkKVQM482Dt0qyvwYEFj7IO_NIE-AsRnhceTF0DQdQD9m4yFbHi27hah6mQR4rPdg_C7ksxz0D7WzvVlz5mt0uAxJMqG6OFaVWD-Urjp8omYIIAiI9sc3lioVvm0NvXYuMybZJk/s4032/IMG_4517.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6r_sNPrVdmvW_qSGkwBQY5fVul5utnyMliXp_bJTYkk4olnDMFrFbkKVQM482Dt0qyvwYEFj7IO_NIE-AsRnhceTF0DQdQD9m4yFbHi27hah6mQR4rPdg_C7ksxz0D7WzvVlz5mt0uAxJMqG6OFaVWD-Urjp8omYIIAiI9sc3lioVvm0NvXYuMybZJk/w400-h300/IMG_4517.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6qkTNoUGoDT1rFh-zvl_omf79hZ1biNcgvPWiKBp5q5_eZ_8Vp8DXN22h7gVCCAh-6eGczO0xKLyKYeM-bdMVwUo_EqQc0BBK1nbChcYeWVusAD2Xcre6jRLuIE3QNSlwg-EQEOvVQ8A3yZv34_LvbEx_sKkuNNT2TTw37aNVtAwHi4uj8Wep9h4yj4/s4032/IMG_4518.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6qkTNoUGoDT1rFh-zvl_omf79hZ1biNcgvPWiKBp5q5_eZ_8Vp8DXN22h7gVCCAh-6eGczO0xKLyKYeM-bdMVwUo_EqQc0BBK1nbChcYeWVusAD2Xcre6jRLuIE3QNSlwg-EQEOvVQ8A3yZv34_LvbEx_sKkuNNT2TTw37aNVtAwHi4uj8Wep9h4yj4/w400-h300/IMG_4518.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-WzHQCAeMaVEpxblDtZ5TIkI8Rb4DTJ27bvqA9H6Np9yLmYGF46DpHzHA5GXorK6k7_b0nvn5awJ8l181lepDCc1Nk9WTspIH8dirGgwxOzBG_YNalaH8ER5kAxBdTHZpF_oF0tgGZgfgwrzvrpi3NPwhwmj5FrlFNvzQkeSwFvzM61xoiR0b6iivLo/s4032/IMG_4519.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-WzHQCAeMaVEpxblDtZ5TIkI8Rb4DTJ27bvqA9H6Np9yLmYGF46DpHzHA5GXorK6k7_b0nvn5awJ8l181lepDCc1Nk9WTspIH8dirGgwxOzBG_YNalaH8ER5kAxBdTHZpF_oF0tgGZgfgwrzvrpi3NPwhwmj5FrlFNvzQkeSwFvzM61xoiR0b6iivLo/w400-h300/IMG_4519.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlJTJX6S2FxWbYbarWPwXu6REsdP0-QlaNT4G83afTXaW0UmLEW0HEYtevZXEcEQ3UdrZLnBSffTdrXxYOPvNgBEdX5lItMv5QP8jFeJMvB85nJ8dvC6TMoKCIzUJuYEQ06SIB87XCQjjw70ZE5LkW5usqq903tin2Npso_5-6mVyd4LTknRUl3-HcL8/s4032/IMG_4520.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlJTJX6S2FxWbYbarWPwXu6REsdP0-QlaNT4G83afTXaW0UmLEW0HEYtevZXEcEQ3UdrZLnBSffTdrXxYOPvNgBEdX5lItMv5QP8jFeJMvB85nJ8dvC6TMoKCIzUJuYEQ06SIB87XCQjjw70ZE5LkW5usqq903tin2Npso_5-6mVyd4LTknRUl3-HcL8/w400-h300/IMG_4520.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is a memorial seat in a raised garden area with this as the view. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Qkf7N2TzTQTEGpbBJqBy7udZjDrz1KSj4va7QEfl4dMDcVgO-NF1wCcaXOCs67QDTD97bzTfFNEOUI8VgiLR9yAlfNo7FB13oWRKCHJ0QselHqDXRvCEMB5Ak2lzQ3YeJmFWJBjo0WJxPMfiZHYI9mTfndVREh9hM4GKuTbicHrV67hgip2c7F1L1x4/s4032/IMG_4522.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Qkf7N2TzTQTEGpbBJqBy7udZjDrz1KSj4va7QEfl4dMDcVgO-NF1wCcaXOCs67QDTD97bzTfFNEOUI8VgiLR9yAlfNo7FB13oWRKCHJ0QselHqDXRvCEMB5Ak2lzQ3YeJmFWJBjo0WJxPMfiZHYI9mTfndVREh9hM4GKuTbicHrV67hgip2c7F1L1x4/w400-h300/IMG_4522.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pond remains after the storm. The road had to be raised almost 2 metres.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Bernice had threatened us with a thrashing at 5 Crowns (they are on their 3rd pack) but we were tired on the first night so we piked. But on the following afternoon we introduced them to Crosshand Poker. One game and Bernice
was addicted. So she has bought a set on TradeMe and will pick it up on
Thursday. We had introduced them to 5 Crowns back in 2019 on Waka
Huia... I wonder what game we can show them next time?<br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDd7vpwW6ZqIQOIwBrpsMCfDc6Tf16cB4Xd-tb-VwzpYvp7dFuxlJoBfxlnTedOOfZRDCFC4eVftgRjSZXx3VNfTAngGgxRp6yCnh6rl7CxCmmHBRLQJt5DBIqByfpTR20WK4fMwc1ybxZ09VwI8e6rQ9k-g8BTCjcEh3EygOUaqUe3bQM7xCVZfcog2I/s4032/IMG_4525.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDd7vpwW6ZqIQOIwBrpsMCfDc6Tf16cB4Xd-tb-VwzpYvp7dFuxlJoBfxlnTedOOfZRDCFC4eVftgRjSZXx3VNfTAngGgxRp6yCnh6rl7CxCmmHBRLQJt5DBIqByfpTR20WK4fMwc1ybxZ09VwI8e6rQ9k-g8BTCjcEh3EygOUaqUe3bQM7xCVZfcog2I/w400-h300/IMG_4525.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib0HIoToSBJmgVAO2uJ1eUkp98JwxD9lvIA6INap1i8v9cT5D20CON8KFgH9MRPvnVH2O8-MW71xkc44pJQp9aD0SoS5zEU1nN6D03jWlY5lJCPBRBHHm0C8lYHmvzO9ABhWGKypwC6-R7PlKVH-UIHLp3bNB_ekaGdUc68E32FMBS0sLvo_3CAfM8Vi8/s4032/IMG_4527.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib0HIoToSBJmgVAO2uJ1eUkp98JwxD9lvIA6INap1i8v9cT5D20CON8KFgH9MRPvnVH2O8-MW71xkc44pJQp9aD0SoS5zEU1nN6D03jWlY5lJCPBRBHHm0C8lYHmvzO9ABhWGKypwC6-R7PlKVH-UIHLp3bNB_ekaGdUc68E32FMBS0sLvo_3CAfM8Vi8/w400-h300/IMG_4527.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I sent this photo to David's sister Ginny as Bernice informed us that she is related by marriage to Ginny's husband Graham. It's convoluted and involves her brother and his sister in law and her uncle, who is also Graham's uncle. I lost count of the number of degrees of separation.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>At two points during our time at Wenderholm and then Uretiti, David decided to sort out his
supplements - he started taking them when he was diagnosed with prostate
cancer. He stopped taking them during his radiation treatment (I don't
know why), and has been sporadic in his taking them since. But he always
feels better when he takes them regularly. So that was his mission. He
was going to do 28 days worth. It turned out to be a multistage process:</p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Get them all out and arranged on the table</li><li>Identify and label the dosage per day and if they needed to be taken with food</li><li>Put them all away again in the crate so we could travel to Uretiti<br /></li><li>Add two missing ones to the shopping list (Marilyn's task: purchase missing ones - accomplished with minimal fuss at Warkworth)<br /></li><li>At Uretiti: Get the crate out and place them all on the table again</li><li>Sort them into dosages per day - silly me, I thought this would be for the 28 days. But no - it was only going to be for a week</li><li>Find plastic bags in the pantry, find out we only had 4 left in the pack</li><li>Do 4 days' worth of supplements, instead of a week - some in the little pill dispensers (1 per day) and some loose in the plastic bags (the afternoon ones)</li><li>Console wife who has had a silent hissy fit and who is so pleased she never employed this man on any project that required a deadline to be met with a task complete...</li></ol><p>Actually, 9 didn't occur. I just mentally threw up my hands and actually said to Bernice that I would <b><span style="color: red;">NEVER</span></b> have employed him on <b><span style="color: red;">ANY</span></b> project I ran... <br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSl7Pm4GIOxKbDebULQwmz5hqn9Ppim8wZs8S0zj7yynmX66O9G9GBFZCy69CQFD5dV9CfMIfhL-5lIkbd03pUEfurt2qi6_Sqhj5NKBcvc7AVNoZY8omBNWgYVlwhyhVwffsZK9L4xpKBPr3jnJcvz_Is_BX8B-diGqvjMSFJUwkPzOEA0Uyg_27eApc/s4032/IMG_4524.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSl7Pm4GIOxKbDebULQwmz5hqn9Ppim8wZs8S0zj7yynmX66O9G9GBFZCy69CQFD5dV9CfMIfhL-5lIkbd03pUEfurt2qi6_Sqhj5NKBcvc7AVNoZY8omBNWgYVlwhyhVwffsZK9L4xpKBPr3jnJcvz_Is_BX8B-diGqvjMSFJUwkPzOEA0Uyg_27eApc/w400-h300/IMG_4524.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't they look tidy?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9TiNS1fEcZ2gs13qp-aOOUFm5GSwj4eiqR1sAp-inGWTsWAXIqxSG2ttH086xVkMKvaaUdFilCOz4s-bgqUfMj_Vbe3UJDLudm2iRxWGmTHbF-YTk8dM7uWupmcldisnECF4DeNznNEY2ucKohbY-yQMvbl-ZoM26gtx8vxkQaZy5dCUNdrHqGT1Dh1E/s4032/IMG_0109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9TiNS1fEcZ2gs13qp-aOOUFm5GSwj4eiqR1sAp-inGWTsWAXIqxSG2ttH086xVkMKvaaUdFilCOz4s-bgqUfMj_Vbe3UJDLudm2iRxWGmTHbF-YTk8dM7uWupmcldisnECF4DeNznNEY2ucKohbY-yQMvbl-ZoM26gtx8vxkQaZy5dCUNdrHqGT1Dh1E/w400-h300/IMG_0109.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He was <b><span style="color: red;">SO</span></b> proud of himself he took a photo ... He says I'm a bitch, a fun bitch but a bitch<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p><br /></p>Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-65895243368495937802023-11-20T00:26:00.000-08:002023-11-20T00:26:58.884-08:00Ngongotaha to Papamoa<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3xl3eFgHJxwJOkyAYTuHVWN9zNv0gvwL1w36PuyLcbEtop0q0AopKQ8_qpc5n7VfR4MQzbzNgNOUB8a-UnUEXHY8ulQyQv4LO0adThMlinV_qRBiayS3gW4proine36J1OjG2wPgYwayIS1Fn7sP-iidZKaO_zIm8M3qwLAtqk8GeiAyGE-Qry677oxI/s4032/IMG_4458.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3xl3eFgHJxwJOkyAYTuHVWN9zNv0gvwL1w36PuyLcbEtop0q0AopKQ8_qpc5n7VfR4MQzbzNgNOUB8a-UnUEXHY8ulQyQv4LO0adThMlinV_qRBiayS3gW4proine36J1OjG2wPgYwayIS1Fn7sP-iidZKaO_zIm8M3qwLAtqk8GeiAyGE-Qry677oxI/w300-h400/IMG_4458.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Ngongotaha, I had a laugh with the woman in this ute - it really looked like the dog was planning on driving...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <br /></p><p>Before we left Ngongotaha and after our yummy breakfast (see the previous post) David emptied the cassette and the grey water while I got the inside of the motorhome ready for the journey. It's not that the jobs are divided up as blue jobs and pink jobs, but David prefers to do the waste and water stuff. I'm not sure why, to be honest. I think he likes to take on that load as he appreciates that I do a big share of the workload as I'm the only driver. I did do some handwashing while he was doing two of the three water jobs - two tops of mine, knickers and socks. I hung them in the shower as they had to drip dry - no spinner and my hands are not the best at wringing things out these days - it's old age weakening my wrists, dammit! (Today, I shook out the floor-mats while David vacuumed and I realised just how weak my arms and writs are - weights training coming up! Cans of tomatoes will be multipurpose items on this holiday...)<br /></p><p>As we left the NZMCA camp, google maps showed both left and right as options. A left turn seemed easier so off we went - and it took us up the western side of the lake and into a really windy gorge road through the Mangawera Forest. Very different from the Kaimai Range Road, the main route from the Waikato to Tauranga, which is wide, has lots of passing lanes and is quite open. Great scenery on the way we went - not that I could indulge in much viewing of it...</p><p>We had planned to park the motorhome outside Pauline and Barry's place in Papamoa but we would have had to be a bit on the roadway, and their street is not particularly wide. So we decided on the Tasman Holiday Park right beside Papamoa Beach that we have stayed at twice before. No site with a sea view but that didn't matter. We were however just down the bank from the site we stayed on with Kirsty and Olek earlier this year.π</p><p>It was good to see B&P - we had lots of great times with them in the UK as fellow members of the Zero Degrees Club, and Barry was an absolute boon for us when we were new to the boat; especially when we went out on to the Thames, their boating experience was invaluable to us. And they loved coming to stay onboard. Lots of fun and laughter...</p><p>About 3 years ago on a Zero Degrees Weekend in Taranaki, Barry had a stroke and he's had a series of them since. So he's no longer the fit and healthy man he was, and it's been a struggle for him accepting the limitations of his life now. But we still had lots of laughs, and I was my usual sensitive self, as you'd expect!</p><p>Pauline and I decided on a Thai curry for dinner and because we are veggie, I took on making it. I have lemongrass and lime leaves in the freezer. I did forget a vital ingredient though in the final concoction - Thai curries need sugar (I think it's the lemongrass and lime leaves) and I didn't add any. So when it was served up, Pauline added sweet chilli sauce - yum!! There were plenty of leftovers so we had a container each - last night's dinner for them and for us, even though we were at Karaka by that time and they were still in Papamoa.