Waihi Beach House Sitting Part Two

It's a tough job but someone has to bring in the fish 😊

Bill continued installing the kitchen in Waihi having now recently finished it - Julz is so happy she wants him to do the flooring which isn't as easy with the new kitchen in place. But he will achieve a great job I'm sure. He also had a call for another job just down the road which hopefully is the small job he says with our time fast coming to an end here at Waihi Beach. Been quite the busy guy! Bit of a shake up to our routine but good for the bank.

Alan with breakfast

Margaret & I supervising the fishing

Alan & Margaret (Shannon's In-Laws - AC's parents) called in for a couple of nights with their new motorhome - lovely model too. They were doing a local run for a couple of nights, not too far from home to make sure everything was working well and they had everything they needed on board. Nice to have a bit of support at the beginning - I remember we had our first night in Big Yella in our garden. And our first night in Yella 2 Blu was at Helen & Ralph's - comfort near by should anything go wrong.Their trip was a success returning to Auckland, just the weather could have been a little warmer. But we did get the contiki out and caught a snapper & a gurnard - enough for breakfast.

Bit of damage around the edges
 of the skylight

With Waihi Beach being central to Tauranga or Auckland we caught up with ex Nelson friends Dale & Don whom we will hopefully house sit for at Papamoa Beach in November. Also caught up with Paull & Marta & family on their way to Tauranga to M's parents place for the night. Nice timing for lunch and a little bit of painting - thank you Marta :)

In between Bill working for Julz he has also been working away on the jobs we had listed requiring to be done in the Bus. 

 The fridge is now back in place and operating beautifully with the 3rd solar panel and electronic control of the thermostat. Repairs to the central sky light turned into a bigger job than initially thought once the extent of the damage could be seen but Bill restored and improved the installation. So hopefully no more leaks.

Entrance to the bus (Before)

After rennovation

My contribution to the Bus list was to get the entrance painted, the same white wash as the upper cupboards Bill put in last year when we stayed here. Freshen and lighten the entrance up - took quite a few coats of paint but got there in the end. Very happy with the change.

Gerald Crapp having a chat to Bill

And I have continued my dental visits to Tauranga catching up on a couple of crowns (Ouch) and fillings after years of just hanging in there with my teeth. This has worked in with picking up parts & shopping as Waihi Beach doesn't have much to offer in those departments. Also a chance to do some other walks such as around Mount Maunganui and Gerald Crapp's Reserve walkway at Omokoroa. Lots of Maori & early pioneering history in the area.

Selfie - unrecognisable in helmets & glasses

Keeping warm while waiting for the fish

Julie & Steve were able to get a bit of cycling and fishing in over their weekend visit. Fishing with the contiki instead of out in their boat when we visited them up north at their Bach in Rangiputa was a different experience but just as rewarding - well almost. I think we may have caught more snapper up north - but no gurnard! And with Julie's current knee issue, my electric bike was just perfect for our local bike ride. I had to use an unpowered bike but I did cope.

With Father's day and it being the first Sunday of the month, there had been plenty of local radio advertising of the Athenree Homestead being open for devonshire teas and a look through the old homestead and railway station at the top of the hill on the southern entrance into Waihi Beach. It wasn't that great a day weather wise, but it hadn't been all that week so we needed to get out for a bit of fresh air and take the bikes for a ride as it was a bit further than our usual walks. So 13.4km return and a storm later, we returned drenched, cold and a bit hungry as the event had been cancelled due to maintenance!!! Maintenance - on the only day of the month they are open!! And as for that local radio station announcer - I'm still trying to find out who he is that was encouraging us for a couple of weeks to attend and enjoy their lovely devonshire scones.

Closed for maintenance!!!

We finally had a lovely sunny day without wind and where we were free for the day to get out for a paddle up the Estuary around the back of Waihi Beach. We launched at Anzac Bay down Bowentown ( Southern end of Waihi Beach) and headed up the Estuary on the incoming tide. It was so lovely and peaceful.

