Getting Bike Fit in the Bay and Omicron is here, dammit!

 We are staying in Waimarama with Willie and Chris.

David with his friend Carlos who doesn't move far from Willie ...

This is what I can see in the mirror in these tall people's house ...

And while we have been here, we have

• dropped our bikes off at The Hub in Hastings for their check ups (we love The Hub - absolutely wonderful customer service)
  
• had lunch at Janneke and Nico's (cheese scones made by me and tomatoes grown by J&N)
  
• have been out for two bike rides with W&C,
• the first was an 18km circular route from Taradale to Puketapu, out on one side of the river and back on the other - with lunch at the Puketapu Tavern 
• the second was 36kms return from Awatoto to Bay View - with lunch at the cafe in the campground at Bay View
• made the decision that we will have a day off biking tomorrow ...
• eaten yummy food - Willie is a great cook.

The whole group - Chris did the selfie because he is tallest and has the longest arms ...

At Awatoto almost ready to head off on our ride to Bayview.

 

Not the best photo, but that is a marlin caught by those two young men.

On our way back from Bayview, we could see the northern side of the port and Bluff Hill.

I raced ahead (at about 22kph) looking to minimise the amount of time I was seated. So I stopped in the shade after I'd passed the port buildings, then I waited for the others. Chris came first - I was too slow to get a photo of him. Here comes David.

And Willie coming through the shady patch.

We both have new more comfortable bike seats from The Hub, and I have had a riser fitted to the handlebar column (by Robert at The Hub) so now my bike looks very Dutch - like a sit up and beg bike! And it's very comfortable to ride.

Dinner last night was pizza, built by Willie and me, cooked by Chris in the Weber BBQ. Yummy!

Chris is cutting up David's and my pizza - all got consumed, and to be honest, David had 5/8 of it ...

This morning, for Lisa on What A Lark, I took photos of Willie and Chris's garden - Willie loves her garden and even though they have had no rain for a couple of months, with none predicted for at least two more weeks, she has trained her plants to cope without constant watering. Of course, they use rinse water for spot watering.

Dahlias

Tomatoes by the garage have gone crazy!

 

Petunias looking fabulous!

Our next stop is going to be Waipukarau for a bike ride on our way back to Waikanae.

These plans may be disrupted by the news that with at least 10 cases of Omicron now in the community we are going into RED on our Traffic Light System. That means masks always in indoor settings and outdoors where physical distancing cannot be maintained, limits of 100 people at venues where all are vaccinated, 25 where they are not. There is guidance about duration of isolation if infected or a close contact, which I have to study a bit more.

The government planning is based on scenario planning for up to 50,000 cases - hard to imagine here in NZ where we have successfully pretty much kept covid at bay for the last 2 years.

And our World Famous amazing Prime Minister has postponed her wedding which was due to happen in the next week or so. When asked how she felt about it, she said 'That's life. Of course I am sad. But other people have had a lot more to deal with when unable to see loved ones before they passed away or when they have been very sick.' She truly is an amazing person. We are so lucky to have her.

OK, now it's a question of wait and see what happens over the next 24 hours re accommodation availability - that will determine whether we travel directly home or whether we stay in Waipukurau - motel owners may be a bit chary about having people coming to stay right now. A phone call will determine that though.

We have been chatting with Willie and Chris this evening about whether we will still go to the South Island in March - they are due to go a couple of weeks before us. We have all decided that we will play the wait and see game really. And we agreed also that deciding whether or not we can go on holiday is a very first world problem ...

Back to the previous post about being in Tongaporutu:

While we were in Tongaporutu, we visited the old bach. It looks very, very different. Kelly and Peter have stripped it out and changed where the bedroom is - that was part of the lounge for us. They have opened out the bedroom and the dining area into one large room - it's very empty in the summer because they have also extended the deck and have transparent plastic walls and pretty much live in it constantly. 

They have relined the walls and ceiling with ply which looks cool and is easy maintenance. They lifted the carpet (very old, tired, worn), uncovered a large amount of sand from over the years ..., and then they have sanded and polyurethaned the matai floor boards. It looks wonderful!

The bedroom - I love the photo of two of the sisters with Taranaki in the background.

The new lounge which has incorporated the bedroom.

The kitchen has been refurbished - it needed it...

And a lovely job has been made of the bathroom!

 It is great to see the bach being used and loved, and it does lessen the loss of part of our family history. Rather than seeing it as a loss, I'm viewing it as a change of direction - and the fact that Kelly and Peter are enjoying it does assuage the pangs of that change.