</p><p>On our way out of the Tauranga area, we all drove to Helen and Alan's place near Katikati. They weren't home and we did go down to the orchard hunting but no luck. So we had lunch in the motorhome outside H&A's place, then P&B drove back to Papamoa and we drove on to Karaka.</p><p>The drive is through the Karangahake Gorge - a dramatic and very starkly beautiful landscape. I think it was originally a gold mining area. And no, Irene, I didn't take any photos! I am not allowed to wield the phone two handed and drive at the same time, woman. And if I ask David to take photos I am well past where I want them taken from before he has even recognised that I have asked him a question or made a request.</p><p>We went through Ngatea and I felt really guilty because Jan and Rae have moved there recently and we didn't call in. My bad. And when I looked at 2IJ's list of places we should visit, Ngatea Water Gardens was on it - I had seen it as we drove through but ignored it... However, we are planning another trip to the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel later this year, so it's on the list for then.</p><p>Eventually we joined up with SH1 on the motorway that heads to and through Auckland. We were struck by the bizarre numbering of the motorway exits (496, 491, 475, 468, ...) and I need to investigate how they were decided on. The only logical explanation we could come up with was that it was to do with distance from the northern most point of the motorway, but that is a guess and probably not correct. In my scenario, the 496 would be 49.6 miles or kms. I am going to look it up and find out because it's weird!</p><p>We had originally intended to stay behind a pub on the Gt South Road, but when we looked at the reviews there were mixed responses. And a Saturday night behind a pub may not be the best for us old early to bed bunnies.</p><p>So we went to a fabulous Park Over Property (POP) at Karaka called Ribbonwood. What a lovely place - a beautiful place off the beaten track, a wonderful garden and very lovely hosts - and friendly George, the rabbiting cat!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOAc8bdk7Xqw6ca9ufbFiKloEfujqCASKtT4vv2UrR-X5T3k3yaaYt0m8ENEZNaI_OFy7CgFTLMlOdQTYvf2EHDtsS8Of_-lXWCES0rVZOOTGHeD0b2PJIA70wP-LKXc6kHsUL0AmlcgtnU1uitHtjzUOP831GFfex7nPPKjfW1v-hEJbWGkXZ39safHQ/s4032/IMG_4464.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOAc8bdk7Xqw6ca9ufbFiKloEfujqCASKtT4vv2UrR-X5T3k3yaaYt0m8ENEZNaI_OFy7CgFTLMlOdQTYvf2EHDtsS8Of_-lXWCES0rVZOOTGHeD0b2PJIA70wP-LKXc6kHsUL0AmlcgtnU1uitHtjzUOP831GFfex7nPPKjfW1v-hEJbWGkXZ39safHQ/w400-h300/IMG_4464.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of three chestnut trees on the lawn at Ribbonwood. They are beautiful and remind me so much of England.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDA_sWge4tCCkAyyHEvk905eTDrFJ49oULkYxOSU7agLpG81iwQ7F-FlPJG1ncA0FRI0RM9WGkKnnYF3CPphqV1roFZUz1QAxK5bV_QF17nkMRP2BniJqomNPPbKzX3kmjTaAO-7LclUCtKmo0jsbaki_6nHe7VFzlTk9PlFxe2kCM06Xqs3W142KbcE8/s4032/IMG_4466.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDA_sWge4tCCkAyyHEvk905eTDrFJ49oULkYxOSU7agLpG81iwQ7F-FlPJG1ncA0FRI0RM9WGkKnnYF3CPphqV1roFZUz1QAxK5bV_QF17nkMRP2BniJqomNPPbKzX3kmjTaAO-7LclUCtKmo0jsbaki_6nHe7VFzlTk9PlFxe2kCM06Xqs3W142KbcE8/w400-h300/IMG_4466.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading back down the drive for a walk<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirFteSKlZ0p3dLzlG0y1zhDCvc4ZgxnPZQAukvArg0MiBipqg3wChqDCfRtR_g3DvUcAomjQGBlWqF9g9IsVpVEIEzgf0wQVRWtbrNa0P7DSslBCAXUVXzuGzd5XLHZcY68BqCMkgo1iX9CE3sdRqLB-35jsmQEMw4wj9H6lshuEmbdwKXZdNq45hYevY/s4032/IMG_4467.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirFteSKlZ0p3dLzlG0y1zhDCvc4ZgxnPZQAukvArg0MiBipqg3wChqDCfRtR_g3DvUcAomjQGBlWqF9g9IsVpVEIEzgf0wQVRWtbrNa0P7DSslBCAXUVXzuGzd5XLHZcY68BqCMkgo1iX9CE3sdRqLB-35jsmQEMw4wj9H6lshuEmbdwKXZdNq45hYevY/w400-h300/IMG_4467.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Are these clivia?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPnJly1NQ15rcdNIVW3KDWGL9dSVhyB9l-GykHsArbzIhDYefgXt1NkvVp1kXP5rxzrALz7dmRgfLa4zB2ojlW566vZwktGUFAK7Vy9i-cIFv6rd7vmyT1VGfX0gB87mf5HVl-U2Y1-Z7842E_sJ54gtLVCABHJECTeMkYikOwa1xjjMfTaddi8pfbyg/s4032/IMG_4468.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPnJly1NQ15rcdNIVW3KDWGL9dSVhyB9l-GykHsArbzIhDYefgXt1NkvVp1kXP5rxzrALz7dmRgfLa4zB2ojlW566vZwktGUFAK7Vy9i-cIFv6rd7vmyT1VGfX0gB87mf5HVl-U2Y1-Z7842E_sJ54gtLVCABHJECTeMkYikOwa1xjjMfTaddi8pfbyg/w400-h300/IMG_4468.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A boardwalk as part of the path that Kate has established through the garden.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEzeZQc8DReoTzNEaFCa-BGK7PSYHH42owcyWMRG5q4sff5XEU3i4K6tYAJDOoNGd2VrH0fdoi5kQmYYtDJPNDh7koFsRJ5n98ro4x8nUX5Ofa7jaaiZ6OeYOWPD74PZgqp1vIwyB7ouDnA_XoB49c4mfo47hLZlcZxThvYRtHsBeCE4PM1kbrpYEQh4/s4032/IMG_4469.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEzeZQc8DReoTzNEaFCa-BGK7PSYHH42owcyWMRG5q4sff5XEU3i4K6tYAJDOoNGd2VrH0fdoi5kQmYYtDJPNDh7koFsRJ5n98ro4x8nUX5Ofa7jaaiZ6OeYOWPD74PZgqp1vIwyB7ouDnA_XoB49c4mfo47hLZlcZxThvYRtHsBeCE4PM1kbrpYEQh4/w400-h300/IMG_4469.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And there's the CROW - isn't that a beautiful setting?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcoXQxOMhMvt1Tpj26nXLDIwoROBkpZ0D7FFXeCcNCJ6et6E6jalsyKbr0xPHl7OWL6J58pZMdHkZ1h0rddH6QPWYi5e_xXJ8fFjX0rINIyiVZr8kLFb0H7QXQ89kFiJhWrMUj4YaomUfbI87uTsAxYanpjPOVgR9QWLpQ8_4fXMDMV1kWzD2wdK43ws/s4032/IMG_4470.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcoXQxOMhMvt1Tpj26nXLDIwoROBkpZ0D7FFXeCcNCJ6et6E6jalsyKbr0xPHl7OWL6J58pZMdHkZ1h0rddH6QPWYi5e_xXJ8fFjX0rINIyiVZr8kLFb0H7QXQ89kFiJhWrMUj4YaomUfbI87uTsAxYanpjPOVgR9QWLpQ8_4fXMDMV1kWzD2wdK43ws/w400-h300/IMG_4470.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The thought that has gone into this garden is a joy.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5qt3MUjQxsDUfHQJxkV-NS84GNHcP4_GJi6p4Aaq32uwGJA0ibKVCKPm9sEYcI4Z8cESKTwQB5sYlnl0MXX_YiuD1dIHHLCXkQK6GJWusZ2DMNBsorZEx-ATvpr7VVFKqAONnpZHhlewv7PJ_pFjEyGSDKNGfDP02SDaqowfJbcP1JgzuXOHdfMBcQQ/s4032/IMG_4471.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5qt3MUjQxsDUfHQJxkV-NS84GNHcP4_GJi6p4Aaq32uwGJA0ibKVCKPm9sEYcI4Z8cESKTwQB5sYlnl0MXX_YiuD1dIHHLCXkQK6GJWusZ2DMNBsorZEx-ATvpr7VVFKqAONnpZHhlewv7PJ_pFjEyGSDKNGfDP02SDaqowfJbcP1JgzuXOHdfMBcQQ/w300-h400/IMG_4471.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An arty shot, yes? Beautiful leaves, and I don't know what tree that is.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDQYdCuX5hsoFW3Y0uSwnM3C_XqNkkVfJdv43oP92TJKnZxf87eZ77Q_s2vrKBe4AFI1qMaipQ__mIrLfVq7UIqwughtg5y2XyGS5rMDZUFXgGerlONOwzR9pB89m8nodcmuTro99-82GRIjTz1eshazK2weTLKY46qpYzAdKebie54feh_2ogMYgIvs/s4032/72198116466__DF326C7E-BAA4-424A-966F-8B53EA98D279.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDQYdCuX5hsoFW3Y0uSwnM3C_XqNkkVfJdv43oP92TJKnZxf87eZ77Q_s2vrKBe4AFI1qMaipQ__mIrLfVq7UIqwughtg5y2XyGS5rMDZUFXgGerlONOwzR9pB89m8nodcmuTro99-82GRIjTz1eshazK2weTLKY46qpYzAdKebie54feh_2ogMYgIvs/w400-h300/72198116466__DF326C7E-BAA4-424A-966F-8B53EA98D279.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view out of the windscreen across the lawn. I saw a rabbit hopping there and George was NOT in pursuit!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2wmm_fVaD9YUqehy_rq4Ck2ok-2_2EBhnxu8mP0Hf6MS9ReWZ66nH0NRFi6sW9yWD9FKh9oVUGXpRpR7QAggC39EZZtUtN93QvbxrgKoDx5AOlA0EYsn6xp7Vj-a6t8bgcz6ZFriwoYgoLTTceWXetEOzVi-F2qnRm6q8ekX-M3A_prHU04zyhM_S4c0/s4032/IMG_4465.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2wmm_fVaD9YUqehy_rq4Ck2ok-2_2EBhnxu8mP0Hf6MS9ReWZ66nH0NRFi6sW9yWD9FKh9oVUGXpRpR7QAggC39EZZtUtN93QvbxrgKoDx5AOlA0EYsn6xp7Vj-a6t8bgcz6ZFriwoYgoLTTceWXetEOzVi-F2qnRm6q8ekX-M3A_prHU04zyhM_S4c0/w400-h300/IMG_4465.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roses and agapanthus at the gate.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>It rained overnight David tells me but I slept through most of it, and it rained today as we headed away to get through Auckland. Our first task was to find the Bruce Pullman Reserve (in Takanini, I think - Google Maps is a wonderful thing!) so we could fill with water and empty the cassette again - who keeps filling it? We then headed for The Warehouse so David could buy an adapter plug. (He got the wrong one, so a refund is required and we now know that he can find the one he needs at The Chemist Warehouse.)</p><p>The parking area is very tight and there is no parking out on the street. I did find a row of 5 or 6 empty parks that I could use and then I did a three point turn so I was facing the right way for heading away. The motorhome is manoeuvrable**! **How should that be spelled?</p><p>We fetched up at Wenderholm Regional Park, having booked a site here. A bit of a faff as we had to register with Auckland Regional Council first and their password requirements are stricter than most I've used. We arrived and found the park was chocka block with kayakers and their cars! But on the outskirts away from the water, we found some hardstanding and a noticeboard which indicated that the hardstanding was one of the bookable sites - result!!<br /></p>I spent much of the afternoon sitting out in the sunny breeze reading. Bliss!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0SkjVTOncq_xcY2e8_XiwvXYgZYzXkNwjN7GQXaH5TOxlueXCpYcijD2PSUXT5FHPumKhxStxJRHaCkJuCkGR-p6U8Fzto2cEGpcGGQJYza7aZyqKNsQxnqSb6uZmfBBvX4d2dHniIBrhzcOpWiOq99xApxp9P1Hjtv6cOhd2T4i0g3z0W4q96yrWVNM/s4032/IMG_4475.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0SkjVTOncq_xcY2e8_XiwvXYgZYzXkNwjN7GQXaH5TOxlueXCpYcijD2PSUXT5FHPumKhxStxJRHaCkJuCkGR-p6U8Fzto2cEGpcGGQJYza7aZyqKNsQxnqSb6uZmfBBvX4d2dHniIBrhzcOpWiOq99xApxp9P1Hjtv6cOhd2T4i0g3z0W4q96yrWVNM/w400-h300/IMG_4475.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lovely large piece of hardstanding just for us!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1OYP7r8WdmFP2n2jRDEMGQnQ6jIrH0LIsRwWGCsBTsofshXfIsaiq2ocv8h1NjVbax5KrQaaiEI92Mgcz1COBK7ZjjK2w105sZ4vyaFs60PQVA69BrTCniQR_yPw4vWfgXVG1CMEhvgj429Hicqc1M34UyWPKHo_qtpMSjESdILgRSnuR3Yw9h89rlUE/s4032/IMG_4476.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1OYP7r8WdmFP2n2jRDEMGQnQ6jIrH0LIsRwWGCsBTsofshXfIsaiq2ocv8h1NjVbax5KrQaaiEI92Mgcz1COBK7ZjjK2w105sZ4vyaFs60PQVA69BrTCniQR_yPw4vWfgXVG1CMEhvgj429Hicqc1M34UyWPKHo_qtpMSjESdILgRSnuR3Yw9h89rlUE/w400-h300/IMG_4476.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And lovely trees to look out at.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IwEsakYIU0U65EXvWs_BCgT8Slajlsqe7PpXvo8rDzauwYsm2ia0bpgDZ12SDnKFOPDhy4FqX7PB9-nODu7RzjIL5gkqAbkXn3m0iZcRH7yhwt1S3TLkbFOfoMzxPTcQJh5lgqMapl_7g8gTIDFT6p7cZ0PpiFQJQvcs-Uh7huhHq7LKMssRh1mkQqM/s4032/IMG_4479.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IwEsakYIU0U65EXvWs_BCgT8Slajlsqe7PpXvo8rDzauwYsm2ia0bpgDZ12SDnKFOPDhy4FqX7PB9-nODu7RzjIL5gkqAbkXn3m0iZcRH7yhwt1S3TLkbFOfoMzxPTcQJh5lgqMapl_7g8gTIDFT6p7cZ0PpiFQJQvcs-Uh7huhHq7LKMssRh1mkQqM/w400-h300/IMG_4479.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After dinner, when the place had emptied out pretty much, we went out for a walk. This pou was carved from a totara tree trunk. This side represents a waka (a canoe) depicting the number of waka that arrived here.