Lovely and peaceful up the estuary

We went as far as we could till we came to a fallen tree that was blocking us from going any further inland plus it was getting pretty shallow up there. But we paddled 16.6km in total for the day so it wasn't too bad for our first paddle since we first picked it up last March. The operation of getting the kayak up and onto the car and then off again went very smoothly - the extension on the bike rack works well to help roller it up and down.

With the change in the weather (more settled and warmer) we did the ride from Waihi to Paeroa on the Hauraki Trail looking beautiful in the flush of spring. The trail follows the Waihi - Paeroa railway line which was built by the government back in 1905 for the Waihi Goldmining Companies who needed efficient transport to get fuel supplies and heavy machinery into the area. It eventually became part of the East Coast Main Trunk Line but closed in 1978 when the Kaimai Tunnel was put through. But now it is a great walk / cycle way. It was a very pleasant ride , not too busy even with being a Saturday. We rode into Paeroa for a late lunch before returning to Waihi. The 47km return ride was made easy on the return journey which was a bit more uphill than downhill with our electric assistance. And to think I didn't want my bike converted!! 

Following the Ohinemuri river down from Waihi

Goldmining Relics (and Bill)

With Trevor (Nelson) passing northward with his business, and a chance to take some time out and catch a fish or two . And have a couple of nice reds. It was an opportunity not to be missed and Waihi Beach turned on the weather. First night was only a practise run with a little Kahawai but B&T perfected it the next night with 3 snapper and a couple of gurnard. Well done Guys. And hope you felt recharged to head north Trevor.

While we have been in residence here at WB, it was also a chance to catch up with my Auckland brothers & partners again. Had a lovely walk in the Karangahake Gorge with Allan & Nicky, up through the Windows trail and along the Goldmining trail. The Windows walk is a 2km loop walk in the centre of the Hauraki Trail with lots of tunnels and great views up the Gorge and out over the river.

It was such a beautiful day that passing the Karangahake Winery Estate (previously called the Ohinemuri Winery) on the trail heading back to the carpark, we got the calling. Yes a lovely chilled Chardonnay was waiting for us. Just a refreshing glass each and head on our way but Allan saw on the menu a shared platter and breads. We couldn't resist as it was getting on toward 2.00pm. And really pleased we did- it was a large platter of various dips/ relishes/ hummus / cheeses / salamis and pickled accoutrement's. Delicious but quite garlicky so had to stop at the Waikino Tavern for a pint on our return to Waihi Beach. A lovely old Hotel in the Gorge that has recently been refurbished. The road works outside had the traffic stopping for a few minutes so there were quite a few travelers popping in for a cold drink as they passed through - must have been one of the few businesses not hurt with road works!

Not sure where the hands are!

Nicky & I waiting on the fish -
 luckily we didn't hold our breath.

Then Wayne & Kate called in after catching up Paull & Marta & family who were visiting Tauranga for the weekend. This gave them a chance to check out the property market and see the great value of selling up in Auckland and move to a town that still has lots to offer including leaving some money in the bank after selling up in Auckland!

Bill's not sharing his electric bike with Trevor - not that it
was necessary on this ride

We had put the Contiki out with A&N but were unsuccessful. It was a beautiful evening, just on the change of light at the end of the day - the fishing app said it was good fishing. What could go wrong!

Well the current was what we think went wrong. While sitting on the beach waiting to bring in the Contiki, enjoying the calm of the end of the day, 4 young people came along to tell us a Contiki had washed ashore about a km down the beach. Bummer! So by the time it was retrieved and rewound with no fish of course, the evening was getting on and I think we were all over fishing. Such a shame to the end of an otherwise lovely day. The following night we saw a group of people retrieving their contiki in the same manner so something had changed. And unfortunately the weather changed too so it wasn't that pleasant to give it another go with W&K but luckily we had some snapper and gurnard in the freezer.