The inevitability of Tongaporutu

Prior to travelling up to Taranaki, I had looked at buying a new bike seat given my bum was still sore from my fall in Hanmer Springs and bike riding was hurting my coccyx. David and I had done a ride from home down to the expressway and along the cycle/walking path alongside it to Paraparaumu. The ride was lovely but I was clear something needed to change before I'd be comfortable biking longer distances several days in a row, as would be required if we plan to do the Otago Rail Trail.

I'd looked online and found several alternatives that looked extremely comfortable, but how could I tell without trying them? So I detached my seat post and seat from my bike and headed for the bike store in Paraparaumu. I tried a couple of seats there (the young guy attached them to a small bike for me - I did tell him I wouldn't be offended if he fitted them to a kid's bike ...). One was a slight improvement on mine but not enough of an improvement to spend $80 on, the other was the most uncomfortable thing I have ever sat on in my life! However, the young guy adjusted my own bike seat so that it was tilted backwards. Success!! Comfort!! No bouncing on the coccyx!! No need to buy a new seat!!

So on New Year's Day I did a 12km circular bike ride with Jim, Judy, and their friends Lesley and Peter who were staying with them. My bum still got a bit sore, but that was numbness of the buttocks, rather than pain in the coccyx, so I was well pleased. And it disappeared when we stopped for photography ...

Just after we crossed SH3 and headed inland on the small country road, this was the view across the fields. Magic!

A hapless road race biker was on a training ride and I asked him to get a photo of all of us. Well, that's what old people can do, isn't it? L-R: me, Peter, Jim, Judy, Lesley. David and Callum had stayed home.

 

They of course did a much longer route to Bertram's Bridge, but I knew my limits, so I was pointed in the right direction to complete the circuit and rejoin the Ohanga Road back out to cross over SH3 and back to their place.

The view from Jim and Judy's deck - no wonder they don't want to move!

We spent the next three days at Waitara Holiday Park with the family - as their powered sites were booked we stayed in the triangle and checked out the new solar panels and lithium battery. David was in heaven - new gadgets to boffin... And the sun was shining very brightly and hotly (is that a word?) so the battery was very happy at 100% most of the time.

Moored up in the triangle. Dee tells me they can get 3 campers in there but we used it all. Although we could have budged up if they needed more space.

 

 

This is the graffiti art that Cam and Kurt did at the skatepark across from the camp. The M is the logo of the Dodge Ram that Muzz and Dee own.

I am a bit obsessed with that maunga...

One morning, before it got too hot, we walked into Waitara to do a bit of grocery shopping - we walked along the new walkway. It is a lovely walk alongside the river.

It was so hot I even had a swim in their pool with Dee - well, more of a float around to be fair. The polystyrene noodles are so good for that, so since we have been home I have bought a couple for us.

And Shona came for lunch on one day, and brought her brother John for cheese scones the next day. I have known them since I was a teenager when I used to go out with one of their older brother, Pari. Lots of reminiscing and catching up. 

On our way out to Tongaporutu, we stopped at Onaero and repeated the New Year's Day bike ride with Jim and Judy so that David could enjoy it too.

Then on to Tongaporutu with a quick stop at Urenui to get teabags (I had run out and did not put them on the list for our shopping foray/walk - no teabags would be an absolute disaster) and diesel (I hadn't realised how low the tank was, and Urenui is the last fuel stop before Awakino). 

We were lucky enough to get a spot on the riverbank overlooking the river and the river mouth. David's words: we need to stay here at least 3 nights. And there was no disagreement from me.

It would be fair to say I am a bit obsessed with this view - the river mouth at Tongaporutu. It is particularly beautiful at high tide, but is so special to me.

 

This is the coffee/ice cream/takeaway place at the beach - very very popular and good food.

Mel didn't get to share the vege burger and fries ... Oops, bed's not made, sorry!

The site, which is a freedom camping spot, was quite full but was still peaceful. And hot! The major benefits of parking on the riverbank are the view and a breeze off the water. However where we were parked there was little grass or soil, and the ground has been packed with small rocks, so we could not put out our awning as the pins would not penetrate the ground ... So we turned side on to the riverbank and out went the awning. We were a bit uncomfortable about it as it looked like we were taking up more than our fair share of space. However, we we still between the two motorhomes that were there as we arrived, and there certainly wasn't space for another in the gap. 