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnikeMJYKdlefg7ICqrSkEyV726ItT_Xkr_PdyGjHbvyuu4RVGiIE2FfjZTno6O9wlKspIRbntIhnwXu-E2PiKZ6_CgVxvMuBLT4Qic4YfjVZLiOofz7pOpRV2Vwofw-DH9xLnV_LckqDyxoB5QFOhsCxgN1XLOZmSgUgxBND8p6qTiRvLKZDK1NMyXE/s4032/IMG_4480.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnikeMJYKdlefg7ICqrSkEyV726ItT_Xkr_PdyGjHbvyuu4RVGiIE2FfjZTno6O9wlKspIRbntIhnwXu-E2PiKZ6_CgVxvMuBLT4Qic4YfjVZLiOofz7pOpRV2Vwofw-DH9xLnV_LckqDyxoB5QFOhsCxgN1XLOZmSgUgxBND8p6qTiRvLKZDK1NMyXE/w400-h300/IMG_4480.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This side of the pou represents the people - there is a fuller explanation in the following photos.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqvi2pO0VImat90lT4JvcNPXIR-lurwTVc55UuA_ZIM0pUCcrYDMhKCSMrwDFfA83Ms-N5gsB5L5jc9Hqo6d4JtbRTJK2zY-kQQefVs9xiB6IIjHWFUm59uWJjgUD8OJAU4yDK8WxsQKD-r85JkTFVialEKhpCSrA361bXTVm1XDtH5jDwFJYgBK44qNE/s4032/IMG_4482.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqvi2pO0VImat90lT4JvcNPXIR-lurwTVc55UuA_ZIM0pUCcrYDMhKCSMrwDFfA83Ms-N5gsB5L5jc9Hqo6d4JtbRTJK2zY-kQQefVs9xiB6IIjHWFUm59uWJjgUD8OJAU4yDK8WxsQKD-r85JkTFVialEKhpCSrA361bXTVm1XDtH5jDwFJYgBK44qNE/w480-h640/IMG_4482.HEIC" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2t0ndPulmNfMhwlTbzs7SdZwrVoZ-m8gXecDzeoRIAJVlZjihn3LE4wF_PM_LzuVNR3KquEN5rsJ4gylNNjhTNWfnL36jDAnCNZC-UkprOg2yd8UKrZpQepevPRVKmKUd-bhjf39ImsdRi06vrVz7DnxGN-6FIZnS5nMe5xcBl-sYW1pf26kWa90MsS4/s4032/IMG_4483.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2t0ndPulmNfMhwlTbzs7SdZwrVoZ-m8gXecDzeoRIAJVlZjihn3LE4wF_PM_LzuVNR3KquEN5rsJ4gylNNjhTNWfnL36jDAnCNZC-UkprOg2yd8UKrZpQepevPRVKmKUd-bhjf39ImsdRi06vrVz7DnxGN-6FIZnS5nMe5xcBl-sYW1pf26kWa90MsS4/w640-h480/IMG_4483.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4KoZzXHe1I6M9roI-jhbGFpW6H5tewz83e9Wrube0HBRMby6o2ttEcqokpV73ic2snnCq3njAOPgRt-4iJSVdBAfOJUiF0BcOMNvdSv_YqTdnaOwcWDJdYhyphenhyphen5TTJYThPXhb5QAwtRKd8rJkGyAgfrPbHLU3_fq-RXH9nMSqFO_9rPf8K9pUpK7GpZluQ/s4032/IMG_4484.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4KoZzXHe1I6M9roI-jhbGFpW6H5tewz83e9Wrube0HBRMby6o2ttEcqokpV73ic2snnCq3njAOPgRt-4iJSVdBAfOJUiF0BcOMNvdSv_YqTdnaOwcWDJdYhyphenhyphen5TTJYThPXhb5QAwtRKd8rJkGyAgfrPbHLU3_fq-RXH9nMSqFO_9rPf8K9pUpK7GpZluQ/w400-h300/IMG_4484.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This homestead is open for viewing on Saturday and Sunday afternoons - I didn't realise that so we missed out!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOilDZLE8odkbwdYz32gPSOhqkE5Huos2Js5jVXJ4TPKa8PbMvHzfqgFeWYgYPBX8vLhZBpS6gChphQ8o9mDah3Itvnx_sHV3AXuS5ap9NgAfXrXcc3Q9IZlYQqodLYD237CSZx2lp9whCAVADejgLGCzoG1tQVZpEn6JPr4UbP9rQCnRENby_oNhOhM/s2048/8fabbefd-da75-488c-8aa1-4c66a3213f26.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOilDZLE8odkbwdYz32gPSOhqkE5Huos2Js5jVXJ4TPKa8PbMvHzfqgFeWYgYPBX8vLhZBpS6gChphQ8o9mDah3Itvnx_sHV3AXuS5ap9NgAfXrXcc3Q9IZlYQqodLYD237CSZx2lp9whCAVADejgLGCzoG1tQVZpEn6JPr4UbP9rQCnRENby_oNhOhM/w300-h400/8fabbefd-da75-488c-8aa1-4c66a3213f26.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our darling granddaughter Caitlin died 15 years ago. Marta, our lovely former daughter in law, sent us this photo of her headstone in St John's Town of Dalry. She will have gone to visit the cemetery most likely with her mum, Jola. When Marta sent the photo, David and I were listening to Robbie Williams singing I'm loving angels instead - a song that always reminds me of Caitlin.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-80220198496903841132023-11-18T00:01:00.000-08:002023-11-18T11:55:28.574-08:00A gradual move towards the north<p>We had a lot of fun in Whanganui, catching up with old friends - it is so important to maintain those connections, and it feels more important as we age. And it's mind-blowing in a way to consider how much we have changed as we age. Mary and I were young mothers together - we knew of each other prior to that as we were both teaching, and Wanganui (as it was <b>always</b> known then by pakeha) is not that big a city and teachers from most schools congregated at the Riverside Tavern late on Friday afternoons to unwind from the week. Mary and I met officially when we both joined La Leche League, an organisation that supported (does it still exist?) mothers in breastfeeding - the rise of formula was vigorous at that time, and breastfeeding was in decline. From those meetings, an Aramoho playgroup started. We met in each other's homes on Wednesday mornings; if it was at your place, you provided morning tea with food. The babies/toddlers played <b>alongside</b> each other (not much playing <b>with</b> occurs at that age) and the mothers chatted, solved problems, discussed washing powder, got support from each other. I remember one week when one mother very very bravely informed the group that her child had been diagnosed with a brain damage issue. At first there was a shocked silence but I seem to remember I encouraged her to talk it through and tell us all more. Some of the mothers were uncomfortable, but it did make it easier moving forward to discuss Shelley's development and helped her mum to relax with us - unfortunately there is an unwitting competition in terms of each child's progress, and when one child is clearly lagging behind the 'normal' curve, having open conversations about that is much more supportive and helpful.</p><p>When David and I moved to Wellington in 1979, I was unexpectedly grief-stricken by homesickness for playgroup and Wednesdays in Kilbirnie were a time of tears for me. So catching up with Mary in particular is a must. </p><p>However I must complain that she no longer does any home baking! I had to rely on Cheryl for that (lovely muffins and some cheesy treats - note to self: get recipes from Cheryl) To be fair though, Mary did give us a jar of her freshly made lime marmalade to take away...<br /></p><p>And it was Mary and Alan who lent/hired out their camper to 2IJ for 5 months starting about a year ago. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdM6ylV-Wdngnr7h17WQ827wp89uKcGgHYUR4oIqlS5V8Kr_qurnMofCe7ucAKAIu6pgDxeS9fpW5QUg0yoI_AyxaoIoxOzHMCK8W68vBIgHxYABGicJ8aZmAJa7NkbRGKY0dodJkOquMp3Xn1FxTLV9eVrmdyl75WYgg6nl-IWETgRNW-9fYVhiALYN0/s4032/IMG_4434.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdM6ylV-Wdngnr7h17WQ827wp89uKcGgHYUR4oIqlS5V8Kr_qurnMofCe7ucAKAIu6pgDxeS9fpW5QUg0yoI_AyxaoIoxOzHMCK8W68vBIgHxYABGicJ8aZmAJa7NkbRGKY0dodJkOquMp3Xn1FxTLV9eVrmdyl75WYgg6nl-IWETgRNW-9fYVhiALYN0/w400-h300/IMG_4434.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary</td></tr></tbody></table><p>While we were in Whanganui we also caught up with Tom with whom I worked in Telecom; so he is a much newer old friend, but no less precious for all that. Last time we caught up with Mary she was stunned to find out that Tom is a friend of ours - she knows him through SeniorNet as they have both been involved in helping people with computer and phone hassles. Tom won't touch anything Macintosh and is quite scathing - as are many people who are determinedly Android. Sounds suspiciously like alien to me - weren't R2D2 and C3PO androids? and weren't they alien?</p><p>On the day we caught up with Tom, Cheryl and I had been to the pool at 6.40am and walked for an hour in the water. It's very convivial because we could chat together and with her friend Pam who comes too. Easier and less breath-taking than swimming and probably not as good for me as swimming from an aerobic pov, but better because it still has some impact. That day, David wanted to walk down to meet Tom - about 4kms probably - but I cried off and Cheryl dropped me off. However I did walk about 3/4 of the way home as I met Cheryl at the supermarket, shopped and then got a ride home. I had managed before that to buy new shirts for David from Farmers. Lovely ones. The guy on the till asked what my husband had done to deserve them. He got fat, I answered... A woman also waiting to pay for goods said she had refused to buy new trousers for her husband because he'd gained weight - she told him he needed to eat less. At least I am doing both ... </p><p>Of course, I felt generous towards David as I had bought a lovely blouse for myself ...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxmXTKx3nKTgsBXNuIaodFyYaKws9Dz7JjKxN3MSEPwizQBGNtt0HXp_umZFMlT8aUceX3P9PjuqkcdnSaUwoHmm01yg4epGdOPXMrlz6Yk3VaX0TuZ6MV4cwGisTX8EE63bwFqJslMDdsG7hsIIyMMzIV7-zgcMwrP7ju0gNTt1azsir3JE8_6M7Uks/s4032/IMG_4428.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxmXTKx3nKTgsBXNuIaodFyYaKws9Dz7JjKxN3MSEPwizQBGNtt0HXp_umZFMlT8aUceX3P9PjuqkcdnSaUwoHmm01yg4epGdOPXMrlz6Yk3VaX0TuZ6MV4cwGisTX8EE63bwFqJslMDdsG7hsIIyMMzIV7-zgcMwrP7ju0gNTt1azsir3JE8_6M7Uks/w400-h300/IMG_4428.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset reflected in the windows of the motorhome.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZA-gWxXmeiR-nkVudhQPzyBuc3PdstRKqUs7dOBvZ-qHZ6MSiwwydGqjwJMFtlKYLVLhd_JnViAxO6dNdvvGtCSOd_UH4jRHqcn98EebbCE-B4Pol8tomvxWWlSMSzb7Ts1hws5NELnqKoaUyLL53yVlW75e-zDKj1ib9Kx29XEsBB3BJBd4QjRjr20/s4032/IMG_4429.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZA-gWxXmeiR-nkVudhQPzyBuc3PdstRKqUs7dOBvZ-qHZ6MSiwwydGqjwJMFtlKYLVLhd_JnViAxO6dNdvvGtCSOd_UH4jRHqcn98EebbCE-B4Pol8tomvxWWlSMSzb7Ts1hws5NELnqKoaUyLL53yVlW75e-zDKj1ib9Kx29XEsBB3BJBd4QjRjr20/w400-h300/IMG_4429.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The actual sunset...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4N7hL-uYYRuVqbimQAknSOq9rhb-27BdrmZQhdzM8IZEoRENeXuC_H4oY4x81fiNgokVtghVSIVZtkuYH4aCHa2t7qVN55qNvnVno9YMbKg85KHSYsBRxL4ZkPGuhChhCcjxY18vMdLw4aXbayAtQejKe3XKzNEg7JtZZL-VDdxKObfzjJacWEiHBMQ/s4032/IMG_4426.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4N7hL-uYYRuVqbimQAknSOq9rhb-27BdrmZQhdzM8IZEoRENeXuC_H4oY4x81fiNgokVtghVSIVZtkuYH4aCHa2t7qVN55qNvnVno9YMbKg85KHSYsBRxL4ZkPGuhChhCcjxY18vMdLw4aXbayAtQejKe3XKzNEg7JtZZL-VDdxKObfzjJacWEiHBMQ/s320/IMG_4426.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I need to check if this wine cellar is actually the way in to open the waste water tank to clean the probes that register the water level ...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>After 3 very enjoyable days, 3 wonderful dinners and 3 peaceful nights at Denny and Cheryl's we headed away. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY04PlKu7nrM8WeWF89-UFVcA9ahWduD9g1w17ijphMCVOA2ew61qlV3DhyphenhyphenPACJ_j8an1Xp6UEIm1mvPBmVwYEMrk3UaGQxTYQJyV2Y8yS-TPllfF40haplNFh35fGDPW6TeRLNDwuyaVWEQcXAh85wOLb2fyFGf4ED5kPs5ApyGKPOtunAwsbWWknsqk/s4032/IMG_4430.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY04PlKu7nrM8WeWF89-UFVcA9ahWduD9g1w17ijphMCVOA2ew61qlV3DhyphenhyphenPACJ_j8an1Xp6UEIm1mvPBmVwYEMrk3UaGQxTYQJyV2Y8yS-TPllfF40haplNFh35fGDPW6TeRLNDwuyaVWEQcXAh85wOLb2fyFGf4ED5kPs5ApyGKPOtunAwsbWWknsqk/w400-h300/IMG_4430.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As we were preparing to leave, Cheryl had a phone call from Libby updating her about their visit to Judy the day before. Judy id recovering very well!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5fGBTadernIC2_cJiM7RC9gwdrvmVt0i_1Z5rvlGJ0Vv7gx3tFK2QhgDLKLzK5-PC2UItqCCd90o02Kti1ZmfN3rUeh0fZqrDVtc_8rWQXl8JZc_Ej0WRJEb7JBaJw0Hag4Qq_4lOtQ8EjvGOW68TiB6qyUo6h7kypxdw9t8PHaKUFPjPNTl7WwpOIkg/s4032/IMG_4432.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5fGBTadernIC2_cJiM7RC9gwdrvmVt0i_1Z5rvlGJ0Vv7gx3tFK2QhgDLKLzK5-PC2UItqCCd90o02Kti1ZmfN3rUeh0fZqrDVtc_8rWQXl8JZc_Ej0WRJEb7JBaJw0Hag4Qq_4lOtQ8EjvGOW68TiB6qyUo6h7kypxdw9t8PHaKUFPjPNTl7WwpOIkg/w400-h300/IMG_4432.