Great mural on the public toilets

Our time is zooming along to an end here at W.B and a bit of a panic now to get our bus jobs complete plus Bill's work for his clients. With Graeme & Claire returning soon, it will be time to move on to our next adventure - up the Coromandel Peninsula.

Perfect location for a Hopfederation Beer

Waihi Beach House Sitting

It's a tough job house sitting - but someone has to do it!😉

We left Auckland and headed down to Waihi Beach via Ray's Rest which is near Miranda on the coastal road from Auckland heading toward the Coromandel Peninsula. We spent a couple of nights at this very pleasant spot to stop with not a lot to do but walk along the beach or sit and read. Much needed to prepare ourselves for the next two months of house sitting at Waihi Beach!

Plenty of room to spread out a little. We are still sleeping in the bus - great views

Rays Rest with a few fellow Campers

Waihi (meaning "Rising Waters") Beach is at the western end of the Bay of Plenty which has a permanent population of around 2,000 but over the summer swells to 20,000, so we are staying during a quieter period which suits us perfectly. It is also a handy spot for friends and family to drop in.
Our first night back with G&C had Graeme giving Bill tips on catching fish with his Contiki which he puts in straight off the beach in front of the house. Tuition was pretty good with them pulling in 3 snapper and a Gurnard. Excellent - we shouldn't starve while they are away.
A couple of days later (25th July) we took G&C to Auckland's Airport in their new CRV- which was fine with G driving to the airport for us to drop them off, but bit nerve wracking on our return particularly with having to park up in a couple of large car parks for bits & pieces before returning to Waihi Beach. But I can happily say we returned the vehicle back into the garage here without a scratch. Phew!

Lots of beach walks - evenings are starting to get longer 👍

While staying here we have a few projects to complete - a bit of maintenance and renovation work on the Bus, a few Dental appointments for Sheryl this time - Bill's just about emptied the bank out with his dental work. Convert my bike to electric (power assist when required) so I can keep up with Bill. Do lots of local walks and cycle trails and of course catch fish.
So with these projects in mind and having two months to do this, we relaxed thinking we have plenty of time. Well 3 weeks into our two month's house sitting I can see we may run out of time with so many things to do & see!
It started with Bill getting a job with a friend of G&C's who lives back in Waihi (11km away) to install a new kitchen for her. Luckily it's not a big kitchen so he's almost finished. But now she would like the floor done as the new kitchen makes the floor look too shabby. It's quite nice he's earning some money again to help keep me in our lifestyle - my wee job I do on line just doesn't cover it all.

The Workshop in bust disarray.

A few things to be checked on..

Hmmmmmm! Not sure where these wire goes?

Bill has started sorting out our fridge issues (the power and even temperature distribution) so it's been pulled out of the bus and worked on in the basement which has been great having dry space with the frequent wet days we keep having - and room to spread out as you can see in the photo!

No keeping me back now!

I now have an electrically modified bike which is fabulous to ride. I was against converting it initially as I felt we needed all the exercise we can get - but! I have realised there is a place for that extra power like going up hills and just being able to go that much further than we could previously. But the best thing is....... mine now goes a lot faster than Bill's.

An Oldie but a Cutie right on the beach.

 The conversion kit for Bill's is different to mine due to the style of our bike frames. Now we just need a bit more fine weather and Bill to finish working so we can get out cycling. Will update this on the next blog.
We try and do 5km walks most days, if the tide is out we head along the beach or if it's in, just around the local streets. There is plenty of activity in the building industry here too with many baches having major renovations or new builds. The market is pretty active here - I guess it's proximity to Auckland encourages this. There are still a few originals around though too.

Cornish Pump House used to pump water out of the mine.