At Joan and James' place I saw this pot on their deck - Joan was given it by the people who bought our bach. Dee and I had given it to our kids at Dad's funeral, because he always wore jeans shorts. Joan loves it because her dad always wore them too. Dee and I are pleased it has a good home that we can visit...

We took the bikes down to James and Joan's place, next to our old bach. We left them there with them so that they weren't a temptation for anyone with nefarious intent. Apart from getting from the camping area to the baches on the other side of the main road, there was nowhere safe to ride really.  I did used to ride from the bach to Ahititi along SH3 when I was a teenager, and before that I used to ride to the local dairy farm to buy a billy of milk at 6.30 on a Saturday morning. I wouldn't ride that road now - traffic is too fast and there is much more of it. And my courage is a much smaller commodity and my sense of mortality is much bigger ...

We did a nostalgia walk back along the riverbank which has now been formed into a walkway - it used to be a jumble of reeds, people's sections that exuded into the queen's chain, places to leave the dinghies and kayaks ... And we stopped to say hello to Lee and Gordon. They gave David a fillet of freshly caught snapper and invited us to use their kayaks the next day. 

So David has added fresh snapper to his favourite fish list (panfried with butter, lemon and parsley) - eaten outside the motorhome on the riverbank. Bliss for him!

This kind of mist usually presages a very fine hot day - but for a while it looks gloomy.

These two guys were trying to find the channel to get out across the bar early to fish - however they messed up and had to retrace their route. I think they went out a bit later when there was a bit more water in the river.

 

Kayaking was lovely but no photos because we didn't take our phones - we went upriver on the last hour of the incoming tide, so almost no paddling. I think we probably went about 2kms upriver. Lee had lent us a couple of old towels which came in very handy for draping over our legs as it was extremely hot! I had put my one in the back of the kayak and hadn't realised there were holes in that section so my towel was drenched. A very good thing as it kept me cool! And an extra good thing about not taking the phone was that I would have unthinkingly put it in that compartment - certain disaster averted...

I paddled all the way back - I think the tide was on the turn when we started back, but as we were well upstream there was still flow against us for a bit and when it started to flow with us it wasn't particularly strong. David told me later he had tried to catch me up and overtake me, but no luck. All that rowing and paddling from childhood has clearly stood me in good stead.

Lee and Gordon came down for nachos (Nadia Lim's Zingy Nachos with Marilyn modifications, of course ...) later that afternoon and brought another piece of fish for David - happiness. 

 

All the bits ready for deconstructed nachos. The tomato/onion/bean mixture was in the frying pan, nacho chips were in a bowl. Yummy!

We considered going around the front beach at low tide but it was still too hot in the evening. Instead I made a veg curry for lunch the next day.

Magnificent, peaceful, calming.

So on our last morning, we got up early and had the front beach to ourselves - we shared it only with the birds: oyster catchers on shore and terns on one of the Three Sisters. 

And we are on our way...

We walked well over the spit that bounded the river at the moment - it will probably be different even this few days later. That's 2 of the 3 sisters and the large rock in the foreground is Patangata Island which was a look out to check from raiding iwi from north or south.

The only other footprints on the beach - oyster catchers.

See what I mean? I am obsessed with that mountain/maunga. And with this beach which constantly changes. And see the terns?

 

The petrified wood has been uncovered in recent times - it is the first time we have seen it here - it shows how much the land has been impacted by the pounding of the sea and storms.

 

Me and my mountain and my favourite beach.

The nearest rock is a new sister, carved out of the cliff by the sea - lots of land lost over recent years.

All of this has been formed in the last few years too.

Not sure what I was pointing out to David but clearly he wasn't attending to my words ...

Well, sometimes you do just have to find out how deep the pool is - up to my thighs, and my shorts got wet ...

 

As we were returning a father and daughter appeared and kindly took photos of us. 

 

The strata in the rocks as we walked back

And in one part of the cliff - I am always fascinated by how the land has built up, slid away, and continued to build up. On this coast it is shown in sharp relief.

Then it was time to make our way home. So down we drove to pick up the bikes from Joan and James, and also take the opportunity to catch up with Stephen Corkill, who gave us three large snapper fillets he had vacuum packed and frozen. Such kindness. 

We called in to Waitara at the camp to replace a gas bottle, and have hugs with the team, then we had lunch with Rein (our veg curry, his rice and salad - all from his garden). Rather than driving all the way home, we stopped at a place we have passed the sign to countless times but never noticed - Koitiata, which is on the coast 8kms out from Turakina. A small old camping ground that was quite lovely. 