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Denny and David - David is wearing one of his new shirts, Denny is not.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Please note though that Denny did not manage to explain to me what he thought this coalition of 3 rightwing parties was going to look like, what compromises would be needed and what the resulting government could achieve... So I am still left thinking they are a wagonload of wankers, a fiasco of f*ckwits, a vanguard of vultures, a swamp of selfishness ...</p><p>Next stop was intended to be Pukawa to stay with Adair and John. So taking the advice of Denny and Cheryl and Pam in the pool, we headed up the Paraparas. It's a much better road than I remember - last time I travelled on it was with a friend when we went to a mutual friend's funeral - we'd met in Wanganui and took her van up. She was <b>not</b> taught to drive by my first husband Lou and accordingly she used to brake <b>on</b> the corners rather than before them ... AAARRRGGGHHH!!! So my memory was tainted by that overarching sense of fright and impending doom...π (that time I did insist on driving back to Wanganui or I was going to hire a car and drive myself. π)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWiGyIACIOv-sUVutdjak1cXkkAHAd8hisHqcOu_hax9WFgRQcpoweMw8823ypyl_ygCla9VTSiGZ4Dz1V4qNS-r7fUqCQXqWBR6QRL9dbhxKHyRUSnCQ8SrZLcl_lZG_kVOZTGdqi2f7bGocZskMgCtXuUkk5ghloxN7pY_P5Ol3zuQZJSxRhwwc1FSw/s4032/IMG_4435.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWiGyIACIOv-sUVutdjak1cXkkAHAd8hisHqcOu_hax9WFgRQcpoweMw8823ypyl_ygCla9VTSiGZ4Dz1V4qNS-r7fUqCQXqWBR6QRL9dbhxKHyRUSnCQ8SrZLcl_lZG_kVOZTGdqi2f7bGocZskMgCtXuUkk5ghloxN7pY_P5Ol3zuQZJSxRhwwc1FSw/w400-h300/IMG_4435.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raukawa Falls in the Paraparas<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_eNofTiK2WvyqxPQM-hxQmlNq0LP8z5TFn6q5NiP34NpqUiICv6quYDeHdJKKhqU_1CFQjce-Bec3skJcOywtEXVQtW18YQdIzwtlKYV7St2wyztYt9fweVOUmcMWEEzrjjBdnk59QSgQiECqeUash_RSKphQhFFwn6hm0k66em4qbpw5Z9xquf9B9U/s4032/IMG_4436.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_eNofTiK2WvyqxPQM-hxQmlNq0LP8z5TFn6q5NiP34NpqUiICv6quYDeHdJKKhqU_1CFQjce-Bec3skJcOywtEXVQtW18YQdIzwtlKYV7St2wyztYt9fweVOUmcMWEEzrjjBdnk59QSgQiECqeUash_RSKphQhFFwn6hm0k66em4qbpw5Z9xquf9B9U/w400-h300/IMG_4436.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A closer shot - good heavens, the iPhone camera is good at zooming in!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>This time, we got to Kakatahi and I noticed the telltale signs of an incipient migraine - the wiggly flashing lines that obscure my sight. The road is narrow but I found somewhere to pull <b>almost</b> off the road and I dashed for the bathroom cabinet to get and swallow 400mg of ibuprofen. Fortunately we were just opposite a turn off that had a layby with gravel piles. So I pulled over to the layby, parked and went to lie down on the bed while David closed blinds, got me a drink of water and then left me to it. The aura disappeared after about 15 minutes, as it does if I get the ibuprofen inside my system quickly. And I rested for another 15 minutes or so just to be sure. Then on we went. </p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVYz9-EINHfyLMTCY7pG8ByyOXrdHQoU4N4_95sZnRAbQOCI_zUZV1NySlM83DR6niLSgJ1-vKi_seu4HzhYhKUldpJbaRiY2F2ExmVt9sI-tV7Xbq06qagBfl69VOgGeTkxMEwgz5OiZMxKZy_GBiQ3zVQxSv38mksJuQ0GzTHNcxH53AJHFBi2suJ4A/s4032/IMG_4439.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVYz9-EINHfyLMTCY7pG8ByyOXrdHQoU4N4_95sZnRAbQOCI_zUZV1NySlM83DR6niLSgJ1-vKi_seu4HzhYhKUldpJbaRiY2F2ExmVt9sI-tV7Xbq06qagBfl69VOgGeTkxMEwgz5OiZMxKZy_GBiQ3zVQxSv38mksJuQ0GzTHNcxH53AJHFBi2suJ4A/w400-h300/IMG_4439.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That is Ruapehu behind/below that cloud<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCn-1QFSFiHj3UFhO6v3TRR94OUqzUt_0DfDj_MCurAexTwyUQoYgthJkfzaAPCjTktYyoVYmYdAtZTNMmyPVfHlIUKj8dylpVOANcYn9Tu7DJjFGulYUM1PSy_D4gwS_585e6yOgNTPRQVDDGMadE-AzDfObFZ0G5j4TjfFW8JBMMJuTch1-AZSpYz8/s4032/IMG_4437.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCn-1QFSFiHj3UFhO6v3TRR94OUqzUt_0DfDj_MCurAexTwyUQoYgthJkfzaAPCjTktYyoVYmYdAtZTNMmyPVfHlIUKj8dylpVOANcYn9Tu7DJjFGulYUM1PSy_D4gwS_585e6yOgNTPRQVDDGMadE-AzDfObFZ0G5j4TjfFW8JBMMJuTch1-AZSpYz8/w400-h300/IMG_4437.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a very big mountain<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>And when we arrived in Pukawa, there were John and Adair - yay!!</p><p>John is looking so much better than he was when we saw him in March - he's lost 35kg (mostly through having fluid pumped out of him) and that is helping his ability to move. It's not done much for his breathing, but he looks much healthier - better colour and more interested and involved in conversations - it's hard to feel interested when you are struggling to breathe or move.</p><p>Adair is amazing - she is extremely fit and always busy - she works constantly and consistently in their large garden and has a developing orchard, a greenhouse, a fenced off veg garden (rabbit deflection - Mel was no use in ridding the property of them, dammit. When is he going to start earning his keep?) and her flower/shrub garden is looking great - as she says, there's still lots to do but it is coming along beautifully. She has compost bins, a worm farm, buckets of worm wee, sheep poo tea and horse poo tea and some concoction which deters bugs - rhubarb leaf tea perhaps?<br /></p><p>But back to me: I had to be careful for the rest of that day and the next because the trail of the migraine can be long - tiredness, slight nausea, a general headache. So the following morning I didn't take Adair up on her offer to join her in her early morning walk - it sounded arduous.</p><p>But I did it the next day - and it was! Bruno, a lovely dog, joins Adair on the walk, unbidden but he is self assured enough to believe he is welcome... The walk goes along the main road to the Omori turn off, along that where Bruno awaits, then a right turn along the street and down a steep, zigzagging path. At the bottom of the path, it's turnaround and go back up - the path seems steeper on the way up for some reason, not sure why... Adair is fit enough to walk up without stopping. Not me. I stopped at every zig before it zagged. And on the early zigs, I stopped halfway up the zig - zags weren't even featuring and I needed to get my breath back! And at the top, Adair went to the lookout and waved and called down to me. Unkind!<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhML3Z0nE0s3JiyFiBiRccsWNPuoBHyYOYTcA9dmMi-bXaCaFIXyhqeHpUGT0hTIoinHiUL2VM2Qb8SUps33ac-sm3WtsYiErkQzexbxF0XyEO4TVicrUq5ZLzh2xCdeLngcWNxTc30xzbEIz1MeGHgk6iEqDmr2rYw5RxfbNVkyGZ9GYUWYEgD-_CkfWI/s4032/IMG_4447.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhML3Z0nE0s3JiyFiBiRccsWNPuoBHyYOYTcA9dmMi-bXaCaFIXyhqeHpUGT0hTIoinHiUL2VM2Qb8SUps33ac-sm3WtsYiErkQzexbxF0XyEO4TVicrUq5ZLzh2xCdeLngcWNxTc30xzbEIz1MeGHgk6iEqDmr2rYw5RxfbNVkyGZ9GYUWYEgD-_CkfWI/w400-h300/IMG_4447.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the arduous walk - this was at the bottom - I made sure to have a wee break here, knowing I would need all my strength to get back up the path - steep, zig zagging.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5RtziAu8daAUhFthhPvlPA27sN60MqdjitaapDBbxx08zKu1rJ3RIbqKNZRSXJHpVZ_2DK3tMjmFwG00pDgFyWeLu4teUX9ZnQ-x551_xIal02_mUsWbv-TGpAf1ueyVtT5W7ZJbzPtYf1CAFcNfO5somWykBOXnvvnYD6IlYx6LD1icVPC07t-tn0Mc/s4032/IMG_4449.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5RtziAu8daAUhFthhPvlPA27sN60MqdjitaapDBbxx08zKu1rJ3RIbqKNZRSXJHpVZ_2DK3tMjmFwG00pDgFyWeLu4teUX9ZnQ-x551_xIal02_mUsWbv-TGpAf1ueyVtT5W7ZJbzPtYf1CAFcNfO5somWykBOXnvvnYD6IlYx6LD1icVPC07t-tn0Mc/w400-h300/IMG_4449.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the beginning of the bottom zig that I had to climb up, having just walked down it. Difficult to see, but to the right of the path is Bruno who, as is the way with dogs, did the path about 10 times to our one.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylcCk9oY1XIROocWDaHp2IgsShbOil5C9UvxTqEnN2OvCHGLDhXp8XDrKLhPcjEfbk9mFyic14-De2g6grzytP9BwTVyujqO0HVqPkOXSin3d0BVvq2DBq8QbMLJGxwZPz2kaPR1b0oUQMjoXJcyCIu9xxqUMhG14py6QvR5jn4IYs-Pf3F5uLSOUDxc/s4032/IMG_4450.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylcCk9oY1XIROocWDaHp2IgsShbOil5C9UvxTqEnN2OvCHGLDhXp8XDrKLhPcjEfbk9mFyic14-De2g6grzytP9BwTVyujqO0HVqPkOXSin3d0BVvq2DBq8QbMLJGxwZPz2kaPR1b0oUQMjoXJcyCIu9xxqUMhG14py6QvR5jn4IYs-Pf3F5uLSOUDxc/w400-h300/IMG_4450.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adair on the lookout point - I waved but walked past determined not to stop by this stage until the path was no longer uphill.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>It was wonderful to see John and Adair too - this trip to Northland is serving more than one purpose, that is for sure!</p><p>After the walk (read route-march) and breakfast, we taught Adair how to play Quiddler. She won - but not really, because we didn't teach her how work out her score. She was good at adding up the values of the letters in her hand, but kept forgetting to let us know if she had gone out and <b>failed</b> to deduct the points for unused letters ... So I actually won, but we don't know by how much.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT93AOIVIY4djSebojzDg2yMmDiqObygb-TLAGyuCapnZbIUNr9SXL4P6OuwYGaNAFHtch3imeZRFJr9fRN5wwfq0kOajrLTVIzGeZT_D0FX8Dni4Tc_BJHOTmqgcJ7VWPh2WWg9hG71hWGebB-NobK7WSAs14hdy9ipu7wwNjVXC-eImZiefyMM1k8G0/s4032/IMG_4454.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT93AOIVIY4djSebojzDg2yMmDiqObygb-TLAGyuCapnZbIUNr9SXL4P6OuwYGaNAFHtch3imeZRFJr9fRN5wwfq0kOajrLTVIzGeZT_D0FX8Dni4Tc_BJHOTmqgcJ7VWPh2WWg9hG71hWGebB-NobK7WSAs14hdy9ipu7wwNjVXC-eImZiefyMM1k8G0/w400-h300/IMG_4454.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David and John as we were about to depart - after Adair had not really won the game of Quiddler...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOr_7ylQd-_z96DBPazSEGGVRJkEEauqmSqAwNRz5GTzRHFpbRRDHml9apVxOK22vF-Cy_K2RbpbTn9HazGcLoDMgFgrwJREI11n40gG2KPqeuww4YqLElsl-ztT3tc4i_DiX_II00HB_KYhVKXQuNCMfSuczDrV-dTF1EteMPIyFntatgQckJVdHcW74/s4032/IMG_4456.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOr_7ylQd-_z96DBPazSEGGVRJkEEauqmSqAwNRz5GTzRHFpbRRDHml9apVxOK22vF-Cy_K2RbpbTn9HazGcLoDMgFgrwJREI11n40gG2KPqeuww4YqLElsl-ztT3tc4i_DiX_II00HB_KYhVKXQuNCMfSuczDrV-dTF1EteMPIyFntatgQckJVdHcW74/w400-h300/IMG_4456.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David and John and the one who did NOT win Quiddler! Adair potted a cutting/seedling of an osteospermum for me - it is a lovely yellow with a purple centre - beaut! It's residing in the shower cubicle at the moment!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrg6zaI35-dil3fy5q-pkhIE-Rc4H1eoxeaaeiZKr_NgRjnghCqN5Wg6IBfH_mYZ-VbqjI77_8uE1eqHQlXLOngJ3ASf2ZPbDfEET7pun7Sc1rizIgRGoTXnhTNsuhM9A6rerFiLph3aSzphNKgBogtEjsqjqOAFcheJU2rrFR2UjQkIy2H01FaEFHCwA/s4032/IMG_4457.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrg6zaI35-dil3fy5q-pkhIE-Rc4H1eoxeaaeiZKr_NgRjnghCqN5Wg6IBfH_mYZ-VbqjI77_8uE1eqHQlXLOngJ3ASf2ZPbDfEET7pun7Sc1rizIgRGoTXnhTNsuhM9A6rerFiLph3aSzphNKgBogtEjsqjqOAFcheJU2rrFR2UjQkIy2H01FaEFHCwA/w400-h300/IMG_4457.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the selfie!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>We headed away, intending to get to Rotorua for the evening to stay at the NZMCA camp at Ngongotaha.