 Sam & Pauline (we last caught up down at Warbirds Over Wanaka at Easter) called in for a  night on their way through from their home in Hahei to Tauranga.
The next morning we headed into Waihi for Sam to help Bill remove the heavy old oven from his kitchen job, before heading off to walk around the rim of the Martha Mine.
Sadly we hadn't done our homework and since we were last here before we headed overseas, there have been two major slips preventing you from walking the original Rim Walkway. There are a couple of diversions in place on it now making it a lot longer and as S&P had to be in Tauranga by the end of the day we headed back to Waihi Beach.
Much nicer having lunch at the Flat White before they had to head off.

Bill & Pauline wanting to take this little fella for a ride 

Waihi Beach - a Thirtieth and a Family Reunion

As good a "Family" picture that I was going to get! This time!

Rochelle (Rocky) wanted a big Nicholas family gathering to celebrate her 30th birthday at Waihi Beach where we have had many happy celebrations at Graeme & Claire's. Plans were made starting a year ago to bring as many of our family together on 7th July 2018 seeing as a few now live overseas, including of course Rocky and now Nick.

The lovely setting for the party - hard to find better.

Rocky trying to control Pinata

Uncle G trying to prevent Rocky falling
into the cake

This was an opportunity to bring our own little family together after 18 months - Joan (Bills mum flying up from Nelson with Simon & Nicki and family) Shannon & AC driving up from Wellington, Rocky returning after 10 days in Greece (bit of a shock after all that warmth), and meet Nick's girlfriend Emily also from Perth with Nick. 

Dodgy Uncles

Evie & Abby in disguise

All the Nicholas cousins managed to make the reunion which was wonderful. Amanda & Rico and family from Switzerland (leaving their summer weather!), Luke also from working in Europe, and Abby with new baby Evie (always lovely to have a baby at these family celebrations - not just us oldies! Pity Ben couldn't stay long enough for the party) from Aussie. And then the rest from as far south as Riwaka and as far north as Warkworth. Adding in the Godparents and a second Cousin, just over 50 attended the event - good turnout Guys.

Joan missed Pat (my Mum) but represented the Nana's well, although keeping track of all the extended family was hard to keep track of.
It was wonderful to have so much family together since Mum's memorial 18 months ago. Plans have been sounded out for the next family gathering - a 40th in Aussie or maybe celebrating the Farm House renovations in Italy!!

Even Donald Trump attended
(Paull with Claire)

Rocky flew in from Greece (after a Top Deck ten day tour which she enjoyed but we had to agree with her that it’s a long way to go for 10 days! But some stunning beaches and hot weather though.) to Auckland on the 4th July (Pat's birthday) at 5am and then onto Tauranga at 7am. So it was an early start for Bill & I from Waihi Beach, an hour away to meet her. It was then off to the Mount for breakfast where the sun had only just risen - a beautiful morning to welcome Rocky back to NZ. She managed to last till around 6.00pm before dropping off to sleep on the couch after we had a toast to Nana Pat - she would have been 96 this year. You did well Rocky to last that long without sleep! 

Rocky back on NZ soil - Mt Maunganui

We completed getting the last few bits and pieces for the weekend the next day and took possession of a Bachcare Property for the family to stay in for the event. Bill & I were fine in "Yella 2 Blu" parked out the front of G&C's on the beach front, but we needed a place to house our family. Through the Bachcare web site we found (thanks Shannon) a lovely newish home only an 8 minute walk away - nice and handy. Nick & Em turned up late afternoon on the Thursday after coming down from Auckland via Rotorua like you do when trying to see as much of NZ as possible. Em hadn't been to NZ before so Nick tried to show her as much as possible in the two weeks they were over from Perth, including some skiing in Queenstown - also a first for EM.

A walk along Waihi Beach with Rocky, Em & Nick

Nick keeping Bill's feet dry! How times have changed 😊

Mid-day Friday saw our family reunited after 18 months with the arrival of Shannon and AC (after a night in Taupo on the way thru to break the trip). Joan's arrival early evening (thank you S&N) completing our little reunion where we had a lovely relaxing evening just catching up on everyones news.

