and Back to Empty (for a while)

Easter is now over….

and only one issue with a firearm (air rifle) to contend with. I believe that I managed it OK considering the person and the situation.

ON Sunday we had a rather interesting visitor to the camp….

Almost everyone partook of the treat on a lovely warm autumnal day.

While I was doing the washing the other day I managed to lose a button off one of my lovely hand towels that my sister Lorna had made for me.

After searching high and low and not managing to find said button I decided to make one from a bit of driftwood to replace it.

		Button Making VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Using some sanding bits I have for the drill and a small nail to drill the holes I managed to produce a sort of button. Unfortunately the wood had a bit of a crack which is why the button is a bit lopsided. I am pleased with the rustic look and whats more it works!

Yesterday (Monday) the camp emptied out completely and for a couple of hours I was totally alone here. Was so peaceful and quiet apart from the constant traffic leaving points north of here and heading southwards.

During the afternoon the sea settled a bit and I went out late in the afternoon for a bit of a fish, caught some small non-legal snapper that went back, had a number of interesting tussles with some larger fish that refused to hook up  and had a lovely relaxing time out there. So sunset for Monday April 6th is from the water.

		Sunset On The Water VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Today I am sitting waiting for Tim from Fletcher Bay to come and pick me up for a ride into Coromandel Town to do some shopping, there are a couple of things I am getting low on and as I am not heading out until the 13th for my doctors appointment I will grab a couple of things to tide me over. It will be interesting to get out of camp for the day.

Currently I have a father and two children and a couple in camp. The children are very loud and tend to fight with each other (boy 9ish and girl 7ish). May end up having to talk to them about creating ‘camp voices’ while they are here, to respect other campers.

Yet another beautiful day here today, not a cloud in the sky and just a zephyr of a breeze to stop it becoming too hot.

Will attempt to get this posted before Tim gets here.

Safe travels everyone.

From Whoa to Go

So on Wednesday there were two of us in the campsite and yesterday I was wondering if we would were going to have to get the camp full sign out!

We have a lovely bunch of people, some families, a group of 10, most related, who have been coming here for Easter for 20 years, and a few couples. When I saw the booking for 10 males I thought that we could be in for a bit of fun, but they are a great bunch, out fishing in their boats all day.

It has been hard work for everyone fishing at the moment but there are some good sized fish coming in. I have come back empty handed two days in a row, but I haven’t been too serious about it, just enjoying the relaxing out on the waves. It’s been very therapeutic and a change from weeding the gardens, just to relax and sit quietly in the lovely weather and be rocked by the waves.

Last night was a lovely sunset again….

		Good Friday Sunset VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The moon is starting to fill out and cast it’s lovely light across the campsite overnight.

Tonight I believe is full moon so I will try to get some pictures. 

There has been a distinct lack of campervans and NZMCA people this weekend and I am not surprised due to the National Rally at Pukekohe this weekend. So that is probably why things are not quite full. Port Jackson has two spare sites and Fletcher Bay has a few but things are pretty busy this weekend. At least the weather is holding out.

So far this weekend I have had a half a kawhai, in return for smoking the whole fish, 4 lovely large snapper fillets in return for some cooking oil (two of which will be my dinner tonight), done with a teriyaki sauce and pasta.

Tonight’s sunset was quite magnificent…

and the aftermath was even better…

		Sunset Easter Saturday VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

As the fishermen came in today they were all commenting that it was hard work out there and although there were some rather good looking fish caught, there were not large numbers brought in. One of the campers that arrived this afternoon went diving and came back with two crayfish!  So fish are being caught but it seems that they are not in the numbers that people are expecting.

Before I lock this off, I looked up and saw an amazing thing in the sky…

The moon is rising behind the hill and reflecting onto the clouds. I have no idea what the yellow blur is, possibly a bird flying through the scene.

It is going to be a lovely evening and I had better get this loaded up for you all to read.

Safe travels everyone.

Finally a Fantail at Fantail Bay

It is not that good but I caught it as I was walking back from getting the nightly sunset shots on the beach. 

Quite a good sunset tonight!

Today was a full on day with my boss Karl arriving along with Tim from Fletcher Bay and 150 metres of pipe in two coils. So we re-ran a major length of pipe and removed some older pipe with a few joins in and so now hopefully we have a good constant supply of water for the camp. The irony is that it will all be replaced within a year with much larger pipe to run a hydroelectric plant down in the campsite. This should happen with the next year.

So after spending a rather strenuous few hours hauling pipe through the bush I then managed to get half my lawns mown as I have not had my lawn mower for the past few days as it has been off at Port Jackson and Fletcher Bay.