</p><p>We thought we would stop for lunch at the cafe at Motuopa - nope!! Such extremely high prices had us leaving - $16 for a roast veg frittata that was the size of a muffin, $13.50 for a ham and cheese croissant. Nope nope nope.</p><p>So we moved on and found a layby down by the lakeside. And I made sourdough toast with hummus and sliced tomato. Much cheaper and very yummy.</p><p>The NZMCA park at Ngongotaha is good and well equipped but it's a bit noisy overnight: logging trucks on the adjacent state highway, and somewhere close by there was a yard where trucks were being loaded very early in the morning, i.e. about 4am...</p><p>Still and all, we had a long lie in with about 3 cups of tea for me. Then we walked into the village centre and had the most delicious brunch at the best cafe I think we have ever been to: Cafe Dynasti. Just wonderful! </p><p>And we had both forgotten to take our phones so there are no photos of our food, and we had to talk to each other. There were about 5 occasions when we would ordinarily have looked things up. But no, we couldn't ... And we have no photos to show for that section of our adventures, dammit!<br /></p>Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-43304075436487514432023-11-12T12:20:00.000-08:002023-11-12T12:20:02.546-08:00And we are in Whanganui with the shortcut that wasn't.<p> We <u><b>ALWAYS</b></u> underestimate how long it takes to pack the motorhome, so we left right on time - 2 hours later than planned.π We had eschewed going out to breakfast with the guys - and a good thing too as we would have been even later!</p><p>And the lesson from packing this time: load the bikes on <b>first</b> rather than last. </p><p>By the time we get to putting them on, I have got in and out of the motorhome about 30 times (only a very slight exaggeration), I'm hot from clambering on and off the bed to put things away, on to the seats, on the stool to reach in the pantry, cups and glasses cupboard and pots and pans cupboard and down on my knees to store stuff in the cupboard under the sink and under the stove. And then there's putting the linen in the locker under the north/south seat... And that doesn't count the steps to and from the house and getting stuff out of low and high cupboards in there!</p><p>And getting the bikes on was a palaver - they were loaded and I was about to raise the rack with the winding pole when I realised I hadn't secured the straps that hold the horizontal section steady. <b><i>BUGGER!!!</i></b> So off they came - that makes it sound easy but aaarrrggghhh!!! Secure the straps and then repeat the loading. No wonder I am tired before we head away!</p><p>A banana and an apple to restore blood sugar levels and we were off. And because we were still a bit peckish, we stopped at Levin for a McDonald's filet of fish. I would have liked to stop at a cafe for a proper brunch/lunch but that would have taken too much time!</p><p>It's not a very long drive to Whanganui and it's a journey we don't tire of. And especially good in the motorhome because visibility is so good!</p><p>We are parked up at Denny and Cheryl's place, in front of their motorhome. And it is so lovely to be spending time with them that we are staying 3 nights instead of 2. Yay!!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbRa9_eBFrMq-zA54KoG5hTzJcWCLGeUpqkCInxf1nrFkiAwhd7uQvkoKpndJ7jpgy0ymbYMtv2BCQnFNE1ImVGT1vxl4u1Jbp9-fKhzazOjEai0dvHG9cqxbo3StMcIrKREhgqblcQgGByG7kQab1mHTziQ-gEbxXkpMh7Cp4v1958CxPIffAkVCSrk/s4032/IMG_4418%202.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbRa9_eBFrMq-zA54KoG5hTzJcWCLGeUpqkCInxf1nrFkiAwhd7uQvkoKpndJ7jpgy0ymbYMtv2BCQnFNE1ImVGT1vxl4u1Jbp9-fKhzazOjEai0dvHG9cqxbo3StMcIrKREhgqblcQgGByG7kQab1mHTziQ-gEbxXkpMh7Cp4v1958CxPIffAkVCSrk/w300-h400/IMG_4418%202.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David was on breakfast yesterday served to me in bed<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepikmUG63TblAxyLjMhi_pLXRekE3t8UsvpoECcEFEufKDUlxKgodepyK5J24dm93e_xIU7rtT3vvI99xUP0-hiXz1r66I2T_DBMxkaxjuKffUYgVdkixDXwPyMfWXTPB9bRSrmaO8PE_RTJ1NKPlz5EbRfmbiDq86uKAaL33B6Eim_Ddl1jEkpBMH3M/s4032/IMG_4419.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepikmUG63TblAxyLjMhi_pLXRekE3t8UsvpoECcEFEufKDUlxKgodepyK5J24dm93e_xIU7rtT3vvI99xUP0-hiXz1r66I2T_DBMxkaxjuKffUYgVdkixDXwPyMfWXTPB9bRSrmaO8PE_RTJ1NKPlz5EbRfmbiDq86uKAaL33B6Eim_Ddl1jEkpBMH3M/w400-h300/IMG_4419.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And I sent this to Cheryl so she knew she didn't have to breakfast us.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> When I went inside for a shower, they were watching Q+A and Gerry Brownlee was being interviewed. He's a National Party politician I cannot stand and C&D are National supporters (it's their only flaw ...π), so I ran towards the TV with my arms out for a hug, saying 'Oh my favourite! The pieman!' Then I retreated to the shower to cleanse myself of seeing him... Lovely shower, by the way.<br /></p><p>Yesterday we walked over to visit Mary and Alan. We thought we would take the shortcut walk up the end of their street on to St John's Hill. Well, it's <b>not</b> a short cut and it's <b>not</b> short and it's <b>not</b> one hill, but it <b><i>is</i></b> a path of several up hill and down dale sections. And it seemed to be leading us away from the direction I thought we should be heading. So when I spied a road a short way off to the right of the path, I clambered up a little bank, across someone's scrappy front lawn (a bare section I think), on to the road. David, the intrepid one, cautiously followed ... No big dog was released to chase us off, no person came out shouting. And I waved in the direction of the house, just in case ...</p><p>Where we came out did require some backtracking on the streets but I knew where we were. </p><p>So it was a long walk to Mary and Alan's but a much shorter walk back - 50 minutes vs 30 minutes, and over 12,000 steps for me. 11,000-ish for David because he's got longer legs!<br /></p><p>It was lovely to see them. Neither of them are very well, but conversation was lively and it was great to see their younger son Craig, his wife Amy and their 7 year old twins who we've not met before.</p><p>Dinners have been lovely here at Cheryl and Denny's with contributions
from both households. Always a good way to eat, I think. And it lessens
the work for the hostess. Last night we had taco boats - yes, I know.
Weird name but so much less messy than taco shells! And lots of salad
vegetables and a tomato mix and C&D's yummy homegrown avocados.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTr_EpZIs2KaDXAMP-swRZvdDuFNRBg_nvF-gFLVcjMUB-XmwA-ik1nGmwXcjAwRcHwtSdALwpyijdmSl2xHPupkiq992hHQKzeewBcfNXZ7MAiAh-CoRYP4SOF_9umcm6KVnsef-yLO8xbtb7STMR4KY0DhgkvyMXpDLpb-9PWIeSDkCZxRRtzoMSYS4/s4032/IMG_4425.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTr_EpZIs2KaDXAMP-swRZvdDuFNRBg_nvF-gFLVcjMUB-XmwA-ik1nGmwXcjAwRcHwtSdALwpyijdmSl2xHPupkiq992hHQKzeewBcfNXZ7MAiAh-CoRYP4SOF_9umcm6KVnsef-yLO8xbtb7STMR4KY0DhgkvyMXpDLpb-9PWIeSDkCZxRRtzoMSYS4/w300-h400/IMG_4425.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheryl gave me this to drink last night - lovely, so I am going to look for it at the supermarket.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>This morning I have already been to the pool with Cheryl for pool walking for an hour. And later we are walking down to town to have a late brunch with Tom. Before that I am going to make a vege lasagne for tonight's dinner. David is making brekkie again - first problem: where had I hidden the serrated knife.<br /></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3o5juPjAIUbQMw-btel0n64xAcrMFws4nDjJsd7uYweA__IVhkEuCmaOvx-5bmpOoS8OVd9BqAg84sAM9rCLmZoCMMIpOKSZab_t1uxW27k0HcCHrjZtN7uzgf2-DRQwj8cXmtxSPsY3jr2kSSyOfLnexzpetrE4mmn0m0r0sQhHnHfsdUnahP81Ofds/s4032/IMG_4421.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3o5juPjAIUbQMw-btel0n64xAcrMFws4nDjJsd7uYweA__IVhkEuCmaOvx-5bmpOoS8OVd9BqAg84sAM9rCLmZoCMMIpOKSZab_t1uxW27k0HcCHrjZtN7uzgf2-DRQwj8cXmtxSPsY3jr2kSSyOfLnexzpetrE4mmn0m0r0sQhHnHfsdUnahP81Ofds/w300-h400/IMG_4421.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A recipe from Cheryl's Dish magazine that I need to try. I've taken a photo of it but not sure if I'll be able to read it properly - the magazine has olive green background with white print - difficult to read on the page, let alone in a photo ...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvLn42DTOtVdgnaeK_1k1zpbUjrwCmRPM09GFU4hcCcd5x_wFykj2YyfyWZwb2KGqE6PRzprlQF8syJ7qKNJ285mQ1MRirNwvPhkr61kbTqpyoOIS_B3_sfh88PKsPSnhVORfCxaZcX-11yvEJeWJIwOnEwhpQIS4HbP5HT8N5pyjnBMxvsdc_r69V4E/s4032/IMG_4422.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvLn42DTOtVdgnaeK_1k1zpbUjrwCmRPM09GFU4hcCcd5x_wFykj2YyfyWZwb2KGqE6PRzprlQF8syJ7qKNJ285mQ1MRirNwvPhkr61kbTqpyoOIS_B3_sfh88PKsPSnhVORfCxaZcX-11yvEJeWJIwOnEwhpQIS4HbP5HT8N5pyjnBMxvsdc_r69V4E/w300-h400/IMG_4422.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this looks yummy too.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><p><br /></p>Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-31708695147401912182023-11-10T11:34:00.004-08:002023-11-10T11:34:37.393-08:00And we are about to be off!<p> Today we are starting our big venture to the Far North. Of course we will be taking the journey in small chunks and visiting friends on the way - Denny and Cheryl, Mary and Alan, Tom, Adair and John, Pauline and Barry, hopefully Helen and Alan, Lynne and Brent, Melita and Richie.</p><p>However we are avoiding Taranaki - not because we don't want to go there, but because we so much love being there, that both times we have started out on a trip to the Far North in the past, we have not got past Tongaporutu ...</p><p>So it's up the middle of the island for us this time and we are coming home via Taranaki - Xmas with my lovely sister and her family in Waitara. I am on sticky toffee pudding and a suitable vegetarian dish. And, as Dee informed me, I must bring cheese tart ingredients - and why didn't I think of that, I responded ...</p><p>So the treacle and other dark sugars have been packed in the motorhome pantry, and there's some shopping to do closer to the time. I think I may make a nut roast and mushroom gravy. Note to self: pack the little whizz thing.<br /></p><p>Heading back through Taranaki means we will be able to see Jim and Judy - Judy has been flown back to Taranaki Base Hospital and is doing well. She is a strong and courageous woman and very determined to recover fully. And she will! She has had four operations over two weeks - the general anaesthetics certainly take their toll and therefore take time to recover from, and any time surgeons are delving inside our bodies there are insults (technical term, honest) to be recovered from. But Jim reports she is doing well and the rehab doctor is very happy with her progress and attitude: no surprises there then!<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVcgVcjEWKCToNTUZW4A0Y0k1GD2qw3thsa-CyhhW0MuNVCDAldK8u_HRPaTPqInuLZ6QhE73e_86qbP7CRGPM3FVsdOyx1_qSXZV6jzCFlaaNMP8WI9zZ5rCtFYii-ZV2Uz_z3OieOdh3y484sBhSpcbU00_Er8DhHV7cFs6SZbCFtEsDGM5FRHNiS4M/s3840/769C350D-CD5A-4295-BA09-D7AE66D941E5.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="3840" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVcgVcjEWKCToNTUZW4A0Y0k1GD2qw3thsa-CyhhW0MuNVCDAldK8u_HRPaTPqInuLZ6QhE73e_86qbP7CRGPM3FVsdOyx1_qSXZV6jzCFlaaNMP8WI9zZ5rCtFYii-ZV2Uz_z3OieOdh3y484sBhSpcbU00_Er8DhHV7cFs6SZbCFtEsDGM5FRHNiS4M/w400-h225/769C350D-CD5A-4295-BA09-D7AE66D941E5.