Saturday was all go with everyone arriving at G&C's from 11 am onward. It's always a worry early on when planning an outdoor gathering that the weather doesn't play its part - but thankfully it did both Saturday and Sunday for the brunch. It was cold but no signs of rain. There was certainly a lot of variation on the Mexican theme that Rocky had chosen, making it hard to identify one or two people.

It was wonderful having the Nicholas extended family altogether once again to help make the weekend, and of course made my weekend having my "Children" together.

Time for a bit of Drone flying the next day
(My three brothers, Bill and nephew Cameron)

But sadly I DIDN'T GET THE ONE FAMILY PHOTO I HAD REQUESTED! Guess I'll just have to cut & paste once again!

With Shannon & AC (returning directly to Wellington) and Nick & Em (returning to Perth flying via Auckland) 5.00am departures on the Monday - Bill & I moved in with Rocky & Joan into the Bach for another couple of days, which was lovely to just relax.

G&C were wonderful once again allowing us all the use of their wonderful home/location - it has many happy memories here. Thank you both so much.

We then headed to Auckland - the four of us in the Bus, to stay with brother Wayne & Kate once again for a few days before Rocky & Joan were to fly out. It's wonderful having my brothers so handily located - sorry Allan & Nicky, we didn't stay this time round. But once that house is completed and the pool filled - count us in.

Happy birthday Rocky 🎉- not a wine in sight 😊

Auckland City's changing landscape in the background

It had been a while since Joan had been to Auckland, so we decided to have the day in the City on Rocky's actual birthday. We caught the Ferry in, which was a free trip for Joan with her Gold Card (thanks Winnie) - $20 return each for the rest of us! But the weather was perfect and showed this ever expanding city off at its best.

Sadly the week came to its end and Rochelle returned to Perth (guess Daniel was missing you a bit after 3 weeks away and you needed to earn some money!) and the next day Joan returned to Nelson once again thanks to N&S, great service you two give.

Wayne washing

Bill checking out the photographer 😉

Monday started another week for Wayne & Bill to put up the scaffolding and complete the last bit of painting on the end of the gables of W&K's home. We did managed some time out to catch up with Terry & Robyn whom we haven’t seen for over 10 years but thanks to technology (Linked In) we managed to track down and catch up once again.
Now its time to head back to Waihi Beach where we are house sitting for the next two months while G&C enjoy Europe. Looking forward to it. 

New Plymouth to the mecca city of Otorohanga and Fieldays

Bill with the Three Sister rock formations on the Taranaki coast

With the Wellingtonians heading home we set forth to pack up after our unintended months stay in one place, to head to Ak over the coming week.
But not before our Nelson friend Bob turned up for a drink of water on his way South ferrying his daughter's car and possessions as she relocates from Orewa to Cromwell.

Good to catch up and get some news of friends at home in the Kayak Club.

Big Opps!! Broken Tow Hitch

On leaving Waitarere, we headed north passing through Hawera on the way to New Plymouth but not without incident! On our way up the west coast, we called into the seaside town of Tangimoana - a little place we hadn't been into before - probably not likely to return either! I'm sure its a lovely little community but all the access we tried, finding the beach, had been washed away with storms and not much in the way of signage telling us this. So we headed off down a long narrow lane to the beach only to find the road had been washed away. We had to unhook the car as we were unable to back all the way back up the road, I drove the car and Bill the bus! But a bit of a shock  awaited us when Bill found the tow hitch on the A Frame that tows the car had snapped off! Bummer! First tow on our new towbar and all! Never happened on the old one but lets not go there with Bill.

Mt Taranaki trying to pop through the clouds

So now unable to tow the car, Bill managed to get it unhooked off the bus and we drove separately onto Hawera. Thankfully it was only $150 to buy a new tow hitch and get it bolted onto the A Frame, which was made possible due to the local Engineering firm Ace Engineering.