It has been a very exercise full day so I will sleep well tonight!

I have managed to do some weeding while the mower has been away…

I have managed 1 1/2 of the 3 little separator gardens between the terraces so plenty of work to do on quiet days.

Now one little thing that I forgot to mention earlier that I came across on my quick trip up to Kaitaia the other day. One the way back through the Maungamuka Gorge we came across this…..

 

yup a truck on it’s side off the road. He had taken the corner too fast and toppled over, There was a crane there as we went past about to try and right it.

So life here goes on, the weather has calmed down from a blustery south-westerly which created some quite choppy conditions

to a perfect day today

and the sunset…..

		April 1st VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Easter i looking like it might be a bit busier that I am experiencing at the moment but we shall see. Have a couple of large bookings.

Fishing is a bit sparse at the moment but I hope to get out tomorrow morning before tackling the last of the lawns before Easter.

Have a very empty camp tonight with only 2 young German boys, one young French couple and a single NZ guy who is here to fish for a week.

Not much to report so safe travels everyone.

Fantastic Fantail Bay

I know….another boring sunset shot!
So I am still here at Fantail Bay and will be here through to the end of April when I move up to Port Jackson until the end of September. This is all on a month by month basis in case I don’t like it or they don’t like me! But so far the feedback has been fantastic not only about the camp host but about how great a little campsite it is. So I am chuffed that I have found a little niche that suits me and I suit it.
So we have been doing all sorts of bits and pieces while here. I had to do a mad dash into Auckland the other week to deliver a seminar and took some time to visit FCO (Fishing, Camping, Outdoors) which is closing down and I managed to spend a little money on a new solar shower as the old one which was passed down from Brenda and Roger finally decided to give up the ghost at the handle from which it hangs. So while I was there they also had a nice little 12v shower system on very good special so that went into my basket as well as a fish finder and battery! I also managed to pick up a very good little 12v battery charger and it all seems to work after a bit of sorting out faulty cigarette lighter connectors. So now people know it is me in the shower due to the little motor. It gives me a great shower, I empty the solar shower into the bucket and off I go!
Also the install of the fish finder was a bit of a mission, but finally got the kit and managed to successfully fit it.

		Fish Finder VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I have hung the battery inside the hull until I can get somewhere and make a battery holder for it. Works well until there is a large swell and the battery thumps the side!
It is fun to now see what I am paddling over and to see the huge drop off that is just off the bay.

Bread making the other day and instead of making loaves to go with the fishes I made buns and that went really well. Managed to make 8 very nice buns. Easier to freeze and keep and don’t end up eating half a loaf of yummmmmy bread for lunch or afternoon tea.
Have finally said farewell to one of the long term ‘residents’ of Fantail Bay. John from Taupo headed off this morning in his lovely old green 1968 Bedford bus towing his 4wd van. He has been a wonderful addition to the camp and his stories are amazing. He has written two books, one about his trip from London to Africa on the safari from hell and the other about his life farming sheep, cows and then goats. Both wonderful reads and I recommend them if you can find them. His name is John Mather and most libraries have copies of “Bitten by Africa” and “Two Kiwis and their Motorhome”. I will miss him and his ‘happy hour’ stories, but he is off home to Taupo.
So life is quietening down here at Fantail Bay as the summer departs and Autumn starts to chill things down. Tonight we have one motorhome, one tent and one van and me in the camp so very quiet, but we are now in the lead up to the Easter weekend so anything can happen.
We have had some more amazing sunsets….

		Sunsets Galore VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Have spent two days now working with my boss Karl and the camp manager Tim from Fletcher Bay in re-routing the water supply for the camp after it got a bit damaged last week with Cyclone Pam as she passed. So we have hauled the pipe down from the hill and re-run it on a better gradient, put the end back into the water (doesn't work well when it is sitting halfway up the bank about 4 metres from the water!) and after two fills of the tank with the fire pump we now have our water supply back only 12 days after it was damaged!
I am pretty knackered after lugging huge 50m lengths of pipe through the bush so an early night for me and hope to get out tomorrow for some fishing before the next load of foul weather arrives. Have been out a couple of time but not been very successful but hope things might change, but everyone is in a bit of the same boat with the fishing, some days it is on and the next nothing. The sea has been very dirty but full of krill so we have huge numbers of terns feeding and the kawhai have been running but everyone is very well fed and not taking bait either live or soft. Still there has been enough caught to keep us all in fish at least one meal a day for the couple of weeks or so.
Enjoying a few quiet days of weeding the garden dividers here,

and making the most of the peace and quiet.
Safe travels to you all!