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Games for the trip. Crosshand Poker isn't made anymore. Look on TradeMe or ebay for it. Mum used to play it lots and Dee has her old set. Dee introduced Olek to it when he was here and she lent it to us when we went away on our trip with Olek and Kirsty. We have since bought our own set, and no, you can't have it, Irene!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>It is lovely being here in Parkwood - Janet and Susan, our neighbours, have volunteered to water the gardens, bring in the mail, put out the rubbish while we are away. The sense of community is wonderful. We took our portable raised garden containers to Peter yesterday so he can pick and come again with the lettuces, silverbeet (chard) and spinach plants and there will be plenty of growth left in them when we get home. The garden will go nuts while we are away so it'll be interesting to see the progress it makes!</p><p>All of the roundabouts here are planted and the plantings are regularly changed. The largest roundabout was filled with poppies: white, red, yellow, orange; and they were due for removal early this week. Residents are welcome to dig up and take away any they wanted, so I took several (not orange though - not my favourite flower colour) and replanted them - they were still flowering and still had buds - and seedheads. So hopefully there will be lots more poppies doing their thing next season too!<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrghSzZ6ltZfiLRIK7dsQWspIl7algXGpLd9d2ddUTZuw1LJd5IZQgl16oD79xixLBU0a8_Ms2CrnK3nwpR0MnkimV51OpfaBYJI5vT3t95CK443Ac3FOSC248oB4IP7NQcaI3bzmXNpifDvpgPNAnorCYYhTWNteuPBaavA-TBaXEiI_HvwKrF6FA2Q/s4032/IMG_4388.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrghSzZ6ltZfiLRIK7dsQWspIl7algXGpLd9d2ddUTZuw1LJd5IZQgl16oD79xixLBU0a8_Ms2CrnK3nwpR0MnkimV51OpfaBYJI5vT3t95CK443Ac3FOSC248oB4IP7NQcaI3bzmXNpifDvpgPNAnorCYYhTWNteuPBaavA-TBaXEiI_HvwKrF6FA2Q/w300-h400/IMG_4388.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We have a frog in our pond! Yay!!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzWIsXKAvd5byTqPc9KGeXNpdZb8k3Hi1vRsyRmRfF39MkKNLY8CadeebR6FCq_Z7JUU2-LWmzB9AxNacDlQFZ76TfZmOTFTcvfeCL4XsSlEENVcDFBx-rFcnCvMC2c9rT5IHo5kb_I47uGf1cUP846D1T2vf7iCgZlaKcl-B0BOD0FUNlzSFIhnx4do/s4032/IMG_4413.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzWIsXKAvd5byTqPc9KGeXNpdZb8k3Hi1vRsyRmRfF39MkKNLY8CadeebR6FCq_Z7JUU2-LWmzB9AxNacDlQFZ76TfZmOTFTcvfeCL4XsSlEENVcDFBx-rFcnCvMC2c9rT5IHo5kb_I47uGf1cUP846D1T2vf7iCgZlaKcl-B0BOD0FUNlzSFIhnx4do/w300-h400/IMG_4413.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We have apples on the tree that Shona planted less than a month ago!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0of8vqli9Y1UqiJnn0OWr-SS87NNpnueZ_w_rNLsLpzZyBhc6dw69J2q-wwnc_GOv2zsUQqwaKRktmA6la-dGlRmqNx90GVeXnweTDyQLSbgE9DzxuhO457RqBB1e_e0ImT2LUJ7Jb81M3nYCjXNM_-N423wHiP2o115zz5ZEXeNwcb_19Or-l4Stk7Y/s4032/IMG_4414.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0of8vqli9Y1UqiJnn0OWr-SS87NNpnueZ_w_rNLsLpzZyBhc6dw69J2q-wwnc_GOv2zsUQqwaKRktmA6la-dGlRmqNx90GVeXnweTDyQLSbgE9DzxuhO457RqBB1e_e0ImT2LUJ7Jb81M3nYCjXNM_-N423wHiP2o115zz5ZEXeNwcb_19Or-l4Stk7Y/w300-h400/IMG_4414.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And there are peaches there on this one!!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>I insisted David come out for a walk the other evening as he'd been
working all day, needed to continue but his brain had reached overload. A
lovely walk around Parkwood helped.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZPEE0jPNtqQA0tfANQGu_9D0rsOSMIHgLiy5RladFVzkn3PE5U-n45UmJ_IRilcln_fFhbLSne_wH7QOwteJWG8lsHChGnkBsVncaNb7wE3fJ7BzkNN6PA3DOD6tt3LO9RMT22-ZvrvbvECRZQz6bezmy2TxzqynhfmzyGCF3SVWsdK5lyE6sZMzQkg/s4032/IMG_4407.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZPEE0jPNtqQA0tfANQGu_9D0rsOSMIHgLiy5RladFVzkn3PE5U-n45UmJ_IRilcln_fFhbLSne_wH7QOwteJWG8lsHChGnkBsVncaNb7wE3fJ7BzkNN6PA3DOD6tt3LO9RMT22-ZvrvbvECRZQz6bezmy2TxzqynhfmzyGCF3SVWsdK5lyE6sZMzQkg/w400-h300/IMG_4407.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Not</b> our garden or waterfall.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvEHhShL2mKEuNZqYznpanPulYewpP1oBWB1uDBSLMOjTyZeOIQr9t1wv-CxJt38S5SdaJulbBEFCAXcSGw33TG0aHsuIjezqNCFOz9Q0oRfF9PBUiXJV9MheO71864AQDjEJQZGMCR7LJacsHZ2n7NRhF0teklFIT2pCFGm0mM6JPkqe5YDyWnK6ZOG4/s4032/IMG_4408.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvEHhShL2mKEuNZqYznpanPulYewpP1oBWB1uDBSLMOjTyZeOIQr9t1wv-CxJt38S5SdaJulbBEFCAXcSGw33TG0aHsuIjezqNCFOz9Q0oRfF9PBUiXJV9MheO71864AQDjEJQZGMCR7LJacsHZ2n7NRhF0teklFIT2pCFGm0mM6JPkqe5YDyWnK6ZOG4/w400-h300/IMG_4408.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not our pond, by the way ... The surroundings here are beautiful.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /><br />I asked Olek for photos of his room in the student accommodation at Heriot Watt University. I was delighted to see his connections to Aotearoa NZ are strong:</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORaK4ZDGHYJX5dc_7ZutbxGRkAVycKU_dkNdeCUxMxIECqMnlMHE9LL3hNMuY3Mj7QNY02GnXhJPYvQZEP-AOuWae-ufH7zeuUwIJVe3VqLsG7FEwDprD0uXbwwmzYhDAERHeajpmd7MQbFzwBhd7A3YsWM3BXEoSVFJuqZCWiS3XT6ouqVtXnXFSFx8/s1920/8c32d0fb-dfde-4ab9-8354-6ef57ba90498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORaK4ZDGHYJX5dc_7ZutbxGRkAVycKU_dkNdeCUxMxIECqMnlMHE9LL3hNMuY3Mj7QNY02GnXhJPYvQZEP-AOuWae-ufH7zeuUwIJVe3VqLsG7FEwDprD0uXbwwmzYhDAERHeajpmd7MQbFzwBhd7A3YsWM3BXEoSVFJuqZCWiS3XT6ouqVtXnXFSFx8/w400-h225/8c32d0fb-dfde-4ab9-8354-6ef57ba90498.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The photos on the bottom right of his noticeboard are of Kirsty holding him when he was a baby and of all the people at his 6th (and Karol's 1st) birthday party in Opunake. And of course, the Hurricanes poster and ABs flag...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br />Okay, it's time I got up and finished the packing and prep for heading away. We are intending to be home before New Year as we have an arrangement to <b>not</b> see in the New Year with Robert and Glenn who came for a very casual and fun dinner last night: salmon and lemon butter pies from a local bakery with salads left over from a dinner party we had the night before. We wouldn't go away without seeing R&G...<br /></p><p>Being away for over 6 weeks requires judicious packing of enough clothing to not get bored with the same t-shirts every day, some warm layers in case it's cold, not the entire contents of the freezer (but yes to all the bread I've baked), and the bikes loaded on the back.<br /></p><p>I will be blogging regularly about this trip, so you have been warned! We are going to ask 2IJ for the places they saw and would recommend - may as well use their expertise and experience, don't you think?<br /></p>Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-22362651260197981412023-11-01T22:57:00.002-07:002023-11-01T22:57:38.912-07:00Bike riding and Judy updates<p>After losing our bottle for bike riding when we came home from visiting Judy in hospital on Monday, the following morning we decided we really had to get back on the bikes. I needed magnesium to settle the butterflies in the belly...</p><p>But off we bravely went, out of Parkwood and down Ngarara Road to Park Road, down Park Road to the cycleway on the pavement beside Te Moana Road and then on to the cycleway beside the expressway. I didn't go at my usual top speed and because I led the way (I can see better what is in front of us) David wasn't going flat out either - not that he ever does, actually. I am the speedy one. But not on Tuesday.</p><p>So we head along and everything starts to feel more comfortable - apart from my bum which got very numb - more and more numb in spite of about 3 stops for re-circulation π And about halfway to Peka Peka we came up and on to and across the road and on to the overbridge path - where we come across 4 cyclists coming towards us. All of whom apart from one were watching where they were going. But the last one, a guy, was looking all around him, taking no notice of the obstacle in front of him... I had to yell <b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: large;">LOOK</span></span></b> at him to get him to realise I was there with David following. Dumb-arse!</p><p>So my concern about falling off like Judy did by sliding from the tarseal into the gravel, or by being hit by a driver like Pauline had been, was overtaken by nearly being crashed into by an unobservant cyclist!! AAARRRGGGHHH!!!</p><p>Apart from that idiot, it was a lovely ride. And putting aside my very numb bum, of course!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGyxY9qvYYbB1VtrCxZvYhyphenhyphenJSRZ4cAljN0VK3YYDeEgrT9H883xvOrBcYzw2_vBwO-7w1rMffjQw0YukWJuo0kiwgJZnIgXAXnuwvPFGXZmgJbwWBqsGvCQnVgQJrFVqPK5GH2DjpmKQHMT2nCAUYokcuC89krTMeK70YDafEKoGtLxFp0YD7tAZO7J5g/s4032/IMG_4373.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGyxY9qvYYbB1VtrCxZvYhyphenhyphenJSRZ4cAljN0VK3YYDeEgrT9H883xvOrBcYzw2_vBwO-7w1rMffjQw0YukWJuo0kiwgJZnIgXAXnuwvPFGXZmgJbwWBqsGvCQnVgQJrFVqPK5GH2DjpmKQHMT2nCAUYokcuC89krTMeK70YDafEKoGtLxFp0YD7tAZO7J5g/w400-h300/IMG_4373.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We did a bit of a side trip down Smithfield Road between Waikanae and Peka Peka - nostalgia time as we lived in a Smithfield Road in Whanganui when we first moved there just under 50 years ago. This wood carving caught my eye.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvna3Pa6JCQRBK32Pkea6KK3x1gMvow5-ENSCwBQ_cU__3qKDT2x0sFYi4_q-R6y4HZA3_QSbc1GdM6sDJCxte20NCH6-82ybq7UDozK3vBGp57cICxSzk8f2UHTg0CfRGfn2HJYEwmu4RDMIrYQtOMEXyN0EJJtUYUEhpTA5YcdymUaX17IY16U0JJTs/s3840/7A849D1E-8937-40CB-B846-E42D0B912201.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="3840" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvna3Pa6JCQRBK32Pkea6KK3x1gMvow5-ENSCwBQ_cU__3qKDT2x0sFYi4_q-R6y4HZA3_QSbc1GdM6sDJCxte20NCH6-82ybq7UDozK3vBGp57cICxSzk8f2UHTg0CfRGfn2HJYEwmu4RDMIrYQtOMEXyN0EJJtUYUEhpTA5YcdymUaX17IY16U0JJTs/w400-h225/7A849D1E-8937-40CB-B846-E42D0B912201.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our turnaround point was at Harrison's Garden Centre at Peka Peka. While David went off to use the facilities, I got the blood recirculating in my buttocks by walking around and finding the best place to take a photo of our location to send to Julia who is in the cooling temperatures of the midlands in the UK.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>By the time we got back, my thighs were pretty sore, my bum was too, and I needed a rest - no stamina ... I had been going to make a vegetable pie for dinner that afternoon, using up the leftover of the vegetable and lentil stew I'd cooked the day before (see below), but once I'd made the pastry my store of energy ran out. So the pastry went in the fridge, the stew stayed there and I gave up on any dinner ... Bad wife.</p><p>And yesterday after making and delivering scones to the maintenance guys** and unloading the last load of rocks that Janet brought home, I went in to Wellington Hospital to visit Judy again. She was a bit tired so I didn't stay long, but I did get to see her half shaven head! I have a feeling she is going to be modelling herself on Pink after her piece of skull goes back in - that is scheduled for tomorrow morning.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWk0zjaGbFG0hogkVFn0k8iMPVCH0iOZqdmAPO0ceq3JzajU0DcKWdOiix-mCciJEklcIpfngvZroqmMBSOnDe2HEWmJ8B1fEJu6cSuc51uKU15UFWwYX3owXawjqRIeycgwFWIYv8OMaKoRid32Ek8-lwQfvhYGBWmWLD9ZrKZEc4I-7B2BgE76PXYLk/s4032/IMG_4375.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWk0zjaGbFG0hogkVFn0k8iMPVCH0iOZqdmAPO0ceq3JzajU0DcKWdOiix-mCciJEklcIpfngvZroqmMBSOnDe2HEWmJ8B1fEJu6cSuc51uKU15UFWwYX3owXawjqRIeycgwFWIYv8OMaKoRid32Ek8-lwQfvhYGBWmWLD9ZrKZEc4I-7B2BgE76PXYLk/w400-h300/IMG_4375.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See what I mean about her channelling Pink? Colour and style are already sorted!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgVv2TVMCJ8kKvpZFQPVoqIWSWtBAYnq-Ot38fDfsM0M1ds9bvVzKMi2YUbp9au_NS14OnsW5p4Jir4LVT7MzdGTXYyeiO9NXgUMKiIP8tJ7Q2iWi3ehia5kJFYY5sxCybtqAr5plaU0DNg7nH9tR92NgvV-Rx96BT63S0lC5NHw9Usnt9AY2lhC3lbY/s957/IMG_4371.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="828" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgVv2TVMCJ8kKvpZFQPVoqIWSWtBAYnq-Ot38fDfsM0M1ds9bvVzKMi2YUbp9au_NS14OnsW5p4Jir4LVT7MzdGTXYyeiO9NXgUMKiIP8tJ7Q2iWi3ehia5kJFYY5sxCybtqAr5plaU0DNg7nH9tR92NgvV-Rx96BT63S0lC5NHw9Usnt9AY2lhC3lbY/w346-h400/IMG_4371.jpg" width="346" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I sent this to Jim for Judy's benefit...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <br /></p><p>**I owed scones to Dean because on Monday while we were heading into Wellington to see Judy for the first time, he had had to go and check that the