Walking along the Esplanade to New  Plymouth Port

We spent the night at the Hawera NZMCA camp which is on a piece of land that was previously part of the Hospital (Nurses Home) - nice and central in Hawera and quite peaceful - it has a large sealed area and with all the rain we were experiencing thankfully we weren't likely to get stuck.
Bill took the A frame away to be repaired while I did some computer work. By mid afternoon the repair was done and as it was still raining, we decided to move onto New Plymouth and catch up with an old friend and hopefully do some cycling around the waterfront.
We stayed at another NZMCA camp in New Plymouth way down in a gully in the  Huatoki Domain. It looked pretty wet and plenty of evidence of large vehicles getting stuck so we were a bit wary but it turned out to be a lovely quiet spot handy to the city centre and full of birdlife.
We headed into New Plymouth's city centre the next morning parking down by the beach. New Plymouth has a great coastal cycle trail 13km in length that we had cycled a few years ago and enjoyed but unfortunately this time round the weather wasn't on our side so we decided to walk half the trail down to the Port. An agreeable relaxed saunter along New Plymouths sea frontage. A real asset for the city and a highly recommended sea side trail

New Plymouth's NZMCA Camp Site

We then caught up with our old friend Michael, whom we last saw 30 odd years ago.

Te Rewa Rewa bridge looking through to
Mt Taranaki (pity about the cloud)

Catching up with old friends has been a really enjoyable part of our being on the road, we are able to visit far more of our old friends. Life got busy raising families and establishing jobs and homes, so its not that you forget your friends, it's just that other activities come along taking over your lives.  We had last caught up with Michael in New Plymouth we think back in 1981or 82, after we had returned from our OE's. So it had been some time ago and of course we had changed physically a little, but 5 minutes together it was just like the old days back in our early 20's. It was great catching up, learning of his  family, and coincidentally two of their children live in Perth as well! Small world. It will be nice next time to meet his wife  and spend time reminiscing and forging new bonds....

From New Plymouth we continued north along the Taranaki coast  in and out of little seaside towns.
We came across signage to The Three Sisters - a rock formation just north of Tongaporutu. We were fortunate it was low tide so we could walk out to the rock formations - a stunning sight with Mt Taranaki poking through in the background.
We continued onto the King Country's Mecca  Otorohanga and another NZMCA camp site. A good location to stay and break up our trip to Auckland and visit the world famous, in Otorohanga,  the Haddad Brothers and their amazing shop..... .
The next morning was too beautiful to rush off so we walked into town and looked around the town centre. Those of you who know Otorohanga, know you can't afford to blink when passing through - but did you know it is such a Kiwiana Town?
Strolling down the main street we came across the Haddad Brothers menswear shop. It is like going back in time, .. started in 1965 right next door to their father's Milk Bar, both Karam & John were there to greet their customers along with 3 female assistants - all busy shifting and laying out stock of top quality, long wearing clothing suitable for King Country farmers.

Plenty of newspaper items on the Haddad Brothers
in their front window

The stock sits atop of large cardboard boxes which fill the large shop and have hand written pricing on scraps of cardboard. They don't have a computer but have given into an EFTPOS terminal.  The two brothers looked like they were in a time warp with their conservative clothes and wearing large hats which were quite eye catching and helped you spot them in the much cluttered store. So much so, that Bill had to get one too. I think we have mentioned before - Bill's predilection for hats! He now has one for all weather - the new "Southern Man" Jenny!

Moving along the main road,  there were numerous cartoons of David Henshaw's Jock -on the side of an old pub. An older gentleman pulled up along side us as I was taking photo's guessing we were tourists. He introduced himself as Bill, Otorohanga's Ambassador and proceeded to give us the  fascinating history on the town. With the Waitomo Caves on the towns door step, a station where the Kiwi Rail's Overlander stops, the Kiwi House (a Kiwi & Tuatara breeding centre) and being on Highway #3 - the town has a lot of tourists coming through. In the early days his services as a taxi driver were sort after, he had 4 taxis in his fleet at it's peak. But these days the tourists are mostly in rental cars. He had only recently retired from his services as a taxi driver having just turned 80.

