Towns, cities and relatives that really aren't

Well it has been a while since I posted here so here goes with a quick catchup.
I am currently in the Hawkes Bay, Clive to be exact today. Have been staying with the ex's step mother or rather the woman who married her dad. (I think that makes her the mother-in-law but not sure)  We get on really well and I've been parked in her driveway for the last week and enjoying some food that is not my own cooking and generally helping out.
Lorraine's husband passed away about 20 months ago and she's coping but still has her moments. I washed down the outside of the house for her on Thursday and she was very appreciative. It was a good workout for me to get rid of some of the excess food that I've been eating at her place.
I have been for a couple of great bike rides, from Clive to Te Awanga and today from Clive to just past the port in Napier. About 27km today so am feeling good!
I'll be here for another week or so as I am being flown up to Kataia to deliver a workshop on the 8th. So will fly on the 7th and return on the 8th.
It is interesting when you are with friends and in the city there is far less to write about but you end up forgetting to write anything.....I find that by the time dinner is had, dishes washed and a bit of a chat and then supper it is way past the normal bedtime and I'm too tired to blog.
So today I thought that I had better at least update where I was if nothing else.

So on the way from Wairoa I was blown away by the Mohaka Viaduct.  Quite an awesome sight. So pulled off the road and wandered back onto the road bridge to get some pics.

It was a fantastic sight!  From there I wended my way through to Lake Tutira for the night.

Had a lovely visit from the swans, noisy things that they were!
Then wandered along to Napier

Those were taken on Marine Parade and were looking in opposite directions. The rays in the east were just amazing as this was sunset in the opposite direction.

So anyway having fun here and getting loads of biking in. Might get the kayak off tomorrow but its cold and .....I don,t like being cold.
At least I know my heater works really well. Heats the bus up warm and toasty really quickly!
Right off to post this and travel safe everyone!

Moving Again

Well after a wonderful time in GIsborne, it was time to move on. I enjoyed Gisborne, even thought a lot of rain fell and I wasn’t able to get out and do much. A couple of bike rides, on that ended up with me being hailed upon and a couple of walks.

I met some lovely people and had some great chats. A lovely couple from Christchurch parked up a couple of sites from me in a lovely  KonTiki van. They were getting away from Christchurch while their home was being sorted. They are one of the boarderline streets that should have been red zoned but….So while they were here, they got a message to say that their home was now able to be sorted and the new home builder came in with a good price so hopefully they will be able to move into their new home soon. They are heading up to Auckland and the Far North for a couple of months.

So anyway yesterday (Monday) was moving day again and I headed out of GIsborne via the Truck Wash. I was hoping to put the bus through the wash and clean it up a bit but someone had damaged it over the weekend and it wasn’t working, so I moved on towards Mahia Peninsular with a quick stop at the Morere Hot Pools. As the day was pretty damn cold, overcast and yeuch I didn’t stop for long and didn’t go on the walks.

So on to Mahia, where there were some wonderful sights on the way out there.

		Road to Mahia VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

It was interesting to see all the railway wagons, filled with concrete and turfed over the edge to try to counteract the erosion which is pretty bad along the coast there.

The day was very cold and overcast and not at all inviting, and when I found the parking place it was wet and soggy underfoot, so I decided to move on and head onwards to Wairoa. An interesting little town and i headed down to the reserve at Pilot Hill. A nice little spot.

		Pilot Hill Reserve VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The bar moves regularly I am told and currently it is sitting opposite me. I may take the kayak out if the weather remains good and warms up a little.

Things are a lot quieter and less strenuous over the cooler months, so not a great deal happening at the moment. The weather looks like its closing in again so might be a walk along the beach to check for surf casting possies…

 

Safe travels everyone

Te Tapuwae o Rongokako Marine Reserve

It was pointed out to me that there is a Marine Reserve at Pouawa Beach and that I had caught a fish there.
The marine reserve starts at the Pouawa River and heads north, is well signposted and I was well south of there.

Pic take from the beach.
And the fish was released back into the ocean and it swam away quite healthily!

While I was wandering along the beach I came across this....

Pretty awesome sand picture!

Lovely sunny Gisborne

Well its been a lovely couple of days here in sunny Gisborne, I have been staying at a Top 10 Holiday park as the Freedom Camping Season has closed!
Anyway, its a lovely spot right by the beach at Waikanae right next to the port.
Almost every morning there is a new ship loading logs.
I went out fishing on Saturday (I think). I met a young guy who asked me where I was going and when I said I had not a clue, he told me to head out to the green channel marker and from there head up the coast, there was a reef all the way up there and there should be good fishing. There wasn’t! but had a good paddle and quiet fish for a couple of hours. Had one strike but didn’t manage to hook it.

So I have been walking around town and walked along the foreshore towards town, across the bridge and up the hill overlooking the port.

		Walkabout VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I had spoken to a lady at the Gisborne iSite about freedom camping and she had said that the season had closed. Aparently over the summer months you pay a charge for freedom camping and get a rubbish bag etc. But as it was closed, she told me that they never police it and I would be safe to go anyway. I also rang the Gisborne District Council to ask about it and she told me the same thing after umming and arring for a while….
So from Gisborne I headed up the coast for some more fishing and ended up at Pouawa Beach at the freedom camping spot. I snuck into a lovely secluded spot hidden from the road and then realised that there was a memorial set up on the edge of the beach for a young man who had lost his life there. It was this year and I wasn’t sure whether there was a tapu on the site or not of if there had been was it lifted… so I moved up the road a ways and left him in peace.
It was a lovely spot and met another couple from Gisborne who were there for the weekend and were moving off later that day.

		Pouawa Beach VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I had a lovely walk up the beach and found a lovely high heel boot.

It was a great beach for walking.
Then I headed out for a fish, managed to launch and get back through the surf without gong over!!!

I managed to catch a fish, though not sure how….

		Fishing VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

So from there I washed down the kayak and as the day was deteriorating, I decided to do some baking, so did some date scones, afghans and banana muffins.

		Baking VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

After that was done I took a long walk up the beach and back as far as the Pouawa River. Bit big to get across.

		Walks along the beach VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I tried to take a 360 panorama of the beach….

So as I was tidying up and getting ready for the afternoon, I glanced outside and low and behold I have a visitor.

		Visitor VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The seal was sitting in a little inlet of sand and was quite vocal , not sure how it arrived but there was no tracks so I assume that it came over the grass.
It stayed a while until I moved outside to start packing up and then it wandered away and settled a few metres down the beach. I did not go anywhere near it after the story in the news from New Plymouth where the man got attached just as he walked past.
Anyway I am back in Gisborne, didn’t want to get caught up the coast in the incoming weather and it is now raining and miserable.  But I have the heater going and am warm and cozy.

 

Safe travels!