vegetable stew on the stovetop was switched off - I couldn't remember if
I had done so ... And yes, I had, but even so: aaarrrggghhh!!! <br /></p><p>I left David at home toiling away on his Weaving Memories work, and instead of coming straight home, I went for lunch with Jim at Burger Fuel so he could catch me up on what the doctor had discussed with him, Judy and their daughter Stephanie who phoned in from Adelaide. I have a WhatsApp Group set up with some of the Zero Degrees members so I can give updates. It saves Jim from having to do multiple messages and it means Adair, Pauline, Cheryl and I can group chat ... What's not to like?<br /></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7s3Vj_t7xwQaKufyWmFMEywy-C-iZv-3OzqM0DF2g0PX_GjDsDTHUvYIiT-o0NhH3iZuSQraxCnqSdG7xWv7LmhYYQ6itp4TYxxHfiDYv5fuEQZpU6pfLvxFEqwL4rKq94_nXIDe-yxhw5SxK9YFuYOqYk04ekteD3ZKvSGwrOdeo6SCOhRsWncho5o/s4032/IMG_4370%202.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7s3Vj_t7xwQaKufyWmFMEywy-C-iZv-3OzqM0DF2g0PX_GjDsDTHUvYIiT-o0NhH3iZuSQraxCnqSdG7xWv7LmhYYQ6itp4TYxxHfiDYv5fuEQZpU6pfLvxFEqwL4rKq94_nXIDe-yxhw5SxK9YFuYOqYk04ekteD3ZKvSGwrOdeo6SCOhRsWncho5o/w400-h300/IMG_4370%202.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The water lillies are starting to bloom - but so is that ghastly algae on the surface of the pond outside the kitchen.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUc_cDcFONkvHv6y55B4Hr-tcbr5tNnC_XZaScTFBp_5Ul8r7N6LvOw1Xw80vLVpojPun7kdf7qrXFnYA9_NXJx-hdTVrLYrZ6F0uH-3m-SPp4wka_g9Jg6MfL33Yz3pJ71xheUiWVxERdrz42B2jW5_KGY1IUhxU6kMd6TOAEEv1pJcHJKS8varT4Ww4/s4032/IMG_4376.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUc_cDcFONkvHv6y55B4Hr-tcbr5tNnC_XZaScTFBp_5Ul8r7N6LvOw1Xw80vLVpojPun7kdf7qrXFnYA9_NXJx-hdTVrLYrZ6F0uH-3m-SPp4wka_g9Jg6MfL33Yz3pJ71xheUiWVxERdrz42B2jW5_KGY1IUhxU6kMd6TOAEEv1pJcHJKS8varT4Ww4/w300-h400/IMG_4376.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caitlin's rose is starting to bloom in its new home. ππ<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-11707601369319461982023-10-29T23:59:00.000-07:002023-10-29T23:59:58.418-07:00Home and happenings<p>We've been home now for about 5 weeks and for the first 3 weeks or so, I was exhausted. A mix of jetlag and physical tiredness from the previous month or so of getting Waka Huia ready for going on brokerage. And probably the effects of stress too.</p><p>But in the last couple of weeks I have started to feel like I am back to my former self - so watch out, world!</p><p>While we were away in the UK, quite a lot of work took place here at our villa - all of it outside. </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The patio out the back by the lounge and bedroom was laid and the concrete was acid treated so the top layer could be washed off and the small stones exposed. It looks cool!</li><li>The driveway and paths to the back door and the clothesline were concreted - there was a bit of a delay on that work because the team found a longstanding pipe leak beneath an old garden that had to be dug up. And it was winter here when that was occurring so it was all fairly wet and muddy - must have been a pain for the other residents around us. However they were very interested in what was taking place and have caught us up on it all.</li><li>Shona, the amazing woman who has been our gardener for a few years now, took on starting to get our garden established while we were away. She worked with Clint the head gardener here at Parkwood on where our gardens would be, the size of them and what needed to be done to get the grass removed, ground dug, compost delivered ... The woman is a marvel. She also had culled plants from our Rata St garden, she'd propagated cuttings from there too, and most magic of all, she successfully transplanted Caitlin's rose.</li><ul><li>Since we have come back Shona has continued her sterling work and the gardens are showing the promise they will fulfill over the summer.</li></ul></ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5Hqr3O0OgpiGqcx0Pzx4JV9c-fr50bsyWuaIU6_ZVNdh2PRuwMEvLlaHpO-sbRJb3SgqlMfR0X6GzQXVbsa0L4ucE4dmgZssdA3CJAoVPcRpqsSPgYlYdjbZzwY7qkPIJmnul96X1UNdjMzXLVNtuUiwLS_FJqkSWLQ-vHlMhgLxnN7ojOO943d6eEo/s4032/IMG_4328.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5Hqr3O0OgpiGqcx0Pzx4JV9c-fr50bsyWuaIU6_ZVNdh2PRuwMEvLlaHpO-sbRJb3SgqlMfR0X6GzQXVbsa0L4ucE4dmgZssdA3CJAoVPcRpqsSPgYlYdjbZzwY7qkPIJmnul96X1UNdjMzXLVNtuUiwLS_FJqkSWLQ-vHlMhgLxnN7ojOO943d6eEo/w400-h300/IMG_4328.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was taken 9 days ago<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJT7Ba_QRf35JIfhfyF33gtgLsSXG7wLMEfUjOr0CHWq1lSMMgkqAhgcDVbYddHev-LlRsT5_QWkcPXuy3f3UFc8NG8r5Jf559qI_fx_RnyjbxYTtyQJUkvhRTZBiZgq3I-oQ7drYzND4vvtPXldGDBWWYQKs2U1EA7C6RJuf5vU36lvlhMysnlhgnk4/s4032/IMG_4359.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJT7Ba_QRf35JIfhfyF33gtgLsSXG7wLMEfUjOr0CHWq1lSMMgkqAhgcDVbYddHev-LlRsT5_QWkcPXuy3f3UFc8NG8r5Jf559qI_fx_RnyjbxYTtyQJUkvhRTZBiZgq3I-oQ7drYzND4vvtPXldGDBWWYQKs2U1EA7C6RJuf5vU36lvlhMysnlhgnk4/w400-h300/IMG_4359.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this was taken on Saturday (2 days ago). Everything is growing vigorously and looking very healthy. Janet our lovely next door neighbour, kindly donated the rocks from her daughter's place. The rocks, I hasten to say, are unwanted there, so Janet has brought back 2 boot-loads and I've brought back one. She is bringing another load this week so we can finish the job. We decided that rocks would look better than driftwood. So the driftwood has been returned to the beach...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFlBhrlxOFeL6d1Z-4_uKHYYwjZ5sW9yiaY1JMRPadkgi4v1D0xKvXYVq305P0V_3Mr5QACsQ_RXvzP3HQjePfrG_fWi7Gz2ceWd25hqhoCSY0iZgdiMwowhe60fBl6VqG0mcy0DXkRczjNXOLcvQ6ch8RtFJhHzcwE29tUm9rHBvzAQLxT6bIvuTH-Y/s4032/IMG_4361.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFlBhrlxOFeL6d1Z-4_uKHYYwjZ5sW9yiaY1JMRPadkgi4v1D0xKvXYVq305P0V_3Mr5QACsQ_RXvzP3HQjePfrG_fWi7Gz2ceWd25hqhoCSY0iZgdiMwowhe60fBl6VqG0mcy0DXkRczjNXOLcvQ6ch8RtFJhHzcwE29tUm9rHBvzAQLxT6bIvuTH-Y/w400-h300/IMG_4361.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We
had breakfast outside yesterday. See the dwarf apple tree between the
stakes? The blossom is bursting out, the other plants are taking off big
time.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLMrz6iYKe-weIW_BeMM4wVKZv6ar-cUUSbB7HijhoLh_GIbLkrxJKKOu9IGexel9cUbHsTiLQ-Yjwx_cxmCPXP2ydJILEn8tl0rt46Xrm9BGQH8nWVDIUebgvSjRzejsyfxXLo8vv7vPEF3sGzsC2r6zGtCVO59d_WJ_MHIhePLKHJ0w_NBPjfpftvg8/s4032/IMG_4335.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLMrz6iYKe-weIW_BeMM4wVKZv6ar-cUUSbB7HijhoLh_GIbLkrxJKKOu9IGexel9cUbHsTiLQ-Yjwx_cxmCPXP2ydJILEn8tl0rt46Xrm9BGQH8nWVDIUebgvSjRzejsyfxXLo8vv7vPEF3sGzsC2r6zGtCVO59d_WJ_MHIhePLKHJ0w_NBPjfpftvg8/w400-h300/IMG_4335.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caitlin's rose with a new bud - 9 days ago</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vbvR1FNLsJfKoOaD66vIKU6MSvAm1Y8QFU7YMHTV1Vb0SIejpEpvMsnq0H1-gho_r8U26Gy1rOmEXf9-KUaHebwTMqeJfl2cQiQpHwr8_q-TPwHFalyHllaGFE-c8OZH4H5fe7P10UwOeO3QoDv801fqpeaM4kXQLJxTg6-wsImUVTKVMhWnia5DmjA/s4032/IMG_4337.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vbvR1FNLsJfKoOaD66vIKU6MSvAm1Y8QFU7YMHTV1Vb0SIejpEpvMsnq0H1-gho_r8U26Gy1rOmEXf9-KUaHebwTMqeJfl2cQiQpHwr8_q-TPwHFalyHllaGFE-c8OZH4H5fe7P10UwOeO3QoDv801fqpeaM4kXQLJxTg6-wsImUVTKVMhWnia5DmjA/w400-h300/IMG_4337.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A new feijoa, a canna lily from Rata St, and a lovely thing that has purple flowers from Rata St - 6 days ago.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1zyDCrKsaL8b_uaDy08ISKx6GKptL4suqxUDKPIUMGGFlNvYyWmzeYkSH0vfU4pNbBTpEMLm_7glOTqdht_pBibQUbDUhibNQ6qWGvcPrjxUAlR3lOXAYuziAWFAymSy5HlEFLwX5pY6rJGiygsUi-R-ULZsObduUYxgFZd6XQAV5T0FMnkPjAwWpH0/s4032/IMG_4331.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1zyDCrKsaL8b_uaDy08ISKx6GKptL4suqxUDKPIUMGGFlNvYyWmzeYkSH0vfU4pNbBTpEMLm_7glOTqdht_pBibQUbDUhibNQ6qWGvcPrjxUAlR3lOXAYuziAWFAymSy5HlEFLwX5pY6rJGiygsUi-R-ULZsObduUYxgFZd6XQAV5T0FMnkPjAwWpH0/w400-h300/IMG_4331.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Herbs in pots outside the kitchen window by the pond.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgohyaFyqOSHjJV1SZg4LjEilRgmYpCcb3r1gG9gqB0N0h6xwtlxQPUZ5f4bYjyCz5g7nZpX-qNM9EAl4oRA2VUKiZJjxJEyHS3117qC7Lz0YTOTJPr9naLPbZHrpSluREDmAf69W4gmfP6Vg4HLYjkqfbTdKUmWR02tBqEN6UQ5xVj8yNSjIlLdK_-Px4/s4032/IMG_4356.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgohyaFyqOSHjJV1SZg4LjEilRgmYpCcb3r1gG9gqB0N0h6xwtlxQPUZ5f4bYjyCz5g7nZpX-qNM9EAl4oRA2VUKiZJjxJEyHS3117qC7Lz0YTOTJPr9naLPbZHrpSluREDmAf69W4gmfP6Vg4HLYjkqfbTdKUmWR02tBqEN6UQ5xVj8yNSjIlLdK_-Px4/w300-h400/IMG_4356.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bloody nettles growing around the lemon tree, dammit! They are little but fierce - already they sting. But I was brave as I pulled them out. Note to self: get some gardening gloves...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM04pVtpxnnUAfgkD8tqoVkxLqfXqDc9ibGHf3ZxtzR5zA4CB_KxwQXxoshuAeAtG492-Dxxli6M-5APGoKXpeJ8jS8dWh_F64ew26OcjbtV1p0fu0blDtSDtkvtvSlAYSnvePin5XNqmL3dkwHHhyphenhyphenv0NZZqxbhe3EaODvKnR_pWUy2cs9_cQXOTPeWsI/s4032/IMG_4358.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM04pVtpxnnUAfgkD8tqoVkxLqfXqDc9ibGHf3ZxtzR5zA4CB_KxwQXxoshuAeAtG492-Dxxli6M-5APGoKXpeJ8jS8dWh_F64ew26OcjbtV1p0fu0blDtSDtkvtvSlAYSnvePin5XNqmL3dkwHHhyphenhyphenv0NZZqxbhe3EaODvKnR_pWUy2cs9_cQXOTPeWsI/w400-h300/IMG_4358.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While we were placing the rocks around the lime tree plot (thai curries here we come!), this female blackbird was hunting for worms. She had no fear of us. I think the birds are very tame around here because there are almost no cats. Pukekos, rabbits and ducks, but only a very few cats - yay!!