Bill in his snazzy new hat overlooking our camp site

He highly recommended The Ed Hillary Walkway that links the main street through to the historic railway station (now an espresso coffee bar & coffee roaster).  We ambled along to where there are 33 panels featuring slices of quirky & informative Kiwiana, evoking many memories of our childhood. Continuing our walk around the outskirts of the town we returned to our campsite for a cuppa before heading north to Auckland to make it in time for dinner at the Hobsonville RSA and watch the AB's first game against the French

West Harbour Heights!!

Our first week in Auckland parked up outside my brother & sister-in-laws once again, saw Bill & Wayne trying to progress the painting of the gable ends and dormers on their home with the help of scaffolding W had organised to be put up. Heights are not one of my brothers strengths (runs in the family) so Bill is encouraging and reaching some of those higher parts. This was all between the many rain showers that occur up this part of the country.

Big Boys Toys

We did get away on the Friday to Mystery Creek Fieldays, an event we had heard many stories of, having met people over the years who had made some amazing purchases of innovative gadgets/clothing.
We left Auckland at 7.30am and thankfully slotted in between the heavy traffic Auckland suffers everyday. It still took just under 3 hrs to reach the bus shuttle just out of Cambridge. Fieldays were celebrating 50 years this year, reading about it's early days and how much this event has grown into the huge 4 day event it is now - is a must attend for the farming community throughout the country, the southern hemisphere's largest agricultural event. It was originally set up to sell farming products with 80 exhibitors and 10,000 visitors. Where as now it's 1000 + exhibitors showing off innovations, cutting edge technology and new products to approx 134,000 people over the four days.

And they're off - tractors pulling bigger tractors

W, B and I easily filled in 5 hours wandering around the huge complex / pavilions / grounds experiencing this huge event and apart from buying our lunch managed to resist purchasing anything else. Bill did very well considering all the hats for sale ☺

Lunchtime at Fieldays

We made the right choice to park in Cambridge and use the shuttle service to the event (15mins away) as we passed paddock after paddock close to the event full of parked cars. Over the years the organisers have got systems very organised to handle the numbers of visitors that attend.

City Boy in Redbands

The only downside to the day was the 3 hr return trip where for half an hour on the motorway just south of Auckland we only covered 1km as we crawled and merged from two to one lane through road works! We made it back home just after 8.00pm - after our first Fielday Event - probably a one and only experience but worthy of attending. Gumboots or sturdy footwear are a must - Wayne (City Boy) blended in very well with his Redbands along with thousands of others, and Bill in his new hat!
We have continued our walks around the Hobsonville area between prepping and painting, and seeing the area starting to come together. All the varieties of styles of apartments blending together well. Just hope they stand the test of time and don't deteriorate through lack of maintenance and care.

Building still ongoing around Hobsonville

The area is a  new strategy in high density housing, one would have to say hardly affordable, but attempting to meet the insatiable need for housing in Auckland. We would guess this  style of  housing will be be accepted as normal before to long. It is not bad but very different to what our generation and our parents could reasonably expect, IE the old 1/4 acre. Thankfully there is generous green space and Ak is well endowed, as a Region, with great reserves, parks, and beaches.

Waitarere - Foxton and Queens Birthday

Bill, John and Annie out for a walk along Waitarere Beach

John & Sarah came thru on Friday night and, as we do, spent a most pleasant evening together, before they returned on Saturday with Sarah having a wedding to attend with other girl friends, in deed with most of the country from all accounts but slipped by us in Waitarere. However both of us  wish the the Royals a happy union.
Sunday saw Shannon come thru from Wellington for the day just to spend some  time with her ageing parents. We had a lovely home cooked brunch followed by a brisk walk thru the quiet streets to return via the cool windy beach. A good blow out.
There after we had a busy week with a very mixed bag of weather, from driving rain blustery winds and on occasion pleasant weather.