This notice made us smile ...

Sunset at Koitiata - the west coast of the North Island is spectacular - just like the South Island's West Coast.

Xmas and NYE

Our Christmas was very peaceful and quiet. Lunch at Gary and Bruce's with Adrian and Errol, Leith, and a lovely surprise that Murray E came too. I'd made a nut roast (surprisingly yummy), a mushroom and kumara Wellington (very nice, but I'd leave the black beans out next time) and mushroom and onion gravy (surprisingly yummy too). Of course, the carnivores were catered for by Gary and Adrian with roast lamb and ham. 

Kirsty was in Canberra with friends and couldn't talk for long when she called because her honorary nieces needed her for present opening before breakfast ... Tim and Dana and the boys were in Bulgaria - the boys had travelled a few days before Xmas from Scotland by train, overnighted in a friend's B&B hotel in Kensington, got the train out to Luton early in the morning, and flown to Sofia where Tim collected them and drove them down to Petrich. I checked the temperature there - 5 deg C.

 I have a regular reader of the blog (you know who you are, Deb) with whom I have been in email contact for the last couple of years or so, and we finally arranged to meet up. She and her husband Steve and two friends came for lunch on 30 Dec. The friends are keen to buy a narrowboat and we were part of the research project. It was lovely to meet them all and, in spite of them all having degrees and therefore being ineligible to join the Zero Degrees Club, (one had 5!!! and the others, I am sure had more than one each) there was much that we had in common, not least a love of narrowboating, NZ baches, and motorhoming.

Lunch was delicious, if I do say so myself. I made beetroot and carrot salad, raw vegetable pilaf (Nadia Lim), a green salad and the piece de resistance: a mushroom, caramelised onion and brie Wellington (also Nadia Lim). The others brought yummy nibbly things for afters - all in all, just a fabulous lunch.

 It had been a spur of the moment decision to come up to Taranaki for New Year's Eve. Judy T had rung a couple of days previously to see how we were and said they were having a NYE party. I said I thought we'd like to come, and she sounded delighted that we were keen. 

So we had intended to leave home after the delicious lunch, but as we were all enjoying the conversations and the guests didn't leave till about 5.30-ish, we decided we would complete the packing and then sleep overnight in the motorhome and head away early.

I also had to set the oven to do a self-clean because some of the brie and onion caramelising had escaped the confines of the pastry and then oozed off the baking paper and tray on to the bottom of the oven ... (Note of advice: if you are ever replacing your oven, buy a self cleaning one - it is an absolute boon! Set it going on the clean process, then later when it has cooled, wipe out the ash that is all that remains of the burnt stuff. Brilliant.)

By 5.30am we were off - we had intended to be away by about 5, but not getting out of bed when the alarm went off at 4.50 sort of scuppered that, then last minute checks and collecting bits we realised we had forgotten, drinking most of the cup of tea and decanting the rest into the travel mug (doesn't taste as good as from a china mug, dammit). Still and all, it was a very early start. There was very little traffic and our intention had been to avoid sharing the road with impatient drivers during a busy holiday period.

It was a quick trip and we had breakfast in New Plymouth - Intermittent Fasting where we only eat during an 8 hour window meant we didn't need food sooner. And we were keen to go to Esquires in the Valley at Waiwhakaiho - we have been there a couple of times before and they have a lovely avocado dish that David enjoys.

Because we knew we would need all our energy for the NYE party, we decided to have a nana nap in Bell Block, down by the entrance to the walkway where we had parked for our bike ride in December with Jim and Judy. It wasn't particularly quiet but I know we both slept for a couple of hours, because I woke to the sound of an animated conversation taking place in a car next door, and previously I had been sort of aware of the sounds of cars coming and going.

The party was starting early - Judy knows her audience and knew that most of us would not last till midnight (it wasn't just me) - so when we arrived most of the setting up was done, and we just had to change from travelling/snoozing gear into more party-ish clothes. David had opted for two of his more colourful shirts for the evening: the first his lime green floral, and when the weather cooled off, he changed into his long sleeved multi-coloured floral shirt. Very dashing!

The party was a lot of fun, with a number of people we had met before and some new ones. And surprise surprise, I lasted until about 11.30pm. And not a drop of alcohol was consumed by me (and hasn't been for some time now) - the chardonnay producers of NZ, particularly Church Road, are in shock and will probably never recover from the economic hit this has caused ... However Lindauer is doing quite well from us - we are drinking sparkling grape juice instead and very yummy it is too!