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <br /></p><p>When we came home, we had no car - regular readers will remember that we sold the car to Ann and Salvi and delivered it to them at Wellington Airport on the day we headed for the UK. We had ordered a new Toyota Yaris Hybrid Cross and were told it would be here by the time we arrived home in late September. No sooner had we paid the deposit than we were told it could be later than that but they would see us right for a car to tide us over.</p><p>Fast forward to August and we were told that the new car wouldn't be available until November - a full year since we had ordered it, by the way... So we started to reconsider, but thought we'd find out a bit more. It turned out that seeing us right for a car to tide us over meant we could have a car of theirs for $49 a day for 2 months, i.e. ~$3000, AND the Yaris had increased in price by about $3000 as well. </p><p>Upshot: a total rethink. But what to buy instead. I knew I wanted a late model red car, but had no idea what. Looking on TradeMe is so bloody daunting - there are about 30,000 cars for sale and how on earth could I narrow that number down to something we would like?</p><p>We went without a car for a couple of weeks, and walked (I biked) up to the village or to the supermarket or to the railway station. One morning as we started out on our way to the station on foot, our neighbours Wendy and Robin stopped and asked if we'd like a ride. Yes we said, and then I tried to persuade them to let us buy their car: it fitted the bill</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>red</li><li>automatic <br /></li><li>small enough to get into our garage</li><li>very comfortable in the backseats</li><li>quite peppy (1500cc)</li></ul><p>They would not sell us theirs but not to worry. As we caught the train into Wellington we looked up Honda Jazz, found several online and I called the Honda dealer and arranged for a test drive after our osteopath appointments. The one we drove was silver but it handled well, so a red one was brought down from Auckland for us. A 2022 Jazz Crosstar with just over 4000kms on the clock. Yay!!</p><p>So we now have a car that cost significantly less than the Yaris would have. Not hybrid and I do feel a bit bad about that, but am trying to assuage my conscience...</p><p>On Thursday this last week, we had a 1970s pot luck dinner here - 17 people came with food they used to make in the 1970s. It was all very reminiscent! And yummy. Do you remember that we used lots of canned food back then? </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3IPDXKYTLw3YeDI8lXbrZDsY6xQn-6vYkkqQ50pum5zlCeCLMdqA2tpCiZ36ljgm2_Ad7gQGNmBU6I3urMFvBPNyXOiCruY80UstVdlWYXUWpwKShlcrcPhO2vZHGFF7CMnPJzMznkXRCP11w88_qIwAIwvFbDprImQ__8M4vHl7bHGhYw52QWcS5QM/s4032/IMG_4349.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3IPDXKYTLw3YeDI8lXbrZDsY6xQn-6vYkkqQ50pum5zlCeCLMdqA2tpCiZ36ljgm2_Ad7gQGNmBU6I3urMFvBPNyXOiCruY80UstVdlWYXUWpwKShlcrcPhO2vZHGFF7CMnPJzMznkXRCP11w88_qIwAIwvFbDprImQ__8M4vHl7bHGhYw52QWcS5QM/w300-h400/IMG_4349.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hedgehogs
made by Grahame - very yummy. We could tell they were constructed by a
chap because the toothpicks were rammed deep into the oranges ...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wZfQSlg62DbDjrDNi0USYzlrrPdX50eKtwufAIOpQgaFsd1ZnIv_0BLbru5q2s7oGtPNAGT5gajmc8Q_3l59M-8NKdEUw9GM3lAiBe2RP6D44PQdiYEujgV2_afeu9VgKaliXQIP-bg3e6QHq_CTkQ6hncAivbxXcSy_qRFJGOeBNd22MgqI4rxe8qc/s4032/IMG_4347.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wZfQSlg62DbDjrDNi0USYzlrrPdX50eKtwufAIOpQgaFsd1ZnIv_0BLbru5q2s7oGtPNAGT5gajmc8Q_3l59M-8NKdEUw9GM3lAiBe2RP6D44PQdiYEujgV2_afeu9VgKaliXQIP-bg3e6QHq_CTkQ6hncAivbxXcSy_qRFJGOeBNd22MgqI4rxe8qc/w400-h300/IMG_4347.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Potato salad, a shredded lettuce salad with carefully arranged grated carrot, tomato and cucumber (peeled) on top; chicken casserole with canned apricots and Maggi Onion Soup; canned beetroot; a cheese fondue with french bread and vegetables for dipping; scalloped potatoes; garlic bread; tuna pie made with canned tuna (of course), a can of mushroom soup and chopped onion topped with crushed chippies and sliced tomato and grated cheese; cheese tart (I've been making that since I was 19 or 20 so that definitely counts as 1970s food ...). And of course Maggi Onion dip, and mayonnaise made from Highlander Condensed milk, vinegar and mustard.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjym_SVP3lQXBIwD2SYrVMxVw7D_eoSvPnGF7IkR3CKEHGJEcgMcT8Skxw1VrgP1plwNUhVcDOObJOyCfb7cZETylWiWz8SnB7uZJtHpwgbQ3I7Qe7XhLCOOAZxZQo8WwiiFDEhgdZR6tGjxwUqUcOGKGVBLvoAOPJHwzxT_pUGZpaJLfP21MartoFLnUc/s4032/IMG_4350.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjym_SVP3lQXBIwD2SYrVMxVw7D_eoSvPnGF7IkR3CKEHGJEcgMcT8Skxw1VrgP1plwNUhVcDOObJOyCfb7cZETylWiWz8SnB7uZJtHpwgbQ3I7Qe7XhLCOOAZxZQo8WwiiFDEhgdZR6tGjxwUqUcOGKGVBLvoAOPJHwzxT_pUGZpaJLfP21MartoFLnUc/w400-h300/IMG_4350.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desserts!! A yummy thing Sally and Ross made: chocolate, meringue, cream, with peaches (canned, obv) and passionfruit pulp. A jelly ring made by our neighbour Susan, complete with strawberries and grapes, and Ambrosia made by Joan our 92 year old neighbour across the road. It had marshmallows and peaches and strawberries and CREAM.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>David has been busy almost ever since we got home on Weaving Memories work and I have been not working for money at all. I think I am happily easing into being retired, but we shall see...</p><p>I was planning to head to Taranaki to stay with our friends Judy and Jim so Judy and I could go to the Taranaki Garden Festivals and David could get on with WM work without my calling on his time. But then we had a text from Jim to say Judy was in Wellington Hospital with a brain bleed after a fall off her bike. Bugger!!! 2 surgeries, with a fairly large piece of skull removed and stored for re-fitting. Double bugger!!</p><p>So this morning we went in to see her - she is doing amazingly well, so much so that the surgeon is planning to re-fit the skull section on Friday, rather than in 5 weeks or so as he originally expected. Yay!!!</p><p>She has been moved from a room with an en-suite to the Treatment Room across from the Nurses' Station - because she kept getting out of bed to go to the toilet unaided and without her helmet on. The Treatment room doesn't have a toilet ...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQK08bz8Cx-wFRSTyWU5j125OYoQk51Yi6g5YhKyjUH8hBdEjaXpYv1BWxIdxSAA_G-j91b7sAwxSbuwWRRs2VnYd8cxj6dyKho8_MsSmLK6AHsMg0hn7Xe-cpXjugblFt1dHs49lXqQzzyrE4hW7nEJF95ZWH3TKnmZXyhzxMHYKaXEguc5PsO_sS_I/s4032/IMG_4364.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQK08bz8Cx-wFRSTyWU5j125OYoQk51Yi6g5YhKyjUH8hBdEjaXpYv1BWxIdxSAA_G-j91b7sAwxSbuwWRRs2VnYd8cxj6dyKho8_MsSmLK6AHsMg0hn7Xe-cpXjugblFt1dHs49lXqQzzyrE4hW7nEJF95ZWH3TKnmZXyhzxMHYKaXEguc5PsO_sS_I/w400-h300/IMG_4364.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's bit puffy in the face - not surprising, having skidded along the road and then having a total of 5 hours of surgery. And she is now wearing her helmet!!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7LZv45nzaSkUjaiQRofrv23ziq2fIJJ_T6OoBcqnk9pBmPnyAIIv7SnNIbTmg6on3eOrKsVajbkbVuEjzac31pn7p0dAi3axlnCF-FTGBZsCG0DIeS-Wp8pMJ7Hca1FWpdeMoVIa-m-ODd8unPyNUenX4Lwdk3KP0iiqXgPL4vQaFctpRvYQnPoiRJY/s4032/IMG_4365.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7LZv45nzaSkUjaiQRofrv23ziq2fIJJ_T6OoBcqnk9pBmPnyAIIv7SnNIbTmg6on3eOrKsVajbkbVuEjzac31pn7p0dAi3axlnCF-FTGBZsCG0DIeS-Wp8pMJ7Hca1FWpdeMoVIa-m-ODd8unPyNUenX4Lwdk3KP0iiqXgPL4vQaFctpRvYQnPoiRJY/w400-h300/IMG_4365.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim and Judy - she was happy to see us!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSAr_60EHazOdinRZEsUTyN_n3FroKQOfK__PUYv8B6aRuIQw7Mx1-0c_L5-MehCiw6yuIUVo24TlNaYesk9Mk3HnTyecbX1s2WL8JM_1tmcznfVcLU0Lgro-iVP8eUuA8Yq3W9Dv5pQ9jygN7BDdybPlsAT9HPU59vE0vWsqXJ8eao3uhbRa1VdGwuMI/s4032/IMG_4367.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSAr_60EHazOdinRZEsUTyN_n3FroKQOfK__PUYv8B6aRuIQw7Mx1-0c_L5-MehCiw6yuIUVo24TlNaYesk9Mk3HnTyecbX1s2WL8JM_1tmcznfVcLU0Lgro-iVP8eUuA8Yq3W9Dv5pQ9jygN7BDdybPlsAT9HPU59vE0vWsqXJ8eao3uhbRa1VdGwuMI/w400-h300/IMG_4367.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">xxoo</td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbb5A220h_tw4b_k-ErnYjMyhBI2kyDU8yiXBGDo3h1IZitb_bsgfxt16IMaXORZutdYb3jukxsRoRU5_9j6pm_WWSqWc1n7oBuuuzJpkewnNDKXgGskSA0o1Qm_pLYMfAQV5xvws9EVg-90SBIO2PqYUkZTPoeR8lvLHqCSwqqJ_4lAy0Y20vlVSSvqQ/s4032/IMG_4368.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbb5A220h_tw4b_k-ErnYjMyhBI2kyDU8yiXBGDo3h1IZitb_bsgfxt16IMaXORZutdYb3jukxsRoRU5_9j6pm_WWSqWc1n7oBuuuzJpkewnNDKXgGskSA0o1Qm_pLYMfAQV5xvws9EVg-90SBIO2PqYUkZTPoeR8lvLHqCSwqqJ_4lAy0Y20vlVSSvqQ/w400-h300/IMG_4368.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Listening to the chaps...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> <br /></p><p>We were with her for over an hour today with lots of chatting and then we took Jim for lunch. And she was ready for another sleep when we left. The brain needs a fair amount of rest for healing.<br /></p><p>We had been going to go for a bike ride when we got home but somehow neither of us felt like it...</p><p> </p><br /><br /><p><br /></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5279785307041132381.post-43738757729822812382023-10-20T19:10:00.004-07:002023-10-21T01:32:45.706-07:00Boat for sale: Waka Huia is now on the ABNB website<p>Almost 2 weeks ago now ABNB had uploaded the new photos on the website listing and in to the brochure.</p><p>The link is <a href="https://www.abnb.co.uk/boat?BoatID=3998">right here!</a></p><p>It is exciting to see her as others will see her for the first time. And it is also sad to be letting her go.</p><p>Back when we first bought the boat, she was called Mistress. And for those of you who know me, you will understand why that had to change...</p><p>We thought long and hard about what to name 'our' boat. The name had to be meaningful and respectful, it had to speak to our being from Aotearoa New Zealand - although we weren't yet in the habit of using the MΔori name for our country, we have always had a strong emotional connection to the cultural heritage of this land. The connection is visceral and compelling. And so a name that honoured that was important to us. </p><p>We knew that we would be making memories on the boat, with family, with old friends and with new friends, and as it turned out, with the hundreds of dogs we spoke to whose owners smiled, beamed and chatted because we told their dogs they were good dogs, beautiful dogs.</p><p>We explored the beautiful English countryside, and one of the treasured memories for me is how being the lockwheeler turned David into a much more social being, much more of an initiator of interacting with strangers - he had so many conversations with a huge range of people, and that has spilled over into his non-boating life too. It's lovely.</p><p>So the name Waka Huia, which translates as Treasure Box, was and remains apposite.</p><p>We trust that the people who decide to buy her have wonderful times on board, and make special memories for their future.</p><p>If you would like to buy a lovely boat, if you have friends or family who would love to own nb Waka Huia, get yourselves or them to go and see her. <br /></p><p><br /></p>Marilyn, nb Waka Huiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485346080040799974noreply@blogger.com0