Waitarere local library - easy access,
No the little fridgeat the front.

 We had two trips to Levin to sort out Bills teeth, an ongoing saga, and to sort some materials to do some work here at the beach for Sarah and John. The second trip, again for teeth, but as the weather was not promising we went early to catch a recommended movie, finding  a very comfortable theatre boasting two seater couches, cushions, and a lovely cafe to then have some lunch. In fact you were able to take your meals into the theatre, if so desired with the wait staff happy to oblige. Very nice and pleased to report the movie a lovely story entitled the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. A tale of wartime Guernsey and the aftermath that the war brought. Interesting too that many of the island scenes were shot in the English town of Clovelly, a quaint fishing village where we had spent several hours wandering in when there less than 18 months ago.

De Molen Wind Mill Foxton

Sunday we went to Foxton just up the road to visit their newly opened cultural centre Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom. Visiting the Maori weaving and workshop which was quietly displaying Maori art and some history. Bailey the host was really engaging and it being so quiet, gave us a comprehensive intro into the Taongo on display discussing its significance and the uses of. It was a tale portending much violence usinf the most innocuous of items ,such as hair ornaments having a very a duplicitous use as a weapon of defence, artfully designed to inflict serious harm to would be assailants.

Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom Centre

Keen to move our attentions to less harrowing discussions we moved on to weaving and like many people, were aware of flax's significance to the Maori but little idea on how it was prepared and utilised. This was as enlightening to me as much as any thing I've seen before and found it very rewarding. These encounters are rare and will be  a visit of enduring memories for us both and a Taongo. An hour and a half later we then went into the De Molen Wind Mill built in 2003, a marvellous monument to the Dutch immigrants and their resourcefulness. The wind mill has over many years ground flour for artisan bakers but has now fallen still since 2014 with weather damage, now needing some TLC to get it going again. But this is a big ask of the community as a windmill is a complex machine requiring very skilled repairers, and as the proprietor said most of that skill set has been lost with the passing generation.

One of the many activities on the beach

Another pleasant meal at Waitarere

Lastly but by no means leastly we went into Foxtons new cultural centre. A smart new facility incorporating the library ,a gallery presently featuring Abel Tasman's voyages of discovery indeed this year being 375 years, and a large area dedicated to indigenous Maori and the hard working dutch immigrants. All very positive and enlightening. Like who realised it was a dutch restaurateur, wanting to sell wine with his meals and taking ten years to get a licence (thanks to the brewers who were then all powerful), we have to thank for our wonderful wine & dine experiences today.
We settled in for a futher two weeks at Waitarere as Sarah had found some maintenance issues that Bill could help with and as Shannon said she would be able to get up again at Queens B'Day weekend it seemed ordained we would be here for another fortnight. Such are the burdens of travellers or as John might say "Bloody Squatters".
But we got on, with work for them and more things on the bus,as there is always something more to do, earning our keep and enjoying this tranquil spot.
Queens Birthday came round in a hurry with J&S arriving on the Friday & Shannon& AC turning up on Saturday, a very social weekend but not before Bill & John replaced barge boards, rotten roof iron and gutter brackets. A productive & social gathering, & not forgetting our return to Foxton ,this time with Shannon & AC in tow.  Bill immersing himself again in flax, but the industrialisation of it, and its supply to the world. A really interesting era of early NZ.

Shannon I'm sure I am taller ☺

With the Wellingtonians heading home we set forth to pack up after our unintended months stay in one place, to head to Auckland over the coming week.
But not before our Nelson friend Bob turned up for a drink of water on his way South ferrying his daughters car and possessions as she relocates from Orewa to Cromwell. Good to catch up and get some news of friends at home in the Kayak Club.